Page 20 of Fractured Souls
“Looks far more formidable than it is on the inside,” I said, kissing her shoulder as she leaned back into me. I could feel eyes on us, villagers watching us eagerly and trying to gain attention from both my guard and myself, but I paid them no mind. I knew Lorcan, especially now that she was sober, didn’t love the overt amount of attention her magic garnered, so I planned on keeping her occupied. And if shedidnotice, I would suggest we go inside.
“How many people live there? I know with Desmond’s place he has family living there, but I can’t imagine it’s fun living in a castle by yourself.” Her voice grew quiet at the end, her eyes darkening with sadness. There was also an underlying sense of possessiveness to her tone that I wasn’t sure she recognized because it came from her siren.
But not just her siren…No, I had a feeling that Lorcan didn’t like the idea of me living with anyone else.
“Castle attendants and guards,” I answered. “I also have trusted advisors that oversee large scale decisions while I’m gone. Some of the first men that originally left the Kingdom of Day with me.”
“No women?” she asked immediately, trying to hide her jealousy at the idea.
I chuckled. “No, princess. No women. At the time, the only people I felt safe around were some of my classmates at the academy our parents threw us in to pass the days. It was their attempt to keep us safe, or so they said, but it was really so they could do whatever the hell they wanted.”
“Oh, I get that.” She curled further against me, hesitating before she continued. “I would understand if there had been others—”
“No.” I pressed my fingers gently to her lips. “There was and is no one else, princess.”
“Okay,” she whispered, the softness in her gaze giving way to a smirk. “Probably a good thing—who knows what my siren would do.”
I chuckled at that. “I have a feeling your siren is going to like this marking ceremony then.”
Lorcan turned towards me and captured my face between her palms. “Please,pleasetell me? Come on, we’re almost there.”
Smiling, I pressed forward and kissed her gently, her body instantly melting against mine. I let out a hum of approval, knowing that it wasn’t fair to keep her in suspense.
“Besides being my queen and wanting them to know it,” I drew out, “you are also mymaité anam.”
“Yourwhat?”
“Mate—soul mate.”
Lorcan froze in surprise.
I knew it wasn’t a bad type of surprise, so I gave her a moment to process that. Then her seafoam green gaze turned blue and filled with an intensity of emotion that I loved.
“Soul mate?” she asked, her voice soft and curious.
“That’s right,” I confirmed. “We’re already bonded through your magic, and my magic has marked the fuck out of you—but I want to make it clear to everyone what you are to us.”
“Yourmaité anam,” she murmured again, her smile growing. “I love that.”
“Well good, because you’re stuck with me.” I nipped her lip and she let out a small moan, my hand stringing through her hair as I deepened the kiss. I tried to pour every ounce of emotion I was feeling into the kiss, and when I finally pulled away, her cheeks were flushed and eyes dilated with need.
“So…” She swallowed, looking a bit disoriented. “The marking part?”
“It’s our magic. It’s a ceremony, actually,” I explained softly. Her magic flared, telling me her siren approved of the situation.
Lorcan’s lip jutted out as she scowled. “Well that doesn’t sound nearly as fun as what I was imagining when you said ‘mark in front of everyone.’”
A low groan broke from my throat as I rolled us in a sharp movement, keeping her pinned beneath me on the roof of the carriage. “Yeah, princess? What were you imagining?”
“Something a bit more possessive,” she teased, running a hand over my chest.
“Believe me, this is fucking possessive.” I brushed her lips and spoke hotly. “I’m extremely possessive over you, which is why I can’t imagine doing anything but kissing you in front of all these fuckers watching us right now. I don’t want them hearing or seeing any part of you like that. I’m a selfish bastard and want that for myself.”
Lorcan sighed happily. “Well I can’t really argue with that. Plus, I do love the idea of being marked by you, no matter what form.”
I was already ridiculously hard from being pressed up against Lorcan, but I had to bury my nose against her throat as I tried to keep a tight hold on my damn control. Luckily, almost right at that moment, the carriage came to a stop. My head snapped up as I realized we had made it all the way through the city and into the castle gates.
Well, if people didn’t realize that I had a mate before, they would have seen it now.
