Page 151 of The Delta's Rogue
I agreed to help him, to play my part as his sub like I did so many years ago. But somehow, I didn’t think through what that meant. I didn’t think about what I’d have to do this time around in order to be convincing.
I didn’t think about what I’d have towear.
I can’t pretend to be his property.No así. Not like this. Not in front of Amara. Not in those silver cuffs and that Goddess awful collar.
Lemon.My mouth moves, but my voice doesn’t work.
Sebastian, however, always in tune with my every need, pauses his preparations and glances at me from the corner of his eye, as if he heard me even though I made no sound. Maybe he heard my thoughts, or maybe he sensed my rising panic through the bond.
My heart pounds like a warhorse’s hooves, and I clear my throat before repeating my one-word safety net. “Lemon.”
Sebastian’s response to myplea, to my use of our safe word, is just as immediate as it was last night in the room after the auction. He stops his unpacking of the bag and backs away from it. He glances at me, then back at the items he removed, and growls.
“Fuck.” His hands run through his hair before he whirls to face me, his brain already moving at one hundred miles an hour as he assesses the best way to pivot. “Change of plans,” he barks, his voice raised for Dominic and Riven to hear. “I need both of you to stay in my office with her. Lock the door. Don’t let anyone in.”
“Yes, Your High—” Riven clears his throat as Sebastian slides a glare his way. “Yes,” Riven says, wisely choosing to leave a name or a title off of his statement.
Sebastian reaches into his suit pocket and tosses his keys to Dominic, who catches them with the hand that isn’t covering his mouth and hiding his laughter. Then Sebastian steps closer to me.
I don’t back away.Thisis my Sebastian. The one who takes care of me and respects me. The one who taught me how a true Dom should treat his sub.
The Sebastian in my mind, in my fake memories? He isn’t real and never was.
There is uncertainty between us. Any conversation regarding my true identity and his reaction to his future position was delayed by this unfortunately timed meeting with Amara.
But that uncertainty doesn’t change who he is and the dynamic between us when we’re within the walls of this building. We both slip into our roles with the same ease we didthat first night, when we convinced ourselves it was pretend, all for the sake of tracking down that bastard who attacked Haven.
Sebastian opened a door for me. He led me down a path that changed me, and I will never regret following him.
I’m broken and unable to be the girl I was that night four years ago, but the basis of our dynamic is still intact. He’s still my Sebby, mySebastián, and I’m still his girl. Hiscariño.
His Little Rogue.
His fingers weave into the hair behind my ears, and he tilts my face up towards his. The hint of the mate bond tingles across my skin as he touches me, though that’s all it is. A hint. A dash. There’s nothing else with it. No reaction from my lycan. No pulse of his emotions flooding my senses.
“You know I would never hurt you.” He lowers his voice, so quiet I can almost pretend it’s just us in his office.
I don’t respond.
Idon’tknow that. Even though I remember he didn’t hurt me that day, here in his office, I still can’t separate all the fabricated nightmares that plagued me while captive from the true memories of our days together.
His hands grip me tighter—not to hurt me but to reassure me. “Those cuffs are fake. Rune enchanted them to look exactly like the cuffs I removed from you last night. They’re not actually silver. I will never—never—put those horrible shackles on you again.Nunca.”
Tears flood my eyes—tears of relief and tears of embarrassment—and my lip trembles.
It doesn’t matter if those cuffs are fake. I can’t do it. I can’t face her. Not when the memories are still fresh. Not when my scars are still healing. The real and the imagined are still too similar, too enmeshed for me to separate. Seeing her again so soon would set me further backwards on my path of healing, and I’d be a liability to Sebastian and his front.
“No puedo hacerlo.” I shake my head. “I can’t do what you asked me to do. Please don’t make me. Please don’t make me go near her again right now.”
I grip his suit lapels as I beg him and press my body to his, seeking the comfort and safety he promises by just existing.
“I know,cariño.” He rests his forehead on mine. “I’m not asking you to. Not anymore. I’m just letting you know they’re fake.”
“I ruined your plan.”
“No.” His nose brushes mine. “It will be fine. You will be safe, and I will make sure this meeting is quick.”
He tugs me closer, wrapping himself around me and embracing me. He holds me as tight as possible, nuzzling into the top of my head with his nose. I slide my arms around his waist beneath his jacket and cling to him, returning the hug. My nose buries into his chest just like his buries into my hair, but unlike him, I can’t detect his scent or use it to steady myself.
