even a scratch marring its length. For the first time since its creation, Nocis failed. Her blade pulsed with power even as an unearthly glow rose around Diana. She unwaveringly returned his regard. At her side, Keena, who had arrived too late to interfere, pushed her way forward. Her lips peeled back, baring long fangs. The crocotta stood stiffly, her fur bristling as she growled viciously in uncommon defense of the female that shook him.
Awareness skittered through him again, and he came close to lowering his blade. Tightening his hand, he frowned at her as he heard the scraping sound of Raskyuil hauling himself to his feet. He was not concerned with the troll. There was little that the male would be able to do against him. This female, however, possessed an unexpected power that tugged at him relentlessly. His instinct rebelled against his constraint as he faced her down and felt a tremor run up his arms.
“You will not succeed in your task, betrayer,” Selvans hissed, keeping an ear tipped toward Raskyuil and one eye on the crocotta.
“Betrayer? What are you talking about. Silvas—shit, I mean Selvans? We mated! I’m yours and you’re mine, no matter what lengths you went through and what lies you told in order to get what you wanted. And I can prove it!” she shouted at him, her body shaking with fury.
With one hand, Diana gripped her tunic and yanked it down, revealing the swell of her breasts. He was distracted by the sight, a sense of familiarity running through him. As if creeping through from some corner of his mind, he recalled the feel of them beneath his mouth, the smell of them, and the taste. Desperate to escape the fragmented memory, he jerked his eyes away, but froze when his gaze landed upon the pearly vinculum marcam embedded in her clavicle, pulsing subtly with power.
The truth of her words slammed through him, an agony piercing deep into his heart. It couldn’t be—he couldn’t have forgotten his uxorem! He fought against the fog obscuring his memories as he struggled to recall anything of her.
There was nothing there.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he stepped back on shaky legs and turned away, his eyes falling on Raskyuil. The male eyed him cautiously and Selvans shook his head.
“I yield. Remove this female from the Eternal Forest, Raskyuil. No further harm will be attempted on her from me.”
The troll tipped his chin in acknowledgment before making his way over to Diana.
Without glancing back, Selvans strode back to the staircase. Raskyuil would do his duty. Meanwhile, he needed to begin his hunt for Cacus. His nostrils flared as he caught the lingering stench of the Tainted One. A soft voice, however, pulled at his heart as he left.
“Silvas, what happened to you?” Diana whispered.
Selvans wished that he knew.
Chapter 37
A sob broke free from Diana when at last Silvas was gone, and she leaned against Raskyuil. It wasn’t fair. He was gone. He didn’t even know her anymore and looked upon her as if she were his enemy. A thick arm wrapped around her as the troll hugged her close, comforting words murmured to her that did little to ease the ache in her heart.
Would the suffering of an unfulfilled bonding have hurt as much as this? At that moment, it didn’t seem likely. Every part of her that had cried out for her mate in his absence, that had suffered without his presence in their bond, was grieving in an intense sense of loss. This time she had to suffer through watching him walk away from her, and hear with her own ears his damning words as he instructed Raskyuil to take her away.
Silvas… No, he wasn’t her Silvas. He was Selvans, a stranger who she shared a fragmented bond with. She had to face a horrifically long life, alone, never seeing him again. Her body racked with pain, she turned in Raskyuil’s arms and took the offered comfort.
“Selvans is a fool,” Dorinda said with a snort, her tail tightening around her rock. “He blocked your bond before he saw the pegaeae.”
Choking off another brittle sob, Diana blinked at the female as she attempted to focus past the emotions raging within her. “I don’t understand.”
The vegoia frowned toward the staircase. “I was blind to it when he came to me. I sensed a change in him, but I didn’t understand it at the time. He’s typically a moody bastard anyway.” She sank lower into the water, a sigh leaving