MARIA"Another mate?""Hell, I don't know," the other man sighed. "I've never heard of a person getting two mates. Have you?""Just because it's never happened before doesn't mean it can't happen. You told me how you felt and only your mate can make you feel that way.""And what would you know about mating?" The other man turned the tables around. "Are you speaking from experience?""No, common sense," the first man barked. "What did the oracle say when you asked her?"Man two sighed. "Three words; ask the sorceress.""Fucking Amelia." Man one grunted without heat in his words. "What are you going to do now?""Damned if I know.""The oracle already told you what to do. You therefore have no other option but to do it.""I know, but—""What's it like having powers?"A frown found its way to Maria's face. Powers? Where had that come from? That question had absolutely nothing to do with the conversation they were having and also, the voice had sounded feminine. Small, yet firm and it als
MARIA"Ruth?" Corey asked with disbelief in his voice, eyes wide like he'd seen a ghost—which was apt if one actually thought about it because the ghost of his wife was literally standing in front of him. Ruth was tall and lithe, appearing almost fragile with the way she teetered on her feet. She had creamy brown skin, a shade darker than Corey's and big curly hair that Maria had to admit she admired. She had horns running down the sides of her head, small and pretty, not as big as Corey's but of the same length. Ruth was beautiful, lovely even, but she was also confused as hell. She blinked and staggered back a step. "C-Corey?" Her voice was a whisper, her face haunted. The expression on Corey's face matched her own perfectly. "I... Why can I see you? How is this possible?"Maria watched from her spot, completely enraptured in what was happening before her. She was torn between freaking out that the spell had worked—that she'd actually brought a dead woman into the world of the li
BRAN Bran was pretty sure that a few minutes ago when he'd asked the man standing in front of him to deliver a message to Maria, he'd been speaking, so except by some form of magic, his tongue had dissapeared from his mouth and he didn't have the ability to speak anymore, then he should still be able to speak. "Well?" Bran pressed. "Are you just going to keep standing there staring at me?"The only reason Bran wasn't flipping the hell out on the man right now, was because he was curious as to why it was him standing in front of Bran and not Maria. He'd asked for her to come to him and he'd been expecting her. Yet, here a guard stood instead of Maria. "I-I want nothing more than to tell you, Your Majesty. Of c-course, I would l-love to tell you." The smallish man stuttered and Bran found his ire growing by the second. "It's just that eh...her words were a tad...inappropriate—""Out with it!" The man jumped a mile-high in the air. "Very well." He swallowed, adams apple bobbing. "Yo
BRAN"It was good to have you here." Corey forced a smile but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "This house is definitely going to feel it now that you're leaving."Bran, too, forced himself to smile when it was the last thing he felt like doing. His head was too occupied with the woman standing a few feet away from them, and also, he was worried about his friend. Corey had shut down completely after finding out that his 'mate' was not actually his mate after all, which answered a lot of questions that people—including Bran—had been asking. Actually, he was quite relieved. He didn't want to speak bad about a dead woman but he'd never really liked Ruth to begin with. She'd been a bit stiff, always complaining about something and she'd also never been interested in the things Corey liked. But since he'd believed that she was his mate and that fate could not pair one with someone that didn't suit them, he'd decided to let it go. Well, what he said about fate was definitely not true. Ta
MARIAWas she dreaming? She was a thousand percent sure that she was. She had to be because what the hell was happening right now? It was only in a dream that Bran would carry her in his arms like this, like she was fragile as an egg, like she was something he cared about and cherished so much, like she was the center of his worlds. Yes, she was certain that it was a dream. And as if to prove to her that it was very much real and not a dream, Bran's arms tightened around her before he dropped her carefully on the ground.She'd lost her slippers at one point in the mud when it had caked around her legs and refused to let her go. She didn't want to but she'd had to abandon it if she didn't want to sink and that was exactly what she'd done. Now that she was looking down at her very dirty legs, she cringed, asking herself why she'd even thought walking in the dark was a smart idea. But then again, she'd been hurt. "Can you stand right here for a moment so that I can run you a bath?
MARIA Bran let out an 'oomph' from the impact of her body on his, but he was remarkably strong and only staggered back a step before recovering quickly and gripping her ass, hoisting her high on his body. She wasted no time in wrapping her legs around him, locking them at his back and with the leverage she now had, dragging herself up and down over his growing erection. The knot of her towel loosened and fell apart at the top which meant her breasts were now bared and her nipples dragged against the fabric of his shirt with every up and down movement she made. The sensation only made her all the more crazed and what she wanted most in that moment, was Bran's hands on her. Her hair, breasts, everywhere. What mattered was that he had his hands on her. "Touch me," she whispered against his lips, biting down on his lower lip and tugging. "Put your hands on me. Please."A ragged groan tore from Bran's chest and suddenly, his head shot forward, stealing her lips in a consuming kiss, bef
BRAN Was this what it felt like to sleep next to a woman? Or did the light feeling in Bran's chest have to do with the fact that Maria was his mate? He suspected it was the latter.Mere sleeping next to a woman should not have this effect on him. It should not be so pleasurable to the extent that Bran didn't want to leave the bed. He'd just returned to the castle after a very very long time away and he needed to sit with the men at the round table and have some important discussions—one of them being about the supposed vampire that had drunk from a witch—but Bran had not the slightest inclination to leave the bed. He didn't even want to shift from the spot he was lying on. And the sole reason for his reluctance lay with her body half on the bed and half on top of him. His heart clenched as he looked down at her, a feeling of happiness and contentment filling his chest. She slept soundly, her little breaths gusting across Bran's chest and her mouth, slightly parted. The upper part
BRAN It was like people had somehow heard Bran's thoughts, that he planned to work on a future with Maria, and they—his enemies—had all set out to give him reasons why he couldn't have it. This was what Bran was thinking as he partially listened to what the man who had just entered his throne room, was saying."Can you just give me a summary of what you've been saying?" Bran cut him off, suddenly so exhausted. What he'd woken up to as a bright, beautiful, day—a day he'd felt the happiest he had in a very long time—had turned into one of the most disappointing.And it was still morning.The man's irritation was clear in his expression but Bran didn't give two fucks. He was the one that was being disturbed. Bran was the one that was being asked to give away his fucking mate, not this messenger—who was obviously a sorcerer.Speaking of, "Who let him into the castle?" Bran asked the two guards standing by the wall, just now remembering that he'd placed a ban on the Sorceri entering hi