Page 14 of Bound By the Wraith: Northern Realms

Cillian glanced up to see the dark form appear. Death raised his scythe, his eyes glowing under his dark hood.

“Please,” Cillian begged. “You take her every time.”

Death chuckled. “You are not in the right time. Go back whence you came. Do not meddle in my affairs.”

“You’re a fiend,” Cillian cursed.

Death took Cali’s soul and she slipped from him. All that was left was the cold and lifeless shell in his arms.

Cillian clenched his fists and tried to calm the erratic beat of his heart, because he didn’t much like thinking about those horrible memories, when she was snatched from him. All the times he’d begged Death to bring her back, to not take her, and it fell on deaf ears. Which was the point of all of this. All his plans. He’d show Death a thing or two.

He’d make Death beg for mercy.

They walked outside of his castle and he stopped, allowing her to catch up.

“You move quickly,” Cali exclaimed, panting.

“My apologies,” he replied. “When I’m angry…I’m not used to having a companion.”

“Companion?” she asked. “I thought I was your mate?”

“And what’s the difference?”

“Well, a mate to me feels forced, and a companion is an equal. Am I your equal?”

“You are indeed.” Against his better judgment, because he didn’t much like showing tenderness, he held out his arm, as a polite gesture. He couldn’t win her over if he was mean to her.

“Thank you,” she said, sounding surprised. She slipped her arm through his and he walked down the drawbridge toward the garden area slowly. Not that it was a garden in a real sense. Nothing grew here.

“Though I wouldn’t really call you an equal, but you’re right about one thing,” Cillian said.

“What’s that?”

“I won’t force you. Ever. You said a mate is forced. I won’t do that.”

She nodded quickly. “I appreciate that.”

“It doesn’t mean that I’m not going to tempt you though.” And that was a promise she could count on. He couldn’t and wouldn’t force himself on her, but seduce her, yes, he had plans for that. He just had to take his time.

He was in such a rush to complete his plan, but he had to remind himself that he had a year. Certain things had to align, and then his plan would come to fruition. There would be no need for him to lose Cali again.

There would be no separate realms.

Everything would be melded together and he’d be the ultimate ruler. And she would be his queen.

When Cillian saidsomething about tempting her, part of her want to quip back, I’d like to see you try, but she resisted that, because she kind of wanted him to. There was a pull toward him she couldn’t quite understand, but then again, there were a lot of things that had happened she was still trying to piece together.

Cali was still reeling. Goblins, finding out she was adopted, that her birth mother still was out there but thought Cali was dead, selling her soul to a demon, being a mate to a wraith. Maybe this was a delusion?

The thing was, some things felt very familiar to her.

Deep down.

Just like all those dreams she’d had her whole life.

Seeing his face. The kiss they shared.

She didn’t know Cillian, but part of her felt like she knew him intimately. And that part of her yearned for him. When he’d kissed her before Honk interrupted them, she could have easilygiven everything up to him, right then. There was an ache buried there.

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