Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
SEB
When I wake and find Zoe contentedly sleeping within the curl of my body, I almost can’t contain my joy.
She’s mine. She accepted the mating bond.
I lower my nose and breathe in the scent of her sleep-warmed skin.
My mating scent mingles with hers. I don’t want to wake her.
She needs her sleep. But I can’t stop myself from spreading my fingers on her stomach.
She rolls onto her back and stretches, blinking sleepy eyes at me. I roll with her, over her, in her. She’s naked, thank fuck, as am I. A brilliant late-night decision on my part.
“Oh, Seb,” she says softly.
“Do you want me to stop?”
She kisses along my neck to my ear. “Hell no.”
I don’t stop. Not until she’s arching in my arms for the third time and I’m spilling into her. My dragon breathes a contented sigh and curls at the back of my head.
After a few more minutes of postcoital bliss, she bounds from the bed and cleans herself up in the bathroom, then starts pulling on her dress.
“Dressing is highly overrated.”
“I need to go back to my place to change and do my morning routine. We should get started right away. Do you have anything gold I can use to make you a ring?”
I frown. “You should move some of your things here. I’ll clear a drawer for you and space in the closet.”
“Did you hear what I asked about the gold?”
I nod. “We have time, Zoe.”
“No, we don’t. I heard you tell Ellison and Lucas that you planned to go after Roman Cifarelli soon, as soon as they could get you into where he’s hiding. You need this ring before you do that.”
I thought I could wait to broach this subject for at least a day.
Our mating should be a deliriously happy occasion.
The last thing I want to think about is Roman.
But she’s right. It’s my responsibility to kill Roman.
His death might be the only thing that could disorient the Saint’s Order enough to disrupt this war, make room for an accord or at least balance the scales.
“I can do it without the ring.”
“Why would you want to? I can do this. I can help you.”
I can feel her anger rising. It’s important to Zoe that I believe in her abilities, and I do, but I also love her more than I love my life.
“I know. I know you can. But I don’t want you to rush ascending. After what happened last time, I’d rather you never use gold dust again.”
Zoe grabs her head.
“What’s wrong?” I put my hand on her shoulder.
“Splitting headache. The spider is back.”
“The spider?”
She looks at me like she didn’t realize she was saying it out loud.
“Can we talk about this over coffee?”
Twenty minutes later, she’s dressed and sitting at my kitchen table with a massive cappuccino in her hands and a plate of eggs and bacon that Patrick was kind enough to cook for us steaming in front of her. She still looks tired. I pray to the creator that she’s not coming down with something.
“You asked about the spider,” she says, looking down into her coffee.
“Am I wrong to assume this isn’t an actual spider? We’re not talking about a pet or something?”
She laughs. “No. The spider is what I call my addiction. She’s a voice in my head that convinces me the only thing that will make me feel better is using gold dust. After the last time I ascended, she told me you were using me, controlling me.
That’s why I had to go to Beltane alone.
I had to know that I was in control. That I wasn’t your prisoner here. ”
I tap the side of my cup. “It wasn’t easy for me to let you go, not when I know there are Order members everywhere. I tried to remind myself that you weren’t a dragon and therefore not a target, but I admit, I almost climbed the walls waiting for your return.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“If going alone gave you what you needed to accept the mating bond, I’m glad you took the chance.”
“It did, and it also gave me the chance to face Jeremy.”
My skin prickles. “The doctor who messages you at all hours? He was there?”
“He was. And you were right. He admitted to being interested in me.”
A growl rumbles from my chest.
“Seb, do you want to hear the truth or not?” She tips her head and frowns.
“Yes, sorry.” I clear my throat and beg her to continue.
“I talked to my parents, and they agreed to fire him. I never have to see him again.”
“I like this story more and more.”
She frowns. “But that means there isn’t a witch to call if things go wrong with me. No one but you knows that I’ve used again. If it’s worse next time, I’m on my own.”
I shake my head. “Then there won’t be a next time. We’ll find someone else to make this ring.”
She lifts her chin. “That’s the best part. I don’t have to use gold dust to make the ring,” she says. “I can perform all the spells on my own, aside from two things.”
“What are those?”
“I need dragon blood for the potion, just like they used Donovan’s blood.”
“And?”
Her face grows serious. “This ring will be enchanted with five layers of interwoven spells. Think of it like computer code. I can write the code on anything, but to make it work, I need to connect it, power it on. I can lay the enchantments, but infusing them with magic will eventually require my ascension.”
“Or someone else’s, right? You could build the spell, and we could find another witch to power it on?”
She sips her coffee. I really wish she would eat. I have no idea what she had for dinner last night, but she needs her strength. “In theory. But why would you risk it? I can do it.”
“Because every time you use, the spider gets stronger.” I take her hand. “The ring isn’t worth you hurting yourself.”
“And killing Roman isn’t important enough for you to sacrifice yourself.”
I whistle through my teeth. “Not the same thing. It’s my Creator-endowed responsibility as a zodiac warrior to protect my kind. They can’t stay in hiding forever.”
She twists her fork in her eggs, brooding silently. I turn back to my coffee. “I’m your mate, right? Isn’t that like a creator-endowed life partner?”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“Then it’s my responsibility to care for you, right? To protect you if I’m capable of it?”
“Not at your own expense,” I shoot back.
“Then I’ll make you a deal. We make this ring together, and you promise to wait until it’s complete to attack Roman, and I will try to find someone else from my coven whom I trust to infuse it. There is one person I could ask.”
My dragon dances in my psyche at the way she openly refers to me as her mate. I am proud of the way she negotiates with me, my smart and worthy woman. “There will come a time when I can’t put off what needs to be done,” I say seriously. “But if it is within my power, I accept your terms.”
I’m relieved when she smiles at me before digging into her eggs.