“Then why are you struggling? You know how I feel about you.”
“Because those malestouched you. They were touchinga lotof you.”
I laughed. “It was just dancing, and it meant nothing to me.” I gazed at him tenderly, although still perplexed. “But I’m confused about one thing.” I ran a finger playfully up his chest, but magic began to build on his wrist, so I stopped. Tilting my chin up, my blood heated at the absolutewantpounding in Kole’s aura. “You don’t want others touching me, but you limit yourself on such an act. It’s confusing. I know you want me, Kole, so why won’t you bed me? You say you want to, and I’ve wanted you to for weeks, and we’ve found a way to trick the Council’s magic, yet you still refuse to. Why?”
“Because—” He cut himself off as magicagainbegan to build on his wrist. Finally, he said angrily, “Just because.”
Sighing, I stepped away from him and strode across the room, not even caring that I was nearly naked as I did so. “Fine, don’t tell me, especially if your answer is going to trigger the Council’s magic. But in that case, if you won’t be honest aboutwhyyou won’t bed me, and you insist on these cryptic replies that make no sense, then you can’t be angry if I harmlessly dance with other males at balls.”
“Princess,” he all but growled. “Don’t push me.”
Laughing, I swirled toward him, and my hair flew around my shoulders. “Don’t push you? What are you going to do? Attack those males? Admonish me? What, Kole? Truthfully, I have no idea what in the realm is going on here, and it would be so much easier if you just spoke plainly.”
Before I could blink, Kole was in front of me, moving at his warrior speed, and his eyes were glowing so brightly they resembled stars.
My breath sucked in. “Your eyes. They’re glowing, Kole. Truly glowing.”
“I bet they are, Princess.”
My eyes widened, both from his pounding aura and guttural tone, and in that moment, something hit me.
Hit me like lightning.
Something I’d read once in a text long ago.
When fae males find their mate, a glow lights their eyes from within.
My breath stopped, and the second it hit mewhyKole had refused to allow our physical relationship to progress any further, and why he’d made a comment about his instincts...
“Oh Gods.” I gasped.
Becauseboth of those reasonscould be because he wasmy mate.
My jaw dropped even more because all at once, I felt it.Understood it. That strange pull in my chest. The yearning. That all-consuming need to be with him. The way my magic had responded to his since day one. The way I’d responded that night in Inisville when Kole had taken off after the creature, and everything inside me had begged me to protect him. The way my forbidden magic had insisted I not use it on him the night he’d betrayed me in Gwen and Timith’s home.Not him.
Not him. My magic had refused to hurt him because ofwhohe was.
I gasped once more.
Initially, I’d thought my crazy responses were all due to the Stone. That the Wishing Stone had been making me go insane. But that hadn’t been it at all. That’dneverbeen the reason.
Everything all collided together inside me with epic proportions, and I knew.
I finally recognized it.
I lifted startled eyes to his, my breaths turning short and shallow. Amazement, wonder, and awe all hit me simultaneously.
A smile spread across my face, a laugh bubbling up next. “Oh my Gods, Kole. The reason you haven’t bed me and the reason you’re having such a hard time controlling yourself around othermales is because you’remy mate, and you were waiting for me to recognize the bond.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
A look of such huge relief crashed over Kole’s face that he nearly sagged against me. “Thank the gods you’ve finally figured it out.”
“You mean we’re... That means that I’m...” I laughed. “Oh my Gods, Kole. We’re fated? Yes, of course we are. That explains so much, and all along, I thought my magic was just weird with you, or that the Stone was making me crazy, but it wasn’t that at all.”
“No, it wasn’t. There’s a reason I keep calling youmine, Princess, because you are. I’m not just being a possessive arse.” His eyes glowed even more, and he took a step forward, pushing my legs into the mattress behind me. He was all sinewy lines and possessive intent. “And that’s why I can’t fucking live with other males touching you, Princess. Every instinct inside me is begging me tokill them.”
My breath sucked in. “And that’s why you haven’t bed me?That’swhy you never allowed it to move any further between us? You were waiting until I recognized the bond, waiting for me to accept it?”
