I knew.
“Is this about what Saraswati said? About me needing to be willing to die for you for it to work?”
I leaned in closer.
“That’s bullshit. I do love you. I suspected it before the veil lifted. And now, with the memories of our past life, I know it. I asked you to be my mate because Iwantedyou. Not because of a mission.”
My flames pricked at my skin.
“You said you would set the world ablaze for me,” she said quietly. “But would you burn for me? Because I would for you.”
Fire had always obeyed me. It had never asked anything in return. But she was asking something different. Not for destruction. For devotion.
I froze.
For reasons I couldn’t explain, I couldn’t answer. The silence stretched.
Her delicate hands clenched into fists, and then relaxed as she exhaled slowly.
“It’s been a long day,” she said. “I’d like to return to my chambers. Thank you for the meal.”
She stood and tossed her napkin aside. I watched her leave.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Being a mate was proving far more complicated than ruling a kingdom.
And I needed to find a way to prove my feelings for her. So that she would know without any doubt that Iwouldburn for her.
CHAPTER 32
Shattered
TITUS
The next morning, I woke up with morning wood so hard I could have pierced the mattress with it. After the way things ended last night with Delilah, I ended up pleasuring myself. After three times, my lust for her still wasn’t quenched, but at least it took the edge off, allowing me the ability to think again about the other aspects of my life.
Such as the High Lord of Land, Folliade, arriving today in his wild goose chase for his mother.
His missive stated he was starting his search in the records building in the City of Embris. I wasn’t worried. I didn’t have anything to hide. My hope was that by allowing him to dig through dusty files and prove to himself that the stolen queen was not here, it would get me one step closer to unifying our relationship. Their alliance was vital to the future of my kingdom.
The majority of Delilah’s day would be preoccupied with her training, allowing me to get through everything I needed without… distraction.
I hated the way things ended last night. Of course, she would take what Saraswati said to heart—about me having to be willing to die for her in order to shield project successfully. I did love her. I just thoughtthere was always another way to resolve things that didn’t involve me dying.
I just needed to show her how much I loved her. I needed to think of something… romantic.
Guardians help me. I was in way over my head.
I took a seat in my office and glared at the stacks of paperwork that needed my attention, but the unrelenting throb in my pants made it difficult to focus. I struggled through about a fourth of the documents before my mind wandered again.
I thought back to that day in the Coralis Falls Archives, where the sexual tension between Saraswati and my mate had been so thick I could have cut it with a blade. I didn’t have any memories of Delilah ever being interested in females in my past life with her, so when I was trapped in a small room, forced to inhale two devastatingly beautiful females’ pheromones, I had been caught off guard—and harder than a fucking brick.
I hadn’t known Saraswati preferred the company of females nowadays, and while I tried not to take it personally, it left me a little bitter. I had a feeling Delilah might have wanted to experiment with her, but she was mine, and I don’t share—especially not with a female who was no longer interested in me, and certainly not with a male. Never again.
My Pickles belonged to me.
But damn, it would have been euphoric watching them play.
