Tenia felt a tear escape her eye, and Skender tenderly swiped it away. She couldn’t stay there any longer without drawing attention. She gave him a single nod and turned on her heel, heading toward her meeting with Myanin. Tenia prayed to the Great Luna that maybe, just maybe, the wolf was telling her the truth.
Myanin could tell something was bothering Tenia as the fae approached. “Are you all right?” she asked. Though they still didn’t know each other all that well, the look on Tenia’s face was easy to interpret. The fae seemed like she was ready to murder someone.
Tenia pushed the doors open without answering, and Myanin followed. “Are we going to the warlock mountain?” Tenia asked.
“Yes.”
The fae held out her arm, and Myanin rested her hand on it. They flashed, but instead of appearing inside of the queen’s quarters like last time, they materialized in a forest. “We’re just outside the perimeter of the warlock stronghold,” Tenia explained.
“Okay, does that mean we have something to talk about before we go in? Like why you look like you’re going to gut the first person that says the wrong thing to you?”
“I met my mate.” Tenia said the word “mate” as if it was the vilest tasting word in any language.
Myanin’s brow rose. “I was unaware that fae took mates.” She’d heard the whispers that there had been recent matings between Canis lupus and fae, but it was still hard to believe.
“We don’t, or at least we didn’t. Not in the way other supernaturals do. But things are changing,” Tenia said.
Myanin couldn’t help but snort. “That seems to be a common theme as of late. The winds of change and all that.” She paused and watched Tenia. The fae fidgeted with her clothes in a most un-faelike manner, straightening her already straight vest and tugging on her bracers. “You don’t look too happy about your new mate.”
“What gave it away? The note of disgust in my voice or the look of disgust on my face?” Tenia snapped.
Myanin’s lips dropped into a frown. Up until now, she’d seen nothing but kindness and patience from the fae. “And here I thought finding a mate was supposed to be a good thing. What’s the problem?”
Tenia huffed. “Uh, how about the fact that he works for the Order?”
“We both work for the Order.”
“Not really,” Tenia said. “We’re pretending. And I’m only doing it because I have no choice, unless I want my child killed, or worse, turned into one of Ludcarab and Alston’s pets. And you’ve had a complete change of heart, broken spirit, crushed soul, the whole nine yards. You’re new and different, though still sort of creepy.”
Myanin’s eyes widened. “Okay. Ouch. But thank you … I think.” She stared at the fae who continued to fidget. “Did you speak with him?” Myanin folded her arms in front of her chest and leaned against a tree. She assumed they weren’t heading in to speak to the warlock queen until Tenia calmed down. Maybe talking it out was what she needed. Myanin was turning over a new leaf, so to speak, the whole new and different as Tenia had so sweetly pointed out. She was trying to be less selfish. The Great Luna had done exactly as she’d said and given Myanin a new heart. Now, the djinn wanted to care about someone else. It was weird. First, she’d reached out to the warlock queen. Hell, she’d even shared her cotton candy. And now, she was going to listen to Tenia’s problems. She was practically a new person, except for the creepy thing, apparently. Myanin almost smiled to herself, but the scathing look Tenia sent her kept the djinn’s lips in check lest the fae decided the smile was because Myanin was enjoying the fae’s distress. Which she wasn’t. She was over male drama. She’d had enough of her own to last several lifetimes.
“Unfortunately, Canis lupus males sometimes know instantly when they meet their mates. Though I have heard that for some it takes longer for the mate bond to become entirely clear. That didn’t seem to be the case for my wolf,” Tenia said. Her face scrunched up as if she’d just smelled something bad. She shook her head. “Not my wolf,” she corrected. “I mean this wolf. He isn’t mine. I don’t want him to be mine.”
It sounded to Myanin as if the fae was trying hard to convince herself the words were true. “Does that mean he was able to link with your mind?”
Tenia nodded. “Even now I can feel him. I’m blocking him out, but he said powerful emotions can weaken the walls keeping him out. Which isn’t good for me because I’m feeling lots of strong emotions right now.”
“What else did he say?” Myanin asked. She’d tucked a small amount of cotton candy in one of her pants many pockets and, in hindsight, was thankful she’d chosen to do so. The djinn had already multiple times thanked the Great Luna that her beloved cotton candy no longer tasted like ash. She pulled out the bag, ignored the eye roll Tenia sent her way, and pulled out a small chunk, popping the sugary goodness into her mouth.
“He said he’d protect Torion,” Tenia admitted, albeit begrudgingly.
“That’s a good thing,” Myanin pointed out as she put another bite in her mouth.
“Only if I can truly trust him.”
“Mates don’t lie,” Myanin said. “Or at least that’s what I’ve heard. Canis lupus are the loyalist of the loyal with their mates.”
“I hope it’s true.” Tenia took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s not like I have a choice on whether to trust him. He’s there and I’m here. I told him if he lets any harm come to my son that what I would do to him would make Alston look sane.”
Myanin grinned. “Mothers are protective of their young. I know the Canis lupus also feel strongly for their pups. If he said he’d protect your Torion then
