Page 118 of Gift from the Source
“Tomorrow. I’d really like to share this with him and he deserves this truth,” he answers immediately, once again surprising me. “Today, I actually came to talk to you about something, though, then this happened and got me all off track. But this just proves that it’s important for me to be open with you. I never know what it might change. It was perfect timing.”
“You’re always open with me.”
If anything, sometimes he’s a little too open.
“Usually, yes, but I have been keeping something from you, little wanderer. Not maliciously, but I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for certain.”
I don’t know how to react to that. He has a small smile across his face, so I don’t think it’s bad, but I’m nervous now. He never keeps anything from me.
Granted, there’s something I’m keeping from him too. It isn’t anything astronomical. Just something I need to figure out first.
I’ll need to figure it out sooner rather than later.
“Don’t keep me in suspense,” I mumble as I crawl off his lap and onto the couch so I can brace myself and face him better.
The hair on my arms stands when he blows out a breath and he rubs his hands together.
“When you were kidnapped and I felt your mates message,” he starts and I instantly cringe.
“I’m so, so—”
He hushes me with a finger to my lips.
“Don’t say it. There’s nothing for you to be sorry for, so just…hear me out. In that moment, Dyce was explaining to the others what a mates message was and how he and Aurora share them. I couldn’t fully grasp everything at that time, but I’ve been thinking about it and well, researching ever since. I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for certain. Also, V’s arrival plus my communal knowledge have helped me put the pieces together.”
“Put what pieces together?”
My mind is trying to put it together, but it’s like it’s blocked because this is his information to share.
“A shifter can mark their mate, just like we did, by puncturing the skin with our teeth. When Dyce said what he said, I couldn’t understand it because Aurora isn’t a shifter. All I could think about was fuck, that seriously had to hurt when she marked him since her teeth are dull and it would take a lot of force.
“What I’ve found, though, is…non-shifters don’t have to bite. They just have to break the skin while you bite. They can use their gifts or elements. It just has to be in the moment, with everyone’s intentions of being marked by their mate.”
“What are you saying, Draken?” I whisper.
My heart is pounding in my chest, and my dragon is pacing fiercely. There’s a deep, primal urge coming from her that I barely contain.
“You and the guys can mark each other. You can give them a mating mark if you want and if they want that.”
My dragon purrs deeply and I swallow it down as I try to catch my breath.
“But…you…we. It’s our thing. Are you okay with me doing that? Do you want me to do that?” I ask as I rub my chest.
“I don’t want to sway you either way. This is your choice, little wanderer,” he says as he cups my cheek, but I shake my head.
“No, I need to know. This is big. We had a whole mating ceremony. This is something our dragons shared together. I want to know if this is something you’d like to share with them too.”
I don’t necessarily know how to put it in words what I’m feeling.
The way my dragon is reacting tells me all I need to know about what she wants to do. It’s an animalistic desire to mark them as hers. She wants the realm to know and see who they belong to.
I, of course, feel that way too. But not at the expense of making Draken feel like his mark wasn’t enough.
“I can see the wheels turning in that mind of yours, sweetness. You’re not going to hurt my feelings or make me feel less than by wanting to claim your men. I took all your feelings into consideration before bringing this up to you. That’s another reason why I wanted all the answers and to know for sure this was possible before I mentioned it.
“I can only imagine what your dragon feels like. Mine is so possessive and protective of you. Every time I even look at your hip or run my hand across your teeth imprints, he purrs with satisfaction. Your dragon has to be desperate to see that for herself on all her men.”
She is. She really freaking is now that he’s said it.
