“With you, nothing is normal. But yes, to a degree. Infala bonding can be quite intense, and if the bond is particularly strong, mates can feel one another across great distances.”
“That’s so romantic. I mean, probably crazy distracting at times, but romantic all the same. Now, what was it you wanted?”
He opened the compartment. It was the one in which he kept his shiny things. The few valuable bits and bobs he’d tucked away over the years. He reached to the back, knocking a few items aside as he retrieved a small ornate box. It was inlay, she realized, and worth a fortune by the look of it.
Stones and wood and metal, all intermingled to fashion a beautiful design. It was a castle in the distance, surrounded by vast lands and colorful vegetation. How they managed to achieve such a wide mix of colors was beside her. A master craftsman had clearly built this, and it must have taken them ages. But how did a mountain man come to possess something of its kind?
She decided this wasn’t the time to ask. There would be plenty of time later, and right now he wanted to give her something. Who was she to interrupt his flow?
He opened the box, pushing aside a few items that had stones of such size and brilliance they had to be costume jewelry. But he eschewed those pieces, instead pulling out a delicate pendant on a silver chain. It was some sort of sigil or crest, again made with incredibly fine detailed workmanship. She realized it was the same design as was on his larger tech pendant. But what did it mean?
Braxxos reached behind her head, clasping it in place, the pendant resting comfortably on her neck.
Margot lifted it from her skin, turning it over in her hand. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”
“My grandmother’s,” he noted. “She died shortly after I was born, so I didn’t really know her, but all who did loved her dearly. My mother gave that to me as a boy. And now it is yours.”
“It’s a family heirloom. I couldn’t.”
“You are my mate, and I would share everything with you.”
He picked up the fallen items, putting them back in their place, but when he touched the odd tech sigil pendant something strange happened. It didn’t turn red this time. Not entirely. Now there was gold as well.
“Weird. It didn’t do that before,” she commented.
The look on his face was one of pure shock. He was utterly gobsmacked.
“What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“No ghost. But this is impossible.”
He pulled his shirt off in one fluid motion, staring hard at his runes covering his body.
“How…How can this be?”
Margot didn’t have to ask what he was talking about. It was clear as day what had shocked him so. His pigment, tainted and poisoned, was no longer green. In fact, only the faintest hints of the contaminant remained, barely visible to the naked eye.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your blood has done more than just bond us, my love. Things are changing, and in a way that should be impossible.”
“Seems a lot of that’s been happening today.”
Margot stared at him, the expression on his face still frozen in a look of disbelief, confusion, and awe. Whatever this was, he clearly needed a little time to process.
Yeah, I think he might want some alone time.
“Hey, I’m going to go pick us some fruit. Something sweet for my sweet.”
He turned to her, regaining his composure, at least a bit. “That is horribly cheesy, my dearest.”
“I know. And you know you love it.”
“I loveyou, and you know it.”
“Aww, such a sweet, sappy man.” She moved close and kissed him hard. “I love you too, you know.”
“I do. I can feel it not only in my heart, but in my Infala, and I swear that so long as my heart beats I will always keep you safe.”
