Chapter Ten

Niko

I was expecting her answer before the words left her lips. In her position, I would have said the exact same thing. She has no reason to trust me, to believe I have her best interest at heart. Now, I need to convince her to trust me. Taking her hand in mine, I lead her back into the suite toward a small sitting area.

Taking a seat on a slate grey couch, I pull her down beside me.

"Talk to me. Ask me anything," I say as I gaze into her beautiful blue eyes.

"You said you needed a special witch to help you save your people," she starts.

"Yes."

"And I'm that witch?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?"

"The Oracle told me." I watch her as I continue speaking. "The Oracle is the immortal matriarch of all magik. The beginning of us all. She knows our histories and all the prophecies of our races and realms."

"And she said I would help you end this war?" Cassandra looks uncertain.

"She said I would find a unique witch in Alluvium. Someone who carries the blood of an original witch. A witch born under the blood moon."

"So, she didn't say it would be me." Cassandra rises from her seat and starts to pace. "Do you know how many witches live in Bantry Bay? On Earth? How many witches are born under the blood moon? My mother has the blood of an original witch running through her veins."

"Yes," I consent. Laying my hands on her shoulders, I stop her pacing and force her to face me. "But she told me the witch I needed would be in Bantry Bay. She also said just one touch would be enough for me to tell."

Taking her hand, I tighten my grip slightly, letting her feel what I feel. The tingling in my fingers and arms, the magik flowing between us, and the peace and calmness our connection brings.

"Do you feel it?" I ask, my voice lower than I intended. The arousal I also feel coursing through my veins tainting everything.

"Yes," Cassandra whispers as she looks up at me.

****

Cassandra

I feel everything. It's like a barrage to my system but also a balm to my soul. The magik flows over me creeping into every crevice of my being and putting my broken pieces back together. I know I will stay. Since I stepped out of the portal I knew.

I also know that I trust Niko implicitly already, even though I cannot explain why, and I have no reason to. But there are still so many things I need to know before I can give him the answer he needs.

"What do you want from me?" I ask.

"I want everything from you," Niko says, his hands skimming down my arms leaving goose bumps in their wake. "I want someone who will lead beside me. A queen. A partner."

"And what about my coven?"

"I will lead beside you. We can figure it out, how to lead in my realm and yours." He says this with so much conviction I feel it down to my bones. He wants us both to succeed.

"So, you want it all?" I ask turning to look out the window.

"Yes."

"And if I say no?" I can feel the stiffness in my body. I'm pushing, trying to draw a reaction from him.

"Then, we work around what you are comfortable with," he says placing a hand on my shoulder. "What we are doing here has to work for both of us."

"I don't even know what that would look like." I sigh.

"Well, what have you always envisioned in your Consort?" Niko asks.

Shrugging out of his hold, I make my way back toward the bed and take a seat on the edge. I don't know how to answer his question. I feel vulnerable and apprehensive. I want to be able to speak honestly to him without judgment or creating friction between us. We need to be able to communicate for this to have a chance at working.

But I am terrified of how he will react. Will he think I am naive and silly for wanting a Consort that loves me, cherishes me, and lets me do the same? It would break my heart to spend the rest of my life in a loveless partnership with a Consort that only tolerates me.

"Do you want me to tell you what I would like to get out of this?" Niko asks. I nod for him to continue. "I want someone to share my life with. Not just as the High Ruler but as a man. I want a queen beside me that doesn't just sit there looking pretty but has an opinion and isn't afraid to let me hear it. I want what my parents had."

"And what is that?"

"A partnership. A family. And perhaps even someday, love." He says the words so easily I can't help but smile at him. Those words were pulled directly from my heart to spill from his lips.