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"You’re hesitating," Lucan pointed out
Wasn’t it obvious why? "You have no instinct to mate with me"
He shook his head "That doesn’t , Sabelle Certainly, you’ve long known Bra for you But Ice … If you believe nothing I’ve said, believe that he likely hasto do with love or instinct"
Sabelle bit her lip Though ugly, it was quite possible Ice had kept the truth fro friendship to build on, we could do worse, Sabelle" He cupped her cheek "But this isn’t about us; it’s about all the lives ill be saving"
That was the one truth she could not argue Bram needed to noainst Mathias Of all Bram’s allies, Lucan had one of the better claienuinely loved her, and God knew she loved hiickind needed her to mate with the next wizard who occupied MacKinnett’s seat It had been a fairy tale to think that she would not be united for political advantage
The reality filled her with a helpless rage
"Sabelle" Lucan cupped her face in his warht her gaze up to his blue, blue eyes "I will be good to you Always"
Lucan leaned closer, erasing half the space between the for a sign from her
She sed Could she mate with Lucan? Could she share intiy and healing?
Clutching his forear her face toward his Could she be with hiive herself to Lucan as a mate? Sabelle had to know
She leaned closer Exhaled Then Lucan’sShe’d never experienced this side of Lucan while providing hireedily Now, everything about his kiss cajoled and persuaded The urgency was all in the finesse, and she’d be lying if she said she was oblivious to his touch In fact, he roused a gentle desire as he dipped deeper into heron his tongue
But he didn’t scorch her, didn’tfor him
It doesn’t matter, she told herself This wasn’t awful or torturous She and Lucan were going to save lives She would give Bra, she would prevent hi her heart
Sabelle eased out of the kiss, eyes closed, and turned her head away "Speak the words, and I will Bind to you"
And break my own heart For as pleasant as the kiss had been, she knew she would never love Lucan
"Tomorrow?" Lucan asked
So bloody soon … And yet she knew there was no time to spare Mathias would realize his nefarious plan if Bram did not reach the others of the Council quickly
"No!" A e and pain
She opened her eyes to find Ice barreling toward her, his sto possession
"Back off," Lucan warned, reaching for her
Ice grabbed her wrist first and dragged her closer "Fuck off"
His touch exploded a thousand conflicting eer, desire, deterht, fast and blinding
Suddenly, the chilly drizzle of Sterling’s garden was gone, replaced by a bedroo bed with mussed black sheets, sparse furniture, no s Utilitarian Bleak Cold Oh God
Ice had just teleported her to his bedrooh Ice as he stared at Sabelle, Lucan’s kiss fresh on her lips Every breath ca furiously
Speak the words, and I will Bind to you Ice heard Sabelle say that to Lucan over and over in his head, stabbing hi to Renounce me before you accepted Lucan’s claim? Do I not warrant at least a refusal now that your brother has painted me a villain? Certainly, you want to putat hi blue eyes that nearly i But the sight of her with Lucan, knowing she would accept a wizard who did not love her, bubbled hi point
"Ice, the fact Ito do with your station and everything to do withMathias Without me as Lucan’s ainst him They’re so fearful of their own shadoe don’t dare leave ickind’s fate to chance Besides, you were not completely honest with me You vowed to show Braless words spoken in anger, long before your birth"
"Even so, you two hadn’t spoken since, had you? When the opportunity to join the Doomsday Brethren arose, you must have seen the chance to join your two favorite causes: defeating Mathias andyou with Gailene Your suit was sudden, and left me no time to think You Called to me nearly as soon as ere alone"
Did she really believe he could fake such passion and abiding love?
"Instinct, princess I knew from the first kiss you were made for me If I tasted you now, the same ripple of pleasurable certainty would slide downinto , and bright siardless of instinct"