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A whimpered protest escapes me. He knew. From the beginning.
“But you never said anything.”
“I was curious.” He smooths a hand through my hair, tucking it behind my ear. “And I didn’t want you to vanish.”
I can’t tell if I’m more relieved or terrified. If he’d confronted me on the first night, I would have walked away without a second thought. But the weeks in between have changed everything.
“And now?” The question comes out rough.
Orien’s head cocks to the side. “I’m going to keep you.”
My throat closes, and I have to swallow hard before I can speak again. “That’s not—”
His finger over my lips stops my protest. “You chose me. Don’t think you can take that back.”
No, we’ve already crossed that line.
The room shrinks around me, the air too thick, too heavy, and I fight the urge to retreat. Orien doesn’t move, his arm resting loosely around me. Nothing stops me from leaving except my own refusal to go.
“Your family,” he says. “Are they aware you’re here?”
I startle at the question. “The car has a tracker. But my coming here won’t be a surprise. They’ve realized I’m compromised. They sent me back to either redeem or hang myself.”
His fingertips trace over my cheekbone. “And instead, you revealed their plan to me.”
I choke out a laugh. “For all you know, this is part of the plan.”
“No,” he says, his confidence shivering through me. “You won’t betray me.”
“How can you be so sure?” I whisper.
His hand slips around to my nape, and the gentle scrape of his nails has my body arching into his. “Because you’re my mate.”
“For as long as they’ll let me be,” I whisper.
He stills. “What does that mean?”
“You live by the family or die by the family.” I lean into his touch. “Leaving isn’t an option. Once it’s confirmed that I’ve betrayed them again, they’ll deal with me.”
A growl vibrates from his chest. “They’d kill you?”
“No, Alexei wouldn’t allow it,” I say. “But they’d send me to a compound up north. It’s a comfortable prison, but one without you.”
He searches my face. “Is there no way to find a compromise with them?”
Regret fills me as I remember Alexei’s words. “Not unless you can find a way to prove you mean the family no harm. And you have no reason to make that kind of gesture to the Vartanians.”
His eyes turn calculating. “What if I did have reason?”
My pulse stutters. “What are you saying?”
Orien leans forward, his forehead resting on mine. “First, I want to hear the words from you.”
I don’t have to ask what he means.
“I’m your mate,” I breathe, and rightness settles over me, followed by regret. “But it doesn’t matter. Not to them.”
“Why not?” he demands. “Political marriages happen all the time to join families.”
