Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
The idea of a mate sends me plummeting right back to reality.
Goddamn it, I love you. Dagon’s words echo through my mind. Holding the baby and chatting with my aunt had given my overactive brain a much-needed break from all the unanswered questions plaguing me nightly.
Selene’s pacifier flies out of her mouth, toppling to the floor. I shift off the chair, easily scooping it up and crossing the room to her changing station to grab a fresh one. I bend down to the second shelf, tossing the dirty one in a basket to be cleaned later, then give her the new one.
“Omigod,” Olivia gasps.
I whirl around, triple-checking the perfectly fine and safe baby in my arms before I look at her. “Are you okay? Does something hurt?”
Olivia shakes her head, a smile breaking over her lips as she crosses the room, spinning me to touch the small of my back, where my shirt has hiked up.
“You have his mark.”
I blow out a breath, relief hitting me that she’s fine and not having some sort of delayed six-week-post-birth situation. Then my nerves tangle as I realize what she’s seen.
I hurry into the seat again, needing to sit before my legs go weak.
Olivia does the same.
“Yeah,” I say. “We haven’t accepted it yet.”
Olivia’s brow furrows. “Oh,” she says, tilting her head. “You two look happy. I thought you were just dating—”
“We are,” I cut her off, gently patting the baby, her eyes fluttering closed. “I mean…we…it’s complicated.”
Olivia huffs a laugh, leaning back in her chair, almost like her ease is directly connected to when the baby is happily asleep. “I understand that.” She eyes me. “Do you not want to accept it?”
“Of course I do,” I blurt out, then take a breath. “I do,” I say again. “And I know he loves me.”
Olivia barely holds back a squeal.
I can’t help but share in her enthusiasm for a minute. “He loves me,” I say again. “He told me.” Warmth flutters in my chest. “And he knows I love him.”
“And yet…”
“We haven’t told anyone.”
“Because you haven’t accepted it.”
I nod. “You know the hunters,” I explain. “Despite Ajax and Zachariah and Talon being happily mated, Dagon has openly expressed he views mates as a weakness.”
Olivia rolls her eyes. “That’s such a tired excuse,” she says. “Sorry, but it is. We’ve all heard it. Do I look weaker to you?”
“No,” I hurry to say. “But Ransom was a wreck your entire pregnancy.”
She looks like she might argue, but then concedes. “That’s fair.”
“So I can understand how he’s worried about what will happen if he accepts it. Especially with Samuel still on the loose.”
“I know,” she says, softer now. “And I’m all about accepting it on your own timeline. As long as both of you are on the same page with it.” She raises her brows. “Are you both on the same page with waiting?”
I cringe. “We haven’t exactly talked about it.”
She blinks a couple times. “What?” She shakes her head. “Surely you’ve discussed the mark. The bond?”
“Nope,” I answer. “It appeared the night we got called home and we haven’t discussed it since.”
Her lips pop open in shock. “Wait, you’ve told each other you love each other, but you haven’t talked about what to do about the bond?”
I shake my head. “It sounds ridiculous when you ask me like that.”
“It is,” she says, then flashes me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, but it is. You two are clearly in love, you should be able to communicate.”
“It’s difficult,” I say. “I’m worried if I press the issue, he’ll bolt.”
She gives me an incredulous look. “You can’t ignore it forever,” she says. “At least tell me you’ve had the monogamous conversation. You two are official in that capacity, yes?”
I bite my lip.
“Annika!”
“What?” I whisper-hiss so I don’t wake the baby. “I didn’t think we needed to. We’re together all the time.”
“True, but it’s not like he’s been public about you two. The only reason I can tell you are together is because you’re my niece. To the rest of the world? You both could be single.”
“And that’s a problem?” I ask. “Who cares what anyone else thinks.”
“You care,” she says. “Because what happens when some noble decides to shoot her shot with him?”
My eyes flare, anger spearing beneath my skin at the very thought.
“See,” she says. “I understand taking time to figure out the mating bond. It’s an eternity of a commitment. You have to be sure. But, it’s not something to play with. Burying it while also not setting boundaries makes you both dangerous.”
I blow out a breath, getting a grip on my emotions. “You’re right,” I admit. “I know you are.”
Olivia smiles at me. “Come on,” she says, standing up and gently taking the baby back. “Let’s put her down before dinner.”
I nod, following her out of the room. “What if I don’t know how to bring it up?” I ask as we’re heading to the dining room after putting Selene in the rolling basinet and pushing her here.