Laithe’s eyes darken. “He won’t like that.”
“What?”
“His marks have nearly faded.”
I bite the inside of my lip. I almost blurt out that he could come back to renew them any time he wants, but my cheeks heat at the thought of suggesting it.
Technically, a simple bite isn’t all that meaningful. There’s no magic in what Jarron did a few weeks ago. It’s just proof of an interaction—aneroticinteraction. Which is the part I get bashful about.
But based on the way everyone changed their behavior toward me the moment those two little marks appeared on my neck, proof that my relationship with Jarron was progressing, it clearly means something.
Regular bite marks fade quickly though, and don’t create any magical links between the two creatures. A claiming mark is similar on the surface, but entirely different at its core.
A bite is a casual hookup. A claiming mark is a commitment.
Take my mark.
I shiver at the thought of those words. I’ve run that moment through my mind so many times I’ve lost count. I told him no, and though he didn’t take it too badly, part of me still feels guilty.
But a mark is the supernatural equivalent to a proposal. It’s not a full bonding, but it’s the first step. So it’s normal for me to be nervous about that, right?
Even so, even a mark like that isn’t permanent. I could walk away if I wanted. I could still change my mind.
I’m still not certain what it will mean to let him mark me. I’m not sure if it will reveal truths I’d rather ignore.
I know, without any doubt at all, that Jarron cares for me. Wants me. Maybe even loves me.
But that love developed when we both believed Liz was dead and he hasn’t exactly been around since we found out she was still alive.
He has plenty of reason for that absence, obviously, and before he left I was pretty well convinced the Council’s belief that my sister is his mate was incorrect but three weeks of absence has allowed old doubts and fears to brew.What ifhe chose my sister when we were young, and he developed feelings for me in her absence?What ifhis true mate is Liz but he still wants me?
Is he hoping to have both of us? Is there a way for him to change his mind?
The thing is, I can’t get these answers without a mark. Because Orizians can’t talk about their chosen mate until she’s accepted him. The mark is a way around that, where we’ll be magically connected enough to feel that truth.
He could mark me, in an attempt to win me over, despite his true mate being someone else. Would he do that? Probably not, but I won’t know for sure until I take the risk.
So I’m stuck in this place where I don’t know for sure that my heart won’t be shattered when I take that mark.
I should have just accepted the offer weeks ago when I’d had the chance. But no, I’m a stubborn little girl terrified of hypotheticals.
Less than a year ago, I’d been so against all things supernatural. It’s wild how much that’s changed.
Not long ago, I feared him. Now I fear a life without him.
Maybe there are more twists coming. Maybe I don’t even understand the full extent of what it means for a demon to choose someone.
Those fears are a big part of why I keep reading this book, written by some random woman with dubious sources.
I choose to sit in this weird limbo, with tons of evidence that I am indeed Jarron’s chosen but still some against it, confused and afraid.
Instead of following the compulsion to continue seeking answers where I shouldn’t, I moveBehind Alien Eyesinto my bag and pry open the other book I brought with me titledThe Meaning of Marks, which is all about the different kinds of marks and bonds supernatural beings can leave on others. Laithe lifts that brow again. I ignore the minor pang of embarrassment.
The whole bite vs. mark bond thing is complicated, and it’s different for every species of supernatural, so I’m still working on wrapping my mind around it.
I let Jarron bite me because a wolf had tried to force a mark on me, leaving rough puncture wounds and enough magic to make it so the scars wouldn’t fade for a long while. Jarron’s much more pleasant bite covered that and removed any leftover magic.
The next step in the girlfriend-to-bonded-mate pipeline would be a mark. The first one usually happens on the wrist. That mark would open up a small magical link between us that would allow him to know where I am and what I’m feeling.
