Chapter 42

                                    

                                          
My family was in shock when we revealed that we had mated. Ariel more so than the others. She refused to let me leave without preparing my favorite supper and bombarding me with questions. Reece and Jasper, on the other hand, smiled at me and held me for a little while longer than usual, wishing me nothing but happiness with Xander. Jasper's eyes appeared to well up with tears, but they vanished before I could ask. Jasmine, Matthew, Danny, and Cole wanted to take us out for celebratory drinks, but I told them we'd go another time because we needed to go back to Heartgrove. Then there was Felix, who was silent for much of the time but found me just before we left. Xander provided us with the necessary space and found the gravel path to be far more interesting to look at. Felix's eyes glittered in the late afternoon sun, indicating that he was aware of the mating long before the others, and when he held me, it felt familiar and comforting, but he didn't inhale my scent as he usually did. He kissed my temple and led me over to where Xander was waiting. It felt uplifting how he seemed to hand me over to Xander as a final act of letting go and making one last promise to me that day. That no matter what, he would be by my side through whatever hell came our way, and for a split second I thought Xander would lunge for him since our bond appeared to tighten as if Felix had become a threat, but he merely grinned and clasped Felix's hand. And thanked him. For if Xander couldn't reach me in the heat of battle, he knew Felix would. 
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We've been back in Heartgrove for a little over a week, and I'm still dreaming about the first few days with the bond. We had claimed each other on nearly every surface in my house and still couldn't get enough. Each day was very similar to the previous one. I spent my mornings with Xander in the dark cells beneath the estates, attempting to extract as much information as possible from Lothar, despite his resistance. After all this time, we still don't know the names of the other rebel leaders, but we do know about some of their activities. Lothar is arguably the most difficult prisoner I've ever had to deal with, but I relished every minute of it. To compensate him for the generosity he showed me during those days in Dalry. 
I spent the afternoons in the gym with the others, keeping my pledge to Emile. Every day, he left the gym bruised and covered in wounds. One for each day he has lied to me in the last few months. The evenings were spent with Xander, either at the gym honing my intuition or in his room, tangled in his arms or learning to play the piano. 

It took our friends all of an hour to detect a change in our dynamic. The change in our scents. Morgan, of course, was the first to bombard me with questions and gleeful screams, her pale green eyes twinkling like stars in the night sky. Damon, on the other hand, remained silent when he learned what had happened and pulled Xander aside. Part of me knew Damon noticed it first, based on how he noted the visible wounds on our wrists when we arrived. I tried not to eavesdrop, but the way Damon growled and gestured at Xander told me he wasn't happy about it. Why? I did not know. Maybe he was unhappy because he wasn't informed, or maybe he didn't agree, but Xander talked him down. I thought Damon would have something to say about the mating, given how close the two of them were in comparison to the others, but he nevertheless congratulated us that evening, and when he smiled at me, I thought I saw pride in his gaze, but he blinked and it was gone. 
Today was no different than any other day; I spent the morning in that damp cell, fighting the scent of death, rot, and moss. Lothar's skin was paler than it had been in the previous days due to blood loss and dehydration. We had a guard stationed in the network of tunnels at all hours of the day to ensure he was breathing and to offer him water a few times throughout the day, but we've been informed that he's refused every offer for the last 12 hours, so we spent the majority of the day forcing him to drink and eat. I refuse to let him die until I learn more about Andrea's involvement. Xander was enraged when I told him. I had to persuade him not to reveal her affiliation with the rebels to the others, for fear that she might warn them or escape before we had the full story.