Page 16 of Fae's Mate
She frowns at me.
“If he can open a portal, surely he will just… portal out.”
I shake my head. “He used nearly all of his magic to cleave that portal. That’s why you found him unconscious. He’ll not be able to open another for a while. Besides, the cells are lined with iron.”
“And iron… dampens magic?”
I nod.
With another sigh, she tucks her hair behind her short-rounded ear. I am envious of her fingers, and wish it were mine that smooth her inky strands. Silence stretches between us for a moment, as Seki looks down at her hands, which are folded in her lap. I notice she is wearing strange mottled blue trousers that cling to her legs. Her chequered shoes remind me of a chessboard, and she wears a long sleeve shirt, with an unfamiliar bird inked into the fabric. I have never seen a woman dressed in such a way and I am reminded that I need to find the humans attire.
“And what about mates? What are they?”
I’m not sure how much I should tell her… “Humans don’t have them?”
Asking a question makes my insides feel uncomfortable, but Imustknow.
“I… I don’t know if it is the same thing… some humans believe insoulmates… one person who they are destined to meet and be with.”
“It doesn’t sound like you believe that,” I comment, my voice little more than a whisper. Hersoulmatesdo not sound the same, but they are similar.
“If they exist, I haven’t found mine yet,” she shrugs.
A wave of joy surges through me. My Seki does not already have a mate. It is good to have that confirmed.
“Are your fae mates the same thing?”
“No, not quite, they—”
“Seki?!” someone shouts, and we both look up.
Charlotte, the human with a much rounder body than the rest of the females, and hair the colour of honey, appears in the stone archway.
“Oh! There you are! Alana has—” she halts when she notices me, and stumbles over her words, “Alana… um… Alana was looking for you.”
To my disappointment Seki stands and heads towards Charlotte. She is halfway along the row of pumpkins before she turns back to me.
“Thank you. I enjoy our conversations a lot more when there are no deals involved.”
She smiles at me then, and it is lovely to behold. All I can do is smile back and bow my head. Any words I may have had are now forgotten. When she reaches Charlotte, they link arms and begin whispering quickly. Only a few seconds later, she disappears out of sight, and the day seems darker for it.
Rising from the bench, I repeat our conversation in my head. Seki doesn’t know about mates or the mating bond. Although I am pleased that she does not already have a mate back in the human realm, it worries me she does not know the true meaning of being mated to a fae. My thoughts spin in circles as I make my way back to the palace, while I consider how much I should tell her.
Shaking my head to focus my thoughts, I seek my sister; she has an entire chamber filled with garments I have never seen her wear. That seems like the best place to start in my search for some clothing for the humans. Despite my best efforts, all I can think about is how beautiful Seki will look, clothed in Autumn Court finery.
Chapter 11
Seki
My skin still feels too tight as Charlotte leads me through the palace. The sensation is fading the further I get from the High Lord, but I still feel annoyingly flustered.
“What was that all about?” Charlotte asks me.
“I’ll tell you when we get to the others.”
She nods and we continue towards the library. I need a few more minutes to get my thoughts straight. I feel like I finally got some solid answers out of the High Lord, but I still don’t feel any closer to knowing how we got here. And I still don’t know how the whole ‘mates’ thing works. How am I supposed to figure out who his brother’s mate is?And why does my heart always race when I am around him?
Charlotte and I weave through the downstairs corridors until we reach the library. I’m glad she seems to know her way around already, because I sure don’t. I had only seen the library briefly when I passed it this morning, and as we enter, the grandeur of it hits me. Books have never really been my thing, but it is a sight for sure. The room is two storeys high, with a huge stained-glass window at the back, dappling the entire room in rainbows, like the inside of a kaleidoscope. Every wall is lined top to bottom with books, and ladders on rollers are propped up against the shelves at intervals. Velvet and leather couches covered with cushions, and fancy wooden desks topped with candelabra are scattered about the room.
