Page 82 of Dark Souls

“Tell me what to do. I want her. But wanting her will destroy her,” he moaned in frustration, sending want straight to my core as he lifted his hands above his head and stared up at the ceiling, giving me the perfect view of his athletic form and bloodied initials carved into his chest.Urgh, why is he so deliciously dark?“I can’t let her get close to me. Everyone who has ever loved me has suffered. But I need to be close to her. How? How do I do that without ruining her life?”

Suddenly, the camera moved, spinning and losing focus until the image was no longer of my mate but of a beautiful, rugged landscape of cliffs and raging seas. The video ended and I forced myself to breathe.

“Well?” Sienna cocked her head to the side.

“Who else has seen this?” I whispered, feeling dazed and still processing everything I’d just seen. He wanted me but thought he’d ruin my life? Why? What was he hiding? How did he seem to have even more secrets than Heathen?

“No one,” Sienna answered with a frown. Her gaze darted over to Grandma, who was sitting still by my side, and then back to me. “Only me. I logged in to the system and disabled the camera because I thought it would be useless locked away in a locker, but then I saw this. It seemed… personal. So I brought it straight to you. So, are you going to tell me who that man is?”

“I am sure you’ve pieced it together by now.” I huffed, passing the phone back to her.

“He’s her soulmate. And his name is Luka,” Grandma clarified.

“And you already knew this?” Sienna looked between us both, confused. I nodded and rubbed my hands up and down my face. Here come the questions. “Did you meet him the night ofThe Underground? Why didn’t you say anything? How did he get your stuff?”

“I met him at your bachelorette party. Somehow, he knew I was going to be there, and he just showed up, out of the fucking blue. We slept together without me even finding out his name first, which I blame Calli for. And then he was gone before I woke up the next morning. I’d been trying to find him all week, but then I went to the Underground and there he was. The final fighter in the event.”

“Wait! That would make him…”

“The Dealer. Ruler of The Underground.” I nodded as her face paled and her mouth dropped open. “Yeah. Now do you see why I didn’t say anything?”

“Well, shit. What are you going to do?” She leaned forward, her amber eyes sparkling like gemstones.

I barked out a laugh. “Fuck knows. I am open to any suggestions at this point.”

“He’s been here, standing in the woods every night since she left for Heroux. It’s all very romantic.”

“No. It’s not. The man is fucking twisted. He doesn’t know what he wants, so how the hell am I supposed to know? He says he wants me to stay away from him yet turns up here night after night, pissed that I am doing what he fucking asked. Where is the logic in that?”

“In my experience, logic kinda goes out the window when it comes to love,” Sienna offered with a smug smile. I rolled my eyes. “I mean, his way of expressing it is a little… intense, but I agree with Maddy. You have to admit, it’s quite romantic.”

“You two are as bad as Rue.”

“So I repeat, what are you going to do?”

I chewed on my bottom lip as I thought about my options. Who was I kidding? My options were limited, and everyone in this room knew I only had one real choice.

“Are you able to turn my phone on again?” I asked Sienna and her smile widened.

“Sure, give me two minutes.” She left the room, making a phone call to one of her tech agents at the SIA and Grandma handed me her phone. I inhaled sharply as I opened up messages to my own phone and typed.

“You cannot say that as your first message! Tell him you are home safe and sound.” She roared with disapproval.

“I only speak the truth, Grandma.”

She shook her head as Sienna entered the room and gave me a thumbs up. “It’s on. Have you messaged him?”

“Yes, she called him a douchebag,” Grandma answered, and Sienna nodded with approval.

“Sienna.” I placed Grandma’s phone on my lap to avoid constantly checking it until he replied and fixed her with pleading eyes. “I’d really, really appreciate it if you kept this information to yourself for now.” She held up her hands and started shaking her head in panic. “Just for a little bit. Until I know what the hell is happening because my life is a mess and as soon as you add the protective men in this family to the mix, you know this will be an epic disaster.”

“I won’t lie to Raiden,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “After everything I put him through and proving my loyalty and trust, I won’t lie to him.” I sagged back into the pillows, deflated. “But… I won’t say anything as long as he doesn’t ask.”

“Thank you! Seriously, thank you!”

“It’s fine. I’ve been there, remember? I know how complicated finding your mate can be.”

I exhaled with relief that she understood just as Grandma’s phone pinged in my lap. My heart thundered as I stared down at it. Grandma squeezed my hand, grabbing my attention.

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