Chapter 20 #2
"You take my knot, and I say the ritual words that make it official," Tenebrys replied. "After that, we will have a bond. I would always be able to feel you and find you. It's unbreakable, which is why you'll have to want it truly. Afterward, I would never be able to let you go."
Delphi bit her lip."And would you let me go now if I asked you to?"
Tenebrys was silent for so long that she knew the answer.
He ran a hand through his mane. "I want to say yes, Delphi, but I don't think my lion side would be able to do it.
You are in danger, not just in the woods but in the wider world.
You are a witch, and your power will only grow.
You will be hated in Chantelun, and even if you went to other realms, you would still be hunted.
People would want to use you for your power just like the fae do. "
"And like Narcisse," she muttered. "He took the money I was saving and wasted it all because he knew I was going to leave him.
He admitted it to me, face-to-face, that I was too important to his work to be allowed to go.
Not because he loved or cared about me. Because he wanted me for his fucking work.
" Delphi stared at the fire, her anger turning into fierce and deep desire inside her.
"I need to learn about my magic, Ten. I have to make sure I can protect myself and so no one can ever use me again. "
"I'll help you in any way I can," he promised.
"It's why I wanted to give you my mother's library.
If any books could help you, these will.
The magic in them originates from Faerie, like yours does.
That part of you is probably why you were so temperamental on the full moon too. It messes with fae and shifter alike."
"That and you aggravated me instead of talking to me." Delphi looked at him and saw him smiling at her, unbothered by her jab. "You're not afraid of what I'll become if I do learn about my power? The stories made the old witches sound pretty terrifying."
"No, and it won't matter if you do become terrifying. You will still be mine, and between the two of us, no one will ever dare to harm you again." He said it so simply and matter-of-factly, meaning every word.
The truth of it all hit Delphi in the chest. Tenebrys really didn't care who her parents were anymore. He would protect her until she was strong enough to protect herself.
Delphi had never been in love, and she didn't understand it, but she thought that the way he would protect her and want her despite everything had to be pretty close to it.
"And you will wait until I've wrapped my head around this mating thing?" she asked uncertainly. "It may take a while for me to go from thinking you want to kill me to you wanting to marry me."
"I've waited a lifetime to find my mate already, Delphi.
I can wait some more," Tenebrys said, and his eyes flashed with heat again.
He added in a softly seductive tone, "In the meantime, I can work on proving that I would be a good mate to you in any way that you want me to.
I believe we are compatible in at least one way. "
She held his gaze, and again that intangible link between them began pulsing. It went beyond simple lust. It was like he could set her on fire with a mere glance.
Delphi's body was still angry at her for having no release in the bathtub, and if he kept looking at her like that, she wouldn't be able to think straight.
Was this the mating bond? Would it always be like this between them? She had never been particularly interested in men or women outside of business transactions. Maybe it was because she had been made for him all along.
"I don't know what is going on in that busy mind of yours, little flower," Tenebrys growled. "But if you are thinking of trying to run again, I'll hunt you down and keep you chained to me if you dare."
Delphi's pussy clenched and her nipples hardened, her treacherous body betraying her. Tenebrys's answering smirk would have probably terrified anyone else, but it made Delphi's heart flutter with excitement.
"Does the thought of me hunting you excite you?" he asked, raising a brow.
"No?" Delphi eyed the door on the far side of the room. Would she make it in time before he got to her?
"You're a little liar, Delphi, but I'll make you a deal," he said, his wicked smirk widening. "If you make it to the door, I'll let you go back to your own rooms for the night."
Adrenaline burned at the back of her neck, warning her of a trap. "And if I don't make it?"
"Then I'm going to do whatever I want to you all night long." Tenebrys gestured at the dinner they had abandoned. "Stay in the chair, and we can continue our civilized conversation or—"
Delphi was up and running before he finished. She pulled the back of her chair down behind her, and she heard the crash of wood as he swiped it aside.
She didn't look back, dodging around the other furniture. She dove under a table, his fingers just brushing her robe but missing her. She got out from underneath the table a second before he landed on it, turning it into splinters.
Delphi's hand reached for the door. Her fingertips almost touched the handle when Tenebrys pounced and pinned her stomach down to the rug.
"You're fast, but not fast enough, my little flower," he laughed softly into her ear, making her tremble. His hot tongue licked her cheek. "Now, you're mine."