12. Thoren

“I am so happy for you, Thor.” Erik’s smile is warm, and I realize just how much I’ve missed him recently. I haven’t been able to see him for months. “How wonderful that the Gods have finally sent you a mate.”

I give him an answering nod and accept the small glass of whiskey he offers. I down it quickly and ask for another before he sits. Before Kaia went upstairs with Natalie, I took a bath, washing off the dirt from the trip and the cum from my groin. Nat took my mate on a quick tour, and it warmed my heart to see them together, laughing and talking.

“Long day?” he asks, raising an eyebrow but giving me another pour anyway.

“It’s been a long week,” I tell him. While it’s been amazing to finally have a mate, it’s torture not being able to touch her — mate her. All the while, I have to pretend I’m happy to find her a way home when, in reality, the thought of sending her back tears me to pieces.

“Being newly mated can be exhausting.” His eyes, the same color and shape as mine, are full of mirth, hinting that we’ve been busy in bed.

“That is not why. There’s something different about Kaia, Erik.” I sigh and lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. It feels good to finally be able to say this all out loud. Kaia is upstairs in our room, bathing, which gives us some time to catch up.

“How so?”

“She is a human. Remember Selah always telling me my mate would come from a different world?” He nods. “She did. She just fell into my arms when I was bathing in the lake last week, naked as the day she was born. And she had no clue where she was, what I was, or what had just happened.”

“That’s… intense,” he manages. “You’re sure she’s from another world and she didn’t just bump her head? Maybe she has forgotten.”

“You can’t tell from the way she looks? The way she acts? Even the way she speaks is different. There’s an accent there, one I can’t place.” I rub my eyes. “That’s not the point. The point is she wants to go home , Erik. She doesn’t want to stay here with me.”

His face is full of pain in an instant. He understands better than even Selah. He understands the feeling of losing a mate because he almost lost his. Natalie was going through a rough pregnancy, and the birth was no easier. My nephew almost killed her all those years ago. If it hadn’t been for the midwife and her quick thinking, Erik would be a single father.

But even with that, Erik doesn’t fully understand. Because even if he had lost Natalie — Gods forbid it — they would be united in death. If my Kaia goes back to her own world, we can all only assume that when I pass, she will not be coming for me. And I will be stuck in the wasteland of forgotten souls.

“You cannot let her do that, Thor. It will destroy you.”

“It does not matter. You know the bond, you know how much you love your mate. You would do anything for Natalie.”

“No,” he answers. “No, I would not.”

“You would, Erik. It is in our blood to protect and care for, no matter the cost.”

“Correct, brother. We are born to protect and care for, no matter the cost, which means keeping our mate at our side. Think of what will happen to her soul when she passes! She is in a different world; does that mean she enters her own Gods’ land? Alone?”

“I don’t have the answers for you. I wish that I did. But right now, all I want to do is get her an answer.” I finish the last bit of whiskey in my cup. “We need to figure out if there’s a way to get her home. If there is, she can make that decision for herself. If there is risk, let her weigh the cost. But first, we need to know if it’s a possibility.”

“If anyone knows, it’s Feryn. Take her there, but let her see the city first. We’ll have a big breakfast in the morning, all of us together, and then you can take her around for a while. Let her experience some fun instead of setting straight to work.” He shrugs. “Maybe if she sees that it’s nice here, she’ll want to stay.”

I hum in agreement. It could be a good idea. Ever since she’s been here, we’ve done nothing but eat lunch with Selah and walk around for miles with no answers. She’s had blisters and cuts on her feet, sore legs, and now her ass hurts. I’ve done nothing but beat this poor woman up from the moment we met.

I decide Erik is right. I will take her shopping for pretty new clothes and take her to the lookout on the edge of the city where you can look out at the land. We will find the best place for lunch, and she can eat until she cannot walk. And then finally, I will carry her sweet, tired self to Feryn.

But first, I have to make it through the night with her. I had to come down here, away from her scent and her smooth, bare skin, as she got ready for her bath. There was no way I could be in that room while she was naked and wet, in more ways than one. By the Gods, that woman is a siren calling out to me at all times. Even in the way she walks or the way she laughs when I don’t understand something she says.

“How do you do it?” Erik asks, breaking the silent stretch between us.

“Do what?” I get up and pour myself another drink. I think it will be the only way to make it through the night. I have to numb the arousal.

“Not be with her?” he asks. It’s not a completely innocent question. He knows what it is like to be newly mated, and he knows how hard it was to leave Natalie’s bed the first time. But I know he also means just being in her presence at all times. Having a mate is about more than sex; it’s about the love and connection you have for each other. It’s exploring each other’s minds and hearts as much as our bodies.

“It is agony,” I admit, fighting back the urge to cough against the burning in my throat. “We have not been completely innocent.” I chuckle. “But it has been very chaste, and I almost cannot stand to be near her for it.”

“And so, here you are.”

“Here I am.” I shrug. “And I will go back upstairs, and I will sleep while keeping my hands to myself. Because it is what my mate wants.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Erik says, laughter in his tone. “The way she looked at Natalie when she hugged you? She was jealous, Thor.”

“If that is true, it is only because of the bond.”

Erik groans and rolls his eyes, acting like I’m the annoying one. “The bond doesn’t do everything for you, brother. It just establishes a connection. And who knows if the bond even affects her like it does us?”

“You think she is that different from us?”

“I don’t know. I’m just saying, don’t put everything on the bond. You are a likable guy, and I’m sure you’ve been the utmost gentleman this entire time.”

Eh.

“If she looks and acts jealous, she could just be jealous. Maybe she actually likes you.” He smiles into his cup as he takes a long drink. “Have you shown her the ring?”

“Ah, the ring. That’s been a point of contention. She wanted to see it, but I fumbled my words and offended her.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to show her? You made that so long ago you’ve kept it close to you while you waited.”

“When I met her, I knew immediately she deserved something made especially for her, not something I made so long ago about an idea of who she might be. I made her a new one this past week. She would have lunch with Selah, and I would go to the forge. I’ve got it with me now, actually.” I place my palm over the pocket on my chest, where I’ve been keeping it safe. “If my mate decides to stay,” I continue, “then it will be hers.”

There are knocking noises on the steps that lead down into this study, and I stand with excitement that Kaia has chosen to come find me. She rounds the corner, her soft body wrapped up in her cozy pajamas. In her hands is a steaming cup of chamomile tea; I can smell it from here. She smiles when she sees me looking at her, and her cheeks blush. Her yellow hair hangs in heavy, wet stands around her shoulders, and I suddenly don’t like that Erik is seeing her like this.

This moment feels like it’s for us, and I do not want anyone impeding it.

“It is time for bed,” I say stiffly as I stand. “Good night.” With a quick nod in Erik’s direction, I take off toward Kaia. Her warm smile turns into a sultry one when her bottom lip gets caught by her teeth. If I could throw her up against the wall right here, I would. All she has to do is say so.

“Time to go upstairs,” I tell her once I’m standing directly in front of her, my wings fanning out to cover her form from prying eyes. My height dwarfs her, and her head cranes back as she looks at me.

She pauses.

I raise my brow, asking a question.

Will she be stubborn? Or will she listen?

“Fine,” she finally concedes as she turns around to strut back upstairs. “But only because you got all growly on me.”

I watch her ass as I follow behind, and I think I should like a reward for not bending her over right here to take a bite of that peach.