“Vivian! Is something wrong?” He asks, concerned.
“Not at all! Ignore us,” I note with a reassuring smile. Everyone is probably on edge over the war.
Varian stops in front of us, and he arches a playful brow. “Ah, so you must be here to enthrall some more creatures. Getting greedy? A three-headed dog and a dragon aren’t enough?”
Sin’s hand twitches against the small of my back, but I laugh off the dragon shifter. After Conner, Magnus, and Damien, I might be immune to flirting.
“You have it all wrong. I don’t enthrall creatures, I train them. There’s a difference,” I clap back, thinking the jab at his pride will put a stop to his advances.
Of course, it backfires.
Varian’s eyes heat, and he steps closer, invading my personal bubble. “In that case, mistress, what kind of treat are you going to give me if I’m a good boy?”
I immediately try to back up a step, only to bump into Sin. There’s a flash of red, and in less than a blink, Varian is sprawled onto the ground, gasping for air.
“I would advise against flirting with my mate,” Sin notes mildly, before pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
Butterflies erupt from an area that definitely isn’t my stomach.
That can’t be normal, can it?
Varian sputters as he pulls himself back to standing, “But she isn’t your mate.”
My eyes widen. Is this man seriously challenging Sin’s claim over me? “No, I definitely am,” I correct before this goes badly.
Varian glances between the two of us, looking genuinely confused. “You aren’t. I’m a shifter. We can smell the difference. When females form a mate bond, their scent becomes muted to anyone but their mate.” His eyes drift down my body, and he adds with a rumbling purr, “And you smell like temptation incarnate.”
“How upset will you be if I kill him?” Sin whispers, not caring that Varian can definitely hear him.
I tilt my head back to give him a soft kiss. “He’s on our side.”
We should at least try to explain the situation before resorting to violence. Still, I’m not keen on broadcasting the news about my shattered soul. My friends and Ragna know, and that seems like more than enough.
It takes me a second to realize that I didn’t immediately dismiss the idea of hurting our ally.
Oh boy, maybe I am getting more violent than usual. The whole soul deterioration thing might be a problem sooner rather than later.
Maybe I should try to meditate tonight.
Thankfully, Damien jogs over before my severely impaired judgment gets someone killed.
He claps Varian on the shoulder. “Sorry to break it to you, but Vivian is definitely mated. The reason shesmells so good is because she’s holding out for more mates.”
I laugh at his terrible excuse, only to stop short when I realize everyone still looks serious.
Sin tenses behind me.
Varian looks at him like he’s deliberating something, before his eyes come back to me. He inhales, and the amber in his eyes becomes small slits, as his black pupils expand. “I can share,” he says, and it comes out on a low, shuddering breath.
A growl builds in Sin’s chest.
Damien jumps in again, and his hand tightens on Varian’s shoulder. “See, Magnus and I had the same thought, but you might as well give up hope. Vivian already told us she’s holding out for Irena and Rosie.”
“I did say that,” I agree, and it takes everything in me to keep a straight face.
Varian’s brow lifts before he throws his head back and lets out a sound of pure suffering. “Lucky bastard. That’s a mental image that will be playing in my fantasies for centuries to come.”
I really didn’t need that information.
