“Yes, and I have done my penance these past years without you. Make no mistake, Louella. That is over.” He tugs on the sleeve of his suit, correcting, the imagined wrinkles.
I scowl.It takes two to tango.”
He flashes me a rakish grin, I ignore. I won’t fall for his toothpaste perfect smile.“I won you over once. I’m not opposed to doing it again.” His eyes simmer with passion, and something low in my belly tightens. The attraction between us remains.
“This bond isn’t a choice. It’s a previous decision made without my full understanding. Where we go from here will be on my terms.” I point to myself.
He chuckles. “Have you forgotten I’m a predator? I like the hunt.” His eyes flash amber.
I bristle. “I’m not a prize to be won.”
A thoughtful expression appears on his face, and I’m reminded of the man who made me fall in love with his open adoration. No. “And yet, you are.”
I hold up my hand. I have to escape before he puts me back under his spell. “Enough of this. Say what you came to.”
He clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair.“There can be no visible animosity between us during the equinox. I have a court appearance to upkeep.”
I cock my hip. “And what did they think while I was gone?”
“That my silly human needed time to wrap her head around the fact that she was bound to me until one of our deaths.”
“You expect me to play house?”
His narrows his eyes and speeds forward until he’s an inch from my face. “I do, and you will because you know what happens to courts which appear weak. They are toppled. I’ve worked hard to amass what I have, and it’s best for both of us that my hold continues. The killings have dropped off immensely, and relationships with the major witch families and lupines are good. You can’t be that selfish.”
“I’m not—”
“Then act like it,” he snaps.
“Still quick to lay blows with your tongue?” I give a humorless laugh.
“If you remember correctly, I can do much more than that with my tongue.” He winks.
I sneer. “Are we done here?”
“No, I want you dressed and prepped by Gillet beforehand.”
I roll my eyes. Of course you do, control freak. “Is that all?”
“No, that’s just the start. Next week, you’ll come by the house, reconcile with my court.”
“I’m not a trophy.”
“No. You’re their future queen. They are honor bound to risk their lives for you and follow your orders to some extent. I think this is the least you can do, don’t you?”
He has a counter maneuver for every move I make. It was a mistake, forgetting how clever he was.
“I’ll go through the motions for the greater good, but that’s where this ends.”
He nods his head. “For now.”
I ignore his final quip. “Now that we’ve settled that, I’ll be going.” I spin on my heel.
“Amora.”
I freeze. “Don’t call me that,” I whisper“Mi querida,iMi reina.”
I close my eyes, hardening my heart, and raising my wall. “I’m not that young girl, eager for affection and attention. The bloom’s gone off the bud of first love.”