Page 33 of Tasteful Anarchy and Tangled Auras
I AWAKE THE NEXT MORNINGto my body singing with need. I chuckle to myself. Ossy is making me a glutton. I roll to find him and see a flash of dark hair at the same time that I feel the shimmery green bond.
Bryn is standing at the foot of the bed, and he ispissed. Though saying he is pissed is like saying the surface of the sun is warm.
My face pales. He looks rugged, dirty, and has cuts across his face. My eyebrows draw down in anger, and I crawl across the bed. “Who hurt yo—” I’m reaching for his face when his hand grabs mine.
“Do not touch me, Priestess. I am fine. So are you, apparently.” His voice is brittle. His eyes flick to Ossy, gloriously naked in the bed.
“Oh, Bryn, you’ve missed so much. The rumors at court, word from the Temple...and...word from the EA...and that’s Osmund. He’s my mate.”
His mouth drops. “Your....”
I hop out of bed and grab Bryn’s hand, dragging him to the library so we don’t wake Ossy. I shut the door behind us. Bryn is standing, arms crossed, staring at me. He raises his eyebrows. All I want to do is run to him and throw myself into his arms and listen to his heartbeat. I’ve been so worried about him. But I can tell he’s confused. Or maybe territorial. I can’t figure it out. I’m not feeling anger from him, though.
The fear that I've been polishing like a stone in my mind races back. He can’t stand spoiled court females. He can’t stand royals. He can’t standme. He willhatebeing my mate, being tied to court. I bite my lip. Why does he still confound me so? And how do I tell him he’s now a part of my very aura?
Bryn
I ENTER OUR ROOMS,tired and in need of a shower, but triumphant and also terrified. I know who the rite will feature. And it’s much worse than I had contemplated. But then the smell hits me: a chroí, my heart, covered in another male’s scent. My chest aches, but I have been gone so long. She has needs, I try to tell myself. It is what it is. It means nothing. Changes nothing between us.
But then I realize he’s here. In our rooms. The need to possess her hits me. She’smineand I need my skin against hers, her slickness on my body, my seed deep inside her. I’ll erase him from memory. He’s nothing. He’llbenothing, when I’m done with her.
But even as these thoughts flash through me, I remember she doesn’t know she’s mine. She’s probably even still mad at me, stubborn female.
My eyes settle on him, then, in our bed. Tall and blonde and built. I puzzle for a second. He’s not of our court. Then fury hits me. This is mine. This wassupposedto be mine. How has it been taken from me? The intensity of my wrath makes me gasp.
I shake my head and breathe deeply. Adelaide is a person. Wickedly smart, witty, motivated, and fiercely loyal to those who earn her trust. She’s not mine, even though she’s a piece of my heart. She’s indelibly changed me, but she’s not my possession. I cannot drag her out of here and lock her in a cabin and take her repeatedly, often and well, until she recognizes me as her mate.
Breathe in, breathe out. Not mine, not mine, not mine. She deserves to have her needs met and deserves happiness. A dark chuckle threatens to escape. Apparently what makes her happy is a Viking with a freakishly large dick.
And then...she wakes. Stirs, stretches. And reaches for him. I wouldn’t have thought my chest could ache more, but there it is.
Breathe, just breathe.
Her eyes snap to me, widening in surprise. I see fear in her gaze. She’s afraid of me. Fuck that hurts.
“Oh, Bryn, you’ve missed so much. The rumors at Court, word from the Temple...and...word from the EA...and that’s Osmund. He’s my mate.” Her voice when she says my name is so gentle. When she sayshis, she’s...reverent, almost. It breaks me. I dig my nails into my palms. She should be reverent; mates are so rare. But how is it him, not me?
I stand, just...gobsmacked. She climbs out of bed, indescribably beautiful. I try to memorize her, fearing I won’t see her again. A mate is infinitely more than a consort. Even if she wanted me around, her mate would never allow it. Oh Goddess. I’m losing her completely.
My stomach revolts and I force the bile back down. I waited too long. I should have told her, should have faced her reaction. She grabs my hand and leads me to the library, shutting the door. My throat closes thickly. I haven’t had enough time with her, haven’t made enough memories here. I wrap my arms around myself to keep from falling apart. I just stare at her, trying to take her all in. She seems to be waiting for me to say something, but I cannot. Finally, she breaks the silence.
“Bryn....” She steps towards me.
“No, Adelaide, stop. I...I cannot,” and my voice breaks. She comes up short and studies my face. I continue softly. “I’ll get my things....”
“What?” Her voice is full of hurt. “You hate me that much, huh? I thought...we.... Everything...maybe? But, alright....”
“Hate you?” I snap. “Goddess, no, Adi. I’ve done everything I can think of to make you trust me, to gain forgiveness for myinitial lies about EA.” My words slow as I watch her face. And I realize that something here is wrong. Very wrong.
I act. I cannot hesitate again. I pull her towards me and wrap my arms around her, holding her tightly, finally, and my chest eases. The press of her against me soothes something inside me. Her little body molds to mine. She wraps her arms around me, places her face against my chest. She accepts this contact. Welcomes it, even.
And suddenly I’m aware of her nakedness and his scent and I cannot stop myself. I take her chin in my hand and tilt her head up. She opens her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. “No words, little...one.” I manage not to say the word that is in my mind: mate.
And I kiss her. Deeply. Tongues finding each other, possession in my motions. I stroke down her face, leisurely lift her curls behind her shoulders, trace my fingers down her sides.
Her arms wrap around my neck and she jumps. I grab her, surprised, and wrap her legs around me. “Shh,” I murmur into her neck, inhaling her scent like an addict, as I sneak us out of the library, through the bedroom with the damn sleeping Viking, and into the shower.
I turn on the water and press her back to the tile of the walk-in shower. I use my hands to trace and tickle all up and down her sides as we kiss. She’s making little noises of need. I gently unwrap her legs.
