Chapter 23

"I'm not an idiot," Mist said to Gallen. Once again, they were stretched out on the bench in the indoor garden.

"What?," Gallen was completely confused.

"That look you gave dr.Ross. Thats not the look a guy gives his girlfriends' doctor. Thats the look a guy gives an ex, one that he doesn't want his current girl to know about," Mist looked at him.

"Why do you have to be so incredibly perceptive?," Gallen laughed pitifully. Mist just waited for him to explain what had happened. "Fine. There was a point in my life when Lib and I did date, I called it off when the first prophecy had been found and my brother went missing. She was quite upset when we found that she wasn't my mate, she tried to fake the marks more than once," He tried to continue but Mist interrupted him.

"I don't get it everyone is talking about 'marks', what are they?," There was only one way he could think to solve this. His marks were on his right side, he lifted his shirt and showed her. Her eyes widened and she reached out, as if to touch them but pulled her hand back. "Do they.... do they hurt?," genuine concern was in her eyes.

"No, but Verra look closely. Tell me what you see," It was the first time Mist had actually heard him use her real name.

"I see," she said shaking her head then she gasped, " I see my name," She looked at him, eyes wide, breath shaking, she couldn't believe what she'd seen. Things like this don't happen to normal people. She thought to herself.

We aren't normal people, Verra. Gallen said, mentally. 

"Did you... Did you just say that?," Knowing that his lips had not moved.

Gallen nodded his head and whispered, "Would you like me to explain?"

"Hell yes!," She yelled

"Alright," he took a deep breath "all species of supernaturals have a certain bond with their mates, the general term is a mate bond. And since I'm fey the bond we have is classified as a fey bond. The bond we have is not fully formed, it won't be until we complete the ritual," he paused to allow Mist to ask any questions.

" Does the ritual involve anything that I wouldn't do in front of my parents?"

"No, Its actually very similar to a human wedding. The only differences are is that instead of a priest or law official it will be the fey king, my father, and there is a fey wine you'll have to drink." 

"A fey wine?," Mist questioned.

"Yes," She looked at him skeptically " its basicly just your classic red wine. However it is made by fey, for fey. It is made from red grapes grown in hidden fey gardens and it's used mainly for ceremonial purposes," He smiled back at her. Mist's eyes narrowed, trying to detect if he was lying or keeping anything hidden from her. She couldn't tell. So she said the one thing she had thought of while he was talking.

" Made for fey? Um... In case you haven't realized I'm NOT fey."

" I was expecting that. Usually, Fey don't lay claim to anyone in a different race, Like a seer or a human. However, for the past two generations in my family that tradition has been broken. My grandfather claimed a nymph, however it was one sided so the nymph was free to leave at any point she liked. My father claimed a human which is practically unheard of, and I've claimed you," He took a deep breath. "When you drink the wine its likely that you could pass out for a while. Likely that we both will," He looked at her, waiting for the question he knew was coming, as usual she did not disappoint.

" How long is ' a while' ?"

Then he looked up into her silver eyes and said "No one knows."

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Tom was still running around trying to appease his mate and his sister. Even though they were in the same business they still didn't trust each other. Not that they hated each other, because they didn't. They just couldn't trust each other. Jazlyn because Mel had kidnapped her brother, Mel because Jaz hadn't come running to save him, but had instead continued on with her quest to find the nine. Or so Mel thought.  He finally had gotten so tired of it, so he asked to get on the loudspeaker. 

" We have a special message for Melissa Drake and Jazlyn Blake," The intercom operator said.

" Mel, Jaz. I can't keep running from room to room. Meet me in Kellers' room so that we can talk this out because I can't be a carrier pigeon any more," Tom thanked the lady and headed towards Kellers room, he would need witnesses if they decided to murder each other. Or him.