Page 18

CHAPTER 18

MIRA

Kaiden’s announcement rings in my ears, and for several moments, all I can do is stare at him.

We are mates.

Gods, could it be true?

I search his eyes, and his expression is earnest and almost… sweet. Also, regretful. I sense he’s sorry he kept this information from me.

“How long have you known we are mates? And how do you know? Is that what this intense warmth between us is? The mating bond?”

He gives me another regretful look. “I have known we were mates since the first moment I saw you. In the castle on Tribute Day. Yes, the intense warmth and the tug between us, yes, that is the mating bond.”

“You’ve known this whole time, but you didn’t tell me. Why?” I blink fast before the tears have a chance to form. “Is it because you thought I was fully human, and you believed I was beneath you?”

His eyes go wide, and he appears horrified. His look of guilt also deepens. “Gods, no, Mira, I have never believed you were beneath me. I wanted to claim you from the very beginning. I wanted to hold you and keep you as mine forever, but I felt conflicted because of my duties to the faefolk of Linnshire. Not because they wouldn’t accept you, but because there’s a scourge of malevolent spirit beings called greshhlins that inhabit my people’s lands, and it’s up to my father and me, as well as my uncles, to maintain protective wards around Linnshire to keep the greshhlins out. It’s also our duty to fight them when they manage to break through the wards. During my lifetime, the greshhlins have killed thousands of my people.”

“And as a human… I would be a liability?”

“Not quite, little nymph. As a human, you would’ve been in danger and entirely confined to the Linnshire estate, but it’s more than that.” I pause to snuggle her closer, and to my delight, she places her hands on my chest and peers at me intently, giving me her full attention.

“When I was a child,” I continue, “a priestess foretold that my mate would be a female of great beauty and even greater power from the far reaches of the realm. My father and I always believed that my mate would be a highborn female, a fae female who could help us fight the greshhlins and perhaps destroy them once and for all. When I saw you in the receiving hall and felt the mating bond, I was shocked, and I didn’t know what to do. I feared if I claimed you, I might be damning all of Linnshire to ruin.” I pause again, allowing her time to absorb the information. Will she fault me for resisting the bond at the very beginning? Or will she understand the weight of my responsibilities? Will she understand that I couldn’t just forsake the faefolk of Linnshire?

To my relief, her demeanor becomes gentle and thoughtful. There’s no denunciation in her expression as she says, “I’ve never encountered a greshhlin, but I imagine they are loathsome creatures if they’ve killed thousands of your people. I suppose I can’t blame you for not telling me about the mating bond. Not when the fate of an entire settlement is at stake. You were trying to put your people first at the expense of your own happiness.”

Some of the tension I’ve been carrying around for the last few weeks leaves my body. I’m also able to take a full breath for the first time since I discovered Mira missing from my quarters. I stroke her hair and lean down to kiss her forehead, once again soaking up her Spring Court scent. “You are being far too lenient with me, little nymph. I feel as though I deserve a good cursing out at the very least.”

She chuckles softly, then grows serious. “When you first started looking for me, you didn’t realize I was part-fae. Were you planning to drag me back to the castle and keep me as your whore? I want the truth. I deserve the truth.”

“Gods, no, Mira, I was not planning to drag you back to the castle and keep you as my whore. Well, perhaps a bit of dragging back if you resisted, but I never planned to force you into being my little pet.” I pull in a long breath. “I found a way to protect Linnshire and still claim you as my mate, and I was headed upstairs to apologize for my brazen comments and inform you that we are mates when I suddenly realized I couldn’t sense your warmth as I came closer to my quarters. That’s when I discovered you missing, and you know the rest.”

“I see.” She toys with the open collar of my jacket, her fingers occasionally brushing my bare skin, sending jolts of delicious sensation throughout my body. “So, let me make sure I have this right. When you still believed I was a full-blooded human with no magic abilities at all, you figured out a way to protect Linnshire and still claim me as your mate. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Mira.” I swallow hard. “I-I was stunned to learn you possessed magic. But even before I realized you were part-fae, I intended to make a full confession to you and claim you as my mate. I adore you and I’m tired of fighting the pull I feel toward you. Trying to resist you during these past few weeks has been maddening. Every time I saw you, I told myself it would be the last time, and yet I kept coming back. Kept spying on you. Kept looking for you.”

“Kept stalking me is more like it.”

“Stalking, protecting , whatever you want to call it.”

She scoffs and nudges at my chest.

I hold her eyes as the truth is finally laid bare between us. Will she push me away again? Or will she finally surrender to the powerful warmth that’s been building between us since the moment we first met? The aching tenderness I feel for her knows no bounds, and I cannot fathom letting her go. But I also cannot fathom hurting her. If she doesn’t want me, her rejection will rip my soul to shreds.

“I must admit, I’m glad you figured out a way to protect Linnshire even before you learned I was part-fae. I don’t believe my ability to summon plant growth could possibly help wage war against greshhlins.” She shifts in my lap, causing her bottom to grind down on my hard shaft, and a shaky breath escapes her. A fresh blush stains her cheeks and her eyes dance around the room for a moment before her gaze finally returns to mine. “How exactly will you protect Linnshire, if you don’t mind me asking?

“I secured the assistance of eight powerful highborn fae from Prince Lucas’s personal guard. They will remain in Linnshire indefinitely to help maintain the protective wards and also to fight the greshhlins when they break through those wards. The skill of eight highborn fae plus my father and three uncles should make a huge difference in Linnshire. It’s very likely that they’ll be able to kill a decent number of the greshhlins and perhaps drive the rest away. I’m anxiously awaiting a letter from my father regarding the progress.”

“Well, that’s good news. Congratulations on negotiating for eight of Prince Lucas’s highborn guards. Tell me, did you have to make a deal with the royal, and if so, what do you owe him? I’ve heard that fae rarely do anything out of the kindness in their hearts. I’ve heard that fae are always trying to make deals because they like having others in their debt.” Worry flits across her face, and a frown tugs at her lips.

I give her a comforting look as I thread my fingers through her glorious auburn tresses. “Technically, there’s no deal. I made a demand of the prince, and he gave me what I asked for. However, I know he expects me to remain in Trevos for a lengthy period. Years or perhaps decades. I’m sure he’ll eventually appoint another warden to take my place so I might return to Linnshire, but time is measured a bit differently among our people, since we live much longer than humans.”

“Ah, but I’m part-human, part-fae. More human than fae, I would imagine. I doubt I’ll live as long as you.” The worry remains in her eyes, and oh how I long to wipe it away. But I hope the next bit of information I’m about to share won’t come as a shock.

“There’s something you need to know, little nymph. It’s about your lifespan and how it’ll be affected by our mating bond—once we finally consummate the mating bond, that is.”

“Oh, what is it?” She inhales a quick breath when my cock suddenly throbs harder beneath her bottom.

“Your lifespan will likely match mine.”

Her eyes go wide. “What? How?”

“As long as we consummate our mating bond and stay together, you will absorb enough of my magic that you likely won’t leave this realm until after I do. Full-blooded fae can live for thousands of years. But with you being part-fae, I suspect you won’t have any difficulty outliving me.” As long as I protect her, I silently add. Illness and even old age rarely claim the lives of fae. It’s violence, war, and injury that usually takes us at the end. But I vow that I’ll do whatever I must to ensure Mira’s safety.

“So, you’re saying that if we mate, I will probably live for thousands of years?” She pales a bit, and her chest stops rising and falling for a few seconds. Then she abruptly takes a huge breath and her color returns, though she still looks shocked by the news. I suppose I can’t blame her. Until now, she likely believed she wouldn’t live beyond a century.

“Yes, little nymph. If we mate, and I very much hope you will agree to become my mate, then you will likely live for thousands of years. We will enjoy thousands of years together .” Warmth fills me at the prospect of spending the rest of my days with Mira at my side. If only she’ll have me. If only she’ll agree to become mine.

Dark, possessive thoughts steal through me. I tighten my hold on the pretty female, not certain if there’s enough good inside me to let her go.

Mine, mine, mine.

She’s mine.

“You look angry all of a sudden.” She stiffens in my arms.

“Forgive me, but I’m trying to decide how I’ll react if you refuse to become my mate. How far I’ll go to…” My voice trails off. A vision of her locked in a castle tower comes to mind, with every door and window warded tenfold just to keep her from escaping.

Her breath hitches. “How far would you go to keep me?” Despite the slight glimmer of fear in her eyes, the scent of her arousal thickens in the air. She likes it. She might not admit it aloud, but there’s a part of her that likes my possessiveness. The certainty that I will always come for her, always save her, and never stop wanting her.

My fingers dig into her arms. “I would decimate entire kingdoms just to keep you. I would burn the fucking realm down in my quest to have you as mine.”

She displays the faintest smirk. “That’s rather dramatic. You know, you could just ask me and see what I’ll say.”

“Ask you?” Haven’t I already asked her? I replay our conversation but can’t quite pinpoint the moment I said the words.

“Yes, you big, proud, arrogant fae. Ask me to become your mate.”

I cup her face and stare at her intently. “Mira Ambrose, will you agree to become my mate?”

“Yes. Yes, I will.” She smiles and the whole realm lights up.

“Thank the gods.” I press my lips to hers.