Page 42 of Foretold

“I’m not just a matchmaking seer?” I reply in a dry tone.

Her lip twitches slightly, and so quickly, I almost don’t see it. “Things change from tonight. Trust your mate. He will not betray you.”

“What about my vision of him draining my magic?” I ask, needing to know this answer.

“Visions change with different pathways, Astrid. The future is fluid. Each choice made changes outcomes. Even if he may have thought to use you at one point,” she replies, gently taking my hand in hers. “Trust him.”

How am I meant to when she says it like that?

“You want me to tell him I’m a seer,” I whisper.

She nods. “Own who you are. Change starts with you.”

Then she disappears, and Bane knocks on the door. “Princess? Are you okay?”

Rolling my eyes, I open the door and face him. “I’m fine.”

He releases a breath and rakes his fingers through his hair. “Fuck, I thought maybe someone took you.”

Imagine if I were just in here trying to go to the bathroom in peace, and he was out there panicking.

“Nope, still here. But I think I’m going to head home,” I say. “I’ve had enough fun for the night.”

“Good. Let’s get the hell out of here,” he replies, looking more than ready to leave.

Things change from tonight.

Her ominous words worry me more than I want to admit.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Rave

Before I choke August to death, I get the hell out of there, zipping back to our bedroom. Starting to pace, I try to control the darkness, knowing Astrid doesn’t want me leaving the castle in the shadowy hell it’s been in every time she leaves me. Does she know how hard it is and how it goes against my every instinct to let her be out there without me protecting her? The bond demands that she’s near me, and it fucking hurts when she’s not. It hurts more to see her spend time with men who would take her from me if they had the fucking chance, especially knowing how I fucked everything up by not telling her the truth about Vale and Vera.

I should have.

I fucking knew it the entire time.

But I was scared.

She was already a flight risk, not wanting to be here with me, and I didn’t want to drop anything else on her. And by keeping that from her, I shattered our trust. And now I’m trying to build it back from the ground up. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my mate. And yes, it might have started out as being about accessing my full magic, but from the second I laid my eyes on her, it became about a lot more than that. I just wanted her. She is the most beautiful female I have ever seen, with her long, brown hair and big, sometimes hazel, sometimes green eyes.

And the most deadly.

And the fates have given her to me.

She’s a match for me in every way, created just for me.

She ismine.

And I will fight until my last dying breath to keep her atmy side. Unfortunately for me right now, that means giving her space and letting her spend time in another fucking kingdom without me. I will fucking kill Bane if he tries anything with her. The exiled demon prince would be a worthy opponent, but with my mating to Astrid, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Reaching behind, I strap my swords to my back and get ready to go out and distract myself—my go-to when my mate isn’t here. I need a fight, and I’m going to find someone who will give that to me. Soren has started hiding from me whenever Astrid leaves because I turn ruthless. I’m about to step through the dining hall when Vera appears, standing in front of me.

“Alone once again?” She smirks, crossing her arms over her chest.

“What do you want, Vera? I told you not to come to the castle anymore. You have your own house. I’ve given that to you, and you want for nothing, so you have no reason to be here, especially without my son.”

“Vale is with his tutor, and I wanted to come see you,” she replies, lifting her hand to touch my chest. I gently grip her wrist, stopping her.

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