Chapter 33

I watched as a few chatted while most were wandering out of the room. What was I going to do with my time?

“I’ll show you to your new room.” Emil said.

“I have a new room?”

He nodded his head slowly, “yes, Mitz said the room with the daybed was too small.”

I frowned, “too small for what? I only sleep in it.” I grinned, “and sleeping doesn’t seem to happen much around here.” I followed him to the stairs.

“I think that’s the first thing I’m doing when this is over.”

My room was upstairs? “What’s that?”

“Sleeping until I can’t sleep no more.” He said with a smirk.

“I’m used to little sleep.” I told him, “guard posts don’t allow for much sleep.”

“I gathered as much.” He looked straight ahead, “the lady’s guards keep the same schedule we do.” When we reached the top of the stairs, he glanced toward Rena’s room, then turned and went down the other hallway. He motioned to the last door. “This is your room.”

I opened the door and then paused. Best to go into battle with a clear head, I thought. “Can you come in for a sec, I’d like to talk to you.”

Emil raised one eyebrow but followed me in the room.

He flicked on the light and I stopped, frozen on the spot. The room was huge. I looked at the bed. The bed was huge. “This is ah…” I glanced into the bathroom, “a bit much.”

“It takes some getting used to.” He admitted, “mine is just as big with the balcony as well.”

I turned and looked around again, then spotted another door and went to open it, it was a closet. I was just about to say someone else’s clothes were in here when I spotted my bags on the floor.

“Everything in there is yours.” He stood beside me now.

I walked into the closet; a bit giddy that it was big enough to walk into.

“Ah, your new gear.” He motioned to the end of the left side.

I looked over, there had to be ten different jackets and pants hanging there. “I feel guilty that I’ve gone through quite a few.” I gave him a quick look, “there’s no chain mail in the sleeves, right?”

He grinned. “Sadly no, Mitz laughed at me when I asked.”

I wasn’t sure if he was being serious. I cleared my throat, remembering why I’d invited him in. “Yeah, listen, this,” I motioned between us, “mate stuff.” He just stood there, “I know you don’t want it, and I appreciate what you did for me—” I frowned, “twice.” He still hadn’t moved, was he even listening? “But I can’t have distractions when I’m trying to focus…”

Emil finally moved and held up his hand. “I’m not intentionally distracting you.”

I needed room to move. I shrugged and walked past him out of the closet. “I know, that’s not what I meant.” I stopped in the middle of the room, trying not to be distracted when I saw that the furniture in the room all matched. “I’m not saying it’s your fault, or that you’re purposely doing it…” I turned to find he was standing right behind me. I moved over to look in the bathroom and was momentarily speechless. The décor wasn’t fancy, but the tub was the most inviting tub I’d ever seen. I just wanted to tell him to leave so I could fill it to the top and float peacefully. I shook my head. “I know you don’t quite understand the way true mates work,” I looked to make sure he was not behind me before I turned and stood in the doorway, “not being from here.” I shrugged. “But we need to agree that this fight is more important than,” I motioned to him then back to myself again, “this draw we’re feeling.”

He nodded his head slowly and I thought, great that was easy, then his expression changed. “Are you saying that it’s easy for full Alterealm people to ignore this mate thing? It’s something that you can chose to ignore?”

I opened my mouth than closed it for a second. “No. No, it’s not really something most would want to do.” I felt like my mouth was betraying everything I had just said.

“I see.” Again, a slow nod, “I thought it was just me, being weak and not able to control it.”

I scoffed at that, “ah, no.” I lifted my hand, then lowered it, “I’ve heard stories of some pretty intense reactions.”

“Then you’re not asking me to deny that I feel a strong physical attraction to you?”

My heart picked up to that. I had to focus to not look happy at hearing those words. “I think what happened after I drank that awful gunk was a clear enough demonstration that we are physically drawn to one another.” The whole time my mouth was moving, I was trying to figure out how I’d lost the point of this talk.

Emil crossed his arms over his chest and nodded once again. “I will admit when you are in the room, I find myself looking at you more than I would others.”

What did that mean? Others? I shrugged because I honestly didn’t know what to say.

“You seem to look at me as often.”

I walked across the room to stand beside a small sofa. I touched it like that had been my purpose all along, to feel the furniture’s texture. “Like I said a true mate is a generally hard to ignore.”

He followed me and stood behind the sofa. “Right. It is indeed difficult.” He cleared his throat, then put his hands into his jacket pockets. “I had been wondering how I was to broach the subject, but as you’re clearly fine with talking out the logistics,” He pulled out his hand, a silver chain and pendant dangling from it, “this is yours.”

I looked at it. It was one of the royal amulets. I blinked and looked at it, then to him. Another blink and my eyes strayed back to the circle with the sun and moon engraved on it. The same sun and moon emblem the entire realm knew to be the royal emblem. I opened my mouth to tell him that was not mine.

“You have to wear it at all times.” His eyes connected with mine. “Orders.” He added in a softer tone.

“I don’t see…”

“If we run across any in battle that know this side, they are to know your status.” He walked around the sofa and went behind me. “The meeting tomorrow with the other realms, you need to wear it to be there.”

I frowned at the carpet as he placed the cool metal against around my neck. I needed to be part of that meeting. His hand lingered against my neck for a moment longer.

Moving back to stand beside me, he tucked his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I meant it earlier.” He cleared his throat. “When you need to feed.” He tilted his head ant looked at me, an uncomfortable expression on his face. “We may not want this, but it is there.” Emil’s iris’s flared as he watched me. “I can’t change something that has been ingrained since time began, so we are just going to have to find ways to work around it.”

We stood there, inches between us, just looking at one another. I felt a calming effect being this close, but it was nowhere near calm inside my mind.

“I will be back in an hour to collect you and head to the armory.” He inclined his head. “You’ll need to feed before we clear out that school.”

I watched him walk out of the room and just stood there. I shook my head slowly and looked down at the floor. That talk had veered so far from what I’d intended, I felt stunned. I stomped into the bathroom then just stopped to stare at my reflection in the mirror, my eyes locked on the pendant that rested against my collarbone. I was wearing a royal amulet. I blew out a breath. I really was mated to a prince.