I had no idea how I managed to do it, but I found my way back to the Revered Father’s living area. Then with strength I didn’t know my tired body could possess, I pushed the doors of the room open, and my entrance snagged everyone’s immediate attention.
“Nova,” Kol said, crossing the room to me instantly when his eyes landed on my form. “What is—”
“Were you intended to mate a Maji?” I cut him off, my chest rising and falling as I caught my breath.
My heart slammed into my chest, and my stomach was tight with apprehension.
Kol’s eyes widened. “What brought this conversation—”
“Kol!” I angrily cut him off again. “Were you intended to mate a Maji before you met me?”
His eyes, which were glowing, couldn’t hold contact with mine, and I felt my stomach drop.
“Almighty,” I whispered.
Kol reached for me but dropped his hand when I tensed.
“Answer my question,” I demanded of him, though I had an awful feeling I already knew what the answer was. “Answer it out loud.”
He remained silent.
“Answer me!” I screamed.
“Nova—”
“Don’t touch me!” I cried, stumbling back from him when he reached for me once more. “Ezah said you were supposed to mate a female. Is that true, Kol? Don’t you dare fucking lie to me!”
His eyes were wild.
“Yes,” he choked out after what felt like an entirety of silence. “I gave my verbal intention to another, but you must allow me to explain why.”
Kol was intended to another female, but he had mated me instead because his body liked me better. That was all that ran through my mind. His body liked me, and that was the only reason I was by his side.
“I feel sick,” I said, my hands clutching my stomach.
“Forgive me,” he pleaded desperately. “I feel your pain, and I wish to take it away. Let me explain.”
“How can you explain away that you were promised to someone else?” I bellowed, my eyes filling with tears. “You fucking lied to me. Again. All you do is lie to me. Over, and over, and over. I am a fool. You are in my life seven days, and look how many times you have lied to me. Look how many times you have lied over life-changing things!”
“My Nova—”
“Never,” I growled. “Never call me yours ever again.”
“You are mine,” he replied, his voice firm but his expression lost.
“Am I yours like when you said I was your only one?” I questioned with a humourless laugh.
My laughter quickly dried up, and my lower lip wobbled as gut-wrenching pain began to stab at my chest.
“You told me I was your one!” I stated as I shot forward into his space and smacked my fists against his chest. “You told me I was your heart! You told me I was your fated mate!”
Sharp intakes of breath sounded around the room.
“You are my heart, shiva,” Kol stressed, emotion filling his voice. “You are my fated mate. Just look at my eyes. They glow for you!”
“They are true fated mates?” I heard a female voice gasp with surprise, but I ignored whoever it was.
I shook my head. “I don’t believe a word you say or have ever said to me!”
A wave of helpless expressions crossed over Kol’s face, but anger was the one to settle when I made a move to turn and walk away from him. He shot forward, grabbed hold of my arms, and held me tightly. He was shaking, I could feel his body tremble against mine, but I didn’t allow myself to be concerned for him. I wanted to get away from him. Far away as Ezah could get me.
To Terra.
“Let me go!” I demanded. “I need to be away from you right now; I need to think without looking at you, without feeling you or fucking hearing you.”
“No,” Kol growled, his hold tightening.
I struggled harder. “I’m not Maji. You can’t just dominate me and expect me to heel to you.”
“Shiva—”
“Just stop!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “If you don’t let me go, I swear I’ll hate you for as long as I live!”
More sharp intakes of breath filled the room.
Kol instantly released me, and when I moved towards the doorway, I said, “Do not come near me. Give me the space I deserve.”
I turned and fled the room before he could speak or do anything about it. I heard him roar, and then there was loud commotion and a hell of a lot of growling and snarling, but I blocked it all out and ran. I ran all the way back to Ezah and found him leaning against the wall next to the staircase, right where I left him.
“You were right,” I blurted, my hands wrapped around myself. “About everything.”
I expected to see a satisfied grin on Ezah’s face, but I didn’t. What I saw looked an awful lot like … pity.
“Maybe you should—”
“You said you could get me to Terra,” I cut him off, panicked he changed his mind.
He licked his lower lip. “I can.”
“Then I want to go,” I said, hugging myself tighter. “I want to go right now.”
“Nova—”
“Please, Ezah,” I pleaded, helplessness consuming me. “Please, take me away from here.”
He regarded me with a look that was definitely one of pity, but when he jerked his head in a nod, I knew he was agreeing to do what he offered, and what I pleaded for. He would take me away from Kol, the people, Ealra … and he would bring me to Terra and back to my people. For once in my entire life, the knowledge that I was purposely going somewhere to be surrounded by humans didn’t scare me. I felt nothing other than the pain that Kol’s lies and deceit had inflicted.
Seven days … That was all it took for him to break me.