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“I haven’t been able to think about anything else.” Okay, I gotta kiss her for that. Her soft lips on mine are exactly what I need to fully get back in the moment. No witches and no strings of fate that I can’t run away from. I can handle that.

But, since they kept this secret from me, I’m entitled to a little playful retaliation, right?

I reach up and dig my fingers under Donella’s braids to give them little scratchies. “So are you gonna be all obsessive and wondering where I’m at every second of the day?”

“I’m your mate Lellies,” they kiss me again, “not a psychopath; you can always come and go as you please.”

“Oh, so if I want to date someone else instead of accepting your bond,” I trace down her head and neck and straighten the shoulders of her shirt, “you’d be okay with that?”

“I mean, I’d have to be. You’re your own person and I’m not a territorial beast.”

Are you sure about that?

Donellasoundscalm, but her eyes have a little red in them.

“No? What about … A primal beast?” Donella’s horns grow in size now, just like the first night we met. “Does the mating bond make you primal?”

“When my mate starts to entertain thoughts of dating other people? You could say that.” I almost want to laugh at Donella’s folded arms, this is way too easy.

“What if I … told you I didn’t like you and ran away?”

“That would be pretty difficult for me, I must admit.” Donella shuffles her feet back and forth. I’m going to have to move quickly or she’ll ruin my fun.

“Well, thank goodness Idolike you.” I wrap my arms around Donella’s shoulders and give her a quick kiss. When we break away, I give Donella a big smile, and plant my feet so I can shove her back to the sidewalk. I stand on the board and get it started.

“But I also like to run!” I throw over my shoulder. Donella’s playful growl sounds off behind me as I put the board in motion, leaving Donella to chase me home on foot.

Thank You for Reading

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gods mentioned

Alphabetical list of deities mentioned in this story along with a brief description. If you are curious, I highly encourage further research on these beings and the cultures they’re intertwined in.

Aja- the Yoruba orisha who is the patron of the forest, forest animals, and herbal healers

Asherah- a goddess in ancient West Semitic religions and a central figure in Canaanite mythology

Cernunnos- the Celtic god of animals, fertility, and wild places. In modern neopagan religions, he is also seen as a god of life, death, and rebirth

Hades- in the ancient Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld

Jarren- fictional character

Jehovah- a form of God's name in Judaism and Christianity

Melqart- the tutelary god of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre and a major deity in the Phoenician and Punic pantheons

Rhea- the Great Mother, Rhea represented a universal aspect of divinity in Minoan Crete.

Shangdi- the ancient Chinese deity of the Shang dynasty is the most significant ancestor and deity who controls victory in battle, harvest, weather, and more

Vishnu- a Hindu god who preserves and protects the universe