Page 38 of Exiled Prince

I nod, cupping her cheeks, then running my fingers down herneck. I speak to Soren but keep my eyes on my mate. “We will bring something of his to you.”

“Okay, I’ll see you both soon.”

He says goodbye to Rave and Astrid and zips back to the Witch Kingdom.

“Let’s leavenow,” I whisper, getting her out of here before anything worse can happen. I take her to my bedroom and lay her back on the fresh, dark-green sheets. “I never touched her, Sunshine.”

“But you wanted to.” She sighs, sitting up and scooting back against the wooden headboard. “We both have pasts, Bane. I get that. And yes, I slept with Rave, but that was just physical. I could tell you and Astrid are really close, and it didn’t bother me. But now I know it was something more than that, and you actually had feelings for her.”

“Sunshine—”

“You had feelings involved, I didn’t. I just wanted to see what the big deal was about and fuck someone—” I put my finger on her lips, cutting her off.

She’s right, and she’s wrong.

“I did have feelings for Astrid at one stage,” I say slowly, trying to find the right words. “Then she told me my mate was out there, and she saw you. And everything changed for me. And now that I’ve met you, anything I thought I felt for her pales in comparison.”

“Astrid is nothing like me, Bane. She’s small, petite, and—”

“You are everything I need, Saylor. You are not nor will you ever be in competition with anyone. You were made for me, and you are fucking perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better mate,” I assure her. This is the first time she’s shown me any kind of vulnerability, and I’m glad she can be honest and trust me enough to do so, but she has nothing to worry about. “I only see Astrid as a friend and have so for a long time now. I don’t wanther.”

Sitting up next to her, I pull her onto my lap. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she replies, burying her face in my neck.

We hold each other for a few long moments in silence. “Now, let’s go and get something that belongs to Shadow and take it to Soren in Allyria.”

“I have his gold chain at my house,” she replies, planting a soft kiss on my mouth.

“Good,” I reply, tucking her long hair behind her ear. “And then I’m going to spend all night showing you just how much I want you.”

My mate will have no doubts about my loyalty to her when I’m finished with her.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Saylor

“That Jagger guy was a dead lead,” Sage explains, his biceps flexing as he crosses his arms over his chest. We’re at my house having a family dinner. I’ve cooked a big roast beef with all their favorite sides, and we’re sitting around my table catching each other up on everything.

“Why did Laurel tell me to find him then?” I ask, frowning with my fork in my hand. “Is he alive?”

“He is,” Salem replies as he takes a big bite of the beef. “Since Laurel mentioned him in her vision, we didn’t want to mess with the future by killing him.”

“That was very mature of you, Salem,” I compliment. Maybe he’s ready to go back to work.

“It was my idea. Salem wanted to kill him but had to make do with a little torture.” Silver smirks, sitting back in his chair with one arm resting on the empty chair next to him. Okay, maybe he’s not ready to go back to work. “I thought you’d have invited your mate for family dinner.”

“Having a mate doesn’t have to be my whole personality,” I reply, rolling my eyes. “Is it a crime to want some one-on-one time with my brothers?”

All of them start laughing, and I scowl, knowing they are being rude and mind linking with each other.

“I told you guys not to do that around me!” I pout, feeling left out, as usual. I can only mind link with them in our wolf form, just like any other wolf shifter can with their pack. The fact that they can mind link in this form is rare, and something I believe might be due to them being triplets.

“Sorry,” Silver replies in a cheerful tone.

“I’m surprised he let you go. If you were my mate, I’d tie you to the bed,” Salem says casually.

“Let me?” I seethe, wishing not for the first time that I had sisters.

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