Page 103 of Savage Union

Grr. Malofice’s face went red.

“You can’t talk to me that way! You’re lying!”

All four sets of glowing crimson eyes blazed in sudden rage.

“You dare to call a priestess of She of the Four Faces a liar?”all four voices boomed at once.

Grr. Malofice blanched and jerked back.

“No, I just…I was saying…I don’t…” He trailed off again, looking both embarrassed and afraid.

“Be silent!” the faces told him. “Servant, clean the bowl,” she added.

The servant with the silver bowl hurried away and came back a moment later. The bowl was clean and empty.

“Give me a fresh pin,” the priestess instructed. She held out her hand to me again. “Your finger, my daughter.”

She pricked my other pointer finger this time and I watched as another drop of blood fell into the bowl.

Then it was Turk’s turn. He held out his hand and I watched as the priestess pricked his finger and let our blood mingle in the bowl.

“Very good—and now for the Tears of the Goddess,” she murmured, taking the vial from the other servant again.

She let a single droplet of the pale pink liquid fall in the bowl and then we all waited and watched.

At first, nothing happened.

I felt my heart start to sink. I had been so sure—sosure—that Turk was my Fated Mate! I had always felt so drawn to him, and I knew he was drawn to me too. He?—

My thoughts were cut off as something started to happen in the bottom of the bowl.

It started as a faint pink wisp, a tiny trail of vapor that was barely visible. Then it began to grow—almost like the blood at the bottom of a bowl was a fire and it was giving off pink smoke.

The pink smoke drifted upwards and I felt my heart soar up to the ceiling with it. It was true! This must be the reaction the priestess had been talking about—this pink smoke must mean that Turk and I reallywereFated Mates!

But the smoke wasn’t stopping. In fact, there seemed to be more and more of it billowing out of the bowl in big puffs. It had a smell like singed sugar—sweet and faintly bitter—and it was starting to fill up the entire Holy House!

And everywhere it went, it caused a reaction. I noticed it first in a couple to my left—a friend of mine named Beryl and her husband, a Brute named Kurt. As the pinkish, sweet smoke twined around their heads, the two of them looked at each other with wide eyes.

Then they started ripping at each other’s clothes and kissing frantically—like they were sexually starved for each other!

I watched in shock as the smoke spread—and with it, the intense sexual need. Everywhere I looked I saw couples making out. Kissing and groping—some of them were even making love right on the floor of the Holy House!

The smoke didn’t affect everyone, though—only people who seemed to be in love or at least people who had feelings for each other, I thought—were affected. I noticed that the smoke hadn’tdone a thing for Lyrah and my Sire, who were looking around in astonishment but not even trying to get to each other.

I saw something else that surprised me too—Pria, the heir to the Chieftainship of Clan Vicious, and Rath, her bodyguard, were kissing passionately. They weren’t rough, excited kisses though. Rath had her face cupped in both hands and was bending over her. He was taking her mouth gently—almost tenderly—and she was kissing him back with shy eagerness.

Somehow they were the couple that caught my attention the most. The only trouble was, I was fairly sure that a relationship between the Chieftainess and her bodyguard was strictly forbidden. Of course, Pria hadn’t taken her mother’s place yet, but she would soon. So could she and Rath really?—

“My child, the test is positive. It is confirmed that the two of you are Fated Mates.”

I turned back to the priestess and saw that she was smiling with all four faces at me and Turk.

“Yes, we know.” Turk put an arm around me and pulled me close to his side.

“You should go now, while the reaction is still taking place,” the priestess told us. “Leave before anyone can try to stop you. And let me advise you to consummate your love at once. In fact, I recommend a Deep Seeding to Seal your Union—Bind yourselves together tightly so that no one can pull you apart.”

She cast a contemptuous glance at Grr. Malofice who was standing alone, coughing and choking on the pink smoke which obviously did nothing for him.

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