8. Berne #3
Berne let out a grunt; her observations were spot on.
He cringed when he realized she'd noticed the unfinished second floor, but at least she'd said nothing about the roof.
Sirin turned to look at him, her eyes wide.
She was so close, he could see the flecks of gold in her eyes.
She breathed in sharply and her mouth was open just a sliver, giving him a peek at her smooth little tongue.
Instinctively, he felt the rumble in his chest start, the rhythmic purring of contentment he made when he was a bear.
Berne clamped it off at her confused look; humans didn't make that noise.
These days, he was never fully human, nor fully bear, despite how he might appear on the outside.
Inside, he was always somewhere between the two.
In Sanctuary, it was expected for a person to keep the ability to make the vocalizations of both of their forms, so they tended to use vocalizations, postures, and words altogether.
3 Berne didn't see any way the council was letting her leave, so it wasn't like he was hurting anything, but he didn't know how he could even explain it all.
She jumped next to him and Berne looked about to see what might have startled her.
He couldn't see anything but didn't need to wait long since she started speaking excitedly.
''Why is it dark? It's been daylight for most of my journey. Did we travel far while I was asleep? Am I just confused about the time of day?''
He chuckled at her excited confusion.''Ach, so—it's ah, night, just after supper time. I'd say it's dark for the same reason that it is warm. We are not farther south, we are farther north, but I can explain it more later?'' He craned his neck toward the council chambers as the doors opened.
It all came down to this. Berne tried to steady his breaths. The council settled into their seats, and Gunna stayed standing, her back and neck stiff. From the back of the room, Jorund signaled that he didn't know the result with a shrug and a grimace on his broad face.
Shit. Berne's breath huffed in and out of him, and he clacked his teeth. This was not good. Gunna broke any ties in council votes and she did not like Sirin.
''After hearty debate and much deliberation,'' Gunna said in a clear voice, ''the council has unfortunately come to a deadlock. As such, it is up to me, as head of the council, to decide the outcome.''
A pause, and beside him, Sirin tensed. It was as if she, as he did, felt the chill in the room.
Gunna continued, ''It is with great regret, therefore, I inform y—''
A growl was ripped from him before she could finish what she was about to say. He would not stand for this. Sirin was not going to be executed.
''Berne…'' Sirin whispered next to him.
It took everything to keep his cool and stick with the plan instead of shifting and launching himself across the room.
''She's my mate,'' Berne sputtered. He was committed now and his blood rushed in his ears, drowning out the noise in the room.
''What?'' Sirin and Gunna gasped at the same time. Murmurs erupted around the room as the councilors reacted. In the back, Jorund barked out a laugh and tipped his head toward Berne.
Berne took a deep breath and began his speech.
He used his most official-sounding voice and made sure to enunciate clearly.
''It is lawful for any Shade of Sanctuary, should they not find a mate within the Shades, to seek a mate elsewhere.
The citizen must study any candidate to ensure their credibility, bind to them before returning, and vouch for their mate among the Shades.
Outside mates shall not leave the grounds of Sanctuary alone for any purpose for a year and shall take all vows expected of any adult Shade.
'' He took another gulp of air and continued, ''During the week I followed Sirin, I reasonably established her credibility. I am fully prepared to vouch for her—''
''And you're leading me to believe you've bound her to you already?'' Gunna asked, eyebrow raised.
''I have.'' Berne gulped, and looked over at Sirin with a pained expression and mouthed, ''Sorry.''
Sirin frowned at him, obviously confused. He reached down to her wrapped arm, the one with his bite. He poured all of the compassion and pleading into his eyes as he could. ''Please understand,'' he whispered, ''I'm just trying to help. Just try to trust me.''
Sirin looked up trustingly at him with those deep brown eyes.
Dear Lady, this might be the last time she looked at him like that.
He'd asked her to have faith in him at a moment when he was about to prove to her he'd already betrayed that trust. He raised his voice so the entire council could hear.
''Sirin, could you please unwrap your arm and show the council your mating bite? ''
1. It should be noted that while Berne and Gunna share the same base accent, they still speak differently. Berne is much more informal, whereas Gunna’s words come off more “posh.”
2. I am so grateful that all he said was written down, because I was too overwhelmed to properly catalogue his words in my mental library. I’ve made a copy that I keep with me to read anytime I miss him when we are separated because of work.
3. Over the years, I’ve learned how to approximate many of these sounds even though its unlikely I will ever be able to shift.