gaze.
“Why?”
As
soon as he said it, he hated himself. She most likely wouldn’t know why every
life promised her she’d be alone.
“I’m
a healer. It’s uncommon for us to be blessed with destined ones. Our calling is
more important than our individual happiness.”
Every
word she said dripped duty and loneliness between them. Amon looked up to see
her eyes filled with tears, and his heart broke for her. He’d often thought of
how unfair his life had seemed in the past year, but he knew he’d done more
than enough to deserve his sentence in Nil. Thea had done nothing to deserve
her fate.
He
wiped the tear that had dropped onto her cheek with his finger and lifted her
chin to make her meet his gaze. He couldn’t just sleep with her now. The look
on her face showed him that she mistakenly believed she’d finally found a
destined one in him.
“I’m
sorry, Thea.”
Thea
began to cry, her tears flowing down her face from his rejection. God, he felt
like a fuck!
“Let
me go,” she said sadly as she pulled away from him.
Amon
knew he should just release his hold on her, convinced her emotions were bound
to begin affecting him at any moment. But he couldn’t. He was responsible for
much of her sadness and needed to do something to fix what he’d done.
Putting
his arms around her, he pulled her upper body to his, holding her tighter as
she resisted more. As she sobbed into the side of his neck, her body softly heaved
against his. Wanting more than anything to make her feel better, he stroked her
long blond hair while her crying flooded his ears.
Amon braced
himself for his reaction. He’d always fed off the emotions of others and used
them to his own benefit, careful to minimize his exposure to sadness. He
vividly remembered Callia’s effect on him and dreaded a replay of that with
Thea as he was sure his body couldn’t take much more abuse, but with relief he
remembered that his destined one’s curse on him only worked if he was in love
with the woman. Safe in his belief that while he’d grown to care for her in the
short time he’d known her he wasn’t in love with Thea, Amon held her until her
crying stopped and she was still in his arms.
Lifting
her head, she wiped her tears from her face. “Why don’t you want me as your
destined one?”
A
lump formed in his throat at the sound of the sadness in her voice. There was
nothing he’d like more in this world than to have Thea for his. But that
couldn’t be.
“It’s
not a choice, Thea. It’s just not possible.”
“Why?”
He
looked into the beautiful eyes of the one who’d already given him so much
kindness and hated what he had to say.
“Thea,
I already have a destined one.”
Amon
saw the shock register on her face. She had been so kind to him, and he hated
having to say those words, more than she could ever know. Obviously embarrassed,
she dropped her eyes and climbed off him, saying nothing.
She
stood on the floor on the opposite side of the bed and straightened herself.
“I...I want to sleep somewhere else. If you’re going to hold me here against my
will, I’d at least like to be alone.”
Amon
felt the sting of her sadness and regretted telling her, no matter how much she
needed to know. But the selfish part of him didn’t want to be without her.
“I
need you here to help me heal.”
He
knew he was being insensitive. He didn’t care. He didn’t want her to leave.
“I
can heal you just as well sleeping in another room,” she said angrily.
Amon
wanted to refuse her again, but the hurt coming from her crushed any desire to
keep her in his room. Concentrating, he silently reached out to Gethen. As he
waited for him, Amon watched Thea with sadness, wishing more than ever their
world wasn’t like it was.
When
Gethen appeared in the doorway, his face was lit up with happiness.
“Why
so happy?” he asked him, eager for something to break the tension.
“You’re
getting your powers back.”
Amon
realized he
“Why?”
As
soon as he said it, he hated himself. She most likely wouldn’t know why every
life promised her she’d be alone.
“I’m
a healer. It’s uncommon for us to be blessed with destined ones. Our calling is
more important than our individual happiness.”
Every
word she said dripped duty and loneliness between them. Amon looked up to see
her eyes filled with tears, and his heart broke for her. He’d often thought of
how unfair his life had seemed in the past year, but he knew he’d done more
than enough to deserve his sentence in Nil. Thea had done nothing to deserve
her fate.
He
wiped the tear that had dropped onto her cheek with his finger and lifted her
chin to make her meet his gaze. He couldn’t just sleep with her now. The look
on her face showed him that she mistakenly believed she’d finally found a
destined one in him.
“I’m
sorry, Thea.”
Thea
began to cry, her tears flowing down her face from his rejection. God, he felt
like a fuck!
“Let
me go,” she said sadly as she pulled away from him.
Amon
knew he should just release his hold on her, convinced her emotions were bound
to begin affecting him at any moment. But he couldn’t. He was responsible for
much of her sadness and needed to do something to fix what he’d done.
Putting
his arms around her, he pulled her upper body to his, holding her tighter as
she resisted more. As she sobbed into the side of his neck, her body softly heaved
against his. Wanting more than anything to make her feel better, he stroked her
long blond hair while her crying flooded his ears.
Amon braced
himself for his reaction. He’d always fed off the emotions of others and used
them to his own benefit, careful to minimize his exposure to sadness. He
vividly remembered Callia’s effect on him and dreaded a replay of that with
Thea as he was sure his body couldn’t take much more abuse, but with relief he
remembered that his destined one’s curse on him only worked if he was in love
with the woman. Safe in his belief that while he’d grown to care for her in the
short time he’d known her he wasn’t in love with Thea, Amon held her until her
crying stopped and she was still in his arms.
Lifting
her head, she wiped her tears from her face. “Why don’t you want me as your
destined one?”
A
lump formed in his throat at the sound of the sadness in her voice. There was
nothing he’d like more in this world than to have Thea for his. But that
couldn’t be.
“It’s
not a choice, Thea. It’s just not possible.”
“Why?”
He
looked into the beautiful eyes of the one who’d already given him so much
kindness and hated what he had to say.
“Thea,
I already have a destined one.”
Amon
saw the shock register on her face. She had been so kind to him, and he hated
having to say those words, more than she could ever know. Obviously embarrassed,
she dropped her eyes and climbed off him, saying nothing.
She
stood on the floor on the opposite side of the bed and straightened herself.
“I...I want to sleep somewhere else. If you’re going to hold me here against my
will, I’d at least like to be alone.”
Amon
felt the sting of her sadness and regretted telling her, no matter how much she
needed to know. But the selfish part of him didn’t want to be without her.
“I
need you here to help me heal.”
He
knew he was being insensitive. He didn’t care. He didn’t want her to leave.
“I
can heal you just as well sleeping in another room,” she said angrily.
Amon
wanted to refuse her again, but the hurt coming from her crushed any desire to
keep her in his room. Concentrating, he silently reached out to Gethen. As he
waited for him, Amon watched Thea with sadness, wishing more than ever their
world wasn’t like it was.
When
Gethen appeared in the doorway, his face was lit up with happiness.
“Why
so happy?” he asked him, eager for something to break the tension.
“You’re
getting your powers back.”
Amon
realized he
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