Chapter Seven
B y the time Lucian joins me at the bench, I have already plowed through the muffin Cordelia sent with me.
Thank the Gods, because I was way too hungry and probably looked feral the way I shoved it in my mouth. I wash it down with some water and eye him over the bottle. He doesn’t make me feel threatened or uncomfortable. I actually feel really safe with him. But I still have suspicions.
Since he has not proven to be very chatty, I will have to work my end of the conversation just right if I want to get any information out of him. Setting my bottle down, I pull out two slices of jerky, and hand one to Lucian.
He eyes my hand with a curious look on his face and… maybe a little awe? I mean, it’s good jerky. Cordelia is an absolute genius in the kitchen, but it is just a piece of jerky. Looking back up at my face he speaks, but this time his voice isn’t the booming wave that rushes over you. He sounds almost timid. Well, as timid as he can with that deep delicious voice.
“Is that for me?” he asks, nodding at the proffered snack dangling between my fingers.
“Umm, yes? Listen, I know we got off on the wrong foot–which is mostly your fault–but I’m not a complete bitch. I wouldn’t just offer you something as a joke.” I try to keep my voice light, but there is no way the look on his face is just in my imagination.
Giving him things must have some sort of significance. I didn’t want to offend him or make him feel uncomfortable, so I set the jerky down in front of him on the small square of waxed fabric that was wrapped around the muffin.
“I’ll just leave it here, and you can eat it now or save it for later if you aren’t hungry. Okay?” I say with a smile. He nods in response and carefully wraps the jerky in the cloth before sliding it into his pocket.
Ok, so note to self, be careful what we give to our new friend. Hopefully, that wasn’t like a mating proposal or something.
Wait… if he took it but didn’t eat it, does that mean he declined my accidental mating proposal? Why would he fucking decline my mating proposal? Er– hypothetical proposal?
Why the hell is the thought of him declining me making me feel slightly more panicked than if he had accepted?
Alright, Forsythia. Calm the fuck down. It’s been a crazy day, and apparently, I’m not coping with everything very well. It was just jerky, NOT not a mating proposal, and if he thinks otherwise, well then that’s on him.
“Thank you,” Lucian says, cutting through my inner emotional spiral. His stoic facial expression is back in its place, and his voice has returned to its usual emotionless depths with deep sound waves that vibrate my core.
“No problem,” I manage to respond lamely.
Clearing my throat, I attempt to push the conversation away from hypothetical mating proposals and vocal vibrations that turn me on. I swear I truly do have the capability to think with something other than my lady bits. Most of the time. Well, usually.
Alright, so lately, that has been where my brain lives, okay?
Twenty-four-seven, mind in the gutter, imaginarily humping every hottie in sight. Or… I guess it’s only been two hotties? Whatever, there is a part of me that has needs, and she is trying to make that known loud and clear. One soaked pair of panties at a time.
“So, Lucian, mind elaborating on how you fit into me? This! What I mean is, what part of me do you want to play with?” Fucking hell! Way to go, Forsythia... Might as well just blurt out that I was just imagining having sex with him, but thankfully I managed to avoid the outward facepalm and keep it all as an internal gesture this time. Points for improvement, right?
He hasn’t answered, and I know he is watching me have this crazy inner battle. I am just grateful he isn’t one of those fae that can read your energies so incredibly well, they can almost read your thoughts.
Or is he?
Oh fuck I hope not.
I eye him suspiciously for a moment, but he simply quirks an eyebrow at me. His facial expression clearly asking if I am done being a weirdo yet.
Not by a long shot there, big guy.
Alright, fine. Let’s try this again. It really can’t go as horribly as the first time.
“Can you please explain why you are here helping me, when I have no clue who you are?” I stick to asking a single question at a time, so that he can’t hide behind a bunch of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses.
He seems to think about how to respond for a minute, but he does finally give me some answers. “I am a hunter. I know Blake through a mutual interest. I would like to offer my help in finding him and hunting the creature.”
Wow! I half-expected a response of one, maybe two words. However, the man just delivered three whole sentences. This is fantastic! I’m finally making progress. Go me!
“Ok. So then, you wouldn’t happen to have any ideas on where to start this search, would you?” I know I will have to call on the soul-bond tether, still pulling snuggly from inside my chest. But every time I connect to it, I feel like I’m stepping closer and closer to accepting the bond and taking Blake as my mate.
It’s not that I don’t want him. I have already come to terms with the fact that I am half in love with the crazy asshole.
I just don’t know if he wants me, and I can’t make that decision for him.
“No,” he responds.
And... we’re back to one-word answers. Fun.
“It’s okay. I can track him through our–well, I guess I should tell you that he is my soul-bond mate.” I say as I absently rub the center of my chest, where the pull seems to emanate from.
Although, strangely enough, it’s also gotten more intense since Lucian showed up. Maybe that’s in response to my physical attraction towards the guy. However, that thought makes me feel instantly guilty.
So many magickals would give everything to have a fated mate. I’ve even known a few people who have had them, and they are incredibly lucky.
But a soul-bond mate? Those connections are so deep and so rare, that no one in mine or my mother’s generation has had one. They are something to be revered and treasured, and yet I have been fighting against mine and debating if I even want it in the first place. Not to mention the way I have been attracted to someone else.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Lucian doesn’t say anything but nods in understanding. Well, that’s good because I don’t want to talk about my confusing feelings either.
You know what?
No.
I’m done.
Fighting against this is only my own stubbornness. I will embrace this Gods given gift just like I’ve been embracing my powers. From the moment that Cordelia first called me the ‘Noctifer Witch’ my world turned upside down. But even in the chaos of my emotions, it just felt… right . As if nothing else in this world could be a more true statement.
Maybe this whole soul-bond thing will work the same way? And if so, if Blake wants me, truly wants me, I will be his.
I’m done fighting against the forces that I have no control over, especially when my heart wants him. I think, if I am honest with myself, it has since day one. So few things in this life are truer gifts than a soul-bond mate. I choose to embrace mine fully.
I only hope that he feels the same way about me.
“So, what are you?” I toss the words at him as an accusation and instantly wince at my own tone. It’s not his fault I’m a wreck.
“Sorry. I just meant that you’re not a magickal I’m familiar with.” As I finish speaking, our eyes meet, and my breath is knocked out of me. “Your eyes are magnificent.” I barely register the words leaving my lips as my pulse quickens. He watches me with the same intensity, and I can’t seem to break his gaze.
The pull in my chest intensifies for a moment, and I clench my fist on a gasp. While the sharpness of the feeling wasn’t truly painful, it does surprise me. I guess there is no time like the present to try and find Blake. Closing my eyes, I focus on the space under my fist.
When nothing immediately happens, I steady my breathing and pull my awareness a little deeper.
The reaction isn’t as clear as a flashing arrow pointing in a specific direction or a map that glows to show where he is, but damn, wouldn’t that be helpful?? Instead, I get more of a sense of the general direction I need to go in. I guess it’s a good thing Lucian is here to drive, especially since even he admits that I’m a–wait a fucking second...
My eyes pop open, and the words fly out of my mouth. “What did you say about my driving when we were at the merfolk village?”
His lips pinch together tightly and form a thin line, and I know he is choosing his words very carefully. “You have many strengths, Noctifer Witch. Driving the motorcycle is a strength I could offer to you.”
Wow… smart man. That was the most polite insult ever.
“I feel like that is just a nice way of saying I’m a shitty driver,” I say, narrowing my eyes and pointing at him. He squirms a little, and I can’t help but chuckle. I’m not an idiot. I know I am clumsy as fuck and have no desire to die. So, I will happily let my new friend navigate the machine for us.
“It’s okay,” I respond, almost feeling bad about the way he was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. Almost . “Besides, I think that it would be easier to have someone else driving while I navigate since this,” I tap the center of my chest, “isn’t an exact science.”
Lucian looks at the spot I was tapping for a brief moment and then looks away. “Okay,” he says in that creamy low tone of his.
Thinking about how to phrase my next question for him, I gather the supplies I had out and stash them back in my pack. Once it’s secured and in place, I stand up and turn to face him. He stands too, and I shake my head, laughing lightly under my breath. When I meet his gaze, his brows are pinched, and his head is tilted to the side a little. The gesture reminds me of a curious puppy.
“Sorry, it just amazes me how tall you are. I think you may be the tallest person that I have ever met.” The words have barely left my mouth when I notice his shift. Standing tall and nearly puffing his chest out with pride at my words. “The curiosity is killing me here. What kind of magickal are you? You’re tall, but I don’t think you’re a giant, even though I have never met one. Maybe half-giant?”
He smirks a little but doesn’t respond. I suppose if I want him to show me his, it’s only fair that I show him mine. “Well, you already know that I’m the Noctifer Witch. My mother was half-witch and half-elf, and from what everyone has told me, my father was a demon. I’ve never met him, though.”
He nods again, but this time he sighs deeply. “I am fae.”
Oh wow! The only fae I have ever seen was my elven grandmother when I snuck downstairs after my bedtime one night, and there is no way he’s an elf.
“What? That’s so cool!” I can’t help the little excitement that escapes me from his admission. I know that my face is lit up in a smile, and he seems to blush slightly under my awe.
That does bring up another question, though.
Why in the world would the fae care to get involved in my business?