“Dare I ask what you are doing now?”
“Checking for consistency.”
“It’s time for me to do a little checking of my own.”
Before Kat could ask what Xavier planned to check, his world flipped right side up, and he was in free fall. Luckily, he hit the mattress before he could freak out.
“You could’ve warned me.” He looked up at Xavier through his lashes.
“Yes, I could’ve.” Xavier’s wide grin caught his breath.
Damn, his mate was beautiful, not in the cover model, too shiny and perfect way, but in the living embodiment of everything he wanted in one person way. Instead of giving in to his urge to stare at his mate for hours, he waved regally. “You may commence undressing,” he announced in his loftiest tone.
“Yes, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness.”
“You’re welcome, peasant.” Kat scooted back and kicked off his shoes to prevent them from messing up the bed. “Now strip.”
Xavier’s amused huff warmed Kat’s soul. Then Xavier removed his shirt, and Kat had another reason to forget to breathe.
He’d expected muscles after being pressed against Xavier’s body. He hadn’t expected the runes burned into Xavier’s skin. Some of them must have been seared onto his body as a child because they were stretched as if they’d grown along with him.
“Wow, that had to have hurt.”
“It did, but they were necessary.” He crawled onto the bed until he crouched over Kat, where he could better see the marks.
“Why?”
Xavier sighed. “I don’t want to scare you away so soon, but it’s best you know what you’re getting into. The runes prevent my magic from eating my body. I‘ve always had a lot of power, even as a child. Blood Mages aren’t just mages that use blood. The strongest ones have magical blood. Although I can use outside blood to power my magic, I must use up a percentage of my own every month if I don’t want cracks to form in my skin from magical buildup.”
The horrifying images those words created killed Kat’s building desire. He swallowed back the bile rising in his throat. “And those runes keep it in?” He raised a shaking hand to trace the runes with his fingertips. Only the warmth of Xavier’s skin kept him grounded from an imminent panic attack.
“They also protect me from magical backlash from rituals and other people using my blood against me. These are for magical protection.” He pointed his finger at a few stretched ones that looked older than the rest.
“Why brand them instead of tattooing?” Kat had seen magical tattoos a few times. They would have been less traumatic to the body, especially for a child.
Xavier’s bitter laugh broke Kat’s fixation on the brands. “Would you believe it was because some idiot do-gooder passed a law that stated magical children can’t be tattooed? If I had waited until my majority, I would’ve combusted from the buildup. Blood magic is one of the few branches that need runes to protect you, so no one cares if the children suffer. It serves them right for being born evil.”
“That’s disgusting. Your officials are assholes.”
“They are.” Xavier traced Kat’s cheekbone with one slightly callused finger. “I’m glad you don’t share their opinion. I’ve always worried any lover would reject me because of my magic.”
Kat shivered beneath Xavier’s intense regard. “Why would you think that?” Mates were chosen by fate. In Kat’s opinion, only a complete psychopath would deny his mate.
Xavier searched Kat’s face for a moment before replying. “My parents rejected me because of my magic, even though it must’ve come from one of their ancestors. They’d rather toss me away and live in denial than admit there were Blood Mages in our family tree.”
Kat growled. “Your parents are even bigger idiots than your ruling party.”
“Yes, they are. Or they were. They denounced me and no longer claim me as one of theirs. I suspect my brother or sister filled in the gap caused by my banishment.”
“Have you talked to them since?” His grandmother’s death had crushed Kat, and while he didn’t talk to his cousin often, he couldn’t imagine having siblings and not being in touch with them.
Xavier’s harsh laugh answered Kat’s question before he spoke. “No. I was forbidden to contact them. I doubt they remember me. They were only five and ten when I left, and my mother is skilled with memory charms.”
“If they weren’t charmed, then they don’t deserve you,” Kat decided. “You’re wonderful, and I’m happy to have you as my mate.”
Xavier’s eyes crinkled in the corners as he examined Kat as if he were an interesting experiment. “How do you know I’m wonderful? Maybe Lady Fate is just fucking with you.”
A laugh burst from Kat. He kissed Xavier’s dimpled cheek. “If you weren’t nice, you would’ve grabbed Rance and dragged him to your master. I don’t doubt you have ways to take him that we couldn’t have countered.”
