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Chapter 10
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2022-02-08 04:45:45TANIA
We were in the gardens that surrounded the estate. It had been a week since I had joined Sylvain on his almost nightly runs through the forest that was beyond the well-maintained gardens. We could have easily used magic to tend to the gardens. We could have easily kept the flowers in full blood as if it were a never-ending spring but we found that it sucked the joy out of the natural cycle of life. Everything was meant to die, to wither away and give space for something to grow anew.
However, we did such a good job of maintaining the gardens that Sylvain initially thought we used magic until he saw fae tending to the gardens on their hands and knees.
It was beautiful, watching a flower go through the cycle of life within a few days or weeks. The garden during the winter months was blanketed with knee-deep snow. Icicles would cling to the bare, thick brunches of the trees that lined the paved path thr
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SYLVAINThe moment the words 'show me' left Tania's lush lips, I clutched a hand on her shoulders. She was so consumed by the shadows coiling around her supple body that she hadn't registered the feel of my hand on her skin. Shadows, almost instantly, blanketed me in their chilling embrace which had my spine freezing and my heart rate spiking. It seemed like they loved my fear, practically feeding off the emotion until my muscles eased into numbness.And then, it suddenly felt as if we were moving at the speed of light but through darkness. Moving to where I didn't know. Zephyr trusted her not to do anything stupid but, at the way my gut hollowed, I knew that he was now regretting taking off her cuffs. I didn't know what Tania's game plan was but if she planned on winning this game, she better start changing her play. She couldn't throw away the first straw of trust someone offered her. I thought I was making progress with
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SYLVAIN"How are you?" My mother's concerned voice echoed through the mind link.It was the middle of the night here which meant it should have been late afternoon on her side. The time difference left my head spinning but I made a point not to contact my pack often so I wouldn't need to keep checking the difference. My mother, on the other hand, was stressed about me so I didn't have the heart to tell her that she may have woken me up from my sleep."I'm fine, mom," I answered, suppressing a whine that crawled up my throat. Nuzzling into Tania's side, I said, "but I may be here longer than expected.""Take all the time you need," she said in a tone reserved only for mothers. It was soothing and reassuring like a warm fuzzy blanket on a cold winter's day, "your dad and I have things covered here. Sydney and Quade left a week ago so if you have time, maybe drop b
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TANIAI was still groggy, vision blurry and muscles lax with exhaustion that hadn't left my limbs yet but my mind was strangely aware. It was aware that I had fallen asleep last night in a set of strong arms which encased me as if forming a barrier against every one of my fears. I wanted to ignore the fact that my sleep was almost blissful when tucked into his chest and cradled but I couldn't. After my nightmare had woken me and I somehow found sleep again, not a single dream—good nor bad—found me. And I liked it that way.I blinked away the blurriness while perching myself against the cushioned headboard. When my focus returned I found the room empty, the faint whisper of Sylvain's woodsy scent lingering in the air. I almost released a disgruntled sigh but I stopped myself. How could I be mad or even disappointed that he left when he had a life of his own. He was already putting said life on h
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TANIAI thoroughly enjoyed watching Sylvain's features contort between surprise and joy as I showed him around town. We stopped at the bakery first and, true to his style, he charmed the bloody socks of the elderly woman behind the counter—even convinced her to talk to me even though her every instinct screamed against it. I appreciated the gesture but I didn't want to go around town making people uncomfortable. Luckily, after coffee and blueberry muffins we left for the next place.It took us longer than necessary to get there because he kept pausing to pet the horses on the paved roads. They adored him, letting out whinnies and swishing their tails through the air. Seeing horses and carriages fascinated him the way seeing cars for the first time fascinated faeries. However, the town wasn't massive, and getting cars here would be a problem we weren't ready to tackle. This method of transportation had serv
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SYLVAINI licked her soft bottom lip before drawing it between my teeth and sucking on the pillow. The taste of coffee with hints of blueberry muffin lingered in her mouth and I devoured it until all I could taste was her. And, oh was she sweet. She tasted like sugar-coated lies and bad decisions. It made no sense but it made perfect sense to me.She kept lying to herself that she was the villain, so much so that she was now down the rabbit hole believing it with everyone else. But, if she were so bad then why did she have a laugh that reminded me of angels singing?I tilted my head, deepening the kiss in a way that had anticipation clouding my vision and desire setting my body on fire. If this snow wasn't magically enchanted beneath me it would have turned into a steaming puddle of water. Of that much, I was certain.The more she made me wait, the more I wanted her. I wanted her on top of me with her head tipped back and white locks cascading over her curves and I wanted her beneath m
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TANIAI made a mistake. A terrible mistake. I wasn't some hormonal teenager so I should have never decided to throw caution to the wind. My hormones and lack of composure should have never driven my actions. Now, all that could be felt was thick, undiluted tension between Sylvain and me. Tension because we didn't know how to proceed from here, whether or not this was a tilt in another direction for our relationship, or whether things would remain the same.We were exiting the summer court which didn't hold Sylvain's attention. It reminded him of the sweaty, humid, subtropical climate of LA and his skin turned beat red under the direct rays of scorching sunlight. Because of that, we zipped through the summer court and breezed through the autumn as well.It was Spring—surprisingly enough—that held his attention in the same way winter court had. He brushed his fingertips over the tu
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SYLVAINIt didn't take much convincing for me to be let out of the city. Zephyr was just happy Tania wasn't cooped up in her room and I was the reason she decided to explore the city so this—letting me out—was his reward. He did, however, tell me to meet him in the clearing we had arrived in days ago when I had first landed here so he could lead me back to the town. I had till sundown to sort out whatever I needed to so I had left early this morning to get started. Tania was still asleep, soft snores passing through her parted lips when I left. I didn't know how to face her. I didn't know what version of her I would get and it terrified me to find out. When she drew me in it had hope seeping into every pore on my body and when she pushed me away, it felt like a vacuum sucking away my very essence.I needed a break from it.I felt bad for thinking so but I did. After yesterday I t
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SYLVAIN"What do you mean you can't find her?" My voice bellowed through the forest, sending the birds in the trees fleeing for safety, "you had one job, one fucking job, and you messed it up!""Don't blame me," Tane raised his hands in mock surrender, unfazed by my blowout. By now, he was well accustomed to them, "it's not easy to keep up with someone who has wings.""If her mother finds out we've lost her, we're both dead. We might as well start making our gravestones now," I grumbled as I ruffled my mop of ginger curls in frustration. I loved my daughter, I really did. She was five now and at that age where she loved going on adventures even if it meant wandering off on her own. She knew the rules though—never leave the magical wards protecting the pack. However, now that she had learned to summon her wings at will, she was getting more and more difficult to contain. As much as I loved my daughter, though, she gave me a shit tone of stress. "Come on, Xena, this isn't funny. Stop
The Queen's Mate Chapter 41
TANIAI spent the better half of this week getting to know the pack more, their schedules, how each individual member had a role in the pack, how they operated and trusted one another implicitly. It was vastly different from how fae worked.Fae lived in cities but, just like human cities, we were independent. We did not rely on one another and most certainly did not all play a role the way wolves did. For wolves, each and every member in their pack was family which they were willing to die for. There was something so pure about it. Pure enough to have guilt riddle the very essence of my being each time I remembered what I had done to them. Whenever that happened, Sylvain was always there to placate me. He reminded me of how far I had come from that power-hungry girl who sought out blind revenge. He reminded me that I had changed for the better and he played a hand in that change. I watched Sylvain from outside the wards I had placed along his pack's borders—our pack. He was animated
The Queen's Mate Chapter 40
SYLVAINI watched Tania as she made her rounds around the clearing, networking and getting to know the people of my pack—our pack. For someone who wasn't in her element, she looked at home. Her lips were curled upward in an inviting, warm smile, and each person she spoke with left with a reciprocating smile on their face. She managed to thaw out most of the unease that we stepped into when the night began, gradually gaining the trust and confidence of everyone around her the way she had gained that pup's trust by helping him with his magic. Tania looked the picture of perfection. Even after I ravished her and left her sated, leaving her with a glow from the aftermath, she looked breathtaking. Her hair had come loose so she opted to leave it down in white waves that brushed her waist each time her hips moved. She was so beautiful it felt like a privilege to just glance in her mere direction and she was all mine. From those dark eyes to her pale skin. From her forbidden thoughts to the
The Queen's Mate Chapter 39
TANIAI smoothed my clammy palms down the silky material of the black dress I wore. It fitted my figure like a second skin with a low-cut front starting from thin spaghetti straps. The back of the dress was left open, hitched right above my tailbone while the skirt flowed elegantly to the ground. Two thigh-high slits gave the dress an extra bit of spice while also making the material breathable and easy to walk in. It was a gorgeous dress that shimmered each time it caught and held the light thanks to the soft material. My white hair was pinned up and braided at the top with ringlets of hair popping out. I had naturally wavy hair so I had to use a ton of hairspray to keep the curls in check. One of the she-wolves who had helped dress me told me to leave my mark open for everyone to see. It wasn't just a claim to them. It was so much more and it was meant to be proudly worn, not hidden away. I had no qualms with that especially considering how much I liked the black set of wings on my
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TANIA"It's done," I announced, dropping my hands and leaving them to flail at my sides. In order to cast the glamour around the pack I needed to tap into the magic I had siphoned from Kali before killing her. It didn't take much out of me but, the more I used from that well, the lesser it became with no way of replenishing it. I liked the feeling of magic crackling at my fingertips and coursing through my veins but it would soon run out and all that would remain was a dark, hollow void that I'd ache to fill. It was a simple spell involving cardinal magic. Most fae with elemental magic also possessed cardinal magic and was able to perform glamour spells. I wasn't most fae. Witches had access to all kinds of magic, each type slightly more powerful than the last. I learned to wield each type of magic from Kali's granddaughter, whenever the witch permitted me to siphon from her. Most times, I siphoned and practiced on my own. Due to that, I knew how to perform a glamour spell by the ba
The Queen's Mate Chapter 37
SYLVAIN"The pack is anxious about this morning's meeting," Tane announced as he entered my office, "it's caused a buzz. Everyone is talking about it. Including pups. It's so weird. They weren't even in such a craze when that whole thing with Alpha Quade happened.""I don't blame them," I sighed in exasperation. Exhaustion weighed my muscles down. Tania and I had only gotten a maximum of two hours of sleep. It was partially my fault paired with jet lag. I had this insatiable need for her that I wanted to constantly sate. Stifling a yawn behind a fist, I said, "there have been a lot of changes in a short period of time. Having a faerie as a luna is going to be a drastic change for them.""There was a time when we had a human as a Luna, that may have been before my time but it happened and if they could adapt to that, then they can adapt to this," Tane supplied with the confidence I severely lacked at this moment. I felt as if I spoke a big game, but now that push came to shove, I was
The Queen's Mate Chapter 36
TANIA"You're leaving again?" Came Sylvain's father's incredulous voice. It boomed with authority that whipped around him like an energy shield, making him sound just as dangerous as he looked—and he looked a spitting image of Sylvain bar the ginger ringlets and the porcelain complexion that his son had inherited from his mate. I stood awkwardly under Sylvain's gaze as he pinned me in place. His eyes never wavered and I couldn't find the courage to break the connection because he was my safe place right now. My throat worked but my cowardly nerves had a ball lodging itself in my throat, making it difficult to even feed my lungs with the oxygen they needed. "I still have a few things I need to take care of so I need to go back," it was as if he was trying to assure me that he didn't plan on sending me back alone as if that thought had plagued me even once. It never did, though. Trusting him was now a knee-jerk reaction. It was a reflex I knew would follow me till my last days. "Wha
The Queen's Mate Chapter 35
SYLVAIN "Ready?" I asked Tania as I collected the duffle she grasped tightly within white fists. As soon as she was packed and ready to go we made our way to the clearing. Considering I hadn't brought anything with me and most of the clothes I wore here were bought here, I decided to leave them behind. They would be useful when I returned—and I did plan on returning. "I should be asking you that," her pale lips twitched into a shaky smile. Throwing her duffle over my shoulder as if it didn't weigh a thing—I was surprised by how little she packed, to begin with—I shrugged, "I have a theory that I want to test out.""What theory?" She cocked her brow at me in question and narrowed her gaze as if trying to decipher the thoughts running through my head. "Well, it's only when you use the shadows around me that my beast gets suppressed. So, I wanted to know if they would still suppress my beast if it had full control. You've never tried this whole teleportation thing with me being in m
The Queen's Mate Chapter 34
TANIAI reluctantly peeled my eyelids open as I blindingly threw my arm across the bed. Only, instead of the limb resting over a warm, hard body, it landed on smooth, silky, cold sheets. This had me blinking my eyes rapidly, forcing my exhaustion away so I could focus on reality. Propping myself up on an elbow, I glared at the empty space next to me where Sylvain was meant to be. It had been so long since I had woken up to an empty bed. I hated not being able to start my morning off by seeing his mop of unruly ginger curls paired with his crooked, tired grin. After the meeting last night, we had come straight home and made our way to the library to see Zora. She was already waiting for us when we returned as if she knew we would be coming to her. It didn't take much convincing when it came to protecting the treaty. She was eager to assist us, filling in the role of protector as easily as she had done all these years. I believed everyone—be it human, werewolf, or even fae—had a calli
