"I didn't make you when you gave in to the bond," Nelly shot back. "But you can't ignore it now. You have to tell her and take her with you."
Kade's eyes flickered toward May again, his pupils dilating slightly. His lips curled in bitterness as he spat, "And you think she will not run for the hills?"
May's heart was racing, her mind buzzing with questions she'd been denied for too long. She refused to be left on the sidelines of her own fate. She straightened in her chair, her hands curling into fists on her lap before she raised her voice.
"If I may…" she interjected. "I would like to speak for myself, please. There will be no running."
Her declaration hung in the air, her eyes blazing with conviction.
"Either way, I cannot be with her," Kade said. His glass clinked as he set it down too hard on the counter, amber whiskey sloshing dangerously against the rim.
"I don't want to be with you either," May shot back.
"Except that is what will be expected of me."
