Pandora
I’ve never seen anything sexier than Soren riding his horse.
Shirtless.
His ripped abs tense with his movements, a slight sheen of sweat on his chest. My mouth is suddenly dry, and I want to look away before he catches me staring, but I can’t seem to find the will to do so. Returning to this sight of masculine perfection after a few days away reminds me why I always come back. His body is immaculate—bare of any tattoos or runes, just a whole lot of corded muscles and tanned, smooth skin on display, not an ounce of fat to be seen anywhere. My eyes dip to the V that trails down toward his…
“You’re drooling.” Astrid smirks, playfully nudging me with her shoulder, pulling me back to reality.
“Why is he so fucking perfect?” I groan, swallowing hard, suddenly thirsty. “That body should be illegal.”
Astrid laughs, playing with the end of her braid. “You know, if you told him the truth, that would be all yours. Every… single… inch.”
“Yeah, or he’d just reject me,” I whisper under my breath, rubbing the back of my nape. “You know it can never be.” I notice the other females surrounding the stables, their eyes also on his body, and a sudden dash of jealousy hits me. That warrior is mine. How dare they stand there and admire him? “And why does he have to show it off like that?”
Astrid rolls her eyes. “It’s Soren.”
No other explanation is needed. He loves attention, and he’s probably fucked all the women watching him anyway.
He’s more theirs than he is mine.
He belongs to everyone except me.
His fated mate.
And yeah, that hurts.
Absently rubbing my suddenly tight chest, I turn away from him, facing my friend. “So what have I missed?”
“Well, August, Bane, and my brothers came to visit,” she hesitates, brow furrowing. “I haven’t told Rave yet because I don’t want to remind him about Bane drinking from me, but Bane said he had some side effects from my blood.”
“What kind of side effects?” I ask, frowning.
“Ones that might make other bloodsuckers want to have a taste,” she says softly, resting her hand on my shoulder as she leans in. I wonder if she knows she’s one of the only people who gives me any physical warmth. As someone who is touch-starved, it means more than she will ever know. “He said he felt more powerful and was having visions in his dreams. It only lasted a few days, and then it went away.”
“Shit,” I whisper. “As if you need more reasons for people to want to kidnap you.”
“I know.” She winces, her hazel eyes flickering with worry. “We have enough on our plate as it is.
“I asked Axe and Kai about what Milana told Soren, if Zython maybe didn’t have a choice in betraying me, but they are staying tight-lipped. I don’t know why, but it’s pissing me off.”
“Maybe they are trying to protect you,” I say, wrapping my arm around her.
“Maybe. Either way, we are preparing for war in case Declan and his army try to come for me. You want to go and watch Elios and Nico fight each other in the ring? They’ve taken to sorting out all kinds of arguments in there. It’s kind of amusing to watch.”
My gaze roams back to Soren, who has just jumped off his horse, looking like a Viking god, and find his eyes on us. He ties his horse and then starts to walk toward us. I can’t help but check out his perfectly sculpted body again, heat pooling in my lower belly. My nipples tighten as he comes right up to us, his cinnamon scent invading my system.
He only has eyes for Astrid, wearing a sexy, mischievous grin. “Enjoy the show?”
Soren has the warmest, most genuine smile, but it’s never pointed at me.
“I’m about to when my mate gets in the ring,” she replies, taking my hand and pulling me toward the castle. “You want to take him on today? He was in quite the mood.”
“No thanks, my face is too pretty,” he calls out in a sing-song voice, stepping into line with us. He towers over us and slows his long, muscular legs down to match our pace. He’s still shirtless, wearing nothing but a loose pair of trousers, sitting low on his hips. I try to pretend that I don’t notice the outline of his cock through the soft gray material, but each step he takes, what looks like a heavy, thick length presses up and strains against his pants.
Fuck.
He comes out here dressed like this?
He might as well be naked.
Just when I think he’s simply going to ignore me, he looks over at me, his expression blank. None of the playful banter is evident when he murmurs, “Witch.”
Okay, not the best greeting, but at least he’s acknowledging me now. I guess that trip to the Goblin Kingdom made some progress.
“Warrior,” I reply, turning my face to look straight ahead.
You could cut the tension with a knife, although I don’t know why. Apparently, one word from me is enough to change the atmosphere around us. I glance at him to see the firm set of his square jaw that wasn’t there before.
Nico and Elios have already started beating the shit out of each other as we approach, both of them shirtless and flexing their muscles.
“What are they fighting over?” I ask, studying the two brothers.
It’s Soren who replies, “Elios set Nico’s bedroom on fire.”
“For what?” I ask, eyes widening. Elios is the sweetest of the brothers and the most chill. I don’t know them as well as I do Rave, but Elios seems to have that typical youngest sibling energy about him. He’s the most carefree and quick to smile.
“No idea, they won’t say.” Astrid shrugs, her eyes going to Rave, standing beside Cove with his arms crossed. “I’ll be back.”
Soren and I are left alone, which is extremely awkward. I play with the hem of my purple tunic, wondering if I should say something.
What do you say to someone you love but hates you?
“You here for the party tonight?” he suddenly asks, his tone sharp. Swallowing hard, I turn to face him. I know he doesn’t think I belong here. And maybe I don’t. But it’s my escape from all the shit waiting for me in Allyria.
And he’s here.
“Astrid invited me,” I reply, feeling the need to defend myself. He doesn’t want me to be here and is trying to make me feel unwelcome.
“Your kingdom must just run itself,” he mutters, scowling. He runs his big hand through the middle, longer part of his blond hair, appearing frustrated.
Just by my close proximity.
“I’m not my mother, Soren,” I whisper hoarsely, my gaze dropping to my black leather boots. “I’m sorry for what she did to you. I truly am. But I’m not her.”
We’ve never outright discussed the past with each other.
He’s always made little hurtful comments, and I’ve always felt guilt and backed away.
He’s silent for a few moments, but I can feel the tension radiating off him. Is he surprised that I’ve brought this up?
My chin suddenly lifts with tight pressure from the tip of his thumb and index finger. He looks me dead in the eyes.
Cold.
Assessing.
“You have her eyes, witch,” he murmurs, letting go of me and taking a step back, putting distance between us. “And her blood. I was tortured in your home and lured in by your sister.”
“I wasn’t in the kingdom at the time. I didn’t know—”
“Didn’t know what? That I was being held in a dungeon and used to try to get revenge against a male that your mother was fucking? You’re telling me you had no idea? I find that hard to believe.”
My mother used to sleep with Rave’s dad.
That’s how Rave and I became friends because we’d be left to hang out with one another while they were together.
I don’t know what happened, but my mother became scorned and wanted revenge on King Tane.
Ebony brought Soren to her.
“Soren—”
“I don’t trust you, witch. And I never will.”
He says ‘witch’ in such a derogatory way it makes me flinch.
And you know what?
I don’t deserve this shit.
His shit.
I shouldn’t have to pay for crimes I didn’t commit.
I need to let go of this guilt inside me because it’s nothing but a toxic disease, slowly trying to rip at my self-worth.
Soren is my weakness, but it’s time I close off myself to him before he pulls me somewhere I might not be able to return from.
This isn’t me.
I would never let anyone else speak to me the way he does.
Just because he’s my mate and my mother harmed him doesn’t mean I need to give him a free pass to treat me this way.
Wrapping my arms around myself, my stomach in a knot, I watch his muscled back as he walks away.
Yeah, there will be no happy ending for me.
At least not with Soren.
And it’s about time I make peace with that.