ected it had all been an act.
“According to Hugh, you give him migraines,” she said. “And your wife doesn’t. You aren’t going to be able to persuade me he’s lying, so how do you explain that?”
He remained unruffled by her accusing tone. “Did Hugh also tell you what triggers the pain?”
“Yeah.” Damn it, she was certain she was blushing. “Orgasms.”
“Precisely.” The Earl didn’t look at her, focusing instead on his fidgeting hands. “I trigger extreme pain in Hugh because I do one of the most selfish, perverted acts imaginable. I take, and give nothing in return. The energy that should flow between myself and my wife, freely and joyously, instead concentrates in me like stagnant water. My wife sees to my needs, Ivy. But I do nothing for hers.”
She flinched again, but this time her revulsion wasn’t directed at the Earl himself. She hadn’t thought that there could be anything worse than not being able to be touched at all, but now she wasn’t so sure. To turn what should be the deepest expression of love into some grim, mechanical act, where your partner took no joy in it herself…the Earl was right. It was a perversion.
Hugh wouldn’t want this for either of his parents. Ivy knew that, down to her bones. But what would it do to him if she told him the real reason his parents were estranged? That it wasn’t because of any infidelity, but rather due to Hugh’s very existence?
She let out her breath, slowly. “You’re right,” she said. “I won’t tell him this secret. It would only hurt him. But he’s not a little kid now, you know. He’s lived out in the world, surrounded by the unchaste, and managed to survive. Neither you nor your wife have to make this sacrifice anymore.”
He cast her one of those razor-sharp, bitter smiles. “The thought has occurred to me. But my wife has spent her life sacrificing herself for the good of others. She would never put her own pleasure above the well-being of her child, no matter that he is a grown man. And she and Hugh have such a close relationship…how can I even think of asking her to consider jeopardizing that? How can I demand that she inflict pain upon our son, just because it pains me to be unable to please her fully?”
“I’m sorry for you both,” Ivy said, meaning it. “But I’m still not going to do what you want. I believe that you really think that it would be best if Hugh lost his unicorn. But it wouldn’t.”
The Earl’s expression frosted over, that brief glimpse of anguish hidden once more behind thick walls of ice. “For him, or for you, wyvern?”
“What?”
“My wife told me of your nature.” He gestured at her gloved hands. “I know that Hugh is immune to your uncontrollable venom. And I do not doubt that you have realized that if he did lose his unicorn, he would no longer be able to touch you at all.”
That dark thought had occurred to Ivy, during that one precious, shining hour when she’d lain in Hugh’s arms, tracing his tattoos. A treacherous little whisper in her mind: I can do this. I can be strong.
Because if I give in, I’ll lose everything too.
“I-yes, that’s true,” she stammered, her face heating with shame. “But that’s not why—“
“Then prove it,” the Earl demanded, a strange intensity burning in his eyes. “Prove you truly love my son. Take his unicorn, and then leave him, for both your sakes. Free him from his suffering. You may not think it now, but your own curse is a blessing in disguise. It will save you from a lifetime pouring out your heart into an emptiness you will never be able to fill. You have no future with my son, Ivy. Whether you sleep with him or not, you will never be enough for him.”
“I am!” Ivy shot back, her own anger rising again. “I’m his mate!”
The Earl froze. “Is this true?”
“Yeah.” She planted her hands on her hips, facing him head-on. “So you’re stuck with me, like it or not. I’m his true mate, and he’s mine.”
The light in his eyes disappeared, snuffed out like a candle. “Then you are no use to me whatsoever.”
She opened her mouth to retort—but paused, as something about his tone struck her. He didn’t sound accusing, or angry. Just resigned.
“Why?” she asked.
The Earl didn’t answer for a moment. He rubbed his hands over his face, hiding his expression.
“I am less noble than I thought,” he said, his tone heavy. “I never told Hugh, because I didn’t want him to waste his life on a wild goose chase. And now I find myself tempted not to tell you.”
“Tell me what?” Ivy demanded.
He dropped his hands with a sigh. He looked suddenly hollow, as if she’d scooped out whatever hope remained in his heart.
“Even if you sleep with my son, you won’t break his curse,” he said. “You’re his true mate. You can’t take his unicorn.”
Chapter 18
“He’s lying,” Hugh said flatly.