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As if that statement made any kind of sense or cleared up the confusion I could feel from him.
I clung to that sensation, using it to ground me. If he was possessed, I would know.
That certainty felt fragile as we had lunch and also when I went on to train with the twins. The way my body kept responding to him was borderline maddening now, and every time I caught even a glimpse of my mate, I was torn between the urge to flee his presence entirely or pin him to the bed.
Maybe it was just because we hadn’t done anything in… God, a while. Deciding I was just a bit pent up and the bond was exaggerating, it was easy enough.
“Do you guys know a lot about how bonds work?” I asked Kiran at the end as they got ready to run off into the woods.
Atlan just gave me an odd look.
“Not particularly, but if we don’t have an answer, we could definitely find you one,” Kiran reassured.
I nodded, trying to decide where to start. “So I know everyone’s known before me, but Sariel has been, like, uh—”
Clearing my throat made them both chuckle; my face was burning under their scrutiny.
“Is the bond finally flaring for you, little one?”
Atlan looked so smug I regretted coming to them at all. His brother elbowed him with a smirk of his own but gave me a more understanding look.
“It’s definitely doingsomething,” I mumbled, and they both laughed.
“I’ll see about sneaking you out some information from the Free Kingdom. Grel has been pretty helpful so far, and I doubt it’s out of his wheelhouse to collect information like that.”
I thanked them both, then watched as they disappeared into the treeline as per usual, shifting anxiously on my feet.
I couldn’t shake the feeling something wasn’t right, even when I made my way back to our room that night. Tugging on the bond felt… odd. Like trying to walk on a numb leg, almost, or when your arm fell asleep. I know it’s there, but everything was muted; I wondered if he was trying to block it again for some reason.
My wolf was not a fan of that sensation, but a few minutes later, I felt warmth from it. When I tried to refind the peace I’d had earlier and couldn’t, I decided that now was the opportune time to talk to Neo more about his theories I’d been so quick to brush off.
As soon as I yanked open the bedroom door, though, I found a surprised-looking Sariel there with a pizza box in hand, and I nearly swooned.
“I was wondering where you were,” I admitted.
He gave me a slightly embarrassed look, letting out a bit of a chuckle. “I convinced Auren that I should be allowed to sneak off and get you a pizza for dinner since we missed it at lunch.”
It sounded so juvenile when he put it that way, but I still melted, stepping back so that he could bring it in. I winced when there was a flicker of shadow at his feet that almost tricked my brain into thinking he had a tail.
It was just the lights playing tricks.
If I repeated that enough, surely it would stick… right?
“I can’t believe you managed it. He’s been so strict about the people coming and going ever since the Upper Council attacked,” I commented.
Sariel shrugged, setting the box at the foot of the bed and waving me over as he held up the paper plates I hadn’t noticed before. Handing me two slices of pepperoni, I tried not to stare.
My mate looked almost ethereal, and I wasn’t sure if it was our bond’s sudden flaring or my apparent breakdown causing it.
“I had to bring him his own box to talk him into it, but it was worth it,” he explained.”
That made a little more sense. I found myself laughing with him as we got comfortable on the bed together.
While Sariel and I ate our fill, he told me about his misadventures with Atlan lately, and it all felt… normal. No tingling, shivering, or aching—we were just spending time together.
It made me feel a little less insane. As I started to relax, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tugged me close. I leaned into the contact, feeling my heart start to speed when he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.
“Wanna shower together?”
