Chapter 3
Samian
Icouldn’t fight the smile tugging at my lips.
I couldn’t even fight the heat that settled low in my gut.
I was so afraid that I had lost her to Ambrose, that I had lost her because of the secrets I was forced to keep.
Seeing her smile at him, laugh with him, I couldn’t stand it.
When she looked at me with such wariness and mistrust after her bargain was formed, I thought my heart was going to shatter.
And Kieran—fucking Kieran. I wanted to rip him into shreds for looking at her the way he did tonight, the fire that danced in his gaze as he watched her.
I pushed aside those thoughts before my frustration came bubbling up and studied Sybil carefully. Studied the way her eyes shone with nervous anticipation, the way her cheeks turned pink and flushed, the uneven breaths she took. She was beautiful. Simply beautiful.
I cleared my throat and looked out the window again, my smile playfully sharpening. “We can form the bond, but it's sealed with a kiss.”
I glanced back at her, watching her blink once, then twice. I watched how her throat bobbed with nervous anticipation, but then her face fell, and my heart clenched. “Would Aster really be okay with that?”
I cocked my head to the side, confusion filling my mind. This was the second time she had brought up Aster. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you and she are together?” Sybil’s voice was soft, and her hands twisted in her lap. She looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. She was nervous, I realized. Nervous and afraid of my answer.
“Why would she—” I paused, the memory of Sybil's first meeting with Aster, and our following conversation while going to the library coming to mind.
You and Aster, huh?
She took my breath away and stole my heart that day, and I have never been able to forget her since.
The memory came crashing in, and I could have cursed my past self for believing it was the only way to protect her.
“Aster and I— We have a complicated relationship. We became close friends during our school days. She didn’t talk much, even then, but we studied together, and our friendship grew.
She was with Ambrose for a time, and that nearly broke her.
” I paused, my voice becoming solemn. “I helped her heal the pieces of herself that were torn apart by him, but never romantically. Though I did come to love her, we were like puzzle pieces that didn’t quite fit.
That love I felt for her became something you would feel for a sister.
She became part of my family. But we have never had a romantic relationship together. ”
I hesitated then, not sure if I could tell her the rest, though I wanted to.
Tonight was interesting, to say the least. Especially when Bryony came into the room.
Aster’s mating bond snapped into place as soon as her eyes met with Bryony.
Bryony had schooled her face, hiding the effect she felt from it, but Aster never thought it possible for her to meet her mate, and the fact that it was with Bryony…
Bryony was still mourning the death of her fiancé, Arbus, who died at Sybil’s hand just two days before. I had explained it to Aster through our bond, saying that it was something she would need to treat delicately, to take it slow when she was ready to approach Bryony.
Sybil released a weighted sigh, the tension in her body fading away as she relaxed against her headboard. “So, Aster isn’t someone that I need to worry about?”
I smiled at the timidness in her words, amusement warming my blood. “What would Aster need to worry about?”
“About you and me.” Her face flushed into a deep red, and I bit back my laugh.
“There’s a you and me?” I asked, moving my arms on either side of her so I could lean in closer, our faces inches apart.
She made a little noise, her eyes begging me not to force an answer out of her. I let out a soft laugh, unable to hold it in any longer. “Would you like to form the bond now or later?” I drawled, my voice barely a whisper. I inhaled slowly, steadying myself, willing my heart to calm.
Sybil swallowed and let out a shaky breath. “Now. I want to form the bond now,” she murmured, her eyes dipping to my lips.
My blood sang at her answer, though I forced myself to keep my cool.
I tilted my head, closing the distance between us.
Sybil held her breath as I softly pressed my lips to the skin above her ear and breathed her in.
She smelled faintly of bergamot and lavender, with a hint of sage.
Her scent alone could make me feral, but I forced that urge down, fighting to hold on to my vexing control.
I slowly left a trail of kisses along her jaw. I could feel Sybil’s breathing becoming erratic, could feel the way her body trembled slightly from my touch.
Finally, making it to her lips, I brushed against them but rested my forehead against hers.
I stared into those hazel eyes that were turning greener as time passed, a hint of her human blood slowly fading with time.
I brought my hand up to cradle her cheek gently.
She leaned into my hand, her skin smooth and warm, and closed her eyes.
I swallowed, pushing down my longing. Just a kiss. Just a simple kiss was all I could do for now until she was ready for more.
I pressed my lips against hers, nearly losing myself in the soft feel of their fullness. I felt her quivering against me. A low moan escaped her lips, and she opened for me, letting me sweep my tongue against hers, deepening our kiss. It was slow and lazy, but my heart beat wildly against my chest.
I felt it then, the tugging feeling against my soul.
The mating bond and the soul bond snapped into place, stealing my breath.
Sybil made a soft sound as both bonds settled into her.
A surge of emotions and memories rushed through me, and I pulled away from her, taking in a raspy breath as each emotion, each memory, filled me.
I opened my eyes to Sybil’s hooded, glazed stare fixed on me. She lifted her hands, grabbing onto my shirt. Unable to hold back the desire that consumed me, my lips crashed into hers, and I pulled her into me. Every part of my being awakened, and I clung to it, savoring it.
My cock throbbed, aching for release, when Sybil groaned. Her hands roamed down my body, my skin tightening from her touch.
But I couldn’t lose myself now. I forced myself to move, to wrap my hands around hers, stopping her from going further, and pulled away from her lips. I pressed my forehead against hers again, our uneven breaths mixing. “Our bond is complete,” I spoke into her mind, willing my heart to calm.
“Did it feel that intense with Aster and Ezra?” She whispered back, her eyes still closed. Her breathing was still hard from the force of our bond.
“No…no, it didn’t,” I said, but kept the reason to myself. She was so new to this world, and Ambrose’s torment was still too fresh for me to push our mating bond onto her. But I knew she could feel it, in the way she couldn’t let go, in the way her desire for more echoed through the soul bond.
I pressed a small chaste kiss to her lips and lifted her head. Her eyes opened, full of heat and want, but I pushed back against my ache for her. “You need to rest,” I said gently, rubbing my thumb against her cheek. “I will stay here with you until the sun is up.”
Sybil breathed in deeply and nodded as she fell back into the bed.
She settled in, pulling the blanket to her shoulders.
I tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and she leaned into my touch.
She hadn’t noticed it yet, the changes in her body, but the roundness of her ears was slowly becoming more pointed.
Her hair was even becoming more brown and brassy.
I wondered how she would react when she noticed, if she would like the changes, or if they would break her heart.
She said nothing after her first day here about returning home, but I could sense that she missed it.
Missed the life she had, missed the life that she could have had if Ambrose hadn’t found her that day.
I closed my eyes, breathing until my heart settled.
I was happy that she was here, that I could see her every day, talk to her, laugh with her.
But the guilt weighed heavily on my soul.
She wasn’t meant to be here, wasn’t meant to fight in a war that had nothing to do with her, royal blood or not.
She had friends—a life. Yet it was all ripped away from her.
I exhaled and ran my hand through her silky hair, my heart swelling in my chest. My mate. My mate was here with me, learning to accept me.
Finally calm enough to stand, I returned to the chaise, picking up a book to read, though my head turned to the window. Dawn was coming, the small bit of light turning the sky into hues of dark blue, orange, and pink.
The night had turned out better than expected.
Everyone now knew the truth—well, most of the truth.
They never asked the vital question about Ambrose; they never asked why he was so determined to become king.
But they knew enough to plan, to organize their forces, and that would have to suffice for now.
I looked back at Sybil, her breathing now steady from sleep.
She looked peaceful—serene. My chest clenched at the sight, knowing that whatever path fate had set her on would be a difficult one.
I wasn’t certain what Ambrose had planned for her, but whatever it was, I couldn’t help but think that tonight would be one of the last nights she would find peace like this again.