Page 72 of Blood Bought

Chapter Thirty-One:

The mates’ lounge wasgorgeous. Big, fluffy couches, a giant, intricate fireplace, books, a pool table, and enough torches and candles that it was easily the brightest room in the castle that I’d seen so far. It was void of people for the moment, so I took the opportunity to face Alaris. “Okay. You’ll have to forgive me, but I have questions,” I said quietly. “I know that you guys throw out a lot of terms but I think I’m starting to understand. So anyone you may want to mate is considered marked or claimed, right? And then there are two types of mates, ones that you choose and ones that are chosen for you, and there’s a ritual that makes you bonded?”

He moved around me to admire the bookshelf. “I never come in here. Sorry, I’m distracted by books. Yes, you’re right. Marked is when we want to claim you, claimed is when youagreeto be claimed. Mates we choose are like most marriages, mates chosen for us are basically fate. But we can choose to ignore it if we want to. Some in the older generations have.”

I huffed. “Right, because ignoring this has worked out so well for us so far.”

He set the book he was flipping through down and faced me, closing the distance between us once more. “The timeframe for choosing is gone. You don’t have a choice anymore, Sweets. You’re mine.”

“What?” I tilted my head, squinting as I tried to read thoughts that were well and truly out of my reach. “What do you mean, the time is gone?”

“I mean I wouldn’t let you go.” He touched my face, his thumb sliding across my lips softly. “I’m hooked. You’ve claimed me as much as I’ve claimed you.”

My breath caught in my throat as I leaned into his touch. “I’m here, Alaris. I don’t want to leave.”

“Good.” He lifted me off my feet with ease, catching me in a deep kiss as he backed me against the wall. He took me apart with his mouth right there in the lounge without any regard for anyone else, and even as I felt him harden against me, I got the vibe he was content to stay right there.

I let him go until I was ready to let him fuck me in front of the entire castle, then slid my hand between our mouths and smirked slightly. “Bad Alaris. We were having a serious conversation.”

“Were we?” He grinned cockily and set me down. “Okay, next question, Miss Silk. I’ll answer anything you want after that kiss.”

Trying to pick just one was hard. “How often did you come see me when I was growing up?”

The cockiness was gone, replaced with something just shy of bashfulness. “Not often. I normally caught myself before I made it all the way. Once you went through puberty, I stopped altogether. I had Azel put a spell on the castle so I couldn’t teleport out of it unless I was awake. I stayed away from the time you turned thirteen until I saw you here in the cell.”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. “I see.” I stepped in, pulling him down by his chin to kiss him again, biting his bottom lip and sucking until I heard him let out a sharp breath. “Did that earn me another answer?”

“Possibly. Try it one more time.”

I jumped up and wrapped my legs around his waist, tugging his hair as I kissed him deeply, fully.“How bout now?”I thought loudly, catching his tongue between my teeth.

He hissed, huffing slightly at the delicious pain and then he nodded. “Go ahead, Addy Cat. Ask away.”

“Ugh.” I dropped back to my feet and raised an eyebrow. “Are you all seriously going to call me that now? It’s awful, but whatever. My question is... how do you still look so young when you’re so old? I don’t mean that to sound the way it does, it’s just... I know Renzo still looks young because he’s Faux and their bodies stay the same once they’re turned. But Brander isn’t much older than you in years even though he looks like he’s twice your age at least. I tried asking about it before and no one would tell me.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want you to know,” he admits. “Didn’t want you wishing the sickness on me back then. Have you heard of Obsidian Sickness?”

I frowned deeply. “Yeah, I have. What does that have to do with it, though?”

“We went through a ritual to sustain our youth. Against the Aphas’ wishes, of course, because once the ritual is done, we’re susceptible to the sickness. Obsidians who age aren’t. It’s why so many of us choose not to do it.”

At the risk of asking a follow-up question, I licked my lips. “So why did you choose to? Isn’t Obsidian Sickness fatal? Like you become so bloodthirsty it drives you literally mad until the starvation takes you?”

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