Masked Fate (Fated Love #3)

CHAPTER TEN

Pandora

Tossing and turning in bed, I roll over with a sigh. The room is still spinning, and after having Soren in here with me and seeing the way his gray eyes roamed my naked body has me aching all over. I wonder if we had some hate sex, would he be able to tell that I’m his mate? Astrid told me there was a golden glow around her when she was with Rave, almost pushing them to complete the bond. Would my spell stop that from happening?

Sober me would know not to risk it, but drunk me was horny and wanted her fucking mate.

Getting out of bed, I decide tonight is the night of bad decisions. Wrapping a green silk robe around me, I step into the hallway and head toward Soren’s bedroom. I don’t make it to his door when I find him, a woman on her knees in front of him, sucking his cock. Well, there doesn’t seem to be much sucking going on. His large hand is in her hair, holding her head as he fucks her throat.

Hard.

Shit. Why did I think looking for him was a good idea?

My chest feels tight, and suddenly I can’t breathe properly.

“That’s it, be a good pet and take it!” He groans, his eyes close, and his head’s thrown back. The muscles in his neck tense, and his hips pick up the pace. “Swallow my cock down, take all of it. Fuck! Yes, choke on it.”

The woman gags around his length, which only seems to turn him on even more.

He’s magnificent.

Beautiful.

A whimper leaves my throat.

Slowly, he turns his head to stare right at me, his hungry eyes narrowed to slits.

And then he comes into her mouth, never looking away.

And my heart breaks a little more.

His voice is rough and harsh. “Well, well. What do we have here? Pretty sure I left you somewhere else, witch.”

He pulls out of her mouth, and my eyes drop to his pierced cock. It’s big, thick, and long with some of his cum still on its head.

He rubs it across her lips, smirking at me.

“Get in my room, pet. I’m not done with you,” he rumbles, but he’s still watching me with an intensity that should scare me.

The woman does as she’s told, and Soren comes over to me, not bothering to tuck away that monster dick of his.

He collars my throat with his rough hand, lowering his face. “You’re ruining my good mood and my hard cock. Get back to bed, now .”

Yes, he’s magnificent.

And he’s beautiful.

But he’s also cruel.

To me, anyway.

“You still look pretty hard to me,” I manage to get out. “Harder than you were before, actually.”

Yeah, I finally realize that even though he hates me, his body wants me.

No amount of magic is going to stop that—spell be damned.

It must be confusing as fuck for him, but right now, I can’t seem to muster up any sympathy.

I’ve never been more tempted to pull this necklace off and let him share in my fucking misery.

My finger runs across it, touching the cold, black stone.

He smirks and touches my cheek with the same hand that was only seconds ago stroking that fae’s hair. “I know I have a reputation for fucking a lot of females, but I do have standards.”

With that parting comment, he walks away.

And I lose a little more of myself.

***

“I can’t believe he did that,” Astrid growls the next morning. She’s lying next to me in my bed while we share a platter of fruit, cheese, and bread, debriefing everything that happened last night. I’ve never done this before, but I think it’s something all women should do after a good night out. Or a bad one, as it were.

“I shouldn’t have followed him.” I groan, covering my face with my hands. “I’ve chosen to hide this bond from him, and I need to just leave him alone now.”

“Or tell him the truth,” she replies, chewing thoughtfully. “He deserves to know, Pandora.”

I pause as my fingers reach out for a green grape. “Have you had any visions about what happens?”

She shakes her head. “No, and you know the future is always changing. It all depends on the paths you choose. When you figured out he was your mate, you should have let fate progress naturally. You using your magic to stop it is going to have a price. I just don’t know what that’s going to be yet.”

“I think I’m already paying the price.”

“I’m sorry…”

“I thought my chest was going to explode last night. I can’t keep doing this to myself,” I murmur, finally popping the grape into my mouth.

She’s right.

I should have let it happen, and if he hated me, he hated me. It wouldn’t have changed anything. He still hates me. It’s just been dragged out longer now, plus I’ve been lying to him.

I’ve messed up, and I don’t know how to fix it.

We didn’t have to complete the mating bond if he didn’t want to, but at least he would have known the truth.

But maybe I’m selfish because I’m still not ready for him to know.

I’ve chosen this path and need to stick to it.

“August was meant to come last night, but he didn’t.” She sighs, changing the subject. “I’m worried about him.”

“Why, what’s happened?” I ask, frowning.

“I told him some… news. He didn’t take it well,” she admits, swallowing. “And he’s hiding out in Chaos, which I can’t return to until we get to the bottom of what happened with Zython. Everything is a mess right now.”

“You and Rave aren’t,” I remind her with a smile.

She grins, a dreamy look taking over her face. “That’s true. It was a long road, but we’re getting there. It’s hard to stay angry at him when Vale is so amazing.” She winces, tilting her head to the side. “And when Vera is gone.”

Gone, being dead.

“And how’s Bane doing?” I ask her, smirking.

The two of them have some kind of connection, and there’s no point in anyone trying to deny it. I know it must kill Rave, although he wasn’t around to see it unfolding. It was definitely more Bane that was into Astrid, but if she didn’t have Rave, I definitely think she would have gone there.

I mean, I can’t blame her.

Bane is sexy as hell, covered in tattoos and runes with dark hair and eyes.

Sin personified.

“He’s been a lot less intense since finding out his mate is out there,” she replies, leaning back into my pillow. “We’re friends. We were meant to be in each other’s lives but just as friends. And Rave knows that.”

“Probably the only reason Bane is still alive.”

“Well, that and how Bane handled Vera,” she adds, sighing. “But back to you, I think you should tell Soren. The way he treats you is not okay, and I know that if he knew the truth, it would change everything. What you’re carrying is so heavy, Pandora. It’s time you shared the burden.”

Burden .

The truth is I’ve been carrying the weight of others on my shoulders for so long I don’t even know how it would feel to be free.

Rave storms into my room, frowning when he spots his queen in bed with me. Just to annoy him, I curl up against her, kissing her temple. “Come to join the party?”

Rave scowls at me, his ice-blue eyes flickering to black. The king is unhinged when it comes to his mate, and it’s extremely amusing.

I hear Soren call out to Rave, then dip his head in. “What the fuck am I missing in here?”

“Hands off, Pandora,” Rave growls, pulling Astrid into his arms. “Only bed you’re in is mine, baby.”

He kisses her neck, and she laughs huskily.

I don’t look at Soren.

I can’t.

Even when I feel his gaze scorching my skin.

I realize Astrid is right about one thing.

I either need to tell him or accept he’s not mine and move on.

Live a life without factoring Soren into it.

Live a life at all.

Keeping my eyes on Astrid, Soren follows them out without a word.

I promised her I’d stay.

But after tonight?

My plan to distance myself from my secret mate begins.