All Chapters of Bound By Blood: A Contract With The Sea Dragon: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

[Astasia’s POV]I fight the urge to tell Iravan that he is being too much. I know that this is all for our act to try to get Illiana to leave him alone and break off their engagement, but what if what she needed to discuss actually was serious and needed to take priority? Highly doubtful, but you never knew. However, when it becomes clear that he isn’t going to let me escape without at least an escort from him, I simply sigh, and just nod.“Please,” I tell him. “Lead the way.”Smiling, he turns his gaze toward Illiana who watches on in annoyance.“You may wait in my office for me.” He tells her and honestly, I’m a bit surprised.I guess even if he didn’t want to marry her, he still trusted her more than most if he was willing to let her go into his personal space without him.“Okay,” Illiana says, and then she shifts her gaze to me and doesn’t bother hiding the fact that she doesn’t like me.“See you later,” I tell her, blowing a kiss.Finished speaking, I wrap my arm in Iravan’s and

[Astasia’s POV]I stare at Iravan like he has grown a second head, because honestly of all things he could have responded with, he chose that ridiculous line about being curious about me. There was no reason for that, not when our arrangement was temporary and would be over soon. The best thing for all was to keep our distance and maintain boundaries unless we were in front of the appropriate persons.“You don’t have to pretend here.” I finally say. “There’s no eyes or ears around.”“There’s always eyes and ears.” He counters, and I see a flicker of something in his gaze. “Anyway, who says I’m pretending? What if I actually am truly curious about you?”“Then you’re going to be disappointed.” I respond. “Because I have no intention of telling you anything about myself other than what is necessary. Now, could you please get out of my room? I was having a good nap until you creepily snuck in here, and I’d like to go back to sleep.”“Alright,” Iravan announces, taking me by surprise for t

[Astasia’s POV]I listen carefully to what Illiana is saying, and for the tiniest of moments, I actually feel a bit of guilt over what I have agreed to help Iravan with. However, just as quickly as that guilt appears, it disappears because the tactic Illiana was pulling was so damn overused.“Are you saying that a forced marriage would do anything for your peace?” I ask before I can stop myself. “That’s ridiculous.”“And who are you to make such comments?” Illiana growls. “You’re nothing more than a woman with unknown origins who somehow tricked Iravan into believing that you are his mate. I know that you have a soft spot for pathetic things.”Pathetic things, I don’t bother reacting to her words because honestly, I’ve heard worse from the keepers, and right now with my wolf trapped I was pretty pathetic.“Just because Iravan has shown you kindness, you should remember the difference in your positions.”“Illiana,” Iravan growls.“It’s the truth,” she counters. “Who is this woman to ha

[Illiana’s POV]I storm into my room, my anger threatening to get the better of me, and when I feel it all coming to a boil, I grab the lamp sitting on the side table beside my bed and lift it. However, before I can go through with throwing it, I stop and stare at the object in my hand while realizing that if I broke it, it would only anger Iravan further.Taking a deep breath, I slowly lower the lamp once more, and then flop down onto my bed, and once I’m in place, I bring a manicured nail to my teeth and bite down on it.“This won’t do,” I murmur, trying not to think of Iravan and that bitch together. “I can’t let this engagement come to an end.”From the moment I met Iravan when we were kids, I knew that I would one day make him mine. That was why I did my best to stay by his side and deal with any pests that may try to hover around him.For years it worked, well, it also helped that Iravan wasn’t interested in any of the women that were around him, but I wasn’t certain things woul

[Iravan’s POV]I give my little mate one last look before turning to take Illiana in. She’s acting nonchalant and innocent, but I wasn’t born yesterday. When I smelled something off about my little mate’s water, I knew that Illiana had decided to try to win me over by underhanded means.Honestly, it was exactly what I would expect from her, after all, it was the way she made sure other women stayed away from me in the past.“Illiana,” I say now, giving her a look of disgust. “Follow me.”“Okay,” she smiles, clearly thinking that she was going to get away with what she did. “Please, lead the way.”Nodding, I begin to move, leading the way toward the dining room’s exit, and when we reach, I don’t hesitate to step outside where my little mate’s new servant, Janice waited patiently.“Master,” she says, bowing with respect. “Have you finished eating so quickly?”“We have,” I tell her. “However, your mistress hasn’t yet.”“Then shall I go in and accompany her?”“Yes, please.”Nodding, Janic