Page 13 of Their Fated Magic

“What?” I feel like I’m not understanding what he’s saying.

He leans in closer. “Rather than waiting to see what the wolves have in store for you, we can simply separate from them on the journey and go our own way.”

Just go our own way? Never see Rinan, Arlys, and Drogo again? For some reason, the idea makes my stomach turn. As little as they seem to care about me, I care about them, and the realization is painful.

His hand squeezes mine. “You and your heart will be safe with me. I promise. I will give my life before I let anyone hurt you.”

He’s serious. The look in his eyes and the tone of his voice tells me that he means every word. Yet, I’d be a fool to trust him too quickly. Right?

A picture begins to form in my mind. A new one. Instead of escaping with a horse and riding off in hopes of surviving a trip to fae territory, I could return home with Garrick. I could create a family and a home with his people. The image is tempting, but something about it still feels wrong.

“I–I don’t know,” I whisper, unsure.

He gives me a warm smile and brushes a tear from my cheek with his free hand. “Just think about it.”

We hear the wolves before they emerge from the woods. Arlys’ gaze instantly snaps to where Garrick is holding my hand. I feel like I should pull away from the other man, but I don’t. These wolves have made their stance about me clear, so I don’t owe them anything.

“Tara,” Arlys begins. He looks uncomfortable, like he’s searching for the right words. “This illness–”

“I get it. You need my help with it. And I’m going to help, because it’s the right thing to do.”

All three of the men look surprised, but I don’t know why they should be. I’m not the one who has been using them, plotting against them, and treating them like less than. I’ve been honest from the beginning.

“I… I mean we…" He sighs and looks away from me like he's trying to find the right words. "Thank you for being willing to help us.”

Rinan takes a step closer to me, running a hand awkwardly through his short blond hair. “We never wanted to hurt you. We just wanted to do what was best for our people.”

“I understand. Protecting your people is worth any price to you.” My words are cold and clipped, but I can’t help it. If they’d just told me from the beginning that nothing I did could ever make them love me, things would have been so much easier. I could have done a better job protecting my heart.

Rinan looks like I punched him. “Not any price. We just… It was a hard decision.”

I bet it was. Pretending to find someone as unattractive as me attractive must have been really hard. And that’s probably nothing compared to having to spend time with me. It must have been brutal for them.

“Well, at least we’re all on the same page now,” I say, standing and pulling my hand from Garrick’s. “We should get back to camp and start setting up.”

I move to pass them, but Drogo catches my arm. His words are soft. “We never said we didn’t care about you at all.”

“Good to know,” I say, then I pull my arm from his.

Some part of me feels lighter, now that I finally understand why my husbands have treated me this way since we met. Part of me feels a cold acceptance in knowing that no matter what I did, or didn’t do, they don’t want me. It’s truly like this is nothing but a business transaction… No matter how much that also feels like a dagger twisting in my heart.

SEVEN

Arlys

Camp has been set up. Food has been served and eaten. Now the darkness of the night crowds around our little party, hindered by the light of our roaring fire. Garrick has pulled out a map of bear lands, and we’re going over our next moves, except my mind isn’t on the journey. It’s on Tara.

She’s different with us now.

Ever since Drogo let our plan slip, it’s like she’s taken a big step away from us. It’s fair, we deserve it, but it’s killing me. Even my wolf seems miserable within me, wanting to be closer to her. Wanting to make her smile.

Wasn’t she always smiling before? Did we take that from her? Have we destroyed the beautiful creature who looked into our eyes and promised to be with us forever?

The idea makes me sick.

Tara is snuggled beneath a blanket, to ward off the cold night. I want to climb under the covers with her, but I don’t have the right to do that. Not now that it’s understood that this relationship is fake.

Her blanket falls down.

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