Page 4 of A Trial of War
“Space is the last thing I want from you right now, Daxton,” I said, placing my hand against his chest and guiding him to sit on the table’s edge.
“Is that so?” he asked, gaze dropping to linger on my lips. “Show me, my queen.”
In an instant, my lips slammed against his as I moved to straddle my mate. Fingers tangling in his hair to pull it free from his top knot.
Daxton’s hands traveled along the backs of my thighs to hold me in place on his lap. His lips parted to taste me, and his tongue roamed my mouth, spreading heat from the tip of my head down to my toes.
“Daxton,” I moaned as the map of Valdor fell aside.
I shifted my weight forward, hearing figurines crashing against the ground. Daxton’s grip returned, no doubt leaving marks in my skin through my leathers as he held me in place. His hips causing friction injustthe right places.
Since claiming each other in the meadow, Daxton had become my obsession. The private moments we managed to steal away together were my salvation.
Our kiss deepened with each passing second. Heat rolled through my core as his hardened length rubbed between the apex of my thighs. Consuming my senses, and—
“Oh, gods!” I screamed, jumping from his lap.
Daxton remained calm, using his ice magic to douse the flames skittering along the tabletop.
“Not again,” I groaned, covering my face with my hands.
Daxton chuckled as he sat up. “Control of your magic will come in time, my love. You’ve only just begun training.”
I scoffed. “If you say so.”
Since shifting, I was able to manifest fire magic in my human form—an unheard-of ability amongst my kind.However, since I inherited magic from my mother’s human side, the ability to control the fire from my animal passed to me as well.
“But we don’t have time, Dax.” I sighed, shaking my head.
“We will,” he said, moving to stand behind me, fingers tracing the mark on my neck. “This ensures it. And I intend to cherish every second of the centuries we will share.”
I leaned into his touch, my heart melting at the fact that the claiming mark of our mate bond extended my life to match his. It allowed our magic to be shared, including his immortal lifespan.
When we returned to Silver Meadows, Daxton sought out the ancient scrolls, hidden from Minaeve’s magic, that dictated the histories of shifters, High Fae, and humans.
For days, we searched through the texts, with Shaw eagerly joining us. Mate bonds were common amongst shifters, almost expected, and declined in frequency amongst the High Fae. But what surprised us was that bonds between our species were not as rare as we had once thought. Theclaiming mark allowed power to be shared between a mated pair, paired with an elongated lifespan. There were accounts of fae, shifters, and even humans sharing the mate bond.
“Fortunate for many of us,” I said, my thoughts drifting to Shaw.
Daxton sent Zola to Aelius with Rhett to oversee the transition and ensure the loyalty of the remaining High Fae. Shaw remained with me, but he was tense and constantly on edge at being separated from his mate.
With luck for once on our side, we learned that Seamus had plans in place to abolish the blood oath tradition of his people, refraining from practicing it since the wilt. Even when his mind belonged to Minaeve, he unconsciously tried to protect his people. Daxton took this news with a heavy heart, blaming himself for not seeing through Minaeve’s lies and for the fate Seamus was still drowning in as Minaeve’s blood-sworn subject.
Rhett, also known asOwl, explained that when he took his position within the court five centuries ago, an oath was made to Seamus, but it was absent of blood or magic. A secret rebellion against Minaeve’s will.
“I wonder if more mate pairings will appear when my pack arrives in the Inner Kingdom?” I asked, my mind racing along with my stomach. Gods, all this talk of war and politics really worked up my appetite.
“It’s likely,” Daxton answered as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “No matter what ceremony or coronation others believe we may need, I need you to understand thatyoubelong to me, Spitfire.”
“And you are mine.” I smiled, turning around to kiss my mark on the base of his neck. “Forever.”
“Longer,” he rasped, fingers curling under my chin as he pulled me into a desperate kiss.
Gods, I wanted him. As my control slipped and I lost myself in my mate, I felt my magic flare.
I pulled back in a panic. “Ahh, I hate this,” I said with a growl of frustration. “I don’t want to catch the room on fire again.”
“Your flames never harm me.”
