He knew what she was thinking. “She would have worn it, but I feel you are the one it was always intended for. It belongs on your finger, Mackenzie. You’re my ki’ara. My mate. My heart. The only female in this world I want and the only one I will ever need.”
Her eyes misted and the feelings he could detect in her were as deep as the ones that filled his soul, so he let her off for casually shrugging and affecting a very blasé air, trying to cover how much the ring and his words meant to her.
“I guess I could wear it from time to time. Since you asked nicely.” She was quick to make a grab for it, snatched it from his fingers and brought it close to her face, staring at it as if she were under a spell.
He made a mental note that she really liked shiny, pretty things. She would have the finest jewellery, whatever her heart desired, and he wouldn’t complain if she wanted to strut around his quarters wearing nothing but her jewels.
She gave the ring a pained look and mumbled, “I want to wear it, but I’m afraid I’ll melt it.”
When she pouted, he took the box from her, slipped the ring from the velvet and took hold of her left hand. He slipped the ring onto her middle finger and, gods, it fitted perfectly. It really had been made for her.
Just as he had been.
Her brow furrowed as she gazed at the ring, admiring it, her feelings running through him and telling him how much she loved it and how touched she was that he had given it to her. He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to it, and she nudged him out of the way with her other hand.
“I can’t see it.” She smiled wickedly when he mock-frowned at her. She sighed and canted her head. “Just let me stare at it a little longer and then put it away.”
A little longer was close to what had to be fifteen minutes. Eventually, she blinked and snapped herself out of her trance, and huffed as she removed the ring and offered it to him.
“Keep it safe. If you lose it, I’ll kill you.” She scowled at him and her emotions said she was serious.
He placed the ring back in the wooden box. “I haven’t lost it in over two thousand years, I’m not going to lose it now.”
Her eyes widened. “We going to talk about the fact you just admitted to being really old?”
“No.” He took her hand and sent the ring away, back to the safe where he kept it with his other prized possessions. He tugged her to him and kissed her, hoping to distract her and stop her from asking how old he was. When he was sure she wouldn’t mention his age, he drew back and gazed down at her. “Ready?”
“Ready,” she breathed against his lips, pressed her curves to his and threatened to have him forgetting the meeting they had left hours ago, one that was important.
His instincts growled that only Mackenzie was important.
The sensible part of him pointed out that was the reason they had to return. Mackenzie was important, only his role in life extended beyond pleasuring and satisfying her. It involved protecting her too. He had to deal with the witch, removing that danger from her life.
The darkness purred in response to that, thoughts of dealing with the witch and making him suffer for daring to target his mate running through his mind.
“Wow, whatever you’re feeling right now, I like it.” Her words made his blood run cold.
He erected a wall between them, shutting that part of himself beyond her reach, and she scowled at him.
He feathered his fingers across her cheek. “Some things in me you do not want to feel.”
She looked hurt now and he sighed.
“I am not holding myself back from you, Mackenzie. I am only protecting you. I’m not sure how the corrupted part of my soul might affect you.” He lifted his hand higher and brushed a rogue wave of scarlet hair from her face, his gaze following his finger as he tucked it behind her ear. “I will speak with Fuery about it and see what he knows. If Shaia is not affected by his darkness, then I will drop this barrier between us.”
“Fine. I’ll let it slide for now. But only because I’m awesome.”
That she was.
He kissed her and teleported with her.
Chapter 25
Hartt landed in the small garden of the vampire stronghold with Mackenzie tucked close to him. When his feet touched the path, he set her back from him and took hold of her hand, laced their fingers together and started back towards the large golden-yellow building with her.
He braced himself when several vampires looked his way, some of them even stopping along their route to the training grounds. Rather than experiencing a black need to tear their heads off for looking at Mackenzie, he felt only a need to sneer at them for being vampires. Which was progress and as much as he could have hoped for.
As an elf, he wasn’t ever getting over his hatred of vampires.
“You feel… surprised.” Mackenzie’s soft voice warmed him, easing his need to eradicate the vampires to remove the black stain their breed formed on the name of his kind.
He shrugged, the action raising the hem of his black jacket. “I don’t feel a pressing need to murder them.”
Two female servants, one blonde and one brunette, both wearing long black corseted dresses with a white pinafore, paused and glanced his way.
Mackenzie positively growled. “Must be refreshing.”
He felt the need that roared inside her, a black hunger for violence. Apparently, her instincts as his fated one hadn’t been tamed by forming a bond with him. When she began to veer towards the females, he reined her in, tugged on her hand and spun her to face him.
And kissed her.
It seemed to be enough to calm her, had her need to harm the females falling away as she sank into it.
She sighed as she broke the kiss. “That’s better.”
At least his plan had worked and he knew what to do in the future now, how to alleviate her and tame her instincts.
He started towards the main building with her again, led her through the archway and into the building, and up to the library. When he pushed the door open, everyone fell silent, those who had their backs to him turning towards him.
He ushered Mackenzie inside, not failing to notice the awkward edge her emotions gained as a few people looked at her. Syn in particular evoked that feeling in her, and Hartt hoped Mackenzie wasn’t ashamed of her bond with him and what they had done.
She reassured him by keeping hold of his hand and stepping up beside him, remaining close to him.
“Shame, shame,” Syn muttered with a devious grin.
Mackenzie blushed and toyed with her hair on her left side. The side he had bitten. She smoothed it down and he had the feeling she was hiding his mark. Buying herself time to come up with a way to break it to her friend gently? He could practically feel her mind whirling and racing. Syn had made it clear around a thousand times since arriving that she didn’t want her friend to end up ‘shackled’ to him. He squeezed Mackenzie’s hand, wishing he could tell her that everything would be fine, but he knew it wouldn’t be.
When Syn discovered they were mated, she was going to explode.
Hartt didn’t have such a problem with Fuery. His friend offered him a smile that was strained, but one that said he knew what had transpired and that he was happy for him.
Grave scowled at him, his dark eyebrows pinching hard as his pale blue irises gained a crimson corona.