Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Grath frowned and shook his head.
“I don’t think you understand about bonding, little girl. Forming a Soul-Bond with another person is a hell of a lot more than just calling each other up telepathically. It’s deeper…more intense…the deepest and most sacred relationship you can have with another person.”
Madeline’s eyes narrowed.
“Is that right? And how do you know that? Have you ever had this kind of bond before?”
“Well…no,” Grath admitted. He didn’t like to tell her about Ar’leenah and how he had tried and failed to bond her to him. It was still such a painful memory.
“Then how do you know it’s this all encompassing, ‘intense’ experience?” Madeline demanded. “Do you know what I think?” she went on, before he could even attempt an answer. “I think this is all an excuse.”
“An excuse?” Grath exclaimed. “You think I wouldn’t bond you to me in a minute if I thought I could, little girl?”
“No, I don’t,” Madeline snapped. “Because I think you’re like every other man I’ve ever known—you’re afraid of commitment!”
“I am not!” Grath growled indignantly.
“Oh, yes you are!” Madeline shot back. “You kept me at arm’s length for as long as you could and the minute you let me in, you saw how good it could be between us and it scared you. So now you want out.”
“I don’t want out,” Grath protested. “I’m trying to tell you, there’s no way in—there’s no way for us to bond.”
“Right. Well, isn’t that convenient?” she snapped. “All right, since there’s no chance for us, then I think you’d better take this back.”
And twisting the diamond engagement ring off her finger, she threw it at him.
Grath caught it automatically as it bounced off his chest and clenched the small, glittering thing in his fist where it cut into his palm.
“Madeline, please,” he pleaded. “We knew from the beginning we were only pretending to be a ‘couple’ as you humans call it.”
“If you knew all along that you didn’t want a long-term thing, then why did you act like you’ve been acting? Why did you do…all the things you’ve done?” she demanded. “Why did you hold me and comfort me and help me win the Bake-off and skate with me and dance with me and…and…all of that?”
“Because I couldn’t fucking help myself,” Grath said hoarsely. “Because I wanted to do all those things with you, even though I knew they couldn’t go anywhere. Even though I knew we couldn’t bond.”
Madeline’s eyes filled with tears.
“You made me love you, Grath! For the first time in my life I felt cared for and accepted and seen. I just…I…I…”
But her words had dissolved into sobs. Pressing her hands to her face she shook her head as the tears poured down.
Grath felt like she was ripping his fucking heart out. He couldn’t stand to see her this upset—and it was even worse knowing that he was the cause of her pain!
“Baby, please…” he began, trying to put an arm around her.
“No!” Madeline shook his arm off violently and took two big steps away from him. When she looked up, he saw that her carefully applied eye-makeup had begun to smudge and her face was a mask of pure misery. “No, leave me alone,” she said, her breath hitching in her throat. “In fact, I think you’d better leave right now because I never want to see you again!”
Had it felt like she was tearing his heart out before? Now it felt like she had thrown it on the ground and was stomping on the fucking thing!
“What about the mission to Vi’ri’tex Delta?” he tried, as a last resort. “If I go home now and you admit to your family that we’ve been…” He cleared his throat, having to force the words out. “Been faking our relationship, Commander Sylvan will never give us a chance to go to a Class three planet.”
“You think I care about that now?” she demanded. “I don’t give a damn about Vi’ri’tex Delta! I just want you to leave me alone!”
“Why can’t you understand?” Grath growled, his frustration rising. “Why can’t you hear me when I say I want to bond you to me but I can’t?”
Madeline’s tear-streaked face was completely skeptical.
“Right. You think I’m going to fall for the old ‘it’s not you it’s me’ line? I don’t think so.”
“But—” Grath began again.
“Go away.” She waved him off. “Go back to the Mother Ship and do us both a favor—tell Commander Sylvan I’m officially requesting a new Protector.”
Then she turned away from him and began marching back along the side of the building.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Grath demanded. “That’s not the way back to the Ball.”
“Home,” she shot over her shoulder. “I’ll tell my family what a jerk you are later—I can’t face them right now!”
Grath wanted to protest that she would freeze to death in the time it took for her to get back to her family’s domicile—he could already see her shivering. But he thought the after-effects of all the essence he’d given her the night before would probably last long enough to keep her body temperature above freezing for the walk home. And anyway, it was clear she didn’t want anything more to do with him.