The cottage was sturdy, and it was mine, but it was so far outdated it could be considered rustic camping and completely separated from the rest of my people. I was an outcast. If she bonded with me, she would be too. Her eyes landed on the permanently open French doors, the out-of-control plants invading the bedroom, the cobwebs in the corner, and the cracks in the trim.
Jaw clenched, that sadness I felt growing down the bond evaporated under the force of her anger. “I know you’re not suggesting I’m shallow enough to care that you’re notpopular?”
She was being intentionally argumentative. It was her nature, and the bratty behavior was usually a huge turn-on, but it only served to make things more difficult right now.
“Your life won’t be some fairytale! Imagineneverbeing accepted. Imagine being looked down upon every second of every day.”
The intensity of her gaze eased, and her shoulders drooped. Like she was resigned to the fate I lay before her.
“I’m already tied to you, Ezra.”
I shook my head. “But you still have rights with the siren faction as an unbonded. You have options.” I swallowed. The next words were the hardest to get out. “You can leave.”
Her head snapped back as if I’d slapped her, and maybe I had. It wasn’t that I thought she was shallow or not strong enough to stand by me. There wasn’t another soul on this earth who deserved the position more. But I was doing this tosaveher. One day she’d see. One day she’d understand.
A gruff laugh escaped as she pulled all the way to the end of the mattress. She sat there, body filling with so much rage she trembled to hold it all in.
“So what, I live with the sirens but slink back here at night for sneaky little rendezvous? But wait, we can’t actually fuck, so not really.”
Nowthatwas insulting. “I’m just trying to protect you,” I growled.
“No. You’re being a coward and severely pissing me off in the process.”
My exasperation passed right over into indignation. It tasted sour and I kept swallowing to try and wash it away. Bonding with me came at a cost. Protecting her came at a cost, too, and one I was willing to pay. That took strength. I breathed easier just knowing she was near. Did she know what it would do to me to give that up? To give her up?
My plan of coasting for a few years flew out the window. There was no way she would be down for that plan now. Not after she accused me of wanting to treat her like my secret whore. Rani was still terrible at shielding her emotions, so it was easy enough to see how much my rejection hurt her, but even that knowledge did little to curb my reaction.
I had to get out of here. Harsh words were on the tip of my tongue, words that I couldn’t take back. She wasn’t the only one looking to lash out. I sprang from the bed like the sheets were on fire and slammed a wall down, right through the middle of our bond.Silence. Rani’s emotions stopped provoking my own, andmy thoughts began to clear. There was no escaping the one word still circulating, like a vulture targeting its next meal.
Coward. She thought I was a coward. Maybe she was right.
CHAPTER 28
Rani
I sat there fuming, watching Ezra storm off like our argument wasn’t even worth the time to work it out. Men were so stupid. Why the hell did he think rejecting me was protecting me? Where was the logic? Was it in the room with me? No, it fucking wasn’t. I felt him close off before he left. More brilliant logic. Because it made no sense to have your emotions available for someone to try and understand.
His wall wasn’t infallible, though. There were thousands of cracks through it, like he didn’t really want to put it down. Or wasn’t focused enough to make it solid. Maybe I’d more than pissed him off. That was hurt leaking through in a messy puddle. Fuck. I was too harsh with him.
I slid off the mattress and paced over the small rug between the bed and the old dresser. Made of some type of ancient wood, you could tell it was well taken care of, like the rest of the cottage. I saw the way Ezra’s eyes flashed when he dared me to take a closer look around. He thought the lack of amenities and fresh paint would change my opinion on this life.
It didn’t. And it was insulting that he thought it would.
That’s part of why his rejection stung a bit… okay,a lot. I knew he came from a good place, and that it was his own insecurities, his own internalized shame that sent him into a panic. He couldn’t see the charm of his own home. Every corner, every piece of furniture, every fucking blooming flower and vine that wound through the wide-open windows were a reflection of him.
The studious and devoted mahogany and oaks, the chaotic mismatching pillowseverywhere; even the greenery told of how life flourished around him. He was blind to it all. But I wasn’t. I felt at home here, as much as I did in the hayloft of my family’s barn or sitting in a deep tub of saltwater. It washim. He was where I felt the most at home was with him.
And now he wanted to take that away from me without even asking how I felt about it. Ezra thought he was protecting me, blah blah. I refused to accept it. His fears were based onhistreatment and experiences, but it wouldn’t always be like that. Kai and Eryn would be in charge one day, and if the djinn really did become allies, the future would look completely different.
He just had to see it. He had to want to fight long enough and take the risks worth taking. But even if mindsets never changed, I would proudly stand beside Ezra and tell all the haters to get fucked. Shit, I would do that right now and rabidly scream it at the top of my lungs directly in the faces of his aunt and those demonic twin siblings of his.
I stopped my pacing as determination surged through my veins like a charged bullet. No one had ever fought for Ezra, not really. His father built him this cottage, but put it out of sight. Even Kai didn’t open his mouth and tell his mother to fuck off like he should have. Every single person in Ezra’s life used him and thought that by not ignoring him, they were different than the rest.
I called bullshit on all of that.
They allowed him to stain his hands red, slice his soul to ribbons, and fill his mind with shadows all in the name of duty.Theycreated the monster he now saw, the one he feared would endanger me, but it didn’t bother me one bit. I would show him the truth of who he really was, and if that meant drawing out the darkness that hid inside him, then so be it. It would get along great with mine.
Now to get him back here. Determined, I hatched a detailed plan to win my bond. It required a little acting, a white lie, and less clothing, but if I could pull it off, Ezra would be mine by morning.
