Page 109 of Challenged Mate
How was it, I never knew how much those words would mean to me?
Why had I never imagined such a thing?
Asher reached up and freed my lip with the pad of his thumb.
“You’re calm,” I whispered. My breath brushed the thumb still hovering over my lips. “Too calm. You know something.”
He didn’t try to deny it. “My mother told me the Mother Goddess’s power was gold—that your mother’s magic was gold. When I saw your power for the first time, I assumed you had the Moonstone within you.”
Irritation flared, but I tamped it down. That lecture could wait. I needed to focus on the problem at hand.
“What do you know about the Moonstone?”
“Only that it’s only a physical stone when a Mother Goddess dies and the power leaves her body. Then, it is taken to the next Mother Goddess where it become one with her flesh. The only sign of its presence is a mark, similar to that of an ordinary birthmark.”
My fingers twitched. I resisted the urge to touch the tan mark located above my sternum. “Has the Moonstone ever transferred to a child before?”
“I’m not certain. But, if I had to guess, I’d say no.”
Probably a safe guess.
I leaned my head back and stared at the crown molding. I changed the subject, “Where am I?”
“My bedroom.”
My eyes snapped to his, then quickly surveyed the room with fresh eyes. The room was pretty sparse. A dresser and nightstand were the only pieces of furniture beside the bed. No pictures hung on the walls. Other than the discarded clothes gathered on the floor by the door, I saw no personal affects.
“It’s… clean.”
Asher chuckled. “I have an apartment in town. Chase is my roommate. I prefer to stay there. This house… it’s technically mine, but it will always feel like my parent’s.”
It was my turn to grab his hand. I gave it a gentle squeeze.
He brought our hands to his lips and kissed my knuckles.
Butterflies took flight. I wanted nothing more than to fall into his embrace and let our bond distract me from my latest troubles, but too much depended on us figuring out how to come out of this situation as the victors.
“We shouldn’t go to the forest alone,” I murmured.
“No, we shouldn’t.”
“My father knows everything already, and Hunter is his packmember. He should be there.”
“Agreed. Chase and Axel are the second and third males in the pack. They should be there too.”
“Not Kayla?”
Asher’s fingers flexed before tightening around mine again. “She will stay behind and shore up the pack’s defenses.”
“She won’t like it.”
“No,” he sighed. “She won’t. But powerful sorceress or not, she’s still my baby sister. And if this is somehow a trap and anyone breaches our defenses, she will be able to lead the others and defend our pack.”
It wasn’t my place to disagree. “Okay.”
“Will you tell Stephanie?” he asked.
“Mother, no.” I shook my head. “I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to her because of me.”Her brother’s already in danger because of me.
