Page 130 of Night's Fall
Therefore,Ididn’t know what might happen when one ran across their mate without their beast alive within them.Theydidn’t write that scenario in romance novels.
Mates were mates, the human part of us, and the creature.Butclearly, the creatures called to each other, like mine did, even being roused from a drugged state to do it.
I didn’t know what would have happened ifIdidn’t have her.
ButIsensedImight have missed it altogether, since, when she went back to her unconscious state,Idid just that.
“Is that possible?”Iasked about identifying someone’s mate before they knew of their mate.
He nodded. “Yes.Thereare witches who have the power to pinpoint a being’s fate.Theycost a good deal of money.Therearen’t many of them, but they exist.”
“Okay.Butwhy would someone do that?”
“Well, if that someone wasAnna, she’d have the means and the motive to make certainIdidn’t find the being who was meant to be mine since she considers me hers.”
“Oh my gods,”Ibreathed.
“However, their switching targets to me does not seem like somethingAnnawould wish.Thatsaid, she was not happyIbroke things off with her, so it’s highly doubtful, but it isn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility.”
I was thinking we had more to talk about when it came toPrincessAnna.
Aleksei kept sharing, but not about her.
“The same with means and motive forTimothee, or less likely,Errol, just to fuck with me.”
“Oh my gods,”Isaid a whole lot louder.
“However, considering they turned their weapons on me when they had the chance, an orderIcannot begin to think either of my brothers would be behind, it hints at something deeper, more sinister and more concerning.”
Uh-oh.
“That would be?”Iasked, even ifIwasn’t sureIwanted to know.
“I introduced a bill in theUCRthat would make it illegal, and punishable by prison time, to have sexual relations with or marry, even with parental consent, a minor under the age of fifteen.”
TheUCRwas theUnitedCouncilofRealms, the governing body that oversaw allFourRealmsin matters that could supersede the laws a realm made for itself.
It also had other functions that carried on afterUnificationcrashed.Therewas a central bank, so we all used the same money.Therewas open trade and open borders.Andsome taxes went their way, so they could allocate resources, say should there be a natural disaster where humanitarian efforts and rebuilding were needed.
“I heard about that,”Isaid. “Butit isn’t controversial.Eachrealm has a law in place that forbids it anyway.Exceptthe parental consent thing.Evenso, they say it’ll breeze through passage.”
“It has some opposition.”
Yuck.Fromwho?
Aleksei answered my unasked question. “Sky’sEdge.”
I wanted to roll my eyes.
I didn’t roll my eyes.
Sky’sEdgewas always stirring up trouble.
“KingArnaud,”Iguessed.
“Apparently, he’s in love.”
“He’s in love a lot,”Ireplied.
