Page 111 of Soul of Thorns
Her eyes widen then dart past me to my mother still watching us slack-jawed. I have a lot to explain. To everyone.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I tell her and then head out into the hall to speak with my shocked-silent mother.
She stumbles back into the bright hall, and I shut the door behind us.
“That’s...”
“Caelynn. Yes,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck.
“You... she...” My mother is a lovely, eloquent woman usually. Poised and calm. Good with words. Not so much today. Her eyes flicker dark, the bright silver flashing. Her dark hair is braided down her back.
“She is my mate, mother.”
What little color was left on her face drains entirely. “No,” she breathes.
“It’s taken me a while to come to grips with it too.”
She shakes her head rapidly. “No. Even if it’s true. Even if...”
“She saved me,” I say simply. The story is so much more complicated than that. She’s saved me time and time again. I’ve only just returned the favor. I still owe her everything.
“I—that... that doesn’t matter. Mate-ship doesn’t matter.” Her cheeks turn blood red. “You do not have to choose her, Reveln. You...”
“I know that,” I say.
I pull my flustered mother into my arms, holding her tightly. I don’t expect her to understand. Not now. Not so quickly.
“But I do anyway.”
She knew Caelynn and I had worked together in the trials. She knew Caelynn was helping me with my quest after, and though she wasn’t particularly pleased, she’d never commented on it. That was my father’s job.
But now, things are different.
I don’t know how things will change. I don’t know what it means between us. But Caelynn is my mate. And I will fight for her.
Rev
