Page 16 of Own to Obtain

But when he rose up and looked into her eyes, he immediately frowned. “What is it?”

Shaya blinked up at him. “What do you mean?”

“You’re upset.”

“How do you know that?”

He didn’t reply, simply waiting for an answer, but she pressed her lips together firmly. It was her dream, she had to at least try to control the direction it took. “I am well. I’m just tired.”

When Kardos moved on top of her, she automatically opened her legs but he didn’t even reach for her panties.

Caging her head between his elbows he forced her to look up at him. “I have been in touch with the king. I am coming for you in two days.”

Shaya simply nodded. There was no point in arguing that he wasn’t real. “What have you been doing? Why are you waiting three days?”

She was surprised to see his jaw harden. “I have been visiting the islands to be announced.”

“Announced?”

“It is when the previous high chief introduces the new high chief to the tribes.”

“Oh.” Even though she knew it was a dream, she couldn’t help the disappointment that came over her. He wasn’t coming for her, because he was ensuring he got what he always wanted—the seat. She should be glad; it made the dream more realistic, but there was still a bitterness about it that spoiled her mood further.

“It requires traveling to all the islands and speaking to the people,” Kardos continued. “So they feel like they know the new high chief.”

“Are you enjoying it?”

“No,” Kardos shot at her. “I’m not. You should be here with me, Shaya. You have a home with me and our people. They need you and I need you. You need to return.”

Shaya tilted her head, capturing his eyes with her own. “They are not my people,” she said solemnly. “They don’t need me. Kardos doesn’t need me either, except to get the seat. And he has that now.”

“That is not true!” dream-Kardos said sharply. “It may have seemed like that, Shaya, but that is not the case.”

“If he comes to get me, it will be because we are bonded and he cannot have anyone else.” She lowered her eyes as her voice neared a whisper. “And he will punish me.”

The Alpha lowered his face, bringing the tip of his nose to hers as he looked in her eyes, one large hand tucking under to grab her ass. “You will not be punished. Just come back to me. Now.”

“The real Kardos always punishes,” Shaya pointed out. “Always.”

A gruff exhale surged from him. “Never without reason, Shaya. I thought you understood that.”

Shaya nodded. “I thought I did.”

“Then what changed? Why did you mute our bond?”

Shaya wound her arms around his neck, relishing the rumble in his chest that happened every time she did so. “Don’t spoil the dream,” she whispered.

Kardos’ arms tightened around her. “This isn’t a dream, Shaya. I am in the Southern Lands, but I’m coming to get you.”

Shaya smiled at the insistence of dream-Kardos. “If it’s not a dream, you should be able to see where I am.”

“That’s not how it works,” dream-Kardos growled. “You cannot see where I am and I cannot see where you are. We are connected by the bond.”

“The bond has been dulled.”

“Does it feel dull?”

“No…” In fact, in every dream so far, the bond had been pulsing strongly like heartbeat—that wasn’t how it usually felt. There was no beast inside her, padding around as it did before. That had to be a sign that this wasn’t real, but the fact it was always the same gave her pause. Then she shook her head. “But in a dream we can have exactly what we want,” she muttered.

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