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you live when you would rather not.
Liana swallowed bile. The Goddess was right.
After Ryan had broken their mate bond, she didn t
want to live, would rather have faded into the
darkness and gone into the next life with her
conscious clear. Across the room, Ryan still knelt
on the floor. He gasped, a raw keening sound of
agony that pierced Liana s heart. Did he not
realize what his callousness had made her feel?
Did he care what consequences his one
determined act wrought beyond the obvious, or
had he not thought beyond the fact that he didn t
want to feel the bond anymore? Hell, did he even
think about what the absence of the bond would
even do to him over time, or did he even care
about that?
Liana continued to shake her head. I don t
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understand. I ve done what I needed. I found your
cure. You don t need me anymore.
Little one, the cure was only the beginning of
the work you must do yet. There is much that you
are yet to discover, much yet for you to do before
my children are truly safe.
What to do you mean?
The mother goddess shook her head.
More, I am forbidden to say, my child. In
truth, I have already spoken more than I should.
Now, do I take you away from here to a place of
peace or leave you here with the male who hurt
you? I see no reason to leave you here with him if
it is your wish to leave him. I can promise that you
will not suffer the mourning loss of a mate that
would normally happen at the breaking of a mate
bond.
Liana s heart skipped a beat at the offer. You
can do that?
Of course. It will be as if the mating never
happened at all. However neither of you may ever
find another mate in this lifetime again. It truly is
a once in a lifetime occurrence, usually. To find
another mate when one passes is truly a miracle
and not something that even I can manipulate. I
will leave the decision up to you but you must
make it quickly. We only have a few more minutes
left before I must move on, taking you with me, if
that is your decision. Decide, Liana.
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Bonnie Rose Leigh
Liana had avoided looking at Ryan the entire
time since she d woken, afraid to see into his eyes.
But now, she had a decision to make, a life-
altering and permanent one. She couldn t avoid
looking at him now, not with his emotions
pounding at the barriers of her mind, all but
beating at a way through the walls shielding her.
He d hurt her so damn badly earlier and she still
didn t know why. She didn t know if she wanted
to face him, face the man she thought loved her,
when he could turn on her so quickly after telling
her he loved her, hell, showing her so thoroughly
he loved her. How could she ever trust him again?
He had taken someone else s word at least that s
what she assumed he d done over hers and
turned away from her, ripping the mating bond
right out of her mind, brutally, cruelly. How?
How could you have done that to us, Ryan?
Without one word to me? Without asking even
one question? You believed a communiqué that
can be hacked over a mind-bond that allows you
to see into my soul and allows me to see into
yours? How could you doubt me so easily, so
quickly? Did you not love me at all, not even the
tiniest bit? Or did you not care that ripping the
bond out of my mind like that would kill me?
Tears continued to trail down Ryan s cheeks,
but he made no move to stand, instead remaining
on his knees as she d seen several Lionese women
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during acts of submission throughout her stay at
the palace on Chantrea. Why are you kneeling,
Ryan? You re an Alpha Male. You don t kneel to
anyone. Liana s eyes widened when he bowed
his head and lowered it to the floor at her feet.
I do when I ve done a great injustice. I let my
past cloud my future. I didn t trust what was right
in front of me and it almost cost me more than I
could imagine losing. It almost cost me you. It still
my cost me you. I don t know what I ll do if I lose
you, Liana. You re the best part of me. You re my
compassion, my heart, the gentleness I ll need to
be a good person and a compassionate leader.
Without you, I m nobody. Worth nothing. I m
begging you, Liana, read me. See inside me and
see if you can find me worthy again. See if I ll ever
make the same mistakes again. Please, I m
begging you on my knees. Please, just search
inside my soul. You don t have to bond with me
right away, just give me another chance.
Liana swallowed, closed her eyes as his
impassioned plea battered against her soul. She
could feel his honest intent. He truly meant what
he was saying for now anyway. He wanted to
get back with her. He honestly didn t want to live
without her, missed her, loved her, didn t want to
sleep in his bed without her. But that didn t mean
she was ready to take him into her arms, either.
He harmed her more deeply than she could have
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Bonnie Rose Leigh
ever imagined and it would take time to heal
properly from that.
But could she just walk away? Walk away from
the best thing she d ever known, even if it had
only lasted a few hours? No, she couldn t do that
either. What was left then? I will stay with you,
but there will be safeguards set up. This time I
want to take time getting to know you before we
bond again if we bond again, Ryan.
Okay. Anything you want, Liana. I ll do
whatever you want.
Then I want us to stay with Amy and Hunter.
I ll feel safer there. Besides, with the Black Rose
still out there, someone had to set us up, it s better
to be amongst their guards until we know who
wanted us apart to begin with. I d feel safer
staying with your sister.
If Liana thought Ryan would argue with that
condition, she couldn t have been more wrong. He
quickly stood, wrapped his arms around her waist
and gave her a very long hug, placed a gentle kiss
on Liana s forehead and whispered, Whatever
you need to feel safe, love. Whatever you need.
Then Ryan quietly walked out of the medical lab,
leaving the woman he once called mate alone with
the Mother Goddess Alana.
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Chapter Eighteen
yan stared into the viewport, which looked into
R
his sister Amy s throne room on the Chantrean
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