Lucian's jaw tightened and she saw gold bleed into his eyes. "Because I was terrified. Because you kept saying you didn't know if you'd stay. Because it felt like you were going to leave with Victoria when she comes for you and I couldn't..." His voice broke. "I couldn't lose you. So I made sure you couldn't leave. And I hate myself for it."
Lilith felt the bond surge between them, felt his absolute sincerity through the connection, and it made her even angrier because she could not even hate him properly when she could feel everything he was feeling.
"Where are Nicholas and Sebastian?" she asked.
"At the border. Dealing with Victoria."
The name made Lilith's chest tighten. "Aunty Victoria came here?"
"She felt the bonds complete," Lucian said. "The power surge when I marked you....she felt it across the territory. She came to the border immediately demanding we hand you over."
"And?"
"And Nicholas told her no."
