Page 46 of Chasing Stripes

“But we’re not—” Artemis began.

“And that kiss on the porch?” Kalyna prompted, eyes twinkling. “Gloria might have mentioned golden light visible from the kitchen window.”

Artemis groaned, covering her face. “Is nothing private in this town?”

“Not when you’re glowing like a magical beacon,” Thora pointed out pragmatically. “The council’s equipment registered an energy spike that night that had Lysander Foxworthy calling emergency contacts.”

Their drinks arrived—four jewel-toned concoctions that sparkled and swirled with magical enhancements. Artemis’s was a vivid emerald that matched her dress, tiny golden embers dancing within the liquid.

“To new friends,” Kalyna toasted, raising her glass. “And new beginnings.”

THIRTY-NINE

As Artemis sipped, warmth blossomed in her chest—honey, cinnamon, and something wild and spicy that reminded her distinctly of Bartek. “What is this?”

“Mood-reactive cocktail,” Bryn explained. “Adapts to your emotions and... uh, preoccupations.”

As if on cue, golden sparks intensified in Artemis’s glass, swirling into recognizable tiger-stripe patterns.

“Well, that’s certainly revealing,” Thora laughed.

“It’s not funny,” Artemis protested, though she couldn’t help smiling. “I can’t control it. My magic has a mind of its own lately.”

“Common with new mate bonds,” Kalyna said, sipping her own drink—a deep red that occasionally shimmered with lion-like patterns. “Rust and I couldn’t be in the same room for weeks without setting things on fire.”

“Literally or figuratively?” Bryn teased.

“Yes,” Kalyna replied with a mischievous smile.

“The point is,” Thora interjected, “mate magic can be unpredictable until you stabilize the connection.”

“How do you stabilize it?” Artemis asked, curious despite herself.

The three women exchanged glances again.

“Physical connection helps,” Bryn offered delicately.

“A lot of physical connection,” Thora added with a smirk. “But it’s more than that. Time together, learning each other’s rhythms, accepting the bond rather than fighting it.”

“What happens if you fight it?” Artemis asked, absently tracing the rim of her glass.

Kalyna’s expression sobered. “It becomes volatile. Unpredictable. Magic follows emotion—especially strong emotions like anger, fear... or desire.”

“So when we touch and things start floating...” Artemis began.

“Your magic is seeking equilibrium,” Kalyna explained. “It’s like two powerful rivers converging—there’s turbulence until they find their shared course.”

Artemis considered this, thinking about the handprints that pulsed with golden light, the way her spells amplified when Bartek was near, the electric current that seemed to flow between them. “It doesn’t feel like a choice,” she admitted. “More like...”

“Inevitability,” Bryn supplied. “That’s how mate bonds work. They’re not forced, but once initiated, they’re inexorable.”

“Unless you break it,” Thora added.

“Break it?” Artemis frowned.

“Mate bonds can be severed, but it’s painful. Magically and emotionally traumatic,” Kalyna explained. “Most couples who try find themselves circling back to each other eventually. The bond recognizes something the conscious mind might deny.”

Thora leaned forward. “The real question is do you want this? Not the magic or the handprints, but Bartek himself. The grumpy, overprotective, duty-bound alpha with his pride responsibilities and his stubborn determination.”

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