Page 29 of Hunted By the Fae Warden

CHAPTER 18

MIRA

Kaiden’s announcementrings in my ears, and for several moments, all I can do is stare at him.

We are mates.

Gods, could it be true?

I search his eyes, and his expression is earnest and almost… sweet. Also, regretful. I sense he’s sorry he kept this information from me.

“How long have you known we are mates? Andhowdo you know? Is that what this intense warmth between us is? The mating bond?”

He gives me another regretful look. “I have known we were mates since the first moment I saw you. In the castle on Tribute Day. Yes, the intense warmth and the tug between us, yes, that is the mating bond.”

“You’ve known this whole time, but you didn’t tell me. Why?” I blink fast before the tears have a chance to form. “Is it because you thought I was fully human, and you believed I was beneath you?”

His eyes go wide, and he appears horrified. His look of guilt also deepens. “Gods, no, Mira, I have never believed you were beneath me. I wanted to claim you from the very beginning. I wanted to hold you and keep you as mine forever, but I felt conflicted because of my duties to the faefolk of Linnshire. Not because they wouldn’t accept you, but because there’s a scourge of malevolent spirit beings called greshhlins that inhabit my people’s lands, and it’s up to my father and me, as well as my uncles, to maintain protective wards around Linnshire to keep the greshhlins out. It’s also our duty to fight them when they manage to break through the wards. During my lifetime, the greshhlins have killed thousands of my people.”

“And as a human… I would be a liability?”

“Not quite, little nymph. As a human, you would’ve been in danger and entirely confined to the Linnshire estate, but it’s more than that.” I pause to snuggle her closer, and to my delight, she places her hands on my chest and peers at me intently, giving me her full attention.

“When I was a child,” I continue, “a priestess foretold that my mate would be a female of great beauty and even greater power from the far reaches of the realm. My father and I always believed that my mate would be a highborn female, a fae female who could help us fight the greshhlins and perhaps destroy them once and for all. When I saw you in the receiving hall and felt the mating bond, I was shocked, and I didn’t know what to do. I feared if I claimed you, I might be damning all of Linnshire to ruin.” I pause again, allowing her time to absorb the information. Will she fault me for resisting the bond at the very beginning? Or will she understand the weight of my responsibilities? Will she understand that I couldn’t just forsake the faefolk of Linnshire?

To my relief, her demeanor becomes gentle and thoughtful. There’s no denunciation in her expression as she says, “I’venever encountered a greshhlin, but I imagine they are loathsome creatures if they’ve killed thousands of your people. I suppose I can’t blame you for not telling me about the mating bond. Not when the fate of an entire settlement is at stake. You were trying to put your people first at the expense of your own happiness.”

Some of the tension I’ve been carrying around for the last few weeks leaves my body. I’m also able to take a full breath for the first time since I discovered Mira missing from my quarters. I stroke her hair and lean down to kiss her forehead, once again soaking up her Spring Court scent. “You are being far too lenient with me, little nymph. I feel as though I deserve a good cursing out at the very least.”

She chuckles softly, then grows serious. “When you first started looking for me, you didn’t realize I was part-fae. Were you planning to drag me back to the castle and keep me as your whore? I want the truth. I deserve the truth.”

“Gods, no, Mira, I was not planning to drag you back to the castle and keep you as my whore. Well, perhaps a bit of dragging back if you resisted, but I never planned to force you into being my little pet.” I pull in a long breath. “I found a way to protect Linnshire and still claim you as my mate, and I was headed upstairs to apologize for my brazen comments and inform you that we are mates when I suddenly realized I couldn’t sense your warmth as I came closer to my quarters. That’s when I discovered you missing, and you know the rest.”

“I see.” She toys with the open collar of my jacket, her fingers occasionally brushing my bare skin, sending jolts of delicious sensation throughout my body. “So, let me make sure I have this right. When you still believed I was a full-blooded human with no magic abilities at all, you figured out a way to protect Linnshire and still claim me as your mate. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Mira.” I swallow hard. “I-I was stunned to learn you possessed magic. But even before I realized you were part-fae, Iintended to make a full confession to you and claim you as my mate. I adore you and I’m tired of fighting the pull I feel toward you. Trying to resist you during these past few weeks has been maddening. Every time I saw you, I told myself it would be the last time, and yet I kept coming back. Kept spying on you. Kept looking for you.”

“Kept stalking me is more like it.”

“Stalking,protecting, whatever you want to call it.”

She scoffs and nudges at my chest.

I hold her eyes as the truth is finally laid bare between us. Will she push me away again? Or will she finally surrender to the powerful warmth that’s been building between us since the moment we first met? The aching tenderness I feel for her knows no bounds, and I cannot fathom letting her go. But I also cannot fathom hurting her. If she doesn’t want me, her rejection will rip my soul to shreds.

“I must admit, I’m glad you figured out a way to protect Linnshire even before you learned I was part-fae. I don’t believe my ability to summon plant growth could possibly help wage war against greshhlins.” She shifts in my lap, causing her bottom to grind down on my hard shaft, and a shaky breath escapes her. A fresh blush stains her cheeks and her eyes dance around the room for a moment before her gaze finally returns to mine. “How exactly will you protect Linnshire, if you don’t mind me asking?

“I secured the assistance of eight powerful highborn fae from Prince Lucas’s personal guard. They will remain in Linnshire indefinitely to help maintain the protective wards and also to fight the greshhlins when they break through those wards. The skill of eight highborn fae plus my father and three uncles should make a huge difference in Linnshire. It’s very likely that they’ll be able to kill a decent number of the greshhlins and perhapsdrive the rest away. I’m anxiously awaiting a letter from my father regarding the progress.”

“Well, that’s good news. Congratulations on negotiating for eight of Prince Lucas’s highborn guards. Tell me, did you have to make a deal with the royal, and if so, what do you owe him? I’ve heard that fae rarely do anything out of the kindness in their hearts. I’ve heard that fae are always trying to make deals because they like having others in their debt.” Worry flits across her face, and a frown tugs at her lips.

I give her a comforting look as I thread my fingers through her glorious auburn tresses. “Technically, there’s no deal. I made a demand of the prince, and he gave me what I asked for. However, I know he expects me to remain in Trevos for a lengthy period. Years or perhaps decades. I’m sure he’ll eventually appoint another warden to take my place so I might return to Linnshire, but time is measured a bit differently among our people, since we live much longer than humans.”

“Ah, but I’m part-human, part-fae. More human than fae, I would imagine. I doubt I’ll live as long as you.” The worry remains in her eyes, and oh how I long to wipe it away. But I hope the next bit of information I’m about to share won’t come as a shock.

“There’s something you need to know, little nymph. It’s about your lifespan and how it’ll be affected by our mating bond—once we finally consummate the mating bond, that is.”

“Oh, what is it?” She inhales a quick breath when my cock suddenly throbs harder beneath her bottom.

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