Page 31 of The Sovereign: Part One
“For Chiron’s sake, Avaryn, it’s not a game,” she said under her breath.Her focus returned to me.“What did he want?”
I hesitated.
“Isara,” Bellam prompted.
“I think… he’s still in love with me.”
She tilted her head.“You’re just arriving at that conclusion now?”
“And he wants me to go with him to The Vale.”
Bellam scoffed.“That’s ridiculous.”When she realized I wasn’t mirroring her reaction, she was suddenly worried.“Wait a minute… you’re not actually considering it, are you?”
I looked down at my drink.“I saw it, Bellam.From the upper echelon of The Citadel.The Vale… it’s not what we thought it was.”
She frowned.“What do you mean?”
“It was beautiful.”The word felt dangerous on my tongue.“Alive.A flourishing sanctuary, a paradise carved from the wilderness, vibrant and breathtaking in a way I never imagined.”
Bellam remained unimpressed.“Isara.Don’t romanticize it.Life in The Vale is grueling.They don’t have the technology we do.No Skith, no automated systems to grind their grain, purify their water, or regulate their homes’ temperatures, only the drones that tend their fields, and even those are few.They farm their own food, and when the weather is unkind, they suffer for it.Medicine is limited, comforts are sparse.It’s a struggle, every single day.You belonghere.”
“I know.”
She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a near whisper.“Did you forget the way Maxim looked at you?”
I swallowed hard.“I’ll hold on to that moment for as long as I live.”
“Then wait.See how you feel when he’s here.Don’t let Joss confuse you before you even get the chance to meet him.Promise me, Isara.”
I nodded, gripping my leir.“I’m not going anywhere.”
Bellam relaxed, relief softening her features.“Good.”
Before I could say more, a deep, familiar voice cut through the muted resonance of the bar.
“Ah, destiny weaves a fine thread, does it not?Two souls, drawn together by forces unseen.”
Bellam groaned as Roan strode toward us, his signature smirk firmly in place, the dimple in his cheek deepening the closer he came to the object of his desire.
“Or perhaps you’re simply incapable of taking a hint,” she muttered, crossing her arms.“Shouldn’t a Vanguard be somewhere more fitting, rather than mingling with the commoners?Why would you possibly be this far outside of Empyrean Crest?”
Roan feigned innocence.“Fate?”
Bellam shot him a flat look.“Are you following me?”
He grinned.“Not exactly.But let’s not get lost in the details.”
Bellam stared at him, her expression hardening.“Roan, I’m not interested, and not that you’ve asked or even care, but I’m going to tell you why.My Veritas begins in three months, and you’re a Vanguard.I’m not naive, I know exactly what you’re doing.Because I didn’t fall to my knees in gratitude the momentRoan Vasthanegraced me with his attention, it’s a game to you.A puzzle to solve, a conquest to win.And men like you… oh, you live for the chase, don’t you?Let me be painfully clear so that even your Legacy Stipend-soaked brain can grasp this: no matter how exhilarating, how utterly life-altering you could ever promise those three months would be, I would sooner carve out my own heart than let you be a part of it.”
His expression sobered instantly, the usual bravado melting away.He had tried everything, his charm, his wit, the grand theatrics that had never failed him before, but none of it mattered to Bellam.While most would be flattered by his relentless attempts to impress her, she found men like Roan to be predictable and tiresome.Something that clearly terrified him.
Bellam hadn’t grown up with Roan the way I had, so she couldn’t see it—the way his entire demeanor altered, the sheer desperation in his eyes.He had thrown every trick in his arsenal at her, every flourish and charm he’d ever used to get his way.And usually, it worked.But not with Bellam.For once, it wasn’t about the chase.He wasn’t playing to win; he was scrambling not to lose her, and it was killing him that she couldn’t see it.
“Bellam,” he said, clearing his throat before he spoke next.“Please.Tell me what I have to do to get you to go to dinner with me.Just one dinner.”
Bellam tilted her head.“Just one?”
Hope flashed across his face.“Yes!One dinner, and I’ll never bother you again if that’s what you want.Is that a yes?Please… please say yes.”
