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By the end of it all, worry and confusion gnawed at me. Why was I even studying what Elanil did? Elanil was mated to an Elf, here, in our world. My mate was a Spider. A predator. A hunter. Eon and En fed on blood. Living, bleeding creatures. Spiders didn’t live the tamed way we did, so would all of this be necessary?
The dip of my bed startled me out of my thoughts. I snapped my eyes up to find Elanil glaring at me.
“Explain,” she said, arms crossed over her stomach.
I sat up and folded my legs, pursing my lips as I avoided her eyes. “I…” I swallowed to clear my small voice. “I wanted to watch.”
Silence followed. I gazed up at her through my lashes and found her staring back with furrowed brows and lips pressed together.
“Why the sudden interest?” she asked, but from the dull gleam in her eyes, I knew she was aware why.
Still, I answered. “I was unsure of what is expected of me. But watching you today made me consider if I’d even live the same way. It’s different there. More… free.”
I was extremely glad my brother was still attending to his Elder duties.
“You’re still so young…” she whispered, sounding defeated and glum. I didn’t understand why she seemed so upset, still didn’t understand when her hands held my palms with firm gentleness.
“I have to leave, Elanil.” Her hands tightened, and the squint of her eyes confirmed my thoughts of her knowing. “I just want to be aware and know what to expect.”
It took her a long time before her shoulders lost their tension, her eyes closing as she sighed loudly, like she wanted to exhale all her troubles and worries.
“I am not sure how life is run in… your mate’s world.” She paused, and I had a feeling she wanted to avoid referring to my mate’s nature.
I understood, because if I had a female figure younger than me with the sort of attachment Elanil felt for me, I wouldn’t want to consider what her life would be like once she left our world.
I wouldn’t want to imagine what kinds of horror she would endure with a species not meant to mate with us.
Even I was nervous.
“However, as Elves, you know females are in charge of almost everything.” She settled comfortably on my bed, her companion climbing up her back and deciding to rest on her head—a cheeky, curious red raccoon called Ani.
I nodded once, already knowing this. Females were in charge of nearly everything, mostly collecting herbs for our health and meals and choosing their mate. They also commanded their mates and ruled their own home. Some duties were shared between males and females, such as raising our young, foraging, and cooking, even though they tended to be dominated by males. Cleaning was a fully male responsibility, the exception being if the male was an Elder, and so the females in his family would take on his tasks instead.
Our Elders did not lead our people but rather looked after the village affairs such as ensuring we had enough food and communicating with outside tribes, though the females had a lot of input in that last aspect, too. Mostly, they were in charge of teaching our young about our world and the other species.
“When it comes to mating.” Her lips stretched into an off-putting grin. “We take the lead as well. I’m not saying we push our mates on their backs and mount them, but that is what we do.”
“I don’t want to say I don’t understand,” I mumbled as I pulled my hands from her hold and used them to cover my burning face.Howcould she be so shameless?
“You will when you mature. No one talks about this because it is a personal instinct you develop later. There will come moments when you will feel an extreme desire for your mate, something so uncontrollable it’ll almost take over you and tell you what to do.”
I cringed when she pulled my hands away from my face and made me look at her. Despite that, I nodded to show her that I was following.
“It is in our nature to lead, so do not feel ashamed or alarmed when you find yourself pushing your mate on his back and holding him down if you feel the need to. Do you understand?”
She waited until I nodded again, even though I was unsure.
“This is extremely crucial, so pay attention.” She gave me a stern look. I nodded once more, sitting up straighter. “Once you reach 300 Blue Moons, beveryaware of whenever it is a full moon.”
Alarm crawled under my skin. “Why?”
“The full moon is the only time we are able to conceive. Once you reach maturity but find you are not ready for little ones, stay away from your mate whenever it is a full moon. Do not allow him to touch you at all.”
I frowned, disheartened and concerned. “We can’t even hold hands?”
“What? No!” she exclaimed, biting back a burst of laughter I barely managed to hear. “What is this level of innocence? I meant do notmateduring a full moon!”
“Oh.” Heat surged under my cheeks, and I couldn’t look at her anymore.
