Page 85 of Tangled Fates

“Is everything ok,” I said slowly.

Goddess, did they kill Tay?

My heart started to pound loudly in my ears.

“Nothing bad happened.” He rushed to me, cupping my face. “He just wants to talk to you, and I don’t like it. I’m afraid he’s going to fill your head with doubt, and I can already feel your insecurity.”

I bit my bottom lip. “How can I not worry? Everyone lies to me; they keep secrets so that I will stay.”

“I would never do anything to hurt you, at least consciously. You have no reason to believe me, but believe in our bond,” he whispered, resting his forehead against mine. “Close your eyes and feel me through our bond. I’m irrevocably yours. There is no one else in my heart and I would search for you for a millennia if that meant I would get to spend the rest of my days with you. I exist for you.”

I closed my eyes, and I didn’t even have to search for our bond. It was bright, strong and it felt like Soren. Magic couldn’t replicate this. Soren was mine, Gray was mine and Ryder might not think so, but he was mine too.

They were all pieces of my life that filled the emptiness in my heart. I knew that Tay was wrong. This wasn’t magic, this was our tangled fates. This was our destiny.

“I feel it,” I said, before crushing my mouth against his.

He opened my mouth with his tongue, kissing me with tenderness that made me tear up.

“I know it's too early to say this, but I love you,” he said against my lips. “When I saw that man's hands on you, I realized I would kill anyone who tried to hurt you. I don’t care if it's us against the world. I will find a way to keep you safe and if that means sacrificing the world, so be it. Let the world burn, Blondie.”

“The world doesn’t need?—”

“The world will pay its penance for your suffering, Blondie, I don’t care,” he said before crushing his lips to my own.

I knew I should take pleasure in knowing he would do such a thing, but what can you say when a man says he will kill for you. That’s love.

“I—”

“Don’t, not yet.” He shook his head. “Don’t say it because I did. You say it when you feel it, when you can’t hold in those words anymore because you are filled with so much love.”

I wanted to say it back, but a small part of me worried I was saying it just to say it. The bond burned hot in my chest and ‘I love you’ was on the tip of my tongue, but I decided to wait. It probably wouldn’t be long until I told him. These men had totally and irrevocably changed my life.

I nodded. “I’ll wait, but not for long.”

He growled. “If we had time, I would lay you on this table, make you scream as loud as possible so Tay knew who you belonged to. Think I can make you come quickly?”

“Soren,” I tried not to laugh, but failed. “I don’t think I want anyone to know what I sound like when I scream your name.”

“I love it when you talk dirty to me,” he growled. “Come on, let's see what this douchebag has to say and then we can get the hell out of here.”

I nodded as Soren held my hand leading us out of the tower. When we got closer to Tay, Soren wrapped an arm around my shoulder bringing me in for a deep kiss.

The air was electrified with Tay's power when I pulled away. Gray had a smirk on his face while Ryder was staring at Tay like he wanted to kill him.

“Ria,” he said in pain.

“Tay.” I tried to keep my voice neutral.

We stared at each other and I remembered a time when he used to make my heart race, when I thought he was the only one who cared.

“You know these men are con artists, right? They steal things for the highest bidder,” he said, in disgust. “Their job is to steal the rarest items, sell them or find them and hold onto them for the right buyer.”

“Don’t listen to him, Sunshine, he’s just a sore loser,” Gray said. “I told you what we do and why we came here.”

Doubt started to creep into my mind until I felt for my bond with Soren and Gray.

“They won't hurt me, I’m their mate,” I said, stepping towards him. “Unlike you, they are worried about me.”

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