Warrior (Princesses of Myth #2)

“But we were talking of your sister, not mine.” He squeezed my hand.

“I do want to meet her, particularly now we share the ability of mind-merge. But she’s been through so much. She’s come from Earth and discovered she has a father she never knew about, along with receiving strength skills, and then a rising to complete and above all else, she’s had to contend with Loveria as her mate. You said she nearly died. And Alexo is trying to forge bonds with her and my mother.” I inhaled, ever so slowly. “He always sees the bigger picture. Do not forget he has forethought.”

“Faith would want to meet you.”

“You can’t know that.”

“I do. My sister and yours are close and she told me Faith longed for family. It was only ever her mother and her.”

I gave him a small smile. “You sound as if you care about her.”

“Like I’d care about a stone under my shoe.”

I laughed. “Then stop concerning yourself over her.”

“She attends high school in New Zealand, in Te Puke. It’s a town near the coast. She’s also a couple of months shy of her final exams. Wouldn’t you like to know more?”

“Yes.” I edged forward.

“She’s stubbornly feisty. In an aggravating way.”

“Oh, she sounds just like a Wincrest.” Perfect.

A roll of his eyes made my smile widen. “Hell, yes. She’s one, through and through. I can’t believe we’re now dealing with two of you, which means twice the aggravation.”

I knocked my shoulder against his. “Hey, five minutes is hardly having to deal with me. And on that note–” I stretched out my legs and stood. “–you can take me home. Our five minutes is up.” I pulled him to his feet.

“Yeah. Where should we make that safe location to meet?”

“My bedroom. That would be best.” Well, not best, but I had little choice.

“We’ll make it every other night. Faith’s headaches begin on the second day. You don’t need to deal with them if you don’t wish to.”

“Headaches?”

“Bad ones, which is why I’m offering.”

Ah, the bond was at play. He couldn’t see me harmed.

“As you wish.”

“I do.” He bent over me, the moonlight filtering through the windows grazing his cheeks. “What of Maslin Sol? I won’t tolerate you having any close involvement with him. I don’t like him, and that stands.”

I laughed, and then as he shook his head, realized he was quite serious. “I’m pretty certain it’s only me who has to like him. I told you he’s a friend.”

“Your need to mind-merge only works with me, your mate.”

“I understand that.”

It went without question that most mated men got incredibly possessive over their women. That was part of the bond. Yet we had both accepted we walk away from it. Unless...

I couldn’t help myself. He didn’t wish for descriptions of men, so I pushed to see what his reaction would be. “There’s the enchanter, Guy Moyer. Coal-black hair and pale blue eyes tinged with swirling silver. He’s not with anyone. Or Killian might be interested in me. He’s one of Dralion’s leading eight. Massive man, who carries around a metal mallet and kills just for the sheer pleasure of it. Although, I wouldn’t be able to hide from him the fact I needed to form this mind-merge. It’s not a secret I’m prepared to keep from my future–” I let the end hang. “You know.”

He gripped my arms. “I said no visuals. You did that on purpose. They’re out.”

“Are–”

“No.” He shook his head then I lost all breath as he ’ported us away.

We arrived in the dark and it wasn’t my bedroom.

The air smelt musty and damp. “I think you have your coordinates screwed up, Silas. Where are we?”

“An out of the way place. Wait here. I’ll light a lamp.” Something rustled as he walked away then a rattle came as if he fumbled with something. “Got it.”

A flickering flame came to life within an oil lamp he held. The light cast our surroundings in a gentle glow, revealing one window with greasy panes and a dozen wooden crates stacked against the walls. We were in an old hut. I curled my toes inside my shoes and rubbed my bare arms because of the chill in the air. “Nice digs.”

“This is the best location for protectors to ’port into. Three cabins surround this hut. They’ve got the basics for a short stay, but this one is for storage.”

“What are you saying? What short stay?”

He snorted. “Your talk of other men made me think kidnap. We need to speak more about us before I take you home.” He stalked to the door and yanked it open. “Give me a couple of minutes to go check out a cabin.”

“We’re adults. We could’ve talked in your room.” And what did he mean, we needed to speak more about us? There wasn’t an “us.”

He looked at me. “Your mind is resting in mine and I damn well like it. It’s frustrating the hell out of me, so you’re not going anywhere until we sort this out. We need to chat.”

“About?”