Page 74 of Broken & Bound

He turned to me, and a clarity shone in his blue eyes, so much like his sister’s.

“Then she’s not yours, mate. Aside from death, nothing and no one could keep you from her if she’s meant for you. Soulmates are all about destiny. And that is one thing you can’t fight.”

His words cut deep. I stared down into the whiskey sitting in my hand. That sense of loss pushed its way forward.

Then she’s not yours, mate.

I could tell the broken man sitting before me that with his logic, then Vanya wasn’t his true soulmate. But I kept that shit to myself. I thought maybe he was done by the way he stared down into his drink, but then he spoke again.

“Think about it. Your single act of hiring Nik to uncover Kinsley’s true identity caused a chain reaction. You could have hired someone else.”

“Very true.”

“It was destiny. And you have to admit, their love for one another is fucking beautiful.”

“Also true.”

“Same with Tori and Marcel. I should have been the one with you that night. But the universe and destiny said nope.”

Why I was taking advice from a drunken man who was mourning his childhood sweetheart when his logic was filled with fallacies was beyond me. Maybe it was his connection to Isabella. But maybe, just maybe, there was some nugget of wisdom I could cling to.

“But what if fighting for her only alienates her more?”

He studied me deeply. I shifted uncomfortably. “You thinking of taking her back?”

“Who?” I asked, confused.

“Hannah,” he spat.

“Hell no. I was asking in general.”

“Uh, huh. That’s a lie, Dancer, and we don’t do that with family. Who the fuck is she?”

“Answer me first.”

“If fighting alienates her further, and she doesn’t want it, then you have your answer. It works both ways. If she doesn’t come around, then she’s not the one. You let go. Now who’s the girl?”

“There isn’t a conversation to have here, Brother.”

He barked out a laugh. “Don’t sidestep me.”

I rubbed a hand across my jaw. “If it’s all the same. There is no girl,” I muttered.

Bash stared at me. I stared back. Neither of us believed it. His answer hadn’t helped. At all. In fact, it only solidified that he was living in a fantasy world. Seemed to me he’d fought for Vanya hard. Waited around for years.

If he could take his own advice, maybe he wouldn’t be sitting here with me. Alone. Dreaming about what could have been, and what would never be.

“Can I level with you, Sebastian?”

“You can.”

“Maybe you need to take your own advice.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

I hesitated, realizing I should have kept my damn mouth shut. “Nothing. It means nothing.”

“Speak your fucking mind, Brother.”