Page 44 of A Story of Sinners

I hurled until there was nothing left in my stomach, screamed until my throat was hoarse and raw, cried until there were no tears left to shed. All while, he stood there, eyes closed, groaning in pain.

When the sharp, stabbing pain receded, and the shredding of my chest and heart narrowed down into an empty, vacant feeling, I finally spoke, agony underlining every syllable. “Why? Why would you do this?”

My eyes were too glassy to see through, my lids swollen and sore. I gazed up at him, pleading with all my might for an explanation. “Please, make this make sense,” I begged.

He didn’t say anything, but his actions spoke louder than words. He glanced at the spot on my neck where he’d laid his claim, rubbing his palm against the one I’d just left, the one that had completely healed over and disappeared. It vanished, as if we were never mated in the first place. He shrugged as if it didn’t matter, as if it hadn’t meant anything to him.

I reached up to touch my neck and lost my breath at the feel of creamy smooth skin beneath the pads of my fingers.

His claim was gone. Gone. My heart cracked.

“Take it back, Ryken! Take it back!”

Something barely imperceptible flashed through his expression—a look of regret or sympathy—but what I glimpsed must have been my imagination running rampant, striving for the barest bit of hope. The look on his face was fleeting, quickly cast over with a cold indifference. His mouth straightened into a line as his jaw hardened.

His voice was pure ice and contempt when he spoke. “You were the one to question your feelings, blaming everything you felt for me on the bond. You should be thankful I’ve given you an easy out.”

My mouth dropped open. I tried to think of the right thing to say, something to make him take the bond back, to fix what was broken, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t speak. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and clouded by confusion. He’d wanted me more than anything, had claimed me, had just spent an amazing night with me—although the details were still a little fuzzy. He was a possessive and jealous male. The last thing he would ever want would be to leave me unmated and unclaimed, available for someone else. So why? What could have possibly possessed him to do something like this? What made him flip?

For the brief second we’d shared as bonded mates, I could feel the pure, unbridled love and passion he held for me—passion that was quickly overrun by angst, angst that morphed to anger, settling into a peaceful sort of calm and acceptance. Something had changed, and I would be damned if I didn’t find out what.

“You won’t be rid of me that easily. I don’t know what you’re up to or what you are hiding, but I will figure it out,” I vowed.

He shut his eyes as he inhaled and whispered, “I hope you do.”

Then, he vanished, taking the brittle pieces of my heart and soul with him.

* * *

I’d been unable to move from the floor since it happened, Brandon the only reason I’d made it to bed. He’d been concerned when neither I nor Ryken had shown for lunch or the day’s events. When he found me, he tucked me into bed and brought a tray of food to my bedside, begging me to at least show my face at dinner.

Eating wasn’t a possibility, at least not now. I could still smell the puddle of vomit on the floor, now soaked up by the palace maids. My room had been a rotating door since Ryken left. First, there was Brandon fussing about, and when I sent him away, he returned with reinforcements.

Gabriella, Aiden and George at her side, like gnats she couldn’t be rid of.

She’d been locked in her room since last night, no longer given permission to attend the summit, though she was queen. Her autonomy had been plied from her grip, and now, she was not to leave her chambers without an accompanying man. She was full of fire and rage as she screamed at the two men who wouldn’t leave her be, and I honestly couldn’t handle the sight of them, not after everything that had happened.

I sent them away. Gabriella’s crestfallen expression still haunted me, but I was no good for her. Not right now.

The door cracked open, yet again, and I groaned. “Go away!”

Redmond’s face peeked through the crack, and when he was immediately screamed at, he entered. “I heard what happened,” he whispered, perching himself on the bed beside me. “Ryken is the stupidest male I’ve ever met. How he’s managed to get through life unscathed is questionable.”

I didn’t speak a word in his defense. I didn’t speak at all.

Redmond continued his nervous prattling. “The fae coddle their youths, and technically he only entered adulthood a few years back, so in that case, I suppose unscathed is a harsh jump to judgement. He did have his crown stolen from him, after all, and was thrown into prison.”

I glared at Redmond and halted his idle chatter. “Please, for the love of any and all gods that exist, don’t mention his name.”

Redmond arched a brow and shook his head. “Sorry. Fair point.” He reached over and grabbed the tray of uneaten food. “You do need to eat, though. From what I’ve read, the road to recovery when faced with a broken bond is a long one, and you’ll need your health.”

I grabbed the tray from his grip and looked at the platter of fruit and cheese, my favorite, and grimaced. “I’ll eat, under one condition.”

Redmond leaned over, steepling his fingers in vast interest.

“Tell me everything there is to know about mating bonds.”

He nodded and began speaking, telling a tale as old as time, one I’d remained completely ignorant to. I popped a grape in my mouth and listened.

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