Page 11 of The Fate of Black Hearts

When he didn’t answer she looked up at him. Did he just smile? It’d barely happened. Now it was gone.

“Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t.”

She was acutely aware that he dwarfed her in size and breadth. The drive to move closer to his warmth, to touch her thigh to his…

Full moon…quit. I am old enough to handle this.

Rain pelted everywhere around them but not on them, as if an invisible roof provided protection. The wind had ceased even though it looked to be swaying all the trees around them. This must be his doing.

“Why do you want to meet Death, Evie?”

He knows my name?

“Of course Iknow your name.”

Her gaze snapped to him. Hecouldread thoughts. Terrifying. Also, intriguing.

That mean he’d picked up on her fighting the drive of the full moon.

A hard swallow didn’t help her dry throat. “Perhaps I did something terrible and deserve death.”

“Didyou do something terrible?” Curiosity laced his tone.

“Not yet.” She removed the dagger from her pocket and tossed it from one hand to the other.I’m going to kill someone.

“Tell me why you feel the need to kill someone. Does someone threaten you?”

She tilted her face to stare at the starless sky, wishing the icy rain would punish her for desiring the forbidden. Topping the desire list was freedom. “My brother and father were executed a few months ago, leaving my mother and I without means.”Slaughtered over my mother’s dabbling with magic. They protected her.

All types of witch and mage magic was forbidden by the Lycan Council. She wasn’t sure why, but they’d decided after decades of fighting witches and mages that it was forbidden. Seemed to her that wielding the power of the enemy might give them an advantage.“My mother seeks security for herself as can only be found with money. Her only asset to market is me.”

“She sold you into what?” His face tightened. Lightning struck a nearby tree.

“Arranged mating.” She jumped when thunder cracked loud enough to ring inside her ears. Had he done that?

“Are you a romantic who wishes for love before mating?” He stared straight ahead.

She shrugged.

“There’s no such thing as love.” The bitterness of his tone triggered chills across her shoulders. “It’s a human’s justification for the emotions stirred up from lust and attraction, maybe decent sex. In the end, it is fleeting.”

“Love is a fantasy?” she asked cautiously. “A predestined future set down by mythical Fates is absurd too. I will control my own future.” She ground her molars. “If he was a decent prospect, I’d mate him and forge a partnership. The gutter lout plans to control every aspect of my life until he gets what he wants, which is children. Once he has that, he’ll purge himself of me.”

“He told you this?”

“He’s already done it once. His previous mate gave him no children after three years.” When she got no comment from him, she continued, “I’m either going to kill him and shape my own future, or I’ll kill myself.”

“You don’t truly want to die. You also don’t fear him or the match. You fear being locked in a gilded cage.” His face grew serious. “You should avoid getting imprisoned in that cage, Evie.”

“How do you know my name? How do you know this about me?”

“We’re each cursed with our own abilities. I know things.”

“Get out of my head. Tell me your name. I refuse to be judged by a nameless sorcerer who’s not going to help me.” She crossed her legs and stopped tossingthe blade.

“Domini Tavalin.” He leaned back. “Death doesn’t like it when you take the cheat road. She tends to bite back.”

“You speak of Fates and Death as if they’re real beings, Domini.”