Page 172 of A Soul to Guide

She shook her head. “Don’t worry, it’s not about that.” She didn’t need to bring it up. What he said had painted averyclear picture. “It’s just... you said something about a bride, and so did Aleron and Ingram. I don’t know what that is, and I was hoping you could explain it to me?”

While still hugging her, his hands tightened on her to the point his claws dug in – dangerously close to cutting her.

“You don’t need to know about it. It has nothing to do with you.”

Why did that not feel like the truth?

Raewyn rolled her eyes. “Is it like the Taihee people I told you of? They often bite their chosen partner as a claiming mark, and it’s held sacred to them. Violating it, without good reason, can lead to banishment.”

It wasn’t solidifying, but it was far more complex to undo a claiming than it was to enact one. Most tended to be overly cautious about their partner of choice.

“We could never do that. The moment we taste blood, our insatiable hunger would take over. It is solely a Mavka problem, one you don’t need to worry about.” When she opened her mouth, he must have felt it against his pec because he snarled and pulled away from their hug. “I won’t tell you more about it, so don’t try. If you do, I will put you on this chair by yourself and leave.”

See? Her earlier idea of threatening him with the exact same words wouldn’t have worked in her favour.

“Fine,” she pouted, realising he was more sensitive about this than anything else.

When his snarl only turned into a soft growl, probably worried she’d try anyway, Raewyn growled right back.

He quietened completely, like the wind had been knocked out of him.

After a few moments of heavy, uncomfortable silence, he tickled his claws down her nape, forcing a mewl from her. Then he said warmly, “I really like it when you do that.”

A small, but disappointed smile curled her lips.I know,she thought, which is why she enjoyed doing it.

Raewyn hummed contently as she cleaned up after her meal, happy she’d finally finished injecting her mana into the stone.

It’d taken longer than it should have because Merikh’s insatiable hunger wasn’t just apparent in his stomach, but in his groin as well. Although she could tell he was wary about being overbearing, it seemed he was no longer interested in denying his desire.

Raewyn was thankful for that, as she was finding she was even cheerier than usual because of it. Merikh was proving to be charming now that he felt comfortable with her.

He no longer avoided her.

He’d taken up a section of the stone bench to work on whatever secret task he was trying to complete so he could be near her. He still wasn’t as forthcoming and talkative, but she had the feeling that was just who he was, preferring to quietly fill up the space with his prodigious presence rather than with idle chatter. It gave Raewyn the freedom to talk until her tongue turned dry.

He would assist her with any task, sometimes doing small things before she needed to even ask. He’d taken it upon himself to figure out how to cook, so she always had food ready. He cleaned the cave almost daily – he didn’t like that their mingling scents, mainly those of a sexual nature, were making him foggy-headed.

What she liked the most was that he was more affectionate: not with his words, but with his actions.

Like now, he stood behind her, his hands on the bench on either side of her, and plonked the underside of his jaw on top of her head. Then, he shared his sight with her so she could see what she needed to clean without having to feel for it.

They both knew she didn’t need him to do this, and it was actually disorientating. His sight didn’t match up with her face, so she often had to overreach for everything. When she shook her head, he moved his jaw away to rid her of it, then plonked it back.

He said nothing, offered no explanation. He was just silently seeking attention, since she’d been ignoring him for most of the day while she was busy.

Next was the final stage, the one that scared her the most.

“Your heart has been beating faster for a while,” he said in a soft but gruff voice. “It is not like how it usually is when I’m close, and neither is your scent. Is something wrong?”

“No. Everything is fine,” she answered as she grabbed her plate to place it in a wooden bucket she’d later use to clean everything with.

Merikh moved his head so he was looking at the side of her face and used his claws to pull her curls behind her ear.

“There are other tells, like your ears and brows,” he rebuked, since her ears were pushed back and her eyebrows were furrowed. “If you do not tell me, I will begin to think I have upset you, and I would like to know if I have.”

He was rather particular about that.

If she didn’t like or want to do something, he was quick to adjust his behaviour. If he said something that upset her, he would figure out a way to rectify it.

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