(LOCKE)
It’s late at night by the ti I return to the human world. If I hadn’t had help from a witch to use portal magic, it would have taken a couple of days to get here. Fortunately, Freya, the witch Corrine befriended in her short ti in the North, now works at the border, creating portals for and my soldiers to travel back and forth between the castle and the Veil, saving us a lot of ti. The young woman seems to like money, and I give her plenty of it.
I see Derrick sitting on the steps outside Corrine’s house. When he spots , he straightens up. "What happened? Why did Rothan call you away so urgently?"
"A new sche by the elders to force Ravenna into my bed." I glance at the dark house. "Is she sleeping?"
He shrugs. "She offered for and Edgar to co inside, but we refused. We’ve been patrolling since you left. Nobody around."
I see the small, empty food container next to him. "And that?"
He flushes. "The queen gave it to us. She was worried we might starve." I give him a dark look. "You made my mate cook for you."
Before Derrick can respond, I walk past him. Entering the place Corrine calls ho, I look around and realize that another reason the castle looks so dull and bare is because Ravenna removed every single thing that Corrine had decorated the castle with. Bella must have told her it was all Corrine’s work.
In the dim lighting of the hallway, I take a good look at the small house that is filled with bright colors. This is Corrine’s taste. Once she is back at the castle, I’m going to ask her to make it feel like this place. I want to see her touches everywhere, in every room I walk into.
She must be in bed since it is so quiet in here. But as I walk past the kitchen, sothing catches my eye. Flicking on the light, I see Corrine sleeping at the table, her head resting on her folded arms. In front of her, there are a few covered dishes and two places set.
Quietly, I remove the lid of one of the dishes and realize they are filled with food. Judging from the table settings, she must have been waiting for to return. That ans she hasn’t eaten, either.
My heart feels warm. Running my fingers through her short hair, I consider waking her up. She must be hungry. My own stomach is rumbling, but I don’t want to disturb her. I pick her up carefully, walk up the steps, and go down the hall to her bedroom.
She doesn’t stir as I lay her down on the bed. Looking around, I hesitate.
I want to stay here with her. This should be our bedroom, not just hers. But Corrine has drawn lines that she is slowly removing at her own pace. The idea of losing her again is far too terrible. I can wait.
As I move away, I feel her small hand grasp mine.
"When did you get ho?" Her voice is thick with sleep, and when I turn to look at her, her eyes are still half closed.
"Just now. Were you waiting for ?" I can’t help but touch her soft hair.
"Thought we could have dinner together." She yawns.
"I’ll put everything in your icebox. We can have it tomorrow."
"Fridge," she laughs sleepily. "You’re so silly, Locke. Road box, icebox. Just call things by their nas." She sits up on the bed when I begin heading out of the room. "Wait, where are you going?"
"To put away the food."
"But you’re coming back, right?"
I study her. She looks nervous, almost uncertain, a hint of vulnerability behind her eyes.
When I don’t answer, she pats the bed. "Just stay," I give her a long look. "Are you certain?"
She flops back down on the bed. "I don’t want to sleep alone, Locke.
Not tonight."
"Alright." Tugging off my shirt, I climb into bed with her. Without wasting a second, Corrine curls up against my chest. Her small fra presses into , and my arm tightens around her waist. When she looks up at , I sll sothing sweet and fragrant. "Have you been drinking?"
"Just a little." She beams at . "Just enough."
"Enough for what?"
She shrugs. Her fingers start ghosting over my chest, and I feel my cock stir. My hand cos to cover hers, and there is a warning edge to my voice when I breathe her na. But she simply pulls her hand free and continues.
"Corrine, how much did you drink?"
She shrugs once again, clearly unwilling to answer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Corrine drink before. I didn’t see any alcohol on the table. She must have drunk straight from the bottle and tossed it.
"I missed you," she finally murmurs. "I missed sleeping next to you the most."
Her finger is drawing circles on my chest, and it’s getting incredibly hard to control myself. "Corrine," I grab her hand, stopping her. "You are going down a dangerous road."
Her brow furrows. "Why? You’re my mate."
As soon as she says that, she pulls her hand away and shifts her body so that she is now suddenly straddling , her hands planted palms down on my chest. My cock hardens instantly.
My hands settle on her small waist. "You’re drunk."
"I’m not that drunk," she protests.
"You wouldn’t be doing this if you weren’t."
She blinks at . "Why not?" She leans forward, her arms now resting on my chest, her face ridiculously close to mine. "I missed you, Locke. I missed the way you held at night. Do you know how hard it was to sleep without you? Even now, after eight years have passed, I find myself reaching for you in the dark."
I go still under her. "What do you want, Corrine?" I ask quietly, my hands tightening on her waist. "I won’t do anything till you tell ."
She sighs. "Since when did you get so careful? You always used to take what you wanted before."
My heart tightens. "When I realized that I could risk losing you."
Her fingers trace my cheek and then my nose. "I want my mate back. Things are fine between us now, so why are you still—"
I curl my hand around her wrist. "Living without you was worse than losing you. I will do whatever it takes and beco whover you need to if it ans keeping you by my side."
This ti, Corrine’s eyes tighten. "I don’t want you to be anybody but yourself. I want my mate. Stop walking on eggshells around . If I don’t like sothing, I’ll tell you."
I can sense her frustration. "If I take you, Corrine, my wolf will mark you. You should be prepared for that."
"The mating mark." She’s beginning to sober up. "Yes."
I expect her to say sothing, to react, but instead, she straightens up and pulls off her shirt. She’s not wearing a bra, and her generous mounds stare at .
"If you give the mating mark, that ans you’re all mine." I hear a hint of dark possessiveness in her voice now. "Whatever happens after this, you cannot be with anybody else. I don’t care if it’s for the kingdom or for revenge. You’re mine."
She leans closer, and I feel my cock harden even more, if it were possible, at her next words.
"And if you even look at anyone else, I’ll kill you myself."
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