AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, yes,” I said hesitantly. “I mean, sort of.” Cerridwen gave me a look that saidtell him everything, and I sighed. “It’s more like I hear his thoughts or feelings sometimes.”
“Interesting,” Carnon said, cocking his head to one side. “This was before the bond?”
I nodded as the necklace gave a faint thrum against my chest. Carnon raised a brow.
“This is a mystery for another time,” Cerridwen said, taking my arm and dragging me out of the wood. Carnon caught up and took my hand, and I rolled my eyes at his possessiveness. “Everyone is waiting for you.”
“Who is everyone?” I asked warily as Cerridwen led us toward the bonfire from last night.
A great cheer went up as we emerged from the tree line and the whole Sacred City welcomed us back.
“Literally everyone,” Carnon replied, squeezing my hand as the crowd cheered and whooped and music started. “It’s a tradition.”
I blushed furiously, realizing all of these people, demons and mortals alike, would have heard our claiming last night.
“Welcome to the family, Elara,” Cerridwen shouted.
???
The party went on far too long. I was feeling rather tipsy and exhausted by the time Carnon finally dragged me away, to great whoops and cheers from the crowd, and asked a couple winged demons to fly us back to our room.
He had stayed close to me the whole time, keeping his hand in mine or on me in some way.
“The possessiveness will eventually ease,” Cerridwen assured me, laughing as Carnon narrowed his eyes at a passing male demon who clearly had zero interest in me. “Herne kept us in his room for a week after our claiming feast. It was exhausting,” she added with a blush.
Herne congratulated us as well, patting Carnon heavily on the back and pulling him into a rare embrace.
“I’ll help smooth it over with the Lords,” he said gruffly, giving me a little bow. I responded with a hug, to his surprise and to Carnon’s apparent horror as he found himself growling at his oldest friend.
“Don’t do that, Red,” Carnon groaned, pulling me away from Herne by the waist. “I don’t have the self-control for it yet. Sorry,” he added, turning to Herne and pulling us a step back.
Herne just laughed, a booming sound I realized I had never heard from him, and he clapped Carnon on the back again in understanding.
“The claiming is fiercely inconvenient sometimes, isn’t it?” he asked, smiling wryly at his friend. He turned to me, his face softening into something that vaguely resembled affection. Maybe we still might become friends, despite his suspicions of me at the beginning. “Don’t let him out of your sight for a bit, my Queen.”
When we made it back to our room I had to practically force Carnon off me. I kept him at bay long enough to run a bath, then he took me again, hard and fast against the wall.
“I’m sorry,” he said, splashing water over his face as we sat in the bath. I was in his lap, and it was very evident that he was having trouble controlling himself still. “You’re intoxicating right now. I promise this need will fade a bit with time.”
“Shame,” I sighed, leaning my head back against his broad chest. “But I suppose it would be hard to get any work done with your face between my legs all the time.”
Carnon chuckled, his fingers dancing wickedly over my body beneath the soapy water. “Hard, but not impossible,” he rumbled, pressing a suggestive kiss to my neck just below my ear. His fingers stilled, and I tried to crane my neck to see him when he stopped me.
“What?” I asked, lifting my hand to my face. “What is it?”
“Your ears,” Carnon said, tracing a finger over the shell of my ear. Thepointedshell. “Interesting.”
“How?” I asked, feeling my ears in mild panic. The curved ears all witches and mortals had were gone, replaced by slightly pointed ones. They were not as sharp as Carnon’s, but they were still noticeably tapered.
“Demon blood and a demon mate, maybe?” Carnon suggested, kissing one of the points. “They’re lovely, I assure you.”
“I’m not worried about their loveliness,” I said, still running my fingers over their pointed tips. “I’m worried about what my mother will think.”
“I’m fairly certain she’ll be more surprised by the demon mate,” Carnon replied, kissing my neck again. “But maybe not, if she had one herself.”
“You think they were mates?” I asked in surprise, turning to look at his face.
He caught my lips in a kiss, then smiled at me. “I believe you’re the proof of that, Red. Demons can only have offspring with their mates.”
