Her brows snapped together in confusion. “Who?”
“The Goddess of shifters. Do they not pass down her legends in other parts of the Harrowlands?”
“Not in my part. But then we don't have much kidnapping either. Feel free to remedy that any time. Drop me back at the bar. I won’t tell anyone you dragged me to this… bear hole. We’ll forget I even left the village.”
Her hand clapped on her mouth. She inched away like that would take back her words. I adjusted my grip on her ankle. That was a lot to take in. If she did think she was human, there wasn’t supposed to be a village for her to leave. Monsters banned them after humans robbed our world and starting the Black Plague in theirs. Who was hiding a secret human village in the Harrowlands, and how could a human be my mate? A mate I literally could not let go of.
“No. It’s not safe. I'm sorry I'm scaring you, but I have to be holding you. There is a sickness riding all shifters except for you and our tentative bond seems to be the only thing keeping me sane. Can't you feel the Goddess’ call?”
“Okaaaaaaay… I can guarantee you, I’ve been one hundred percent human until now. No snake included. I’ve never had a random offer to bond before. And, by the way, bonding someone you first meet sounds a little intense for a stranger. A stranger who’s already had a day turning into a snake. Which was not on my list of birthday gifts.”
I bit back my words that we were not strangers, we were mates. I might have ignored that side of me for a long time, but even I could feel that. That she couldn’t, left me rudderless.
“Well, we can fix that, right?”
“The snake thing? The kidnapping? Or the bond thing? Because I know you didn’t see me as a two-foot tube and decided you just had to have me. That’s insane. If you’re not going to kill me, do you want to marry me or something? I couldn’t even get Abner to marry me with two years of being everything he asked. There’s no way you would want to love a hot mess stranger.”
Her babbling came so fast it made my head spin. Was Abner someone I needed to kill? Why did she insist she was human? The human traditions of a wedding paled compared to the mate bond. I couldn’t deny that she wasn’t the usual shifter, and she wasn’t automatically falling into my arms in lust, as I had heard of some pairings. This was such a disaster.
“Strangers. We don’t have to be strangers, Evie.” Sweat popped out on my brow.
“That’s all well and good, but can you help with the snake thing?”
I didn’t want to fail her already, but the strain of keeping her human without her participation tightened my spine and clenched my muscles. The structure of my spell was breaking down with so many repetitions.
“I must release your form, mate…” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Evie. You can still speak to me. Our fresh bond at least affords us that.”
“Wait.” She grabbed my tunic, frantically pulling at me. “I need hands. I’ve never been without hands and legs. I can’t be the thing everyone uses as nightmare fodder for their kids. Shifters are killers.”
I almost lost my grip on her. Others said the same thing about my bear over the years, but for another shifter to say it—to have my mate say it—cut deep in a place I thought I scarred over.
“I would. Never. Ever. Harm. You. Evie. But I cannot, will not, let you go.”
I hated the panic in her eyes as her snake form slowly pushed back to the surface. The dew drop beads of her snake eyes looked no more calm.
CAN YOU HEAR ME STILL?
I closed my eyes, willing patience, as I put my hands over my ears in an automatic gesture.Please stop shouting. I can hear you.
Oh,her head bobbed.Sorry. And thanks for not doing any murder.
I don’t know if I can help you hold your shift if it was this difficult for such a short time, but the Relic of Veretis might. As the Goddess of shifters, any relic of hers should help you.
I didn’t want to scare her further that something could be wrong with it. I suspected that’s where the call of madness originated from and if it healed her, maybe it would stop broadcasting. She didn’t seem to hear the call, even when she wasn’t in physical contact with me.
She perked at that, curiosity shining in her eyes.That seems kinda cool. I’ve never seen a relic in real life.The light in her eyes dimmed a bit.I’m not really a questing kind of girl, though. Don’t run. Not even much of a walker. And I wouldn’t count on my slithering abilities. My hobbies are reading and collecting weird shit. That’s not someone born to quest.
I seized on the fact she didn’t say no. Gathering her into my hands, I let her wrap around my fingers and wrist. Her scales made the hair rise on my arms.
“You won’t have to do anything. I have plenty of experience adventuring. Think of it like reading the book version of questing.”
Just one peek and then you can get me back? Human, whole? I’m not a shifter. Or a snake,she said, curling around my forearm in a brain-jolting slide of scales.
Could I teach her to shift long enough to get a taste of her skin? I shook all over, willing back my need and refocusing on our epic task. I stared hard at her snake form.
Okay. I might be a snake, but I’m not supposed to be.
That was up for debate, but I didn’t want to scare her off when I could feel her caving. “I will do everything in my power to allow you to shift.” That was as far as I would go. My mate was a shifter, and she was mine. I would disabuse her of the rest later.
