“In a way, though it’s more of a formality. We’ve seen some success with fae finding their mates the last couple of years, though.”
I tilted my head at Liam in thought. “How do Hyvenmerians find their mate? I’m getting the impression that it’s a little bit more than just basic sexual attraction.”
“For my people, the fae, it’s a core feeling. My parents knew they were destined to be together because they could feel a connection between each other’s heartbeats,” Liam replied.
I widened my eyes. “How did they discover that?”
“My father felt my mother’s heartbeat in the market. He was selling his leather work, and she was asking the people questions about what they needed from her.” I gave Liam a funny look before Audrey chimed in.
“His mother was queen.”
“Got it, proceed.” I nodded.
“My father described it as an overwhelming feeling. Like a rope was wrapped around his heart, tugging him in the direction of hers, putting their heartbeats in sync. She felt it too, but she was busy conversing with her people. She didn’t want to be rude, but she could feel him getting closer and closer. Finally, my father made his way through the crowd of people and found her.” Liam’s smile was warm, the smile of a child who grew up with loving parents, who probably shared their story with him multiple times.
Must be nice.
“Then what happened?” I pressed.
“I mean, everyone around them kind of realized what was happening. The crowd made room for her to approach my father, who was sweating after realizing that the queen herself was, well,his.” He chuckled. “The first thing he tried to do was bow and be respectful. Even though he could feel deep in his bones that he was meant for her, my mother had a very calm poker face. He couldn’t tell if she was feeling the same way. It wasn’t until she studied him, up and down, that she finally addressed him. All she said was, ‘Come with me.’”
“Damn.” I started snapping my fingers. “I respect a woman with a no-nonsense attitude.”
“I wish I could meet her.” Audrey sighed.
“I wish you could, too.” Liam’s face fell, mourning his parents’ horrible loss. “Anyway, she moved him into her residence. They spent a couple of weeks getting to know each other.”
“Biblically.” Audrey grinned. He grimaced, the face of a child who had no desire to picture their parents being intimate like that.
“Doing whatever they did.” Liam gave Audrey a look. “And the rest is history.”
“And then you and your sister were born.” Audrey sighed, reaching over and pinching his cheek. He let Audrey tease him until she pulled back.
“My twin and I were miracles, considering the fertility issue being present at the time,” Liam finished. “But all that to say, a mating bond is a very deep connection, and it’s a tragedy when the bond is unexpectedly broken. When one mate dies an unnatural death, the other struggles to regulate and recover from the trauma. Some…never do. But assuming no tragic events occur, it’s a wonderful bond to experience with someone. My parents could feel where the other was within a certain amount of space. They could always sense how the other was feeling, based on the beat of their hearts.”
“That’s insane,” I whispered. “Imagine being able to feel someone else’s heartbeat.”
“We can hear someone else’s heartbeat, though,” Audrey replied. “As you know, Hyvenmerian’s all have excellent hearing, so hearing heartbeats isn’t that odd an experience. My hearing isn’t as good as Liam’s, but yeah, I can hear your heartbeat right now.”
I widened my eyes at her. “What the hell?”
“I know.” Audrey snickered. “But the difference Liam is saying is that there’s hearing a heartbeat andfeelingsomeone else’s.”
“It’s almost as if your heart is irrevocably connected to another’s.”
I tilted my head. “Do you have someone you share that with, Liam?”
He wasn’t moving, but he visibly tensed in his seat before turning to give me a dry look, “I haven’t mated with someone like that yet, no.”
“It’s just…” I paused to shrug. “You sound like someone who has experienced it.”
Liam frowned before turning back toward the TV and saying, “My parents spent a lot of time telling us about it growing up.”
I nodded, not believing him at all, but not wanting to push it either.
“How do the other creatures form bonds?” I asked instead.
Audrey grinned. “Fergus’s father is one of the Kings of the Nereids, and he has formed two. According to him, he and his mates touched the same body of water at the same time. The waves made from their feet felt like a direct touch between the three of them. So now there are two Kings and a Queen of the Nereids.”
