Chapter 21-Sten #2
Hearing my true name from her mouth did something primal to me.
“Say it again,” I demanded roughly.
I wanted, no I needed to hear it again.
Her eyes darkened beautifully.
“I love you.”
“Again,” I growled softly. “With my full name.”
The blush spreading across her cheeks nearly destroyed me.
“I love you, Menon Blau,” she whispered reverently, cupping my face between trembling hands.
“Only you. And I choose you as my mate, my love, my Monster, my heart. You have my heart.”
Everything inside me went still.
The stars.
The sea.
The realm itself.
Every instinct I possessed bowed before her in that moment.
“And I love you, Amrin Cordoza,” I vowed solemnly, “my sweet Luna. Before our witnesses, before the realms, and before my ancestor Máni himself—I swear to honor you, protect you, provide for you, and to love you until the end of time.”
The final word left my mouth—and the skies above Asgarheim went black.
Gasps erupted across the festival immediately.
But I never looked away from Amrin.
Never would.
Moonlight exploded overhead seconds later.
A massive luminous blue moon rose across the heavens brighter than daylight while power rolled violently through the cliffs beneath our feet.
Máni.
My ancestor answered.
The moonbeams descended around us in spiraling ribbons of silver-blue light, wrapping around Amrin and me like living celestial silk.
Her breath caught sharply.
“What—what is happening?”
“We are blessed,” I whispered in awe.
Power surged through my bloodstream immediately afterward.
Not chaotic.
Not unstable.
This magic was balanced.
Sacred.
Whole.
The matebond snapped fully into place with enough force to steal the air from my lungs.
I felt her.
Everywhere.
Warmth.
Emotion.
Love.
Mine.
I wrapped my tail tightly around her waist while holding her against me beneath the moonlight blessing.
“I love you,” she whispered again.
I kissed her lips and then her forehead gently.
“I love you back, Luna. And for the record, you can call me Sten, Menon, anything you want, my love.”
“Okay, mate,” she murmured, and my heart sung.
And for the very first time in my entire existence—I felt complete.
“Let’s go home,” I told her softly, unable to endure another moment without touching her.
The matebond between us pulsed warm and alive beneath my skin now, a living thread woven directly through my chest and into hers.
Every brush of her fingers against mine sent pleasure rippling through me in dangerous little waves.
Gods.
How had I survived this long without her?
“Yes,” Amrin breathed, still looking slightly dazed beneath the moonlight blessing Máni had bestowed upon us.
Her cheeks remained flushed pink, pale eyes luminous as they searched my face like she still could not quite believe any of this was real.
“Oh—wait. Can I have one minute? Do you mind if I find Dr. Childs first? She was supposed to meet me by the rides.”
Immediately, concern sharpened through me.
A doctor?
The word alone irritated my instincts.
Not because I distrusted her judgment.
Because the idea of Amrin being unwell made something dark and territorial stir unpleasantly inside my ribs.
Still, my senses had scanned her repeatedly since the claiming.
Her heartbeat remained strong.
Steady.
Healthy.
The matebond itself glowed vibrant and whole.
There was nothing physically wrong with her.
And if my Luna wished to see someone before we returned to my chambers?
Then we would see them.
How could I deny her anything now?
“Of course,” I said gently.
The Draugr and Serena finally turned back toward us after granting enough privacy for the claiming ritual itself.
Serena looked openly emotional while the Draugr maintained the same terrifying stoicism he always wore.
Though I noticed the subtle easing of tension in his massive shoulders.
Approval.
Interesting.
Serena immediately wrapped Amrin in a fierce hug.
“Oh my gods, you guys are officially mated!” she squealed.
Amrin laughed breathlessly while clinging to her just as tightly.
I remained respectfully still.
No self-preserving male touched another male’s mate.
Especially not immediately following a celestial claiming ceremony beneath a god-blessed moon.
The Draugr and I exchanged a solemn nod instead.
Understanding passed silently between us.
Male to male.
Monster to Monster.
He had shielded my claiming ritual.
Protected my mate’s privacy.
Stood witness before the moon god himself.
That debt would not be forgotten.
I bowed my head slightly toward him.
“My thanks.”
The revenant’s glowing eyes flicked briefly toward Serena before returning to me.
“You would have done the same.”
True.
Absolutely true.
The women finally separated, though Serena kept grinning like she’d personally orchestrated the entire thing.
Which honestly?
It was possible she’d calmed my mate’s nerves before I had arrived and she deserved my thanks.
“I like them,” Amrin said quietly once the Draugr and Serena wandered back toward the glowing festival grounds hand in hand.
Warmth spread slowly through my chest.
“I am glad.”
Because I wanted this.
Not merely the claiming.
Not merely the bond.
All of it.
Friends.
Family.
Shared nights beneath the impossible skies of Asgarheim.
A life.
The realization still startled me.
The Draugr slung one massive wing around Serena protectively as they disappeared into the crowds.
She immediately leaned into him, clutching her absurd stuffed avocado triumphantly against her chest while he stared down at it with enduring confusion.
Amrin smiled softly at the sight.
“I thought his name was Raven?”
“Yes,” I explained as we began walking slowly through the edge of the festival grounds. “Draugr is more of a title.”
Her brows furrowed curiously.
“A scary title?”
I barked out a laugh.
“Extremely.”
“Oh.”
“He is the last living Draugr of his bloodline,” I continued carefully. “A revenant prince from our realm.”
Amrin blinked up at me.
“So, he’s like undead Viking royalty?”
I stared at her.
Then laughed hard enough several nearby students turned to look.
Gods.
Only Amrin could reduce one of the deadliest males in Asgard to “undead Viking royalty” five minutes after witnessing a celestial blessing ritual.
“Yes,” I managed finally. “More or less.”
“Huh.” She tucked herself closer against my side instinctively beneath her cloak. “Still, I like Serena. And Raven too.”
The bond purred warmly at the contact.
“She called him Raven with no fear at all,” Amrin continued thoughtfully. “Even when he looks terrifying.”
Something sharp and strangely emotional tightened inside my chest.
Because yes.
That was exactly what mates did.
Saw the Monster.
Stayed anyway.
“Maybe we could all double date sometime?” she asked brightly.
I stared down at her in stunned silence for half a second.
A double date.
With the Draugr.
The sheer absurdity nearly made me laugh again.
Years ago I would have considered socializing voluntarily with anyone outside formal celestial obligations a personal nightmare.
Now?
I found myself imagining Amrin laughing beside Serena while the Draugr silently suffered through some ridiculous Earth carnival game.
Gods help me.
I wanted that too.
“You would like that?” I asked carefully.
“Of course.” She smiled up at me warmly. “I think you boys need friends.”
Boys.
The future Premier Celestial Guardian of Asgard and the last revenant prince of the Draugen bloodline reduced to “boys.”
Incredible.
“I will consider it,” I replied solemnly.
Amrin snorted softly.
“You’re adorable when you pretend you aren’t nice.”
I nearly stumbled.
Nice?
Me?
Absolutely fucking not.
Unfortunately, the bond immediately betrayed me by flooding warm affection through my chest at her teasing.
Traitorous thing.
We continued deeper through the Spring Equinox Festival while music drifted through the night air around us.
Floating lanterns glimmered overhead between gothic towers while enchanted rides spun beneath ribbons of moonlight and magic.
Students danced beneath glowing trees.
Monsters laughed openly beside bonfires.
Witches traded charms and potion sweets at candlelit stalls.
Runevald itself seemed almost gentler tonight beneath Máni’s blessing.
Alive.
Celebrating.
And through it all, right beside me, walked my mate.
Mine.
The word settled easier inside me now.
No longer frightening.
Only true.
I kept one hand firmly at the small of Amrin’s back while we walked, unable to stop touching her.
The matebond magnified every tiny interaction until even brushing my knuckles against her hip sent satisfaction curling through me.
She smelled incredible too.
Moonlight.
Jasmine.
Magic.
And beneath it—my claiming scent wrapped around her beautifully now.
Any supernatural creature with functioning instincts would recognize her immediately as mated.
Good.
Excellent, actually.
The farther we moved from the center plaza, the quieter things became.
The rides stood nearer the cliffs overlooking the black sea below Runevald, their enchanted lights spinning slowly against the darkness while screams and laughter drifted faintly through the wind.
Then I saw them.
Two women standing near the edge of the midway beneath a cluster of floating lanterns.
One wore a green sweater and horn-rimmed glasses.
Human.
Or mostly human.
The other—my instincts sharpened instantly.
Witch.
Powerful enough that I felt her before fully seeing her.
Elegant dark coat.
Silver jewelry.
Sharp posture.
Cold.
Everything about the older female radiated coldness.
Amrin froze beside me.
The sudden spike of emotion through the bond hit instantly.
Shock.
Fear.
Old hurt.
My body reacted before conscious thought caught up.
I moved slightly in front of her automatically.
Protecting.
Always protecting.
The older woman’s gaze landed on us.
Then on our joined hands.
Then on the faint lunar marks still glowing softly beneath Amrin’s skin from the claiming ritual.
Disapproval flashed across her face so quickly most beings would have missed it.
I did not.
My instincts turned ugly immediately.
Mine.
The possessive growl nearly escaped my throat.
Beside me, Amrin went very still.
And when she finally spoke, her voice sounded small in a way I had never heard before.
“Mother?”