Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
A look of such huge relief crashed over Kole’s face that he nearly sagged against me. “Thank the gods you’ve finally figured it out.”
“You mean we’re . . . That means that I’m . . .” I laughed. “Oh my Gods, Kole. We’re fated? Yes, of course we are. That explains so much, and all along, I thought my magic was just weird with you, or that the Stone was making me crazy, but it wasn’t that at all.”
“No, it wasn’t. There’s a reason I keep calling you mine, Princess, because you are.
I’m not just being a possessive arse.” His eyes glowed even more, and he took a step forward, pushing my legs into the mattress behind me.
He was all sinewy lines and possessive intent.
“And that’s why I can’t fucking live with other males touching you, Princess.
Every instinct inside me is begging me to kill them. ”
My breath sucked in. “And that’s why you haven’t bed me? That’s why you never allowed it to move any further between us? You were waiting until I recognized the bond, waiting for me to accept it?”
The glow in his eyes increased. “Yes.”
Wonderment filled me. Kole was my mate, and he’d been waiting.
Waiting all this time for me to understand it because tradition dictated that males wait for a female to acknowledge the mating bond before the male acted.
It was said to elicit bad luck if the male pushed the female to accept the bond before she was ready.
Some even said the bond was strongest when it was allowed to develop naturally.
His eyes glowed even brighter. “I knew you’d figure it out eventually, but you’ve been mine ever since we met. You just didn’t know it.”
And in those short words, a million things hit me all at once.
The way he’d kissed me in the alleyway the first day we’d met.
The way he’d said mine so many times and with such possessiveness.
The way he constantly wanted to please me and how he took such pleasure from it that he oftentimes overlooked his own needs.
And it was why he hadn’t bed me. It was also said that most females didn’t feel the full effects of the mate bond until the first bedding.
My breath sucked in, and a sob of joy and shock filled me. “That’s why we feel as we do for one another. It’s why I’ve always been drawn to you, and you to me, and you wanted me aware of the bond, in my own time, before we bedded one another.”
“Yes, Princess,” he said huskily.
A smile grew upon my lips, and tears burned in my eyes. My earlier irritation with him dissipated as the momentous realization of what we were took precedence. We were meant for one another, and all this time, Kole had been waiting for me to see it.
“When did you first know?” I whispered.
His throat bobbed, and his eyes continued to glow like sapphires. “When you kissed me in the alleyway in Whiteolf.”
My mouth dropped. Dropped to the floor. “You’ve known since the first day we met?”
His lips kicked up. “Your kiss did it, Princess. All of the instincts reared inside me the second your tongue brushed against mine.” A blush warmed my cheeks, and he chuckled. “It’s been a long wait. I’m just glad it didn’t take you months or full seasons to figure out.”
A giggle escaped me. “And tonight, at the ball, that’s why you were so angry that I was dancing with other males and why you didn’t want me outside with Nathaniel?”
He nodded. “I may be a warrior and not a suitable match for you, but that doesn’t mean you’re not meant for me.
And I can’t stand the thought of any other male having you or being with you.
It fucking kills me.” His palm caressed my hip, then slipped around my waist. He leaned down and ran his nose up the length of my neck, inhaling deeply along the way.
The light touch and growing energy surrounding him sent tingles racing down my spine.
“Oh, Kole.” My fingers curled around his tunic, drawing him closer.
“Do you want this, Princess? Do you need your warrior to claim you?” he said again, as though needing to know for certain that I was accepting him.
“Yes, but . . . what about my parents? What if they demand that I marry another?”
His breath sucked in, and he all but growled, “If they think I’ll let another male claim you, they’re fucking wrong.”
My heartbeat began to tick upward. “But what if they insist? Siltenite law states that I must obey them regarding my marriage, and they want someone suitable for me. What if they say you can be my lover but not my husband?”
His grip tightened even more. “First off, I will never willingly let another male touch you—husband or no—and secondly, do you think your parents would be so cruel as to force another male upon you if you were already mated to someone else, even if he wasn’t suitable?”
I considered what he was saying and thought of the fae my parents truly were. Slowly, I shook my head. “No, they would know how cruel that is, but I have to marry whoever they approve of, which means we have to tell them about us.”
He paused, but eventually nodded. “All right.” His fingers danced across my waist, back and forth, and the fact that I needed his reassurance kept his Council magic at bay, but thinking of the Council had me gasping.
“What about the Imperial Council? What happens when they discover that we’re mated, and you’ve bed me, and we’re bonded? ”
His jaw ground together. “I don’t actually know.
I can’t recall that ever happening in the past, but the courts do understand the instincts in a male who’s mated.
A mated and bonded male isn’t always held responsible for his actions when his instincts are driving him.
My hope is, in this case, it will be no different. ”
I peered up at him and laid my hands on his chest. “But what if it isn’t? What consequences will you face?”
He leaned down and breathed in my scent, then said huskily into my ear, “Don’t worry about what happens to me, Princess. I’ve made my decision. As long as you want me, I’m yours.”
A light laugh escaped me. “It’s that simple for you?”
“It is.”
“Then why did you fight it initially? Why did you not act on it right away?”
“I always intended to.” He dipped his head more and kissed my neck softly.
A full-body shiver raced through me. “I was going to protect you and love you from afar for as long as was needed. I was never going anywhere.” He kissed me again and slid his tongue along my throat.
“So what will it be, Princess? Will you accept me as your mate? Or do you reject me?” His kisses stilled, his mouth hovering over my throat, and tension vibrated around him.
I gripped him again, my fingers sinking into his tunic and the solid wall of muscle beneath it.
“I could never reject you, Kole. It’s not just you who’s made for me.
I’m made for you too, but I need to speak with my parents first, and have them speak with the Council.
I won’t allow you to be punished for something you cannot control, or punished because of something I decided for the both of us. ”
“You know I’m okay with whatever consequences come, right?” He pulled me fully against his hard frame, and I felt how hard every inch of him was. “If I’m banished from the Council, I’ll take it if it means I can be with you.”
Longing washed through me. “Yes, but I won’t allow anything bad to happen to you, even if you’ll accept it. I need to speak with my parents first, before we seal our bond.”
He sighed, the sound deep and resigned. “All right. I suppose waiting a few more days isn’t too much to ask.”
Lust pulsed through me as his husky words and his rugged beauty stopped my breath. I traced a finger along his cheek, loving how his rough stubble scraped against my skin. “Thank you for waiting.”
He nipped at my finger. “I’ll wait as long as you need me to, Princess.” His arm curled around me fully, and his lips met mine in a searing kiss.
I gasped into his mouth, and my fingers tangled in his hair. Our mouths danced, entwined, consumed. Kole’s grip tightened, his need surging around us, but as he’d promised, he didn’t push for more.
Breathless, I finally pulled back, and that thing in my chest, the sensation I’d been feeling for weeks, pulsed and expanded, yearning once more.
My lips parted, and I brought a hand to my chest. Tears of happiness filled my eyes. “I’ve been feeling it all along too. Right here.” I tapped my chest. “Around you, it’s as if something comes alive inside me. I just didn’t understand what it was until now.”
Kole stared at me as though I were the sun that he orbited.
Carnal lust pulsed in his aura. It’d only grown stronger since we’d both acknowledged the bond, and I didn’t know how long we’d be able to hide our attraction from others.
But I’d meant what I’d said. I wanted to speak with my parents and the Council first. I wouldn’t have Kole implicated for something that we were both responsible for.
“Can you sleep beside me tonight?” I whispered. “Like you did after the maze attack?”
He groaned, and a crestfallen expression descended over his face.
“I want to, Princess. Fuck do I want to, but my replacement is waiting. Now that I’ve seen you back from the ball, questions will be raised if I don’t relinquish my post.” He paused.
“Unless you’re okay with breaking all of the rules right now? ”
His reminder that it was my choice now to wait had me shaking my head. “No, it’s fine. Go home and sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He kissed me again, his lips lingering. “Goodnight, beautiful.”
My toes curled, and it was so tempting to throw caution to the wind and drag the warrior into my bed. So tempting. “Goodnight, my heart.”
The morning sun hit my eyelids, and I stretched, inhaling deeply. Kole’s scent still hovered in my chambers. I’d smelled him all night even though he’d left to return home.
I knew I should get up and bathe before venturing to my uncle’s, and I should probably send a dillemsill to Loolee too, to see if she’d heard from Master Fistideeous, but I couldn’t stop the smile from playing upon my lips and the lingering need to relish a moment longer in knowing what Kole and I were.
“Princess Primelle?” someone said from the corner in my chambers.
My head whipped in that direction so fast that my neck snapped. But instead of Kole standing there, it was Royden.
I bolted to a sitting position. “Royden? What are you doing here? Where’s Kole?”
“He’s unable to come today. I’m here in his stead.”
I shoved my tangled hair out of my eyes, and a bolt of panic raced through me. “What? Why? What’s happened?”
“Nothing for you to worry about.”
Before I could ask anything further, a knock came on my door. “Good morning, Primelle!” Betsee traipsed into the room. “Oh, wonderful, you’re already awake. We had a dillemsill arrive within the past hour, and I thought you may be itching to hear the news.”
I tried not to shake, and I tried to act normal, but when I greeted her, my smile wavered. Thoughts of Kole and what we’d shared last night reared in my mind. Perhaps the Council had found out. Perhaps him being my mate didn’t matter. Perhaps . . .
No, stop it. You’re panicking, and you don’t know what’s occurred. Act normal.
Forcing my smile to lift even higher, I asked Betsee, “Someone sent a dillemsill?”
“Yes, your uncle Arnel. He said his wards have been reworked, and you’re welcome at any time.” Betsee beamed. “I figured you’d want to get moving right away, so I’m here to help you get ready for the day.”