Page 63 of Heartflame

“They’re useful,” Aeron said, squeezing my hand as he led me to a marble countertop lined with tall stools. “Though my grandfather insists on having actual people cook for formal dinners. Says magic takes the love out of food.”

I’d never thought of it that way, but then again, I’d never had the luxury of thinking much about food at all. Growing up in my parents’ potion shop meant meals were quick, functional things eaten between customer visits. We were sandwich people at best. But this felt obscenely luxurious.

One of the constructs approached us, its movements fluid and almost graceful. Up close, I could see the faint runes carved into its porcelain surface, glowing softly with blue light. It made a sound like wind chimes, which I assumed was its way of asking what we wanted.

“Anything,” Aeron said. “Whatever you have ready. We’re starving.”

Within minutes, the counter before us was laden with more food than I could have eaten in a week. Roasted meats, fresh cheeses, bread still warm from the oven, fruits I didn’t recognize, and spreads of things I couldn’t identify. I stared at it all, my mouth watering despite my anxiety.

“Eat,” Aeron urged, pushing me forward toward the plates. “Don’t be shy.”

“I’m not—” I started to protest, but he shot me a grin that said he knew better. I grabbed a plate with a huff and started piling things on. He did the same, taking considerably more than I did. But then again, he was more than a foot taller than me and twice as dense.

We ate in companionable silence for a while, and I found myself relaxing slightly. It was easier to not think about impending doom when my mouth was full of surprisingly excellent roasted turkey and some kind of herb-infused butter on crusty bread that made me groan with delight.

We were barely five minutes in when I felt the entire mansion shudder around us.

“That’ll be the wards locking into place,” Aeron said without even looking up. “Grandfather must’ve just left with the others to meet with the Elder Council. We’ve got the house to ourselves now.”

“Do you really think we’ll be safe here?” I asked, the fork halfway to my mouth. “The wards at Widdershins couldn’t hold them back…”

“Those wards had to have precautions woven in so that the students didn’t get hurt by accident,” Aeron said, reaching out to wrap a reassuring hand around my waist. “But we don’t have to worry about that here. These wards are solid. They’ll keep us safe. You don’t have anything to worry about, Red.”

I wanted to believe him. I really did. But the image of those wards flickering and cracking, the sound of impact after impact as undead threw themselves against a barrier that was supposed to be indestructible, was still fresh in my mind. How could I trust that these wards would hold when the ones at Widdershins had failed so catastrophically?

“You’re doing it again,” Aeron said, his voice gentle. “Thinking so loud I can practically hear it.”

I set down my fork and turned to face him. “How are you so calm about this? Your grandfather just left to deal with a necromancer who’s apparently been orchestrating attacks across the paranormal world for years, and we’re sitting in his kitchen eating cheese like nothing’s happening.”

“Because panicking won’t change anything,” he replied, his golden eyes meeting mine with surprising maturity. “And because I believe my grandfather can fix this. He and the Elder Council won’t let anything happen to us. And worrying ourselves sick won’t help them either.”

He had a point, even if I didn’t want to admit it. I picked my fork back up and returned to my food, but my mind was still racing. Everything had happened so fast. Twenty-four hours ago, I was flying over starlit forests with a dragon. Now I was sitting in a mansion owned by one of the most powerful beings in the paranormal world, trying to process the fact that I was bonded to someone who would outlive me by centuries.

“Tell me something,” I said after a few minutes of silence. “And be honest with me.”

“Always,” Aeron promised.

“When you realized I was your mate... was it immediate? Did you know right away?”

He set down his fork and considered the question seriously. “Not at first,” he admitted. “I knew I was attracted to you from the moment I met you. But I thought it was just because you didn’t want anything to do with me. I want to conquer you, to prove that you wanted me even though you denied it.”

“Yeah, you were being a real dick about it,” I chuckled, leaning into him.

“But once I realized what was really going on, I couldn’t ignore it anymore. It was like the entire world had suddenly narrowed down to just you. Nobody else mattered.”

“That sounds kind of terrifying,” I said quietly.

“It was,” he agreed. “It still is, in a way. Because if something happened to you...” He didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t need to. I could see the raw fear in his expression, the way his jaw tightened at the thought. “But that’s why we’re here. To keep you safe.”

I reached over and squeezed his hand. “

We finished eating in comfortable silence after that, and I found myself grateful for the reprieve. Having the wards up took a weight off my shoulders and seemed to ebb the fear that had been eating at my belly for the past twenty-four hours.

After we cleared our plates—or rather, after the constructs spirited them away before we could even stand up, Aeron took my hand and led me through the mansion. We wandered through corridors that seemed to shift subtly as we walked, past a library that made the one at Widdershins look like a child’s collection, and eventually arrived at a set of double doors carved from dark wood with intricate dragon motifs.

“My rooms,” Aeron said.

“R-Rooms?” I stammered. “As in plural?”