17. The Slayer
The Slayer
Tied up and ashamed of myself, I wait for my witch to return home. It’s been endless hours of sulking, horrible television with the fox, and Adam berating me nonstop.
Always fucking whining; telling me what I should and shouldn’t do when it comes to my mate. He acts as if I don’t know all his memories, as if I don’t know what a pathetic, lonely man he was before all this. I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to him.
“She won’t ever love you,” Adam seethes, and I groan.
“Shut the fuck up.”
“I know you aren’t talking to me,” Scarlett says, biting down on my arm so hard it draws blood.
“No, little fox, I’m talking to the annoying man in my head.”
“What’s he saying?” Scarlett asks.
My hands are bound to the bed again, but I won’t break the restraints. Iris needs to know she can trust me.
“That Iris will never love me, that I should leave her alone.”
Scarlett makes a noise, but doesn’t comment, just curls up and continues to watch her show. When Iris comes home, she’s radiant.
Her skin almost has a shinier glow to it. How she can look even more celestial than before is beyond me. Scarlett told me she had a ritual with her coven tonight and the magic shared between them must make her more powerful.
She places her things on the counter, her wand tucked away, which I consider progress.
“Is your friend okay?” I ask, and she arches an eyebrow at me as she approaches, glancing at my bindings.
“She is, but things could have gone very differently. Why didn’t you say anything before?” she asks.
“Truly, my witch, I didn’t think of it. You must understand I forget the faces of most mortals. I’d just found my mate and barely survived a vampire attack. I was not being malicious.”
Iris clicks her tongue.
“You wish to please me?” she asks.
I blink at her. Surely she doesn’t mean what I think she means. She watches me process her words, and then she gasps.
“No. Not like that. You want me to be happy with you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then I need you to stay in the house and not leave. I will get rid of your binds and let you roam freely, but you are not to leave.”
I take a closer look at her face. She was so angry earlier; is her friend being safe the only thing that’s changed her mood?
“I can’t be trapped here forever,” I admit to her. “At some point my blood lust will grow too great and I’ll need to leave.”
Iris paces, glancing at me like she’s trying to figure out a puzzle.
“What if I stay in the house with you? Spend time with you. Would you want to stay then?”
“Of course, that’s all I want.”
Her posture softens. My mate wishes to be with me. This is the greatest gift.
“What shall we do first? Would you like to kiss? People kiss all the time in Scarlett’s shows and they seem to very much enjoy it,” I say happily.
Iris blinks at me and Scarlett makes a displeased noise.
“You’re making this so difficult for me,” Scarlett complains.
“How am I making this difficult? She’s my mate, and I only wish to share kisses with her.”
“Maybe we start off with some smaller things. Like getting to know one another, and getting you a little more caught up with the times.”
“I’m agreeable to this,” I say, willing to do or talk about anything, as long as it means I can spend time with Iris.
She vanishes my restraints and I almost miss the tug of the rope against my wrists as I use my newfound freedom to get off the bed and stand up.
“So, we make a vow then,” she says.
“How do we make this vow?”
“We hold hands.”
“Then yes. I make this vow,” I say excitedly, stepping close to her and holding out my hand.
She places her hand in mine, her bracelets lightly clinking with the motion, until her warm palm is against mine, our fingers interlocking in an embrace.
The intimacy of it all has my breath hitching and I know I’m not alone in the sensation as her lips part in shock and she looks up at me in astonishment.
My Iris doesn’t want to admit what we are to each other, but she feels it. The knowledge of this invigorates me. I’ll just have to be patient with my mate. I’ve waited this long to find her. I can wait just as long for her to love me.
“You vow to stay within the confines of the house until I say otherwise and to never cause harm to me or Scarlett,” she says softly.
Our hands together glow this spectacular gold as I whisper, “I vow it.”
The shimmering magic licks through my body, solidifying our promise, and it sends a shiver down my spine. Her magic tastes like heaven and I nearly tumble over now that we have this thread of magic between us.
I squeeze her hand softly and she pulls away from me.
“Can I speak to Adam?” she asks immediately after, and I cross my arms over my chest in frustration.
“Why?”
“Because he still has sentience. He’s locked inside the body and if you would like to make me happy, then I need to ensure that Adam’s alright.”
“I do not like this idea at all,” I tell her directly.
Who cares what Adam thinks.
“I will be respectful,” Adam says, not being a pest for the first time ever.
“I could always put him in charge of the body, but I’d prefer not to. So please, let me speak to Adam…alone.”
“Five minutes. That’s all.”
“Thank you, Slayer,” she says and I shiver as she refers to me.
One day, she’ll know my true name and I’ll savor every second rolling off her tongue. But now, after my mistake and because we’ve made our vow, I must give her what she asks.
Happy mate, happy life and all. I let Adam take control, and shockingly, I’m completely pushed back into the recesses of our mind, not able to hear any of their conversation.
This was a mistake.