“You mean you didn’t say that out loud?” He runs a nervous hand through his hair.
I shake my head. “I guess there’s no sense in asking if you’re sure about the mate thing. If you can hear my thoughts, then I don’t doubt it.”
“For what it’s worth, it’s true. The Fates confirmed everything,” he says, tenderly running the back of his hand down my cheek.
I lean into his touch, savoring the tiny pulses of magic buzzing between us. I wonder if I should tell him the Fates visited me in my dreams. I decide to wait for now. I don’t think he’ll approve of what they had to say, and I don’t want to ruin our morning.
“I’m sorry for being a terrible host last night. How about a tour of the house, lunch in the garden, and then I’ll show you around the circus grounds?” His eyes glitter with secrets untold.
“It sounds like a lovely day,” I reply, excited to see the rest of the manor.
“Great. Dress, and bring your mother. I’ll be waiting for you on the landing at the end of the hall.” He helps me off his lap. “I had a wardrobe prepared for you. Pick something out, and I’ll see you soon.” Before he turns to leave, he kisses me gently on the cheek, as if leaving for—even a short while—pains him.
I understand. I feel exactly the same way. I hurry to the closet, selecting one of the dresses, then retrieve my mother.She’s already dressed and waiting. There’s a tray of half-eaten breakfast on the table in her room, and she looks well rested.
Chapter 38
Azrael
Overhead, the storm clouds thunder, and flashes of lightning illuminate the sky. We’re nearly back to the manor after a quick tour of the circus grounds. Mercy’s mother was too tired to join us—likely because I may have slipped a sleeping tincture into her lemonade at lunch this afternoon. Everyone thinks she’s just drained from the emotional exhaustion of the move. No one suspects what I did to steal a little alone time with my mate tonight.
The first raindrops hit, cold and refreshing as they slide down my skin. Mercy shrieks and giggles with delight as the drops steadily grow bigger.
“I love the rain. It always makes me feel renewed—cleansed of anything that’s been weighing me down. This feels like the universe telling me it’s okay to start over,” she says, spinning and dancing for a few beats before throwing her arms around my neck.
My arms wrap around her, swallowing her waist in tight embrace as she looks up at me smiling. She rises onto her tiptoes and brushes her lips to mine in an affectionate kiss. But it’s not enough for me. I need more. I cradle her face in my palm, leaning further into her kiss and crushing her lips with my own. A boom of thunder cracks above us, lightning splitting the sky, but I don’t care. I kiss her harder—deeper—until my hand is tangled in her hair and the other holds her in place.
Her fingers slide up to grab the hair at my nape, sending a tingle of pleasure down my body. Still, it’s not enough. I lift her in my arms, desperate to preserve this moment, and carry her to one of the brick ticket booths. Its small frame offers only minimal shelter from the storm, but it’s enough for a few more stolen minutes together. I press her against the cold brick; she shivers, and I quickly cage her body with mine. Her pebbled nipples cut through the soaked fabric of her dress to press against my chest. My hands cup and knead her, teasing her through the thin material with slow, deliberate strokes as my tongue swipes across her lips, begging for more.
She moans, parting her lips, her tongue sliding against mine. Her body springs to life as electricity pulses between us—crackling and sparking through our bond. Mercy whimpers when I nibble at her neck, my thumb brushing over her sensitive nipples at the same time I bite down. It takes so much control not to pierce her skin, but I would never harm the one the Fates gifted me.
“You’re too good for me, my sweet angel,” I rasp, covering the spots I bit moments before with soft kisses, while my fingersdraw lazy circles around her nipples, denying her the friction she craves.
I can hear her soft cries for more through our bond—whether she sends them intentionally or not, it’s almost too much. They nearly push me over the edge.
“Don’t say those things,” Mercy whispers, sliding her hand against the soft stubble begging to form on my cheek.
“I don’t deserve your love. I’ve done such horrible things, and yet the universe allows this—allows us.” I kiss her shoulder softly.
A crack of lightning flashes across the sky, followed by more rumbling thunder. The rain falls harder, as if the divine themselves are furious we’re together. If they knew about the bond, they’d be even more enraged.
Mercy pulls my face to hers until I’m forced to meet her eyes. “I don’t care what you’ve done, Azrael. You saved me and my mother, and that’s all that matters to me.”
I drop my eyes, guilt consuming me—haunted by what I did last night. “Loving me is dangerous, Mercy,” I warn. “It will only hurt you in the long run. And if I hurt you, then I’ve failed to protect you.”
“Even if you hurt me, I’ll always find a way to forgive you. You’re my soulmate, Azrael. The universe brought us together for a reason,” she confesses. “Besides, a life without you isn’t worth living.”
She kisses me again, pulling my bottom lip between her teeth with a playful nip. What was I thinking? She’s right. Fate has brought us together, and not even the divine can stop things now. We will consummate our bond, and if she accepts it, Mercy will live forever by my side.
I pull away gently. “And a life without you is equally not worth living.”
She shivers against me. I’m not sure if it’s the freezing rain and soaked clothing—or the weight of my words—but I kiss her one last time and murmur, “Come, my love. Let’s get you out of these wet clothes.”
I scoop her into my arms just as water overflows from the gutter, pouring down on top of us like a waterfall. She laughs, kicking her feet in delight before snuggling into my chest.
“I love you, and I would choose you over and over in every lifetime,” she thinks to herself.
I smile. Her words are both comforting and hard to accept. How could she love me that deeply? But then who am I to question the power of love—let alone true love between soulmates.
