"What do you mean by 'return the favor'?" I asked, my voice barely audible even to my own ears.
Julian's warm smile transformed into something cold and calculating. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as he took a step closer to me, his familiar scent now making my stomach churn.
"I want you to be my mistress, Seraphina."
The words hung in the air between us, sharp and poisonous. I stared at him, certain I had misheard.
"Excuse me?" I managed to choke out.
"You heard me." Julian's voice was eerily calm. "I want you to be mine again. Behind closed doors, of course."
My legs threatened to give out beneath me. "You're engaged to Camille."
"And I'll marry her," he confirmed without hesitation. "But she'll never satisfy me the way you do. We're fated mates, Sera. Our bodies were made for each other."
I took a step back, desperate to put distance between us. "You rejected me. You broke our bond."