Severed Read online

  “What did you want to say to me that couldn’t be said in the dining area?” I asked him.

  He looked at me, his eyes wide. “That I still care for you, Lucian. I have never bonded myself to another because I always hoped you would come back into my life.”

  “Hylorn—” I began, uncertain what to say, how to tell him.

  Suddenly, Hylorn was in my arms. “I’ve missed you so much, Lucian,” he murmured, nuzzling against me. “I’ve thought of you every night for years. And now we can finally be together.”

  “No,” I said, “we can’t.” I wanted to push him away but he was clinging to me too tightly. And I felt bad for him—bad for what I had to tell him. We had meant everything to each other once—a ghost of that affection still lingered in my own heart. “Hylorn,” I told him as gently as I could. “I’m already bonded—I have a bond-mate and a female that we both love.”

  “I heard that was only temporary.” He looked up at me, his heart in his big, green eyes. “Heard it was an accidental bond to another Alpha of all things!”

  “Drace is an Alpha,” I said shortly. “But—”

  “Really? I thought it was a joke!” Hylorn looked at me wide-eyed. “Lucian, be real—you can’t possibly be bonded to another Alpha. What you need is a sweet, submissive Beta—someone who’s going to take care of you.”

  “Hylorn—” I began, still trying to find a way to push him away without hurting him.

  “He can’t please you like I can,” he whispered. And then he placed his hand over my heart. “Bond-mate,” he said, looking me earnestly in the eyes. “I heart-pledge to you—my time, my talent, and my treasures, such as they are. My love and loyalty, always and only for you. May we never be parted.”

  “Hylorn…” I put my own hand on his chest to push him away from me.

  And that was when I saw Drace—standing in the doorway of the food-prep area with his arms crossed over his broad chest and a scowl on his face. I had no idea how long he’d been watching or what he had seen and heard.

  “Drace!” I exclaimed, trying to extricate myself from the unwanted embrace. But by the time I finally disentangled myself from Hylorn, my bond-mate was gone. Though I searched my entire apartment, calling his name, I couldn’t find him anywhere.

  Drace

  “Well, well, I thought I might find you here.”

  I looked up from my pacing, startled. I’d been walking up and down the long main corridor of Lucian’s ship for the past hour, trying to make sense of what I’d seen.

  Lucian, in the arms of a Beta—of the same Beta he’d told Rylee and me about—the one he’d been so desperate to tie his life to and bond with. The two of them heart-pledging to each other—then the look of horror on Lucian’s face when he saw me. And after that, the terrible surge of guilt that had come through our bond as loud as any confession.

  Fucking cheating bastard!

  He’d called out to me but I hadn’t stopped—not even to talk to Rylee, who had watched in confusion as I left the apartment. I needed to be alone, I told myself—needed to think without anyone else around to cloud the issue. But an hour of solitude hadn’t done me a fucking bit of good—I was still madder than hell and as hurt as if Lucian had taken a konji blade and stabbed me right in the heart. Not only had he broken the pledge he had made to Rylee and me—he had pledged himself to another! It was the worst kind of treachery and I didn’t know how to deal with it.

  And now, to top it off, I had company.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, frowning as Lucian’s mother stepped into the ship and closed the pnemo-seal behind her.

  “Looking for you, of course, dear. I heard what happened from poor Hylorn.” She shook her head sadly and made a tsking sound. “Such a shame.”

  “Yeah, a real fucking shame,” I muttered. “How did you even get in here?”

  “Oh, I make it my business to have access to my son at all times.” She smiled smugly.

  “You really like to keep him under your thumb, don’t you?” I gave her a look of deep disgust. “I know what you did to him—keeping him from bonding with a Beta just because he couldn’t find one you approved of. Making him stay alone—lonely—all his life.”

  “I don’t think he’s lonely anymore, do you?” She raised an eyebrow at me archly. “Not now that Hylorn is back in the picture.”

  “You set that up,” I accused. “You invited that fucking Beta just to lure Lucian away from Rylee and me.”

  “All I did was invite Hylorn to the party. I didn’t make Lucian heart-pledge to him. He did that all on his own.” She shrugged easily, the high collar of her fancy silver dress rustling.

  “You—” I began.

  “It’s actually a good thing you bore witness to their tender moment—even if it was a little awkward,” she went on, ignoring me. “At least now you know who Lucian’s heart really belongs to. It’s good to get it out in the open—before things between you and my son and that off-worlder girl got too serious.”

  “He heart-pledged to me and Rylee too,” I snarled. “And we sealed our bond. That seems pretty fucking serious to me.”

  “Yes, but you can break that bond with the nifty little artifact you found,” she pointed out, her eyes glittering. “And if you love Lucian—if you have any feelings for him at all—that’s exactly what you’re going to do.”

  “Why in the Frozen Hells would I do that?” I demanded. “Why should I give you the satisfaction of letting your son go just so you can keep your social status?”

  “It’s not just about social status—although that is part of it,” she said, all wide-eyed sincerity now. “Lucian is the sole heir to the Chiefdom of the Fang Clan. But there’s simply no way his fathers can pass the mantle of leadership on to him if he’s psy-bonded to a mortal enemy of our clan, not to mention another Alpha. I’m sure you can see how impossible that would be.”

  I felt my stomach turn but I kept my face blank.

  “Lucian doesn’t want any of that. He told Rylee and me he’d rather be with us.”

  “I’m sure he did—he’s been very lonely, as you said, for many years.” She made a sad little face. “Now, I’ll admit that part of that was my fault. I’ve been…very picky about who Lucian associates with.”

  “I know you have.” I gave her a fierce, unhappy grin. “You must have just about shit a brick when you found out he was mated to a nobody of the Claw Clan and an off-worlder female.”

  She sniffed. “I will admit that when Lucian finally chose to rebel he certainly went about it whole-heartedly.” She lifted her chin. “But that’s all right—we can fix it.”

  “You know, he’s a grown male with a life and a business of his own. Did it ever occur to you that it’s time to butt out of his life?”

  “No,” she said blandly. “But I am hoping that very notion will occur to you. Think about it, Drace—he’s happy now. He finally has the bond-mate he’s wanted all his life.”

  “The one you denied him, you mean,” I growled. “Hylorn wasn’t good enough for him before but suddenly, the minute Rylee and I come into the picture, he’s just perfect.”

  “I wouldn’t say ‘perfect’ exactly, but he’s certainly a much better choice than you.” she cocked her head to one side. “I had you checked out you know, Drace. You have no status in your own clan—you’re a nobody. A loner. Even your own family thinks you’re strange. You’re—”

  “All right,” I snarled, cutting her off. “You’ve made your fucking point.”

  “I believe I did.” She nodded, unperturbed by my anger. “Lucian has a bright future ahead of him, Drace. He and Hylorn can be psy-bonded and then find just the right female to complete their Triumvirate.”

  “And I just bet you’ve got ‘just the right female’ all picked out, don’t you?” I growled.

  “And if I do?” She shrugged, as if it didn’t matter, her dress rustling again. “The point is, you and Lucian don’t work. It might be a salvageable situation if you weren’t a