Her Wicked Secret {Sequel to His Mortal Bride}

♱ Chapter 11 ♱

Piper

Evander stood merely a couple of feet in front of me. Yet, it felt like he was inches away. With how close he was, I found it hard to find a response to his offer. I was too focused on the live heat radiating from him. The pulse beneath his neck sang to me like a siren drawing me in. I had control, but oh how it sang sweet temptations to me. My gums ached at the thought.

"That is, if you continue to be secretive of course. I don't want your kind knowing about me," Evander continued. I brought my focus back to what he was saying and cleared my throat, feeling the dull pain of my canines subside only a bit.

"Of course," I agreed, breathlessly for a moment. It was understandable he wanted to keep these encounters private. I still don't know how my kind would react if they found out about me sneaking off to go see this Warlock. I especially didn't know how my family would react.

Part of me wanted to keep this a secret. It was serene and only I knew about him being here. Keeping it to myself didn't seem like such a difficult thing to ask.

It was quiet for a long moment as we assessed each other. It wasn't awkward. The silence was calming, as was everything else about this place. Evander seemed just as warm and inviting as the rest of this haven.

"Can you tell me more?" He finally asked. I gave him a curious look in response.

"More about what exactly?" I asked in reply.

"Anything. Everything. About your current situation, about you," Evander verified. He seemed more curious than I thought he would be. When I gave him an odd look, he continued, "If I am going to invite you freely into my home, I would like it if you weren't a stranger."

"Very well," I said. He sat down in the chair that was set in his quaint living space. I proceeded to do the same, sitting in the small chair at his desk. I faced him, crossing my right leg over my left.

"Ask whatever you would like and I will answer," I told him. He sat back and watched me thoughtfully. It was a moment before he finally thought of the first question.

"What are you most concerned about with this... Soulmate bond?" Evander asked, testing the word Soulmate as he said it. It didn't surprise me that the concept would be foreign to him. As far as I knew, the Soulmate bond was only applicable to my kind. Mortals didn't experience it, and neither did any of the other species.

I shrugged.

"That I will be forced to love another artificially, who deep down I know the feelings are strictly instinctual," I answered honestly. The truth of it hurt and was heavy on my chest. Once I was bound to my Soulmate, my feelings wouldn't be real, they would be instinctual and pushed upon me. Nothing like what I had seen with my brother Alec and his Soulmate Raven.

"How can they force you to love someone?" He questioned further, his brows furrowed.

"Most of the time, the bond is instant. It's similar to Mortals when they have feelings for someone, but at the point we establish feelings for our Soulmate, we are instantaneously devoted to them. In my case, I most likely will not have this encounter. I will pick someone and both him and I will ceremoniously be bound to one another, initiating the devotion to each other," I tried to explain it as best I could. As I did, I could tell Evander was intrigued, but still confused.

"Does your kind ever have normal relationships?"

When he asked this, I thought back to the story of the princess and the peasant boy. Oh, how I wished to have a simple, Mortal love story such as theirs. Their love was real and built truthfully. It wasn't forced or arranged for them. When I thought of a normal relationship, I thought of theirs.