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The more I thought about it, the more sense it made that this match was orchestrated but I had no proof. The King had made it clear that he wanted this bond and even Maya had suggested it the previous night.

Echo was in two minds because the evidence of what I’d done was there. I was angry at myself for being in this position but the memories were slowly trickling back. I could remember kissing Maya, taking off her clothes, but I had no clue why I would do it.

A footman informed me that Maya was in the private gardens and I braced myself for the conversation we would have. She was sitting on the exact same bench where we’d talked the previous night. She looked up when she heard my footsteps and then looked down again.

“Can we talk?” I sat down next to her and she looked at me again.

“Of course, Mr Grey.” She was sad because I’d acted like a jerk. She’d given herself to me willingly and I’d made it cheap by just leaving and asking for proof when I knew in my heart that she wasn’t lying.

“So now it’s Mr Grey?” She didn’t even smile at my attempt to lighten the situation.

“I thought you’d prefer for me to be more formal.”

It was time for me to rectify this situation because I’d already screwed up this morning. If she went into this union willingly it would make things easier on me. The King needed to see his daughter happy, to trust me more.

I placed my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to me. She stiffened slightly and then she leaned in toward me and inhaled sharply. I kissed the top of her head and I felt her relax a little more.

“I’m sorry about this morning.” My voice was a whisper close to her ear and I felt her tears as they slid over her cheeks and onto my shirt.

“I shouldn’t be so sensitive.” I smiled at that, she had every right to be sensitive about it.

“I spoke to your father.” Her head snapped up at that, almost knocking my jaw off.

“About last night?” She looked mortified and the embarrassment was evident on her face.

“It was a good conversation, otherwise I’m sure I’d be shackled in the dungeons.”

“That’s not funny, Wynter …”

“My dragon, Echo, isn’t opposed to a union with you, neither’s your father. He gave me this.” I pulled the ring box from my pocket and handed it to her.

“He’s forcing you to marry me?” Her voice was filled with disbelief.

“No, I asked him for your hand. I didn’t reject Cali because I didn’t want to be bonded, I rejected her because she wasn’t right for me. You are nothing like her.”

“I believe you when you say that but I also think you’re only doing this because you were told to do it.”

She wasn’t wrong although I wasn’t going to be so direct and admit it. Echo liked her, so did I. We didn’t love her, but then again, you didn’t need to love someone to marry them. The bond was something different altogether. She’d wear my mark, forever, and that made me a little nervous.

“We have two options here, Maya. We can either get to know one another like you wanted to last night or we can be forced together by your father and hate every moment of it. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”

“Are you proposing to me right now?”

“Give me some credit. I’ll do the whole down on one knee thing in front of your family, but I wanted to talk to you first. We had chemistry last night, even before we went to your room. Right here in this exact spot, we spoke like friends, not strangers. I want to get to know, Maya, so when I ask don’t say no.”

She laughed then, that beautiful melody that was her voice filled my ears and settled deep inside me. It felt like acceptance. I had to accept it all, I had no other choice because there was nothing else I could do in that moment.

Maya looked up at me, all smiles. I could tell that she felt relieved and happy. She wasn’t going to say no when I asked the question. Internally I sighed. This was not how I had planned my future. Somewhere along the line I’d have to let Ally go too, there was no future for us.

“You do realize that we don’t know anything about each other.” Her head was on my chest and we sat side by side on that bench. I hated to admit that I didn’t completely hate the feeling.

“So tell me what I need to know.”

“My birthday was on July 9th. I love purple and I have a wicked sweet tooth, which means I work out every morning not to look like a fat cow. I only have one lady’s maid because I don’t like to be fussed over. I do my own hair and makeup and when I get the chance, I paint. I like reading, not romance, crime thrillers.  I prefer cats over dogs and despite what people think I’m not close to my brother. I feel more alone than I do part of this family and I think you are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”

“My birthday is on the 1st of December, yeah my mother was funny like that. I don’t really have a favourite colour but I mostly dress in dark gray’s. I don’t have a sweet tooth so you’re stash will be safe. I train every day no matter where I am. I also do my own hair and I’m very talented with a gun. I like reading when I have time, no preference to pets and I’m close to all my siblings. I love my family with everything in me.” She had started laughing when I spoke of my hair and I noticed that she had a dimple in one cheek.

“I’m glad you do your own hair.” She started chuckling again and then messed my hair up by running her hand through it.

“Echo wants to meet you.” She turned her head and I saw the happiness in her eyes. It was a big thing for a dragon to meet his bonded half, chosen or not.

“I’d love to meet Echo.” We stood up from the bench, hand in hand, and I led her to the green grass away from the trees so Echo would have space to separate from me.

Echo separated from me and he stretched his large wings as Maya’s mouth gaped open. Smoke rose from his nostrils and he flapped his wings once before tucking them close to his body. He lowered himself to the ground and then he rubbed his head against Maya’s body, scenting her.

“What’s he doing?”

“He’s mixing his scent with yours, staking his claim on you.” She laughed and then raised her hand to his face and lightly stroked him.

Echo closed his eyes and I almost felt embarrassed for him when he rolled over onto his back and his tongue lolled out of his mouth, just like a dog. His tail was thumping up and down and Maya laughed deliciously at his antics.

“Ignore him, he thinks he’s a dog.” Echo huffed at me and a low growl came from his throat.

“He’s beautiful, Wynter.” Echo gave her a look and rolled his eyes at her. “No, not beautiful. Echo’s heroic and valiant, strong and honest. His strength cannot be matched and he’s the most handsome dragon I’ve ever seen.”

Echo’s tail thumped harder and we both laughed at him. “Do you want to go for a ride?” Echo rolled onto his stomach again and Maya frowned as she looked at me.

“On Echo?”

“Yeah, come on.” I took her hand and led her up Echo’s tail and moved her in front of me. “Tuck your legs in front of his wings, otherwise you’ll hamper his movements.” I sat down behind her and Echo slowly stood up.

He flapped his wings twice and then rose into the air. Maya squealed like a small child but I only heard delight in her voice. My hands were on her thighs and Echo soared through the sky, over the palace and towards the training camps.

We flew around for about fifteen minutes before Echo returned to the gardens and landed on the grass as Maya laughed. “That was incredible!”

I held her hand as we climbed off Echo’s back and he rubbed his head against her body one more time, a rumbling, purring sound coming from his chest. Maya kissed him on his cheek and if dragons could blush, I swear he would have.

“It’s nearing lunch time, we should get going.” I looked at my watch in shock to realize that Maya was right. I’d been unconscious for a few hours then. I wasn’t hungry yet but I instantly knew that she was.

“Separately or together?” She smiled at my question, tucking her hair behind her ears as Echo merged with me once again. The tingling was a happy sensation, almost gentle, if a dragon could be gentle.

“Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?” I stopped walking and looked at her where she had remained standing.

“You want embarrassment?” I threw her over my shoulder as she laughed in between yelling at me to put her down. I ignored her pleas and got more than one look as I carried her back into the palace and towards the dining room.

“Wynter! I swear!” She laughed again as I tightened my grip on her legs. “At least I have a nice view.”

“Are you checking me out, Princess?”

“I’ve got nothing else to do.” I smacked her lightly on her ass and she started laughing again.

“I’ll put you down if you promise to behave.” She smacked me on my back and then promised to behave. I brought her back over my shoulder and she slid down my chest until her feet touched the floor and we looked each other in the eye.

“The staff will start to talk if we continue to stand here like this.” I smiled again because in the palace you were never truly alone, except in your own suite. We walked hand in hand into the dining room and everyone looked at us as I pulled out her chair and sat down next to her.

King Florin was the only one not gaping at us and Maya handed me her menu and I ordered for both of us. I was suddenly ravenous and Maya almost jumped out of her seat when I placed my hand on her thigh.

“Okay, if no one else will say it, I will. What is all this about?” Nicu asked gesturing with his hand towards me and Maya.

“Wynter’s proposed, unofficially.” The King smiled at that and Queen Alina looked at him questioningly.

“When the hell did this happen?” Nicu was more intrigued than pissed off.

Maya looked at her brother before her gaze slipped to mine. “Wynter found me in the garden and we’ve decided to become chosen halves.”

“It seems a bit sudden.” The Queen definitely didn’t know what had happened between us and I preferred to keep it that way.

“They’ve both rejected their bonded halves and I personally think they make a fine match.” The Queen nodded her head as King Florin spoke, his word being the ultimate law.

“Congratulations are in order then.” Prince Nicu had stood up and hugged Maya tightly with a bright smile on his face as Abigail sat there and watched me. I knew what she was thinking and I felt like shit about it.

Maya’s hand went inside my jacket and she retrieved the box from my pocket. She opened it and gave the box to me. I looked at her and smiled. “I don’t expect you to go down on one knee for me. You’ve already given me the perfect proposal in the garden. So, my answer is yes.”

I took the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger, leaving the matching band behind in the box. She smiled at me and then held her hand up for her mother to see.

“It’s beautiful, Maya. I do hope that you will always be as happy as you are right now.”

“Thank you, Mother. I’m so thankful for getting another chance at bonded love.”

Abigail still hadn’t said anything and after lunch I left Maya with her mother to talk wedding details and went up to our suite where Abigail sat on the couch and looked at me. I gave her a look and pulled out my phone instead.

“Grey.”

“Hey, Dad, don’t worry, everything’s fine, but I have some news to share.”

“He got engaged to the freaking princess!” Abigail said loudly from behind me.

“You what?” Ryder’s voice was somewhere in between angry and horrified.

“I wasn’t given much choice in the matter. She’s a good person, Dad, and Echo likes her.”

“This is great, just fucking great. What happened to your plan, Wynter?”

“She’s not guilty, only Florin is. The plan hasn’t changed. Suck up whatever feelings you’ve got because of this and pack your bag because my wedding will happen, sooner than you think.”

I ended the call without saying anything else and Abigail looked at me warily. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“No, you shouldn’t have.”

“Wynter, what are you doing? What about Ally?”

“I woke up in her bed, Abby. It’s either I marry her or I lose my head. I never had a future with Ally, no matter what I feel for her.” It sounded like shit even to me. Maya could never replace Ally or what I feel for her.

“You marrying Maya can complicate things with the plan. A plan you set in motion, Wynter. All this, you wanted this. You wanted revenge for Mom.”

“That part of the plan hasn’t changed Abby. I’m still going to kill Florin and anyone else who stands in my way but should Maya be punished for what her father did? Can you look her in the eye and pull the trigger to end her life?”

“Do you even like her?”

“Yeah, I do.”