Chapter 170

Agnes

Back at the villa later that night, the double doors leading to our balcony stood open, letting in the cool night air and the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore. The storm had passed, leaving behind a clear sky sprinkled with stars. Thea had long since gone to bed after a crash following her ice-cream-induced sugar high. Apparently, she had had a blast with the babysitter. All was well.

But I kept staring at that strange burn mark on Elijah’s neck, and I couldn’t shake the strange feeling that had come over me.

I reached out, my fingers hovering just above the scar. The skin was raised and blistered in a perfect crescent shape where my lips had been, almost completely covering the mating mark.

How had I done that? I’d kissed him—just kissed him. Maybe I’d bitten down harder than I realized in the heat of the moment…? But that wouldn’t explain the burn. It looked like someone had pressed a hot iron to his skin.

“Does it hurt?” I asked for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

Elijah chuckled softly. “It’s fine, Agnes. Just a little tender.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said, pulling my hand back. “I don’t know what happened. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

He caught my retreating hand, bringing it back to his neck, pressing my palm flat against the burn. His skin was warm beneath my touch, and I bit my lip, hoping I wasn’t hurting him.

“You didn’t hurt me,” he said firmly. “And it’s not your fault.”

“Then whose fault is it?” I frowned. “It wasn’t there before we—before the beach. And then I kissed your neck, and now you have a burn that’s shaped exactly like my mouth.”

Elijah’s lips quirked up at the corner. “Maybe I accidentally burned myself earlier and didn’t realize it. And your kiss just made it more sensitive.”

I gave him a flat look. “With what? An iron shaped like lips? Or have you gotten into styling your hair lately?”

“You’re overthinking this.” He shifted closer, the sheets rustling as his leg pressed against mine.

Perhaps I was. But I could see it in his eyes—the same confusion I felt. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t nothing. Olivia couldn’t possibly be manipulating the mate bond, not from so far away and not to this extent without those special potions she’d been taking.

It had to be something else.

Elijah glanced at me as if reading my mind. “Did you feel your wolf at all? While we were… together?”

I closed my eyes, trying to recall the frenzied moments beneath the dock. Had I felt her presence? That familiar second consciousness that used to be so much a part of me?

“No,” I said finally, opening my eyes. “I didn’t feel my wolf. Just...pressure. Like something building inside of me and pushing outward. And this overwhelming urge to kiss you right there—” I touched his neck again, right over Olivia’s mark. “It was almost like I couldn’t help myself.”

Elijah was quiet for a moment. Then he took my hand, threading his fingers through mine. “Maybe it was your wolf,” he suggested softly. “Maybe she’s finally coming back now that Olivia is in prison.”

The possibility made my heart race. Could it be true? After all this time, was my wolf finally returning to me?

“But why wouldn’t I have felt her?” I asked. “Before, when my wolf was still with me, I could always feel her presence. Especially during...intimate moments.”

“Maybe she’s still weak,” Elijah said. “Or maybe the curse is taking time to break down. She might not be strong enough yet for you to sense her directly, but she could still be influencing you in other ways.”

I looked at the mating mark on his neck, studying the way the burn seemed to overlay Olivia’s claim on him. A wild thought struck me.

“Is it possible that I marked you tonight?” I asked, my throat suddenly dry. “Could my wolf have been trying to claim you as my mate?”

Elijah’s expression softened with regret. “No,” he said gently. “That’s not what happened. We would both know for certain if you had marked me. It’s not something that happens accidentally or unconsciously.”

I nodded, trying not to let my disappointment show. Of course it wouldn’t be that simple. Nothing ever was.

“But,” he continued, lifting my chin with his finger, “if it’s true that you’re my fated mate, then perhaps your wolf is planning to mark me soon. She might be preparing, gathering strength. The burn could be a sign of what’s to come.”

The thought sent a thrill through me. My wolf, returning. The mate bond, forming. Everything falling into place at last. The one missing link finally snapping together.

The following morning, I woke with the first light of dawn creeping through the open balcony doors. The cool morning air had raised goosebumps on my exposed shoulders, but beneath the sheets, I was warm, pressed against Elijah’s solid frame.

He was still asleep, and he looked… peaceful. Younger, even.

I propped myself up on one elbow, watching him for a moment. My heart swelled as I took in the dark sweep of his lashes against his cheeks, the slight part of his lips, the strong line of his jaw now softened in sleep. A lock of hair had fallen across his forehead, and I reached out, gently brushing it back.

I was still getting used to sharing a bed like this.

But then my gaze drifted to his neck, to the burn left by my kiss. In the soft light of morning, it didn’t look quite as angry as it had last night. The redness had faded somewhat, although the skin was still raised in that distinctive lip-shaped pattern.

I traced the outline with my fingertip, barely touching him. Could it be true? Was my wolf really trying to reclaim her place, to assert herself after years of suppression?

Or was it… something else entirely?

Suppressing a sigh, I settled back down, careful not to wake Elijah. It was still early, far too early to get up for the day just yet, and so I quietly nestled back against his warm, half-nude body. Even in sleep, he groaned softly and wrapped his arms firmly around me, hauling me close against the curl of his form.

I smiled softly, nuzzling further into the shape his body offered. We really did fit together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces. If we really were supposed to be fated mates, then I couldn’t wait for the day when I could truly mark him and he could mark me, and we could be one until the end or our days.

We just needed to figure out how he could unmark Olivia first. Because even after everything, Elijah was still a good man who didn’t want to kill someone. Honestly, I admired that about him—his devotion to staying true to himself, to being kind and just even when people like Olivia didn’t really deserve it.

Finally, my eyes fluttered shut again. I was still tired after all of the traveling and our late night last night—we made love several times before finally passing out from exhaustion, hence the current state of the tangled sheets and clothes strewn across the floor—and felt like going for another hour or two of sleep.

But I was just beginning to drift back to sleep when a piercing scream shattered the peaceful morning.

“DADDY! MOMMY!”