Page 85 of Violet

“We do, Princess. I marked you.”

“But in the maze… You…”

“I know,” he whispers. “When I saw that scumbag touching you, I…I don’t know. I lost it.”

“Why? If Dominic marked me, then we?—”

He growls. “Don’t even say his name.”

I clamp my lips shut as he whirls us around the floor. After a moment, he grits his teeth, like the topic is causing him pain. “You didn’t look like you were enjoying him making a claim to you.”

“I didn’t.”

“Then I don’t regret anything I did.”

“Not even marking me?” I ask.

As the song ends, he hesitates with his answer. Instead, he settles with “We’ll talk more about it later,” before going over to Rue, bowing, and asking her for the next dance.

My sister’s face lights up, and she makes him pose for a selfie before skipping to the dance floor.

“He surprised me.” Heath is suddenly at my side. Dressed in a navy suit and his hair swept back from his face, he looks more like Dad than ever before. “I didn’t think he had it in him.”

I frown. “I’m not sure how to respond to that.”

Heath kisses my cheek. “He cares about you, Vi. I should have seen it sooner, but…”

“He’s a good actor?” If Stephan convinced my brother he feels anything for me, then he’s award-worthy.

“I wasn’t ready to let you go.”

That takes me aback.

“It wasn’t right for me to make you take on this responsibility. It should have been mine,” he goes on.

“Heath, you already have so much on your plate. It’s?—”

“It wasn’t fair to you,” he insists. “Stephan told me what Stockton did.”

My veins ice over. “He did?”

Heath nods. “Let’s just say he’s lucky he only got an ass beating. If I’d known…”

He’d be dead. I hear the threat loud and clear.

“But I know Stephan will hold up his promises,” he says. “He’ll be a good mate to you.”

And love me?

But the song ends, and Stephan leads Rue back to Mom before heading our way. Heath gives me a slight smile and touches my arm before walking away.

I look at Stephan.

“Can we talk? Alone?”

“Without a chaperone? Is that allowed?”

“You’re marked,” he says, face and emotions blank—I can’t read him. “We’re basically mates, so the same rules don’t apply anymore.”

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