Page 7 of Foretold

“It was a very confusing time,” I admit, lifting my napkin from my lap and putting it on the table. “I’m going to call it a night.”

“Why don’t you stay and have a drink with us, August?” Axe asks. “We can play some cards.”

“I can walk the princess to her room,” Bane offers, tilting his head to the side as he studies me. “Because there’s no way I’m drinking again tonight.”

Axe laughs as he pours himself another glass. “You getting old?”

Bane smirks, tapping his knuckles on the wooden table. “No, I just don’t want to watch you run naked down the street again.”

Kai barks out a laugh while Axe shrugs nonchalantly. “That was one fucking time.”

“I don’t even want to know,” I mutter, making Kai laugh harder.

“And what did you do that night, Bane?” Axe fires back, his lip twitching. “Because I remember seeing you getting your cock sucked by that—”

“Axe,” Zython growls, slamming his fist down. “There is a princess present. This is no longer a fucking bachelor pad, so control yourself.”

“Sorry,” Axe murmurs, flashing an apologetic smile in my direction.

I clear my throat. “I’ll be on my way, and then you can talk all you want about cocks being sucked.”

Zython makes a choking sound while Bane avoids my eyes, his knuckles white as he all but squeezes his glass of wine, eyes shooting daggers at Axe.

“I’ll stay and have a drink with them,” August says, shrugging.

I smile and touch his shoulder, liking that he’s trying to get to know my brothers. “Okay, I’ll see you in the morning then.”

I stand, and as soon as I do, Bane does the same, leading me away with his hand grazing the small of my back.

He waits until we’re out of earshot from everyone before he asks, “Why hasn’t your mate come for you? Because if you were mine, you wouldn’t leave my sight.”

“I don’t care where my mate is right now,” I reply, pursing my lips. “I came here to get away from him.”

He goes silent for a few long seconds. “Are you ready to start training tomorrow?”

“Yes. Tell me where and when, and I’ll be there.”

We stop at my bedchambers, and he opens the door for me. “You and Rave know each other, don’t you? He said your name when you showed up at the castle that day.”

He dips his head. “When we found you in the gardens, you were trying to zip, weren’t you?”

“I was.” I nod slowly, leaning back against the doorframe. “And the first time I did it was today. I don’t even know if I could do it again if I tried.”

“We can practice that tomorrow. But I want to know why Rave didn’t teach you. Did he not want his precious princess to leave him? I always knew he was a controlling bastard.”

I tilt my head to the side, my hair falling over my cheek. “Maybe he thought I was a flight risk. And he was right.”

Bane gently pushes my hair off my face in an almost affectionate way. “You are too strong to be caged, Astrid. I hope he knows that now.” He steps away from me and continues down the hall.

And I let loose the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

CHAPTER FOUR

Astrid

After a long night of tossing and turning, I wake up to a knock on my door. I dreamed of Rave, and it pissed me off even more. I know he’s hurting because I can feel it through the bond.

Still half asleep, I open the door to find Bane standing there, dressed in his battle leathers. He definitely has the whole dark and tortured vibe going for him, and I wonder what his story is. All I know about him is that he lost his parents, and Zython has taken him under his wing.

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