Page 23 of Anywhere

Mari’s eyes hardened, and she stood a little straighter. “Are you making fun of me?”

“No, it’s just…never mind. It wasn’t an insult.” I picked up the fallen books and began putting them back on the shelf. I really needed to get these outbursts under control. I was getting sick of cleaning.

“So you say you’re frustrated. Aye, I can see that. This wouldn’t have anything to do with a very sexy, black-haired, silver-eyed McGregor, would it?” she asked in a teasing lilt.

She was leaning against the door, all relaxed, but her mouth was pulled up in a smile.

“I don’t get it. I don’t understand this feeling. I didn’t want to come here. I rejected the union, that should’ve severed whatever this is, but….” I froze mid-stride as my body seized with the continuously building desire that was making me crazy. Slumping, I leaned over and braced myself on my knees, my head hanging.

“Why is this happening? Why can’t I get him out of my head? And for fuck’s sake, why do I feel like I need to go to him? I don’t want the union, Mari. You should take him. You’re an Adair.”

“I would take your place if I could, cousin,” she said quietly. “You have no idea how much I want that,” she said barely above a whisper, but I still heard it.

I looked up. Mari had her arms crossed, but she was staring down, so I couldn’t see her face. When she lifted her head, her eyes didn’t show any trace of what she was really feeling or thinking.

“Rook, be honest with me. Who are you trying to convince? It’s obvious you’re interested in Rhys. You’re pacing your room like someone who is lovesick.”

“Lovesick? Oh, no, no, no. I mean, it’s fake. Right?” I asked, but Mari just stared at me, which was unnerving as fuck. “This emotion was only caused by the ceremony and will disappear once the ritual moon has passed and Rhys rejects the union.” As I said the words, a cold panic began to claw at my throat. Sweat formed on my forehead, and I rubbed at it. What the fuck? “I don’t like not being in control.”

“Well, I know I’m not that old and wise yet, but I’m pretty sure no one is able to control falling in love, Rook.” She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, this is what I do know. The unions are created, and the feelings are amplified, but they only emphasize what would have come naturally. Like a sped-up process or a homing beacon for those people to find one another.”

“What the fuck? This is real? I actually like him?” I asked both horrified and excited that it wasn’t all fake.

“Yes, Rook, you actually like him, but the emotion has been….”

“Supercharged,” I muttered the word I’d been thinking of earlier.

“Yes, exactly. Supercharged.” She shrugged. “As far as the union goes… If you think you’ll go back to normal after the full moon, then you weren’t paying attention to the teachings. The original union sticks with you for life. It may dull, but until a new union is chosen—if one ever is—you’ll never stop thinking about who you were meant to be with.” She stepped into the room as my eyes grew wide, and my breathing picked up. “Do you understand, Rook? You look freaked out.” She walked the rest of the way across the room and placed her hand on my shoulder.

“I’m never going to stop wanting him?”

“Correct. Now that you’ve met you’ll never fully stop wanting Rhys, no matter what you do.” I staggered like I’d been hit with a physical blow. “Are you going to faint?” Mari grabbed my arm to steady me.

“I think I might be sick.”

I sank down on the small couch as reality began seeping into my brain. My father sent me here, knowing that the connection would instantly bind us. He also knew that even if I could resist, I’d never be free of the emotions. I would forever be tortured with images of Rhys’s face, forever craving his touch. He was sadistic. My father was a sadistic asshole, and I’d underestimated him.

“Rook, look at me,” Mari said and knelt in front of me. “Do you really hate it here or Rhys that much that you wouldn’t want to give it a shot?”

“I don’t know. This place and Rhys are foreign to me. Everything is new and different, and…Why do you care so much?”

Mari’s gaze dropped to the floor for a moment before she rose to her feet. There was something she wasn’t telling me.

“Rook, I can never have what you have. I can never have that kind of love or connection or even the freedom to explore a relationship. Rhys is…He’s special, and if there is even a small part of you that thinks you want to give this a try, then you need to go for it. Trust me. It is very lonely on the other side.” She brushed away a tear, then plastered a strained smile on her face. “So, what do you say?”

“I tried earlier today. He wants nothing to do with me,” I said, and once more, my heart began to beat out of control with an unexpected fear that I didn’t understand.

“Boys are so fucking daft.” Mari shook her head and walked across the room to my closet.

“What are you doing?”

“You want to go see Rhys, yes or no?”

“Well…”

“See what he’s doing or stop him from doing it with someone else? That’s what’s eating at you, right? The thought of his hands on someone else’s body, his lips on another while he fucks them hard.”

Possessiveness gripped my chest as the image of Rhys fucking someone else rose in my mind.