Sorin sat at the dining table alone with a look of awe and confusion on his face. The warm feeling of Evelyn's hand still present on his fingers. Desire still throbbing in the very core of his being.
'This could not happen.' Sorin thought as he ran his fingers through his thick raven hair. 'The girl is a human.'
Sorin had felt the attraction when he first set eyes on Evelyn at the auction. She looked so weak and frail standing on that stage. Her hair a dull mess of chestnut waves, her pale skin dirty and bruised from the ordeal she had been through. She should have looked more like prey than a potential mate but the defiance in her emerald eyes showed him a hint of the strong woman that was hiding inside that fragile frame.
That was enough for him to make the initial purchase, but what Sorin thought might have been a passing obsession had just turned i to a puzzle and potential big complication from just one touch.
The beast inside Sorin whispered 'mate' when their skin had touched. It was such a surprise that he didn't move from his chair when Evelyn retreated back to her room.
Sorin always thought that a true mate bond was something of a myth. Or perhaps something long buried in beastman history as a mate bond had not happened during his lifetime. His parents were chosen mates as was the normal ritual when beastmen wanted to have a family.
In his case Sorin's parents were an arranged marriage to ensure an heir would be born to the Black family.
This was the primary reason having a human as a fated mate would be a huge problem. His clan was strong and would never accept a weak human like Evelyn as their future queen.
Sorin pulled at his hair in frustration. Even now, with Evelyn a floor above him, he could feel the weak pull of a mate bond wanting to form. At first Sorin didn't think a human could even feel a mate bond but even if she didn't understand what it was Sorin knew she felt something or she wouldn't have fled his presence in such a hurry.
Normally Sorin would have consulted the wisdom of his councel but he had travelled with only a handful of guards and servants. He would of course inform his chief councillors when he got home but what to do now?
What Sorin wanted to do was rush up the stairs and ravage his new potential mate. His beast's roar echoed that sentiment in his head.
With his decision made, Sorin made his way up the stairs and stopped before Evelyn's door. He could smell her sweet smell of wildflowers through the thick wood. His hand hovered on the doorknob as a multitude of emotions washed through him. He thought he had made up his mind but now he worried that she would reject him if she discovered what was lying beneath this human facade.
He chuckled softly at the thought of being rejected by a human. If she did reject him that would make things easier for the both of them.
Sorin turned the knob and quietly opened the door to Evelyn's room. He peeked in and saw she was lying on the bed, still in the tunic she was wearing at dinner. He slowly walked over and saw the peaceful look on her sleeping face, the slow rise and fall of her chest. Perhaps it was better that she slept now instead of facing what had just happened and what was to come.
Sorin gently tucked a stray hair from Evelyn's face behind her ear as he reveled at the heat from that small touch.
What would it be like to kiss her? To feel her frail human body beneath him? It was almost too much for Sorin to bear as he took a deep breath to steady his nerves and quench the desire that burned deep within him.
He heard a small sigh escape from Evelyn's kissable lips and wanted oh so much to take them.
He had to leave now before things escalated and he did something he would never be able to take back.
Sorin made his way out of the room and as he closed the door behind him he heard the soft whisper of Evelyn's sleepy voice. "Thank you.... Lord Sorin."
He ran from the Manor house needing distance from the pull of the mate bond. The cold night air quenched his burning skin and cleared his head. This was going to be a problem. The more time Sorin spent with this human girl the stronger the bond would become. It wouldn't complete until she was marked but if he was the only one that felt the bond fully it would drive him crazy. He did not want to force this on Evelyn as she did not understand what was happening abd he didn't know how much knowledge she had of the beasman world.
"Then teach her." The beast rumbled inside his head.
"What if she rejects us" Sorin replied.
"Then we will deal with things as they come."
Sorin sighed and walked back to the manor house. He would start her education in the morning while they traveled to the Obsidian mountain. It would be nice to be home.
With that decision made Sorin removed his sweat drenched clothes and crawled into bed. His soft snores filled the room as soon as his head hit the pillow.