“You are still a prisoner,” I add, eyes narrowed, though the words don’t come out with the intensity I had hoped for. Nemesia only rolls her eyes, and I have to stifle the smirk that rises to my lips at seeing my old friend before me.

“There’s still someone on the Council who betrayed you out there. Even if you don’t believe me, for the sake of Thayaria, proceed as if there could still be another mole. Let them think your suspicions lie fully with me.”

I nod, then leave, unsure who is friend and foe in this palace.

Hawthorne

Some mated pairs have reported being able to use their mate’s power after accepting the mating bond. These reports typically align with powerful fae pairs. Scholars disagree whether this phenomenon is real or whether the presence of one’s mate simply unlocks additional conduit affinities in a fae.

The Traditions of the Fae

“I still don’t know what to believe. My heart tells me to trust her, but I fear that’s exactly what she’s hoping for,” Laurel confesses after our discussion with Nemesia. We’re in my mate’s rooms tonight, and I watch her with focused intent as she undresses and pulls the plait from her hair.

Unable to keep my hands off her, I quickly appear behind her with barely any memory of taking the ten or so steps between us to reach her. Taking the braid from her hands, I slowly unwind her silken hair, breathing in her addictive scent as it washes over me. When her hair falls down around her shoulders, she turns in my embrace, pressing her body against mine. I’m instantly hard, though that isn’t surprising. The slightest touch or graze of skin from her turns me on these days. And when we aren’t together, I’m on edge, needing to get back to her as soon as possible.