“My… your mate?” I asked carefully.
“Yes. All gods have one. The one made for us.” He shrugged. “I haven’t met mine yet.”
My heart hammered. “How would you know?”
“There’ll be a golden bond between us.”
My gaze dropped instinctively between us. The moon didn’t make mistakes. Was this fate, twisted and cruel?
“We can’t tell anyone,” he added quickly, cutting through my thoughts. “Gods are only meant to be with their mates. I don’t want anyone knowing we’re married.”
“Fine,” I said. “But you come to the crowning in a month. They have to meet you. I’ll be sworn in as permanent queen. It’s the most important day of my life.”
He didn’t hesitate. “Deal.”
He held out his hand.
After a beat, I slid mine into his.
“I’m going to have to live with you until the crowning,” I blurted out.
“What?” he gawked at me.
“The coven knows I am getting married right now. It is customary for the queen and her husband to be gone until the crowning. I mean, maybe for an event or two if needed.”
“Why is that a custom?” he asked.
My cheeks immediately heated. And his body was tense.
“To produce an heir,” I whispered.
“Fucking.” He glared. “That will not be happening between us. This is a marriage in name only.”
Something inside my chest sank. This didn’t mean anything to him.
“I know,” I said quickly. “But they can’t know it’s a sham. Not yet. Once I’m sworn in, you can leave.”
You would be the one leaving. Not me.
Abram studied me for a long moment, jaw tight. Then he exhaled.
“Fine.” He gave in. “Let’s go home.”
I grabbed the bag I had packed before coming. He grabbed my hand and used his magic to take us away. When we reappeared, my eyes widened as I saw we were outside of a beautiful black home deep in the woods. It wasn’t large, but it looked homey. He led me inside, and his scent instantly filled my lungs. I relaxed asI glanced at the house. The walls were covered in art and small wooden carvings.
Rocking chairs faced the fire that was roaring. I took a step forward and glanced over the pretty kitchen. I looked over my shoulder at Abram and smiled.
“This is not what I thought your home would look like.” I turned back to look over the shelf of books. “It’s beautiful.”
Abram’s soft footsteps stopped right behind me.
“Thank you.”
I looked over each book, each carving, everything my greedy eyes could because this was like seeing inside his head. Did anyone ever get to come here?
“We have a problem,” he sighed as he grabbed my hand before leading me to the left. He opened the door, and a large bed sat against the far wall. My chest was tight as I stared at the bed. I had never been with a man. I had never even kissed one.
I had always been a little scared to give myself away like that. I glanced at Abram and frowned—he didn’t make that seem scary to me. He said that wasn’t going to happen, though. I shook my head as I looked at the bedroom. It felt oddly intimate to see where he slept.
