“Which is where we come in,” Adrian said. “Her mates. Ivy is the vessel for all that power, and we are basically two things: batteries for when she uses too much and needs to recharge, and conduits for when she’s in overload. When there is too much power rushing through her, she expels it through us, and our immortal bodies take that power for her. We also give her pieces of our magic. Like she has my charms, Rowan’s visions, and Elias’s ability to shift. I imagine she might even be able to use your earth power when you complete the bond.”
We still shared stories about the Queens of Nyx, even now after over a thousand years of not being one of Nyx’s creatures and living outside of her Queen’s reign. We knew the stories of Pandora and her mates. They were told not in the pages of books, but as spoken stories. Histories we no longer lived by but recognised as important aspects of our past.
Which was how I knew it was more than just the power. It was the links to different worlds, to the realms under Nyx.
“I am her mate because I’m a Primal,” I said, blinking hard. “I am the mate of the Old World, while you are her mates of Avalon. And the sleeping prince and Hawk are her mates of Faery, while the demon is her mate of the Underworld?”
Rowan nodded before giving me a look of surprise. “Rhadamanthus isn’t her mate,” he said, shaking his head.
“Are you certain?” I asked. “He calls her wife.”
“Yeah, because he made a deal with her and it included a wedding.” Adrian rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms once more. “You make a good point. We all come from different parts of Nyx’s Domain, each one of us linked to a realm. But Rhadamanthus isn’t one of us.”
I frowned, glancing towards the door he stalked out of. “I would not be so sure,” I replied quietly. “The bond might not have revealed itself yet to either of them. He is far too invested in her otherwise.”
The two mages shared a look but didn’t comment on it further. It was clear, though, they were considering the same as me. And although I knew little about the world of my mate and her bonds, I was sure of one thing: it wouldn’t be awful if he were her mate, because his power would serve her well.
My conversation with the mages,as well as my talk with Ivy, replayed in my head as I moved through the quiet manor. Even without noticing, I was drawn towards her. I caught her scent hanging faintly in the air and I followed it into the kitchen, where I found her perched at the island with a large knife in one hand and a tray of food set out before her.
When I entered, she looked up, and one of those soft smiles that made my heart flutter appeared on her lips. “Hey,” she said, setting the knife down. “What’s up?”
I glanced at the male sitting across from her, then at the one standing nearby before moving to her side. “I just finished working with Adrian and Rowan on the runes.”
The smile faltered for a moment as she looked down at the tray in front of her, the fruit spread out on it. “Oh?”
“Yes,” I said, stopping. Thor, sitting across from her, eyed me warily as the wolf shifter stiffened. “We are debating something. And I would like your opinion, because I think I’m right, and the other two won’t admit it.”
A pink flush tinted her cheeks as sheglanced up at me. I could tell that wasn’t what she expected to hear, nor had she likely thought I would get along with her bonded.
But my fated shook her head, the smile even brighter as she looked away. “Okay. What are you debating?”
“Rhadamanthus, the demon king,” I stated.
“Damon?” She picked up her knife again and sliced through the orange on her tray, cutting it in half. “Why are you debating him?”
“Well, I believe he is one of your fated mates, but the other two refuse to believe me. And I would like to know what you think.”
At that, she dropped her knife again, the steel clattering on the tray. Thor growled, the heat of his stare a warning, and even the wolf shift pushed off the counter he’d been leaning against.
But my fated pressed her lips together, making a surprised sound in the back of her throat. “Not the debate I was expecting,” she murmured.
“What were you expecting?” I asked, cocking my head.
“Probably a contest about whose dick is bigger,” she muttered with a shrug. “Okay. So, you think Damon is my mate? I hate to tell you this, because it would be awesome to prove the other two wrong, but Damon can’t be my mate. He can’thavea mate.”
My eyes narrowed on her. “Considering how he acts, I would think him a bonded mate at least,” I replied. “He is as protective ashim.” I nodded to Elias, who made a grunting noise.
“He wishes,” the wolf replied. “But like she said: he doesn’t have a mate. It has something to do with his deal as King.”
Ivy nodded at that, agreeing silently, though her eyes told me something else. Like maybe she wished that wasn’t the case.
I shrugged. “If you are certain.”
She sighed, finally looking up at me again as she picked up her knife. “I am.” She went back to her oranges, then to a piece of fruit with a pink skin and white flesh. “Why were you talking about that, anyway?”
“I wanted to know about your power,” I said, picking up apiece of the white flesh with black seeds. Before she could stop me, I popped it into my mouth. It had a pleasant flavour, one I enjoyed. “I will admit, I didn’t know much about it and how it ties to your mate bonds.”
“I guess that’s not something you would have known on your own. It took them a dozen tries to explain it to me, and I still think it makes no sense half the time,” she replied, shaking her head. I went to take another piece of fruit off her tray, but she smacked my hand away. “I’m making fruit salad.”
