Chapter 27
Tenebrys could see Delphi struggling with the revelations she was having. He had known that Narcisse was capable of anything, but the idea of him offering up his own wife for a fae lord's pleasure was a new low.
What had happened to Cassia after they fled? Delphi said she had died during childbirth, but Tenebrys had his doubts. Of the two of them, Cassia had known the most about practical medicine. She would have known how to deal with a difficult pregnancy and birthing.
"It's going to be dark soon. We should head back to the chateau," Delphi said, sounding hollow.
"Actually, there are a few more surprises I have for you." Tenebrys had spent some time that afternoon preparing it for her. Considering the day she had, he was glad he had thought of the springs. His mate needed them.
Delphi's smile was weak. "I don't think I can handle any more surprises, Ten."
"This is a good one. I promise." Tenebrys lifted her into his arms.
"I can walk, you know," she said, even as her arms went around his neck.
"You are sad. That means you get carried," he insisted.
Delphi's fingers twisted around the soft fur of his mane. "Is this another shifter mates thing? I haven't gotten that far into the book I found."
Tenebrys laughed. "You are reading a book about shifters? You can ask me anything. And no, carrying you isn't a mates thing. I just like carrying you."
"I thought a book might give me some insight into shifter faux pas that I might accidentally commit." Her lips twitched in the corners. "And find out if you have any interesting spots on your body that might send you wild in bed."
"I wasn't wild enough for you? I'll endeavor to work harder next time." Tenebrys liked the way she giggled at that, hiding her blushing cheeks. It amused him how red she could go talking about sex because she wasn't shy in the sheets.
"You might end up breaking my pelvis if you go any wilder," she admitted, making him laugh louder.
"Tails are generally something no one touches unless they're mates." Tenebrys ducked through the door to the gardens. "It's the equivalent of groping a shifter's dick in public, so be careful of that. Especially when you meet the others."
"Are tails sensitive like a dick?" Delphi asked, curiosity chasing some of the shadows from her eyes.
"Not quite as sensitive but close, especially at their base. If you pull on a shifter's tail, they will either attack you or think you want to fuck them."
"No touching anyone's tail except yours. Got it," Delphi said, with a nod. "Are the rest of your shifters all cats apart from Felix?"
"Not all, but most. Eiran is a stag, and Otso is a bear. Syn, Nahir, and Asher are cats, though. They will all want to meet you soon because they are nosy bastards. They know to stay away because I'm volatile at the moment," Tenebrys admitted.
They walked down overgrown paths, the fading sun casting shadows around them. He knew Felix would be patrolling, but it didn't make Tenebrys any less paranoid about Delphi's safety.
"You don't seem volatile to me. If anything in the past few days, you have been uncharacteristically gentle and even tempered," Delphi commented.
Tenebrys hummed. "Only with you."
"Are the fae attacks setting you on edge?"
"Partly." Tenebrys hesitated to tell her more. He didn't want to pressure her about mating, but he also didn't want to lie to her. "Mating, or not mating, makes shifters more territorial and aggressive than usual. The others are giving us space to work it out between us."
Delphi frowned. "Would you really attack them?"
"If they looked at you wrong or flirted with you? Yes. I know how unreasonable it sounds, but we aren't human, Delphi."
She went silent, her busy mind seeming to process that. He needed to change the subject. Get his own demanding mind and body off mating as much as possible.
"Have you ever been to a hot spring?" he asked.
"No, though I have heard they have good healing properties," Delphi said, fidgeting with his mane. "And that they smell like bad eggs."
Tenebrys smiled. "They usually do, but mine don't."
"Yours?"
Tenebrys leaped lightly over a tree that had fallen over the path and stopped in front of an opening of a cave. It was still on the grounds, but the area around it had always been more woods than tended gardens. Steam was drifting in pale whisps from the cave mouth.
"We are going in there?" Delphi asked uneasily. "I'm not great in small spaces."
"It isn't small. Just trust me." Tenebrys stepped into the warm, moist darkness. Faint light appeared at the back of the cave. "See? It's not small. It's only hidden."
She glanced up. "That's a lot of rock that could land on us."
"It won't. I promise." Tenebrys laughed. "I can't believe that you would face down fae raiders with a little dagger, but being in a cave makes you nervous."
Delphi poked his cheek. "It's a perfectly valid fear. I can't fight rocks."
She wouldn't have been able to fight off the fae for long either, but Tenebrys kept that thought to himself.
They rounded a bend at the end of the tunnel, and Delphi gasped softly. The cave walls had been left natural, but the ancestors of Tenebrys had surrounded the deep spring with a carved stone edge and stairs to access it.
He had been pleased to find that the oil lanterns still worked, so he had made sure to light them earlier. He had collected soft rugs and pillows for the lounging area that was carved into the stone wall, brought fresh towels, and a jug of drinking water.
The bouquet of blue delphinium he had picked had been set out too, because he wanted his mate to be relaxed before he sprang that next revelation on her. Tenebrys put her back on her feet and started to unlace his pants.
"I've never seen anything like this," Delphi said, looking around in awe.
"Get your clothes off because it feels better than it looks." Tenebrys fought the temptation to strip her himself. He stepped down into the steaming water, effectively hiding his half-hard cock. The blasted thing never wanted to go down when he was with Delphi.
Delphi took off her boots and started undressing. Her eyes were still looking around, unaware that her slow pace was driving Tenebrys more insane with every piece of skin that was bared.
The lamp light picked up the red in her hair as she unraveled her braid, and it did something to him to see the natural color. Fear and desire clashed inside of him. She had been beautiful with the cheap brown dye, but now the rich auburn had turned her breathtaking.
Tenebrys moved to the bottom of the stone stairs and held out a hand to help her in the water.
"You have gone very quiet," she said, taking it. "Why am I suspicious all of a sudden?"
"I don't know what I did to deserve a mate like you," he replied honestly.
Delphi's smile widened as she stepped down into the water. "It must have been something awful. The daughter of a crazy, fae lord summoning alchemist? You must have killed a saint in a past life or something."
"Seems worth it. Maybe the saint had it coming," Tenebrys replied, letting her hand go and sinking back into the water. "And it doesn't matter who sired you."
Delphi paused on the stairs, the waters lapping just above her breasts. "What if we are right and Cassia was sacrificed to the Lord of Plagues and—"
Tenebrys edged closer, keeping low in the water to stay at eye level. His hands wrapped around her waist, and she stopped talking. "Delphi, you need to really listen and understand when I say this. Look at me, love."
Delphi's blue eyes fixed on his, and he saw the fear and hurt in them. Like she was getting ready for rejection or a blow.
"It does not matter who your parents are.
Nor does it matter what any of them have done to me.
You need to remove the thought from your head that I would care about such a thing.
I was confused and frustrated when I took you and found out you were my mate, but you mean more to me than my revenge or the curse I am under.
" Tenebrys's hands stroked over the soft skin of her back.
"Only you can choose whether your blood family matters to you, because to me?
You aren't an extension of them. You are Delphi, and you are mine.
There are no ifs, buts, maybes, or what ifs attached to that. Mine. Understand?"
"Yes," she whispered and closed the distance between them. She took his big face in her hands and kissed him. "I'm yours as long as you are only mine too. Because I don't share."
"Never doubt for a moment that I'm yours alone," Tenebrys said and kissed her again. "No matter what."