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“At least you don’t have a knife in my gut this time. I don’t care what you think, that’s an improvement, baby.”
Every day he looked at me, I softened a little bit more, and it was pissing me off. He’d brush against me as I poured coffee, sending goosebumps up my arm. I’d bristle, trying not to throw the pot of coffee at his face.
There was no point anyway. It would only send him into stasis for a few days, dragging this lengthy nagging campaign of mine on even longer. And as much as I wanted to punish him, I didn’t want to leave him. Stupidly, I just wanted him to prove he would set me free if that’s what I needed.
I wouldn’t settle for being controlled ever again.
If he wanted me, he’d have to let me choose him. Or not.
He’d have to risk it.
“If you let me go, we might still have a chance.”
“Nope. Not with this cold tugging in my chest when you leave the room. Not gonna happen. Let me show you a different way, baby. I know you’re burning up for me like I am for you.”
I rolled my eyes, ignoring his seduction. “Exactly. We’re held together by this stupid bond instead of choice. I’ll never love you like this, Maverick. I’ll never be able to trust you with this unnatural stranglehold you have on me.”
I was desperate to feel his body all over mine, though. That was true. It just wasn’t the point.
Eventually, after a thousand conversations, we hit that secret combination of questions and answers, and he started to get it.
“I’ll give you anything, Tess. Anything you need. How can I help you trust me again?”
“Freedom is what I need, Maverick. I’ve told you over and over again. If you prove you can honor my needs, I’ll meet your good faith with my own.”
“I can honor your needs…” He reached for me, licking his lips.
“Freedom Maverick. First freedom, then we’ll see about the rest.”
“You’ll stay?”
I leveled a sharp glare at him. “I’ll give you a chance.”
“You promise you won’t run off the moment I turn my back?”
“I promise.”
“If you do, Tess, if you disappear on me, I’ll blow up this whole damned world looking for you.”
“That’s not really achieving the concept of freedom I’m asking for, Mav…”
He groaned. But he thought about it. And eventually, with his hands in tight fists and his eyes flashing red, he agreed.
At least he knew how I felt.
We parked outside Seraphina’s grimoire shop, the quaint, ivy-clad building with a sign that creaked gently in the evening breeze. As weapproached, the old wooden door swung open with a soft jingle of bells, welcoming us inside.
Maverick followed me into the shadowy shop, where the air was heavy with the familiar musty fragrance that always greeted me when I visited. Shelves lined the walls, filled to the brim with spellbooks, jars of mysterious ingredients, and various mystical artifacts, as always. A faint, golden light from candles scattered throughout seemed to whisper secrets from beyond.
The sage, ageless woman peered up from behind a counter cluttered with piles of leather-bound journals and bundles of incense, her eyes twinkling with timeless wisdom. Her hair was in her trademark long, silver braid cascading down her back, and she wore a dark purple dress that flowed gracefully with every movement.
“Hello dear, nice to see you again,” she greeted warmly, her voice smooth and comforting like velvet.
“Hi, Seraphina,” I replied, feeling a bit of the tension in my shoulders ease at her familiar presence. I wondered how to broach the topic of the kind of spell we needed, my mind racing with the significance of our request.
“This is a difficult moment for you.” Her perceptive eyes studied my face with gentle concern.
I gave her a tight nod. “Yes.”
