Page 78 of Daughter Of The Ninth Line
Lucio was on his feet, grabbing me by the arm and dragging me toward my dorm room. Real subtle. “We’ll discuss it now. You don’t say something like that and expect us not to talk about itright fucking now.”
When we were back in my room with the door closed, he stared at me expectantly. He was my opposite in every way, light to my dark. Blond to my brunette. Happy to my brooding. We made a good team.
He shoved me onto the bed. “It’s the girl from the Ninth Line, right? The one you’ve had Braxus tailing for the last week?”
I nodded slowly. “Avalon Halhed. She’s…” What was she? I didn’t really know her, yet I felt I’d known her all my life. I knew she was brave, and beautiful. I knew she was protective of creatures who needed her, defensive of the new friends she made. That was everything I needed to know. The rest I could learn over our long life together. “She’s perfect,” I finished.
Lucio groaned. “You look like a lovesick bull in mating season. Does she know?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. The other Lines don’t have Soul Ties. But she’s drawn to me. I can feel it.”
How could she not feel this pull between us?
Gripping my shoulder, he smiled. “I’m happy for you, Hayle. A Soul Tie is…” He trailed off, because we both knew what it was. It was something special, something gifted to us by the Goddess herself.
I knew Lucio would still look into her, though. He was my second; his job was to protect the interests of our Line if I couldn’t.
“So, how are you going to get your mate?”
I waited for her at the entrance to the training ring. It felt a little like corralling my prey, but desperate times called for desperate measures. In a rucksack hanging from my shoulderwas a blanket, along with enough food to keep the beast inside me happy that we were providing for our mate.
Moving to the side, I waited until Avalon was just past me before I reached out and gently gripped her arm. A pulse of pleasure raced up my own, the connection between us undeniable. She gasped softly, and I assumed she’d draw away. Instead, she moved almost imperceptibly closer, making me want to howl my happiness.
“Avalon,” I purred softly. “How are you feeling?” I touched the fading green bruise on her head, the small lump still there underneath her hair.
“I’m fine. Good enough that I don’t get excused from sword drills anyway,” she grumbled, following me as I led her from the training grounds. She might’ve been hiding from me, but my Soul Tie clearly trusted me already.
Once we were away from the steady flow of conscripts, I turned to her. “Well enough to come for a short walk into the woods with me? There’s something I want to show you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Show me what?”
I grinned. “A surprise.”
“I’ve heard that before. Is the surprise your cock? Because if so, I’m going back to my dorm for a shower instead.”
My mouth fell open. I mean, I’d like to show her my cock, but no. I also wanted to rip the cock off any man who wanted to take her into the woods for that reason, and feed it to Alucius.
My hound’s agreement was instantaneous. She made some reference to it being chewy, which made me blanch a little. Alucius was terrifying sometimes. People were scared of Braxus because of his size, but Alucius was cunning and brutal. She was definitely the scarier one.
Avalon eyed me. “Is the surprise a shallow grave?”
I blinked slowly. “Uh, no. It’s not. It’s definitely something you’ll enjoy.”
She muttered something beneath her breath about cocks again, but finally, she nodded. “Sure. I’ll go into the woods with you, even though you’re a near-perfect stranger.”
Despite the sarcasm, when I tugged her along behind me, she followed. I didn’t move my hand away as people watched us walk by. I didn’t care if people knew that she was mine; I was glad for it. I wanted everyone to know I’d claimed her.
We walked out through the gates and around the thick fortress walls. Her stolt, Epsy, appeared and climbed her leg, wrapping himself around her neck. He knew where we were going; I’d sent Alucius to find him earlier.
Avalon laughed and scratched the small rodent. “Hey, sweet boy.”
I’d gathered all my animal companions to protect us in the woods. Braxus and Alucius were flanking us on either side. My raven, Quarry—who was usually in charge of keeping an eye on the village—had even been called in and was perched in a tree, watching anyone who might venture too close.
Finally, we made it to the clearing. Letting go of Avalon’s hand, I unbuckled my rucksack and pulled out the blanket for us to sit on, spreading it out wide. We’d need all the space we could get. I sat and tugged her down onto the blanket beside me.
Sending my consciousness out into the woods, I connected with the creatures I wanted her to meet. Epsy leapt from her shoulder and disappeared into the trees.
“Epsy!” she whisper-shouted, but the little stolt was gone. She looked… heartbroken.
