"What's going on, Tenebrys? I found a pile of dead fae, and your and Delphi's scent was all over it. Her blood is in the woods," he began.
"I know, Felix. It was a long night." Tenebrys told him about the fight, Delphi out in the gardens, the fae hunting her, and Tenebrys only just getting to her in time. Telling Felix helped him piece together his memories.
"Fucking hell, the fae are bold to get that close to the château," Felix swore.
Tenebrys needed to talk to someone about Delphi, and Felix would be the best person.
"There's more," he admitted.
Felix's eyes flashed with wolf. Instantly alert. "What is it?"
"I...have a knot," Tenebrys said through gritted teeth.
Felix stared at him for a long moment and then burst out laughing.
"It's not funny, you asshole!" Tenebrys growled.
Felix struggled to catch his breath. "No, it's hilarious. Wow, you really must have pissed off the gods in another life. Have you told Delphi yet?"
"Of course I haven't." Tenebrys ran his hands through his mane. "I don't know where to start."
"It explains why you marked her and why you two have always been drawn to each other. Her parentage is going to be a problem."
"No, it's not," Tenebrys replied with a shake of his head. "The things Narcisse has done to her, Felix. I can't repeat them without losing my temper. She's just as much of a victim of his as we are. I don't think she even realizes the full extent of how much he used her and her magic over the years."
Felix sighed. "If it's not a problem for you, then it's not for us. Your own parents overcame centuries of hatred. You need to tell her, Ten. The more you hold out, the worse the frenzy will be. You need a clear head to fight the fae, and you won't have one if you haven't claimed her. We have time. Your knot has only turned up."
"Not exactly?" Tenebrys said, shifting his weight.
Felix took a cautious step backward. Males were volatile until they claimed their mates. "How long has it been, Ten?"
"A few days?"
"Oh, you idiot." Felix slapped a hand over his face. "I will get you some food and Delphi some clothes and leave them by your door. You need to deal with this, Tenebrys. You used to be able to charm the surliest of Runefjell alphas. I'm sure you can handle charming your mate into your bed."
"That was before this..." Tenebrys said, gesturing at his face. "I used to be handsome, remember?"
Felix snorted. "Considering I can smell her all over you, I don't think that will be a problem. Now, go. Don't come down until you have claimed her. I'll update the others."
"Thanks," Tenebrys replied and trudged back up his stairs.
It was true that Delphi let him touch her. He had smelled her arousal and tasted it on his tongue the night before.
His beastly body wasn't the only thing that would scare a human woman. He was made differently from any man she may have been with. She didn't seem to know much about shifters, so he doubted she knew about their spurs, or their mating knots, for that matter.
Tenebrys went back into his chambers and tried to think of a way he could tell Delphi what she meant to him without making her run screaming in the opposite direction. Maybe the gods really did hate him.
19
Delphi had never been in a bathtub so big in all her life. It had been built for a shifter with a wide lower back to rest your head on and let your body float on the surface. Delphi decided it was one of the best things she had ever experienced.
The healing herbs and flowers floated in the water around her. She prided herself on her knowledge of plants, but she couldn't identify a single one of them. Tenebrys had said they had been his mother's from a garden with Faerie plants in it. She wondered if she could find it again, if the mansion's magic had already given the plants to him.
Something was in them that was making her skin tingle pleasantly all over. Her magic was reacting to it. The little ember of it that she always felt in her chest was glowing softly in happiness.
"Witch fire," Delphi whispered as she stared at the ceiling.
The fae had said it the night before, but what was it? The only kind of witch fire she was aware of was the kind thatkilledwitches. It wasn't life-giving like the fae had said.
