Page 35 of Enchanting Her Mate
“Of course there is room,” Rulya replies happily.
It is then that I notice the entire clan has gathered around us in a tight circle, watching as we roll around in the dirt. Alu and I sit up, offering awkward smiles to our audience. Rulya and Qayeko pull us to our feet, and Qayeko adds, “We would be honored to have you in our home, Alu. Your open spirit is good for the coven.”
“Truly?” she asks, hope swirling in her eyes. I suppose it is my fault that Alu is surprised by the Hexrins’ reactions. I did a terrible job of making her feel welcome in the coven house. That is a mistake I must rectify immediately.
“Truly,” I add. “You brighten every space you enter, inara. Our home is yours,” then I add, “if you do not mind living with a coven of Hexrins.” She has an entire cottage to herself, and I cannot imagine she is looking forward to giving that up to move into a crowded house with a group of witches.
“I just want to be where you are,” she says, bringing my hand to her lips and kissing my palm.
“Good,” I tell her, “because I am never letting you go again.”
CHAPTER 19
ALU
Iexpect the clan to keep us on the main path with their questions for Jo about how she defeated Tibik, which I am not totally clear on, or more about her magical powers, but they do not. After the other coven members tell me I am welcome to move in with them, the clan steps aside, giving Jo and me more room than we need to leave the path and head back to the coven house.
Perhaps they are afraid of her.
If that is the case, then it is about time. From what I have heard from Kate, and the little I have witnessed myself while being in the village, Jobaki was mostly invisible. She let Tibik lead the coven, and she did her best to fade into the shadows.
That is not her destiny, however. Jo is meant to rule. I do not understand why no one else could see this before now, but to me, her calling has been obvious from the very first moment.
Now, though, it is undeniable in the way she carries herself. There is a newfound ease in the way she moves that makes me proud to be her mate.
Hermate.
We have found our mate! We shall never be alone again.My draxilio releases a steady purr inside my chest, showing the unwavering state of her elation.
I am hers, and she is mine. Neither of us thought it was possible, but we are here, practically floating as we head toward the Hexrin house to have the mating ceremony and solidify our bond.
“What is involved in this ceremony?” I ask, my gaze locked on the sway of her hips in front of me.
“The moment we reach release, we must exchange a bite,” she explains. “It does not have to be at the same time, just whenever you feel you are close to coming, I must bite you hard enough to break the skin, and you must return that bite.”
“What happens after the bite?”
She sighs dreamily. “Then we will get very tired and fall asleep. And when we wake, our minds will be eternally linked.”
“You will hear my thoughts?”
“Yes,” she says with an amused chuckle. “You will hear mine, as well.”
“Hmm. What does a Prime Hexrin think about during the day?”
“I cannot speak for other Primes, but I know I will be thinking about your lips,” she says, her cheeks darkening. “Or your hands.”
“My hands?” I ask, surprised. Of all the parts she could appreciate, she chooses my hands?
“They are magnificent hands.”
I lift my free hand in front of my face to examine it. “They look like normal draxilio hands to me.”
Jo throws the front door open and pulls me inside. She shoves me against the back of the door and attacks my neck with her lips. “It is not how they look,” she says in a breathy moan between kisses, “it is how you use them.”
Now I understand.
We tear at each other’s clothing as we climb the steps to her bedroom. By the time we reach it, I am down to just a shirt, and Jo is wearing one boot. She kicks it off and the boot flies across the room. The moment my shirt is off, I toss it into the corner with the boot.