Page 65 of Claimed By Stone
I was preparing a home.
One night, when we returned to our chambers, the entire mountain seemed to exhale around us. The hearth crackled softly. The laughter from the lower halls had faded to echoes. Seraphina changed into one of the new soft gowns Callie had found for her, and I couldn’t stop staring. Not because of her curves, though those were a constant torment, but because she looked so at peace.
She curled into me, warm and safe, her face tucked into the crook of my neck like she’d belonged there all along. I pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she murmured something sleepy I didn’t quite catch.
I stayed awake long after her breath evened out.
If this was the life the Gods had given me, I would honor it with everything I was.
Even if that nagging voice in the back of my mind told me this was too good, that we still had yet to figure out why she had truly been sent here. I was choosing to silence that voice and lean into the love between us. Nothing else mattered but that.
Chapter 27
Seraphina
These past few weeks in the mountain had been a whirlwind of planning. Everything seemed to be moving fast, but also not fast enough. I wanted to be mated to Thavros. I was so looking forward to having nothing to do but be his in those mating caves more than I ever knew.
The call to have him claim me, stuff me, fill me, and bite me was becoming harder and harder to deny.
But it was almost time. The preparations were nearly finished, the castle was full of guests, and the nerves were kicking in.
Tomorrow we were to be mated.
The mountain was in full celebration mode. Even the stone walls seemed to hum with life, echoing with laughter, music, and the rhythm of preparation. Everywhere I turned, someone was offering a kind word, a bit of fabric for her gown, a carved trinket, or a blessing.
It wasn't until I entered the great hall for our midday meal that it all changed.
There was someone new. Someone I didn't recognize. But someone who sent a chill up my back all the same.
The moment I saw him —tall, cloaked in slate-gray robes, with cold, icy blue eyes that scanned the room like a predator —my stomach dropped. It was like ice slid through my veins.
"Seraphina," Callie called, waving her over. "Dru and Thavros had an emergency meeting in the war room."
"Who's that?" I ask, motioning over to the new visitor.
Callie just shrugged, "I don't know him."
I kept my expression neutral, but my body knew something my brain hadn’t remembered yet. Something about him felt… wrong.
The orcs greeted the visitor with polite curiosity, no suspicion in their smiles. I watched as Frema entered from the hallway and escorted the man away from the great hall. I didn't know what was going on, but I didn't care for it.
I excused myself as soon as I could, heart pounding. In the quiet of the corridor, I pressed a hand to my chest and tried to breathe.
Callie found me not long after. “You okay, sweets? You looked like you saw a ghost.”
I forced a shaky laugh. “Just overwhelmed. So much kindness—it’s a lot.”
Callie didn’t quite buy it, but she didn’t push. Instead, she looped an arm through mine and dragged me back toward the impending celebration. “Come on. Let’s go steal the biggest honey cakes before Khuldruk hoards them.”
I followed, smiling on the outside. But on the inside, that nervousness stayed, like an itch in my memory, just out of reach.
I tried to lose myself in the celebration. In the laughter, the music, the warm press of Callie’s hand in mine. There was still much to be done before the ceremony tomorrow.
As Callie and I were just finishing up talking to the cook for the final prep, Thavros walked in. My heart lifted at the sight of him.
"Do you mind if I steal my mate for a moment?"
"She's all yours," Callie said.
