Page 2 of Surrendered to Mate

"They are, aren't they?" Her voice drops to a dangerous whisper. "You're going to Liiandor."

I take a step back, trying to put some distance between us. "This conversation is over, Darana. I have preparations to make."

She moves swiftly, blocking my path. Her eyes blaze with a manic intensity that is out of place on vrakken, even if she is on the newer side of being Made. "You're not going anywhere without me, Cassius. Especially not on some dangerous mission to Liiandor."

"I don't need your permission," I answer, my voice bored. "Or your protection."

Darana's laugh is sharp, cutting. "Protection? Please. We both know you're running away. Trying to escape what we have."

"What we have?" I raise my eyebrows. "We don't have anything, Darana. Not anymore."

Her face contorts with rage. "How dare you? After everything we've been through, everything I've given you?—"

"Given me?" I interrupt. "You've given me a warm body when I'm bored. It entitles you to nothing."

She steps closer, her finger jabbing into my chest. "Don't you dare try to minimize what we had. What we still have."

I grab her wrist, pushing her hand away. "We. Have. Nothing." Each word is punctuated, final. "There is no relationship, Darana. We were lovers, and now, we're not. Whatever twisted fantasy you've built up in your head, it's not real."

Her eyes narrow to slits. "You don't mean that. You can't just walk away from us."

"Watch me." I shoulder past her.

She grabs my arm, her nails digging in deep. "You're making a mistake, Cassius. You need me. You'll see."

I look over my shoulder, not bothering to let her think the touch affects me. It doesn't. Very little does. "The only mistake I made was ever getting involved with you in the first place. Stay away from me, Darana. I mean it."

I watch as Darana's expression shifts, her anger melting into something more calculated. She steps closer, her body pressing against mine, the familiar curves igniting unwanted memories. I clench my jaw, fighting the urge to step back.

"Come on, Cassius," she purrs, her hand sliding up my chest, leaving a trail of ice in its wake. "You can't tell me you don't miss this. The nights we spent together, the passion we shared..."

I grab her wrist, holding it firmly away from me. "Stop it, Darana. Those days are long gone."

She leans in, her lips brushing my ear, her breath hot against my skin. "Remember how good we were together? How I made you feel?"

"That's enough." I push her back with more force than necessary. My skin crawls where she touched me, and I resist the urge to wipe myself clean.

Her eyes flash with hurt before hardening again, a predatory gleam replacing the feigned vulnerability. "Why are you fighting this? We both know you want me. I can see it in your eyes, feel it in your body."

I shake my head. She was fun while there was nothing else to do. But now, there is. And I have grown tired of her. "I don't want anything from you. Not now, not ever again. Get that through your thick skull."

Darana's face contorts with rage, her features twisting into something ugly and feral. She lunges forward, trying to kiss me, but I turn my head at the last second. Her lips land on my cheek, leaving a burning sensation where they touch.

Disgusted, I shove her away harder this time, my hands connecting with her shoulders and sending her stumbling back.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I mutter, wiping my face with the back of my hand.

She stumbles back, her chest heaving, eyes wild with a mixture of hurt and anger. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? How can you just throw away what we had? Everything we've been through together?"

I laugh, a cold, harsh sound that echoes off the stone walls around us. "You want to know the truth, Darana? I just wanted someone in my bed. That's it. Nothing more. You were convenient, nothing else."

Her eyes widen, shock and pain flashing across her face. For a moment, she looks almost vulnerable. "You don't mean that. You can't mean that, Cassius."

"I do," I say, my voice flat and emotionless. "I'm not interested in your theatrics or your obsession. Your opinion means nothing to me. It never has."

Darana's face twists with fury, her ice-blue eyes blazing with a dangerous light. "You bastard! You fucking bastard!"

I don't bother to answer as I stride away from Darana. My footsteps echo through the empty corridors as I make my way to my quarters. Maybe I should feel something after that interaction but I just don't.

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