Chapter 12 – Locheran
When we walk back in, my body immediately goes to Farrah. I can’t stop it. The mating bond wants us to be together.
I just hope she does too.
I expect her to flinch or step away, but she doesn’t. Though I can tell she’s uncomfortable. Or nervous. Perhaps both.
“Are you okay?” I ask and attempt to put up shields to prevent my thoughts from adding to her stress.
My hand clenches by my side, aching to take hers in mine.
“I hope so,” she mumbles, grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen and walking to the recliner.
She sits, her back straight and hands in her lap.
“I have something… to tell you all,” she begins, biting her bottom lip to buy her some time.
Evangeline sits on the couch diagonally from Farrah. I take the other side, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees. I sit on my tail to stop it from flailing around in its anxious state. Xander stands behind Evangeline; arms crossed. Her mother sits in a chair at the kitchen table.
Farrah’s right leg shakes, and she twists her hands in her lap.
I can hear how fast her heart beats. Her anxiety calls to my own, and I realize I can’t stay still either.
Standing, I cross the room to an empty space to pace, attempting to quell the urge to expand my wings.
All I want to do is scoop up my mate in my arms and break her living room window to fly us away.
Her eyes follow me before shifting back down to her lap.
“My family…” She lets out a breath, long and slow. Her thoughts are running a mile a minute, but I’m able to make out the words, just tell them, before she speaks. “My father is… Mally O’Hern.”
“What,” Xander growls. His wings instinctively unfurl, and his claws extract, readying for battle.
I stop pacing and stare at Farrah, my tail whipping back and forth behind me. My wings stay flush to my back despite the instinct to follow my king’s stance.
“I’m not… I’m not like them. I refuse.”
The caution pouring off Xander recedes slightly. Still, he stays near Evangeline as if Farrah’s father will walk in the door at any moment and attack.
“One of the hunters killed after the sphinx was kidnapped was my younger brother.”
“Oh no, little Ethy?” Evangeline gasps.
Farrah nods and wipes a tear trailing down her cheek. She sucks in a shaky breath. “I didn’t know they were going to kidnap anyone. I don’t know anything they do, I swear. They shut me out of their lives when I refused to hunt with them.”
Her eyes stay focused on the hands twisting in her lap. She refrains from looking at me, at any of us. Her guilt edges my nerves. She’s… worried.
If she were anyone other than Evangeline’s best friend and my mate, she’d already be in custody, heading to a holding cell for questioning.
Evangeline takes her hand. “I believe you.”
My little mouse is nearly sobbing now. I step forward because I want to console her. Hold her against my chest and kiss the top of her head. But she just admitted to being of hunter blood. Her family kills my kind. So, I stay put.
Could this all be one big ploy? A trap to bring us to the O’Herns?
Farrah’s head snaps up; hurt filling her eyes.
I open my mouth to apologize, to tell her it was a weak thought that I could never believe, but Mira stands and joins us in the living area.
“This likely explains what was blocking your connection. Her hunter DNA masked her as your mate.”
“I thought a fated mate bonding could only work if both agree to accept it?” Evangeline asks, because that’s how it worked between her and Xander.
Xander frowns. “Technically, yes. Farrah would have needed to accept Locheran as her mate before the bond could stick. That being said, things in our world are always evolving. Verbal consent isn’t always required.”
“What does that mean?” Evangeline asks.
“Their souls could have known,” Xander says.
Farrah snorts. “Our souls? Like they have a mind of their own?”
“Souls are extremely sentient. The body is merely a vessel,” Mira explains.
Farrah opens her mouth to respond but snaps it shut. Her eyebrows pinch together thinking about that statement. To be honest, I don’t understand how this was all possible without Farrah’s verbal consent either.
“Did something happen between you two before tonight?” Mira asks.
Farrah’s cheeks redden. “Um… we kissed the night of Xander and Evangeline’s wedding reception—
“You did?” Evangeline squeals, but Farrah keeps talking.
“And then on the rooftop last night at the conference we… did other things.”
Mira nods, taking the information in. “The first time you and the gargoyle kissed is likely when it started unlocking. Then when you two had sex tonight, it unraveled completely. At some point, it’s likely both of your souls, and even your heart and mind, wanted to bond.
That would have been all the acceptance needed.
And because it happened so suddenly, and all at once, the mating bond connection hit both of you at full force.
Neither one of you would have been able to stop once you got started. ”
Farrah covers her face with her hands. I don’t know why talking about sex is making her squirm. It’s completely natural.
Humans are so cute when they get embarrassed.
“And her passing out?” Xander asks.
Mira shrugs. “I’m sure the block deactivating, on top of the bonding ritual, was too overwhelming for her mortal body.”
“That makes sense,” Evangeline says, squeezing Farrah’s shoulder.
I should be the one reassuring her. My body and heart yearn to be closer, but my warrior’s instinct begs me to remain cautious.
Farrah’s cat emerges now that the tense energy in the room has depleted. The animal rubs his body over Farrah’s legs, then continues to Evangeline, who provides him with head scratches. He makes his way over to where I stand and sits down, staring up at me.
“What’s up, bro?” Potato licks his lips, and I narrow my eyes. “Hungry already? I just fed you.”
He meows loudly.
“Damn, okay. I guess I could give you more. Just… stop looking at me like that.”
“Are you having a full-fledged conversation with a cat?” Evangeline asks, amused. “And he’s not hungry. There’s still food in his bowl.”
She points at the mat, and I check just to make sure.
The little liar.
I cross my arms as if that will ward off any ill intentions this tiny feline might have. “I swear cats are just trickster demons trapped in cute bodies to brainwash humans to do their bidding.”
Farrah snorts and covers her mouth with her hand.
My little mouse laughed. I made her laugh despite the intense night we’ve shared. My smile stretches across my face, a strange feeling since I’ve done nothing but worry since she passed out on my cock.
“So what do they need to do?” Evangeline asks her mom, getting us back on course.
Potato gives up trying to trick me and struts back over to Farrah.
He jumps into her lap and takes a position that resembles a loaf of bread.
She strokes his fur, and the cat closes its eyes, purring loud enough I swear the apartment next door could hear.
Farrah sighs, the animal must be doing its job calming her, and she lifts her head to lock eyes with me.
They’re full of need but also fear and concern.
“They should talk,” Mira says, giving us both an encouraging smile. “Spend time together. Figure out if they want the bond to stick.”
I frown because now’s not the time to talk and spend time together.
Sorry I’m such an inconvenience, Farrah’s voice says in my head.
I silently curse myself for letting that thought slip past my shield.
“That’s not what I meant, mou—Farrah,” I say out loud. “I just mean I can’t take the time we need because of the hunters…”
My voice trails off because the realization of her confession tonight is just now sinking in.
It’s her family who we’re trying to stop from killing us.
“I think we all need to sit down and have a talk,” Xander says with a sigh and runs his four-fingered hand down his face. “We should bring in Rorik too.”
Farrah’s eyes fill with tears, her bottom lip trembling. “You're not going to… you’re not… I’m not…”
My mate’s anxiety now coats my skin, and I’m moving to go to her.
But Evangeline is already sitting next to her to offer her reassurance.
“No, Farrah. The gargoyles don’t harm innocent lives.
That’s never their intention. The hunters who have been killed were done so during battle.
There’s a process…” Evangeline winces, possibly realizing she’s piling too much on Farrah right now.
Or maybe she stopped talking because we still need to be one hundred percent certain Farrah’s not working with her family to bring us down from the inside.
Unfortunately, that entails bringing Rorik in for the discussion.
“I’ll have Thorne take the lead for the next few days,” Xander says, walking to where I stand. He clamps his hand on my shoulder. “Take the time you need with your mate.”
He turns to Farrah and his wife, who’s still holding her best friend’s hand.
“Farrah, I hope you understand that until we speak, I’ll need to have someone guarding you when Locheran’s not here. I’d also like to monitor your phone calls and texts.”
Evangeline frowns at her husband but smiles before turning back to Farrah. “We trust you, we do. We just don’t trust…”
“My family. I get it. It’s fine. Do what you need to do.”
Xander nods and turns to Mira. “It’s late. Can I escort you up to the roof with us? I’ll have the same soldier fly you back to the suburbs.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Xander walks to the couch where Evangeline sits and holds out his hand. “Kitten?”
Evangeline hugs Farrah one last time before giving her mate her hand.
“Call if you need anything or if you need a break from Locheran,” Evangeline says, standing.
“Hey!”
She shrugs and I scowl at her, my queen or not.
Farrah giggles and suddenly I don’t care that Evangeline basically called me annoying. She can throw all the insults in the book at me if it means Farrah will smile instead of cry.