Page 13 of Silver
I looked up from his chest where my eyes had been tracking our light, seeing his eyes wide with shock and wonder. We both realized at the same time we belonged to one another. That we were soulmatches. I’d known since I saw him, but now he knew, too. But we couldn’t let our guard down yet, not before the ward was in place. I also knew that as soon as I truly got my hands on him, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. I was going to claim my man as soon as possible.
I leaned into him, whispering in his ear, “As soon as the wards are done, you’re all mine.” A soft whine left his throat, forcing a groan out of me in response. He was awakening something inside of me.
I couldn’t wait to see what else he’d do to my body.
Chapter 11
Wilston
Silver was mine.
There was no doubt about that now. The light had shown us our souls were connected. That they were soulmatched.
I sat in silence while the others chatted about how this place could work as a home for us. We would stay as long as possible, and take drives to the nearest town for food shopping when needed. I tried to listen in and nod whenever my opinion mattered, but all I could think about was that whispered promise from Silver.
“As soon as the wards are done, you’re all mine.”
I shivered, hoping the others didn’t notice as I kept eating. Silver had put the others on ward duty while we cooked dinner, and now the place was safe. If someone visited the forest, they wouldn’t be able to see us, and if they wanted to walk into our space, Xarius and Niam’s wards would guide them around or make them want to leave the forest. Nothing that wanted to harm us, or could harm us in any deadly kind of way, could enter, meaning small animals could, but not big ones.
Snowflake and Leon loved the space, running around and playing together. I couldn’t wait to get my own familiar soon, seeing it play around with Silver’s and the others. It felt like the more time I spent around the others, the more at ease I felt, too. Like we truly had been friends in our earlier lives.
“I can make the stone wall part around us whenever we need to do a food run,” Xarius said, eating the last bit of his spaghetti. It wasn’t formal dining, but with cans of tomato sauce and freshly boiled spaghetti, we could all eat a somewhat filling meal. Niam made the boiling water and warmed the skillet with his fire, cooking the sauce perfectly. We didn’t like warming the cans, so we used a cast iron skillet, with Niam washing it after each meal.
As soon as we’d finished eating, Xarius took our trash and buried it deep underground. It wasn’t the best option, but it was what we could do since we wouldn’t be able to dump our trash anywhere in the closest town.
“We warded the whole place inside the stone walls, and I tested the water and it’s clean enough to bathe in. There are different fish varieties, so we need to remember that and throw back the fish we can’t eat,” Niam said, wiping his mouth on a wet wipe.
“Can you fish using your water magic?” Silver asked, but it sounded like he already knew the answer, but wanted Niam to realize he could in fact do just that.
“Oh, um, I guess I could. I haven’t really thought about it,” Niam replied, looking deep in thought as he looked towards the lake. It seemed as though Silver was truly smart when it came to magic and how to use it. But he also didn’t want to seem like a know-it-all, offering his knowledge like this to make it seem like he didn’t know either. Only I knew he’d done it so he wouldn’t seem better than them.
“You can try fishing tomorrow,” Silver smiled. “Then Xari can make wooden sticks we can grill them on. I was also wondering if wecould make them over a fire? I’m dying to eat something grilled.” We all nodded, desperate to eat something fresh. “I want a lemon tree and some herbs, too, Xari, if your magic can handle more tonight.”
Xarius pointed to a certain spot to the right. “You want it over there? I think that’ll be the best place for sunlight to hit.” Silver nodded and then they started talking about a little herb garden. I helped Niam clean up, both of us working together in comfortable silence.
When they returned, having grown everything Silver wanted, we sat down on some chairs Xarius had made for us. “Since we have no way of knowing when the next mage will be shunned, we should have the locket ready, like it was for me when you got shunned,” Xarius said, looking at Niam.
“You could try it now,” Silver said, handing them the silver locket.
“You already reset it? Great!” Niam said, taking the locket and looking it over. Xarius placed his hand on top of Niam’s and then they closed their eyes. We watched them work in silence, not wanting to disturb them. I selfishly hoped it wouldn’t light up, wanting to stay here and get to know Silver some more without being in dangerand moving around. I also really wanted to bind him to me forever. After the locket had unlocked and released something between us, I was even more obsessed with the man. I knew the locket had a way of searching for our souls, so my guess was it showed us our souls were a match, and thus opening up our need for one another.
“It worked,” Xarius said after a few minutes of silence. “But it seems whoever it picked isn’t here yet.”
“I’ll wear it around so when they get shunned, we’ll know immediately,” Niam said, placing the chain around his neck. I was glad we weren’t responsible for it, since I selfishly wanted to spend my time fully focused on Silver.
“OMG!” Silver exclaimed, jumping up from his chair so quickly it fell over behind him. He looked to Xarius and Niam with excitement. “You said you were able to make the ward both invisible and silent to others outside, right?”
They nodded, their eyes big and worried as they watched him.
“You can make a silent ward on your van!” he clapped. “No more nights with your fucking disturbing my sleep!”
I couldn’t help it then, he was just too goddamn adorable. I laughed. I laughed harder than I had in ages, perhaps ever. Xariusfollowed, laughing with me, and then Niam and Silver started, too, all of us sharing this moment together, feeling light and safe in our temporary sanctuary.
Chapter 12
Silver
It had been easy to convince Xari and Niam to make a ward around our trailer, too, making it silent as well. I didn’t want them hearing us, and I knew they felt the same. I was also looking forward to our long talks about everything and nothing, something that was just ours. Something that didn’t involve Niam and Xari.
