Page 221 of The Chains You Defy

The truth that I had to be close by in case the necessity of transferring my life force into her should arise had almost slipped out of me, but luckily, I’d stopped myself in time. She’d argue with me, and my deeds would agitate her, endangering her condition even more. No, I’d tell her after we’d acquired a cure—or never. I knew her well enough to be able to foretell that she’d chastise me for an eternity for giving her my winters.

Another unpleasant concern surfaced and hooked its claws into my mind.

Even though my intentions in withholding the true meaning of the Enamcoharta from Nayana were pure and for her sake alone, Ireas had reminded me that keeping this secret posed a risk.

Oh, how things had changed within only a few months. Had I wished that the mark would disappear after I’d discovered its presence, that desire had transformed into the exact opposite. The possibility that the winter and day period would pass and the divine symbol would vanish had my stomach not only in knots but also all my insides in shreds.

Earlier this morning, I’d lifted the Glamour that I’d placed on her Enamcoharta and inspected her mark. Thecrimson line, Colainn—or the body line—was unsurprisingly almost closed.

Anam, the purple soul line, was finished, and this made me smile. The array hadn’t been like this before I’d left for the Breocharn.

The mind line, Intinn, missed a tiny piece of its blue color, and once this part was completed as well, we had to decide if we’d keep the symbol with all its meaning or allow the gift to vanish.

Mine had finished weeks ago—well, apart from Colainn—before we’d even returned to Galanta.

Yes, divine magic had marked us as perfect for each other the moment we’d met, the mystical power alerting us to the fact that there was no one in existence who would be a better fit for us. But the gods never refused their creation their own agency. Sure, denying an Enamcoharta nearly never happened—and the phenomenon was already rare enough on its own and even more so with a human involved—but not unheard of. And like the Rite of Binding, the ceremony that immortalized the mark would only work on the basis of full consent between both parties.

But since my female always jumped to the worst conclusion, she’d surely believe destiny or the gods had decided for us to be together, which would cause her defiance to flare up and her struggles against accepting my love to intensify. As if the Triad or anyone could force certain emotions upon us. I’d heard of at least one case where an Enam match had hated each other so much that the female had killed the male in cold blood.

Luckily, we still had a few months left before making a decision and sealing the bond would become urgent.

Before I could rein in my imagination, I descended into a fantasy starring said rite. The ceremony was possibly the most primal one existing, dating back to when the instinct to hunt had been strongest. Remnants were still a part of each fae’s inner workings, but not like the compulsion had been in the past.

Just thinking about chasing my tiny woman through a deserted forest before inadvertently catching her and claiming my winnings had my cock harden painfully against my leather pants. Damned were my primal impulses, which always rode me so hard.

My throat constricted as I realized that something else I couldn’t name was stirring inside of me, and I pushed the sensation down with all my might until the chains stopped rattling.

After all, I had to concentrate on the current guard duty I was on and not on a hypothetical hunt with no restraints, or I’d stalk faster to the river to catch the woman who still tried to deny that we were meant to be.

How could I finally help her discover she was lying to herself?

Five minutes later, my nerves were in shambles. I’d waited long enough to satisfy Naya’s unnecessary sense of propriety. After all, I’d seen her naked before. And more, I’d been inside her—best days of my life—so why was she still so shy?

My lips curled up at the possibility of discovering my tiny goddess bare, maybe—

Trapped in explicit daydreams that didn’t help to relax my hurting cock, I prowled to the treeline.

As I imagined all the delicious little sounds I’d coax out of her, I stopped dead in my tracks. I’d reached the stream, and there was Naya, but everything else in front of me made little sense.

My female’s hair was dripping wet, and she was fully clothed, but there was no time to mourn, because she pressed her back against a tree, looking like a deer caught in a snare.

I had to inspect the scenery twice to fathom what—or rather, who—frightened her so badly.

Without a conscious thought, my power exploded and shielded Nayana with impenetrable darkness. Dozens of tendrils pushed her aggressor away, wrapping around the figure, holding, containing.

Hurrying through the barrier around Nayana, my magic crackled over my skin in billowing blasts of energy, and it was safe to say that my transformation from being a reasonable person to an instinct-driven creature had already been completed.

“What did she do to you?”

“Dion.” Wide-eyed, Nayana stared at me, her hands clamped around some parchment, and she was shaking like a leaf. While she seemed unharmed—and I also couldn’t scent a drop of blood—I needed her to confirm her well-being first before dealing with the surprising intruder.

Protect. Then kill.

“Nayana, did she harm you?”

“No—she appeared out of thin air after I got dressed, pushed this envelope into my hand, and then started tothreaten me. But you arrived before something could happen.”

Enough confirmation.