ChapterOne
ALEK
Two months ago
Kærasta.
I still couldn’t believe that word left my lips. Sunday wasn’t my mate. I didn’t have one. Fated mates were rare and precious. The fact that my parents found each other was the stuff of fairy tales. The odds of lightning striking twice for my family were less than zero. But here I was, uttering an endearment I’d never been called to speak before.
At least she had no idea what it meant.
The fuck of it all was I wasn’t even supposed to be here. Tor had been slated for the mission. As the twin with a perpetual hard-on for following the rules and proving himself, he’d been the clear choice for this military assignment. Which made it even more surprising when Cora, the Satori matriarch blessed with glimpses of the future, told me I needed to be the one to go.
We’d learned early on never to question one of herfeelings. So there’d never been any doubt I’d take her advice. Even though I didn’t have any interest in this kind of responsibility.
Every few months, a Novasgardian would be sent to Earth for a full trip around the sun to learn and report back on any magical or technical advancements. We never wanted to be caught unawares when it came to growing powers in the supernatural world. Not after the casualties Novasgard sustained in the battle against a foe who’d been left to his own devices for far too long. These last twenty-five years we’ve been much more involved, increasing our visits to Earth, refusing to ever let another enemy rise to such heights.
I only had to make this work for one year. Gathering intel on the future leaders of the supernatural Families at Ravenscroft shouldn’t have been hard. They were ripe for the picking, all full of misplaced pride and puffed up like peacocks showing off for their future mates. Easily distracted, ready to boast about their power. I’d have them filling my book with intel before my time here was half over.
But thenshehappened and everything stopped.
Gods, if she was my mate, how the hell was I supposed to leave her?
My limbs vibrated with an unfamiliar sensation. Was this... panic? My breaths were strident and labored, as though I’d gone twelve rounds with a wyvern and it was winning.
Kærasta.
The word echoed in my mind again.Mate.Beloved.Destined.
Fuck.
Hands shaking, I pulled the spelled mirror out of my pocket and ran the tip of my finger over the runes etched into its frame. They lit up as my skin passed over them, the magic sparking to life once all ten of them were activated.
My mother’s concerned face appeared within seconds. “Alek? I didn’t expect to talk to you today. What’s wrong?”
“How did you and father know you were mates?”
She blinked. “That’swhy you called?” Relieved laughter escaped her, and she ran a hand through her hair. The slight quiver of her fingers betrayed her own nerves. I’d worried her by calling out of the blue.
“I’m sorry, Móðir. I... I didn’t know what else to do.”
Her frown returned and she peered out at me, eyes searching. “You never need to apologize for calling me. What’s got you worried about mates?” Then her eyes lit up, excited by the possibility. “Have you met someone?”
Swallowing through a throat tight with nerves, I tried to put my thoughts together into some form of coherence. But I also didn’t want to give her false hope that I’d bring home a daughter-in-law either.
“I’m just curious...”
She raised a brow, not buying my bullshit anymore now than she had when I’d been little. “Curious. About how to know when someone is your mate. Well, for your father and I, we knew immediately. Not that it was easy. Recognizing you’ve found your mate is only the first step. Earning your place beside them is something else entirely.”
“So there was no doubt?”
“No. Our eyes met, and something in our souls shouted ‘mine.’ But it took us a while to get from there to where we are now. For Odin’s sake, he wouldn’t even be tempted when I walked out in only a—”
I held up a hand. “Okay, that’s enough detail. I don’t need to know more about... that.”
“The point is, once we found each other, even before we came together, we couldn’t be parted.”
“What would have happened if you were?”