I wasn’t going to explain to them that I didn’t want to frighten her further after the knotting. Or bring her more pain. She’d bled quite a bit from her first coupling, and the knotting had only increased the pain of the experience. The thought of adding a bite mark to that turned my stomach.
Not that I didn’t crave to bite her even now. To ensure everyone knew she wore my mark, that everyone knew she was my mate. Not simply a lover. And there was another thing that had kept me from marking her.
She wasn’t beast fae. I hadn’t lied to her when I told her I’d follow her if she left me. I could do nothing else. I’d abandon my clan to do so. Even if she rejected me, I’d follow and make sure she was safe. But once I’d given her my mark, every fae male—dark or light—would scent me on her skin. Forever. There was no taking back the mark of a beast fae. For that, I needed to make sure she wanted me…forever.
She might be enraptured at the moment. It didn’t surprise me that there was attraction between us. Besides the gods intervening and fating us to be together, I had saved her from death in the woods and protected her more than once. She would be inclined to be grateful, which can transform into attraction. But I wondered if she’d still want me once the infatuation had worn off. Once she realized she wouldn’t live in a castle with all the luxuries of a royal life.
If she left me for her own kind, I would ensure that Lord Gael of Mevia was dead so that he could no longer bother her. Then I’d send a clear message to her father that she would have a choice of her own for her life and her future.
But for now, I would enjoy this new sensation that had curled around my heart and filled my soul with a tentative hope. I could relax in the joy that being with Jessamine didn’t defy the gods or betray my clan, as my own father had. She was meant to belong to me. Now the only question was, did she truly want to?
I sat up straight when she carried a bowl and walked directly toward me. Hypnotized, I watched her move gracefully across the cave, her gaze on mine, her smile for me. That smile had tilted into a smirk by the time she stood in front of me and handed me the bowl with a slice of crusty bread sticking up over the edge.
“I want you to try my stew and see if it’s to your liking.”
I stirred the spoon, observing that while it smelled heavenly, there was one thing missing. “There is no meat in this bowl.”
“There is not,” she agreed. “Taste it, Redvyr.” She angled her head, that long neck luring my gaze. “For me.”
So of course, I did, humming at the savory bite and hearty chunks of root vegetables, beans, and mushrooms.
“Do you like it?” She raised her brows, hopeful.
Sighing, I put her out of her misery. “It is delicious.”
Jessamine smiled so big it made my stomach flip with excitement. She hurried back to the cooking station to deliver more bowls.
She exhaled a sigh of relief just as Sorka walked up with two bowls. “I have one vegetable stew and one venison.”
“I’ll take the vegetable,” said Tessa.
“Shearah cooked the venison? I’ll take that one,” Leifkyn chimed in.
“That’s a good man,” said Leifkyn, “telling her it’s the best even if it’s not.”
“Mmm,” hummed Tessa. “This is actually so good. I had no idea a princess could cook like this.”
“I think I’ll try the vegetable,” said Dayn. “Need to support our future queen, right?”
My heart jolted. Yes, if she accepted me and her role here, she would be my queen, the Lady of Vanglosa. Though far less prestigious as a royal princess in Morodon or the wife of the high lord of Mevia, I would treat her as the most precious gem in all the world. If she would consent to being mine.
I couldn’t help but watch her move around the room, mingling amiably with the people of my clan. She carried two bowls to the females lining the bench on our opposite side, walking toward Lorelyn.
Suddenly, Velga stuck out her leg and tripped Jessamine, sending her sprawling to the ground, the bowls clattering and the stew splattering across the stone floor. Bowden stopped playing music just as I heard Velga mumble to the female next to her, “So clumsy.”
I roared in rage.
Everyone fell deathly silent. The only sound was the fire crackling and Jessamine pushing to stand. The front of her gown, and her neck and face were splattered with the stew, her face flushed pink with humiliation. Shearah rushed over with a towel to help her clean off.
Fire burned through my veins as I stood and marched across the room. “Stand, Velga.”
The female, head down, instantly rose to her feet, twisting her hands together. “I’m sorry, my lord. It was an accident. I didn’t mean—”
“Yes.You did mean it. Jessamine is our guest. It was decreed by the council for all the clan to hear that she would be welcomedand protected by the clan. And you have broken that oath. You will not eat tonight.”
Her face shot up, tears pooling in her dark orange eyes.
“You will not sit with us tonight, either. You will return to your tent at once.”
