Page 68 of My Summer Girl

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Vera

Waiting For Never – Post Malone

Another day passes, and my anxieties for their well-being is making me nervous. “They should’ve been here already.”

I don’t mean to speak it out loud, but the way my stomach clenches with nerves tells me it’s not something I can hold close to my vest.

“Why wouldn’t they be?” Vex asks, coming toward me. Their concern mirrors mine, somber and apparent. “Do you think they’re hurt?”

Of course their mind settles where mine has been, to the worst case scenario. I close my eyes, knowing Raevar was a fighter before being my hand. He knows how to protect and kill if need be.

“I’ll send more scouts,” I answer, not wanting to think of them hurt. I’ve yet to meet this Dulce and yet there’s a tug in my chest drawing me to her. It craves her, and this weird sensation to her mate too. It’s home-like, similar to this fondness growing in my chest for this purple stranger.

Vael comes in as if reading my mind. “My queen.”

“Send a team to search for Raevar and Dulce. If they’re hurt, I want them to be safe. That’s the utmost priority.”

He nods, calling other guards over. Turning to Vex, a thought comes to mind.

“If you’re bonded, can’t you feel her here? I know you spoke of being in the other realm and how it isn’t the same since it’s a new bond, but surely, it’s grown?”

Vex nods but then shakes their head right after. “She’s here, I can tell, but our bond isn’t solidified. It has to be solidified through frequent blood exchange and a bonding ceremony.”

“Does this make either of you sick?”

“Not exactly. Bonds in our culture grow stronger with time spent together, but when it’s newer, as a Saephyn, I can feel agitated and very hungry.” They pause and bite their lip. “With consummation, it eases the hunger. It’s necessary with new bonds.”

Heat hits my face as I imagine Vex taking blood from Dulce. The imagery is quite erotic, and knowing they do it to seal a bond with sex too? Solera have mercy.

“But since we’ve not nurtured our bond, I can’t tell where she is. I can feel her—little wisps of emotions and tugs—but never something as detailed as if we had time to truly solidify it.”

“It’s really beautiful how that works for you,” I say, wishing I had a connection like that. “We, the Solerans, don’t have a bond like that. Ours is a simple word ritual with a mating. No feelings or emotions. We don’t get the fated mate things.”

“It’s different from a fated mate,” they correct. “The Fates give fated mates by tying their destinies, whereas with me, as a Saephyn, it’s a blood bond. It goes deep, but not soul deep. Then there are other types of mates with each kind of creature. I’ve heard even Orukna get mates.”

“So, essentially, she could mate with others?”

Their face scrunches, not in disgust or displeasure, but more in mild curiosity. “Yes. I could in theory form more than one bond.”

“How do Orukna find mates?” I ask, coming back to the little comment they made. I’m sure it was with Raevar in mind.

“I’ve heard through friends that they know when they touch their mate, they’re fated. Not always, but usually when their skin touches, they know. If both parties accept the bond and nurture it, they’ll eventually have mate marks.”

“Mate marks?” I gasp, thinking of how no Orukna I’ve ever known had markings. Sure, some have flower ink put into their skin for cultural purposes, but not markings. “I’ve never witnessed this.” They rub at their forehead, seemingly growing weary. A new type of concern ripples through me.

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