I trust her entirely, but that’s not to say I believe in fate. No, I believe in the freedom of choice. As Jolie’s protector, I insist she be given the right to choose.”
“If it is ordained,” Odran started, “it cannoot be denied.”
Rand stood up and slapped his palms loudly on the table before him, leaning forward. “This is another subject that won’t be resolved today.” He paused for a moment or two and then added, “I think we’ve discussed enough.”
At Rand’s less-than-subtle indication that the meeting was over, everyone stood and started for the door.
“Jolie, can you stay for a minute?” Rand asked me. As I turned around to face him, he smiled encouragingly, as if to say it would be a pleasant conversation. Hmm, half of me had been hoping I was in trouble—I could use a good old-fashioned spanking over his knees.
I nodded, resuming my place at the table. “Am I in trouble?” I asked with a smile.
He returned it. “It depends. Do you want to be in trouble?”
So he was still flirting with me. That was a good sign. “What’s my punishment?”
He chuckled and shook his head, dropping the charade. Instead he approached me and set both his hands on my shoulders, massaging them with his strong fingers. “I wanted to talk to you about when you traveled back to 1878.”
I nodded and felt my stomach rise up into my throat. I was suddenly suffused with panic. It was at that moment that I decided what Rand didn’t know about us bonding wouldn’t hurt him. We weren’t bonded now and that was all that mattered. It was better not to rehash the past, better not to tell him I was the reason for his brush with death.
“Where should I start?” I asked with trepidation in my voice.
He stopped massaging my shoulders and took the seat next to me, reaching for my left hand. He looked it over, no doubt taking in the fact that I was still wearing his mother’s ring. “You said I gave this ring to you?”
I nodded while fingering the band, then slid it off my finger. I probably shouldn’t be wearing it—not when things were still at an impasse between us, or at the very least undecided. “Do you want it back?”
He wrapped his fingers around mine and pushed thering back onto my finger. “No,” he said, curling my fingers back into my palm. “If anyone should wear it, it’s you.” I didn’t even have time to digest that statement before he was off on another. “And if I gave it to you, it belongs to you now.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling heat in my cheeks.
“What was it like traveling to the past and meeting Pelham and me? And Christine?”
Besides Mercedes, Christine had been my only friend.
“It was surreal. At first the only people who were nice to me were Mercedes, Pelham, and Christine.”
“And how about me?”
I regarded him with a frown but couldn’t keep my smile to myself. “You were less than nice.
Rude, argumentative, and surly
might be a better description.”
He chuckled deeply. “But of course, in true Jolie Wilkins fashion, you must have won me over.”
I nodded and sighed as I thought about it. I remembered winning him over, remembered how amazing it had felt when we finally admitted our feelings for each other. And how incredible he had felt inside me.
“Yes, I did finally win you over, but it wasn’t an easy feat,” I said with a laugh that sounded sad even to my ears. “It took a spell from Mathilda for the old you to have the same feelings you have for me today.”
He nodded and glanced down at the table before returning his chocolate-brown eyes to me. “Ah, so I fell in love with you, did I?”
Even though I was surprised by his admission, I just nodded because it was the truth. The old Rand had fallen in love with me and it wasn’t a false love, spurred on by the convenience of Mathilda’s spell—every thought, every feeling Rand bore toward me was genuine, real, based on his feelings for me in the here and now. It was the new Rand that
“If it is ordained,” Odran started, “it cannoot be denied.”
Rand stood up and slapped his palms loudly on the table before him, leaning forward. “This is another subject that won’t be resolved today.” He paused for a moment or two and then added, “I think we’ve discussed enough.”
At Rand’s less-than-subtle indication that the meeting was over, everyone stood and started for the door.
“Jolie, can you stay for a minute?” Rand asked me. As I turned around to face him, he smiled encouragingly, as if to say it would be a pleasant conversation. Hmm, half of me had been hoping I was in trouble—I could use a good old-fashioned spanking over his knees.
I nodded, resuming my place at the table. “Am I in trouble?” I asked with a smile.
He returned it. “It depends. Do you want to be in trouble?”
So he was still flirting with me. That was a good sign. “What’s my punishment?”
He chuckled and shook his head, dropping the charade. Instead he approached me and set both his hands on my shoulders, massaging them with his strong fingers. “I wanted to talk to you about when you traveled back to 1878.”
I nodded and felt my stomach rise up into my throat. I was suddenly suffused with panic. It was at that moment that I decided what Rand didn’t know about us bonding wouldn’t hurt him. We weren’t bonded now and that was all that mattered. It was better not to rehash the past, better not to tell him I was the reason for his brush with death.
“Where should I start?” I asked with trepidation in my voice.
He stopped massaging my shoulders and took the seat next to me, reaching for my left hand. He looked it over, no doubt taking in the fact that I was still wearing his mother’s ring. “You said I gave this ring to you?”
I nodded while fingering the band, then slid it off my finger. I probably shouldn’t be wearing it—not when things were still at an impasse between us, or at the very least undecided. “Do you want it back?”
He wrapped his fingers around mine and pushed thering back onto my finger. “No,” he said, curling my fingers back into my palm. “If anyone should wear it, it’s you.” I didn’t even have time to digest that statement before he was off on another. “And if I gave it to you, it belongs to you now.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling heat in my cheeks.
“What was it like traveling to the past and meeting Pelham and me? And Christine?”
Besides Mercedes, Christine had been my only friend.
“It was surreal. At first the only people who were nice to me were Mercedes, Pelham, and Christine.”
“And how about me?”
I regarded him with a frown but couldn’t keep my smile to myself. “You were less than nice.
Rude, argumentative, and surly
might be a better description.”
He chuckled deeply. “But of course, in true Jolie Wilkins fashion, you must have won me over.”
I nodded and sighed as I thought about it. I remembered winning him over, remembered how amazing it had felt when we finally admitted our feelings for each other. And how incredible he had felt inside me.
“Yes, I did finally win you over, but it wasn’t an easy feat,” I said with a laugh that sounded sad even to my ears. “It took a spell from Mathilda for the old you to have the same feelings you have for me today.”
He nodded and glanced down at the table before returning his chocolate-brown eyes to me. “Ah, so I fell in love with you, did I?”
Even though I was surprised by his admission, I just nodded because it was the truth. The old Rand had fallen in love with me and it wasn’t a false love, spurred on by the convenience of Mathilda’s spell—every thought, every feeling Rand bore toward me was genuine, real, based on his feelings for me in the here and now. It was the new Rand that
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