Until I figured out how to get rid of the mating bond, I couldn’t harm Adara. But she didn’t need to know that, and it would be better for both of us if she had a healthy dose of respect and fear where I was concerned. As a female, she wasn’t compelled by the mating bond the same way that I was—she could easily ignore any emotions from the bond, and they would diminish the more I acted like a cad around her.
