“No. Does it scareyou?”
“It excites me,” he said without hesitation.
“You don’t worry about how hard it could be? There are so many obstacles.”
“Forget the obstacles for a moment. Do you want what you saw in the mirror?”
“I want it,” she whispered, even as her mind screamed at her that this was a selfish thing to admit.
“Then tell me you’ll stay awhile longer. Stay a few weeks at least. Be with me. Don’t go running back into danger alone—not until you find a way to stay safe. That’s the only thing that really matters.” He spoke the words into her ear, and it made her body tingle as her heart pounded rapidly in her chest.
It was almost impossible to say no while she was nestled in his lap. “I’d love to stay. More than anything. But I have to go back eventually,” she hedged. If only he could come with her. But she’d never be able to get him a visa. Not unless they got married.
She pursed her lips, chastising herself mentally. While the idea of marriage was less absurd than it had been that morning, it was still too absurd to speak aloud.
“Stay for now, and you’ll return when it’s safe.” His arms were still encasing her, and he squeezed her gently.
“I’ll certainly stay for the night.” She smiled at her own dumb joke.
Brayden dug his fingers into her rib cage, making her squeal, and when she began to protest, turning in his arms to look at him, he twisted his face into a theatrical scowl, making her laugh.
“What were you going to tell me?” she asked once her laughterhad died down. It was an obvious attempt to distract him, but hehadteased her with something he wanted to say.
He relaxed his grip and pulled her back into his chest once more. “Do you remember Gwen mentioning North Stars?”
A hazy memory from the valor ceremony came back to her. “I’d forgotten, but yes. She said something about a North Star rune wanting to come through, right? What’s a North Star?” She put her hands on his thighs, and he placed his palms over hers.
“How do I explain this…?”
“Spit it out.” She squirmed in his lap, wanting to see his face.
“No—stay.” He circled her waist with his arms and pulled her tight against him.
She relaxed, surrendering.
He made a contented sound in his throat. “That’s better. North Star runes appear for two people. Never one person. And as far as I know, they’re always a couple. Gwen seeing North Star runes for us means we’re twin flames. Goddess-blessed, fated mates. If we get the runes at the temple, we’ll be able to hear each other’s thoughts and possibly be able to share valor powers.”
Scarlett digested this in silence. Was that why he’d kissed her in the woods—because they were fated mates? “Is this like seeing someone in the mirror? Because Gwen said the mirror doesn’t always predict your true love.”
“No, it’s not like that,” he rushed to say. “This is real. We’re literallyitfor each other. And Scarlett, I told you when we kissed, I’ve had it bad for you for years.”
She flushed with pleasure at his words, but she still didn’t totally understand. “I love hearing you say that. But I belong in Soleil, and you belong here. How does the North Star change things?” Desperate to see his face, she turned in his lap. This time he didn’t stop her as she repositioned herself so she was facing him directly. She sat back on her heels, still nestled in the V of his thighs.
His dark gaze met hers, and she saw the want in his eyes. Want and zero doubt.
He intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand. “You belong withme. That’s what this means. We don’t belong anywhere more than we belong with each other.”
His words reminded her of Alastair. “We’re forever linked,” he’d said. She hated thinking of him at this moment, but he’d said similar things, and he was so wrong. What if Brayden was wrong too?
“How can you say that when you don’t know what it’s like to be with me?” she whispered. “What if you spend time with me in real life and you like me less?” It was the first time she’d spoken her deepest fear about Brayden out loud, and her throat grew thick, making it hard to swallow. Scarlett put her fingers to his lips before he could speak. “We’re close, but we’re not a couple. What if we’re not sexually compatible, or you want kids and I don’t? What if you can’t stand how much I love to eat ice cream in bed?” She smiled, trying to lighten the mood and make him see reason, but he stared at her, his expression defiant. “How can you just accept that we belong together?” she said finally.
He shook his head. “That’s not how it works. You don’t get a North Star if you’re incompatible in a major way. Besides, I already know you want kids, so that isn’t a real issue.”
Her heart fluttered in spite of herself. Brayden being hers on a cellular level… It was too good to be true. How could she make him see how imperfect she was?
Her heart fell as she realized what she could say to push him away. “I had my first orgasm last night with the sex toy Minnie gave me.” She searched his face for a reaction, but he stared at her dumbly. “Wouldn’t your ideal woman have had an orgasm before age twenty-two?”
His pupils dilated. “You mean after the party, when we said good night?”
