"Then what? Is he working with Gideon? Is he the one who helped steal my inheritance?"
Helena shook her head, her eyes wide. "No. It's... Elowen, Jarek has a mate."
WHAT?!
I thought I'd heard wrongly. . "What? No, he doesn't," I said, the denial coming faster than I could process. "He never mentioned... he wouldn't."
"He does," Helena insisted, gripping my arms. "I saw it with my own eyes. There is a woman living with him. A gorgeous woman, Elowen. She carries herself like she owns every inch of that fortress."
I felt a sharp, bitter pang in my chest that I refused to call jealousy. "Are you admiring her, Helena, or are you going to tell me what you actually mean by this?"
"The woman is called Hera," Helena said.
Hera?
"I know her," I countered, the air returning to my lungs. "That's his best friend. His strategist. Not his mate."
Whew! For a moment there, I almost lost it.
