“Same weaver, though. They’re amazing.” She shakes her head.
I respond with a furrowed brow.
“Oh, sorry. It’s just these last two weeks, I’ve uttered amazing too many times. I need to widen my vocabulary.”
“Stupendous?” I offer. “Beguiling?”
“Oh, those are good high-end scrabble words.” She laughs. “Should I sit?”
“Please.”
My heart twists when she sits on the sofa where I normally do. I like it a little too much. I cross to the fireplace and poke at the fire.
“It’s nice having a fire even when it’s so hot outside. The castle can be chilly.”
“Are you not warm enough? We can have someone light your fire at night.” I lean on the fireplace mantle and hesitate, looking from Evander’s chair to Roark’s chair. I need Evander energy. The whole do-the-task-and-ask-for-permission-later thing he does.
“No, I like having layers of blankets.”
I lean back and then sit up. I’ve never felt this uncomfortable energy. “Are you comfortable now, or is it too hot?”
“No, I like it.” She’s leaning forward too. Fuck, I want to sit on the sofa with her, but... this is normally a conversation we would have had with a candidate in the first week, before the ceremony.
“I want to talk about what happened last week.”
Her expression drops and she nods. “Okay.” She’s being brave. I don’t have any right to be proud, but I am.
“But there are some things you need to know before...”
She gives another nod.
“Shifters have fated mates. Are you familiar with how they work?”
“I’m not a shifter chaser. Though I did go to a shifter bar once with Chanda and Kate. It was fun, but I went home alone.”
“I know you’re not a shifter chaser.”
“Right. Background check.”
“Yes.”
“Roark said you have a thunder?”
“He did.” I try not to scowl at the fact he broke protocol, but he told me he told her. “Yes, we will share a mate. Did he explain anything else?”
“That you have had some help looking for your mate, but he didn’t clarify and I didn’t pry.”
“Yes, well, thank you. It’s true, we have had some help. You know about shifters, but what other-realm beings do you know about?”
She blinks at me. “Other-realm?”
“This is partly where the NDA comes in.”
“I understand.”
“There are other beings living with humans. I won’t go into all of them, just... there are witches. Witchcraft. Andamong the witches, there are those who have vast power as seers.” I’m wondering if vast might be a stretch, seeing that they haven’t found the right candidate for us...
“Oh, I guess that’s helpful. But won’t you know your mate when she appears via smell?”
