Page 31 of The Banshee and the Warlock

"That was before I woke up with you growling over me." I shuffle so I'm sitting up, and lean back into him, half expecting him to pull his arms away.

But he only wraps them around me tighter.

I let out a small sigh and settled back into him.

"You screamed."

"I told you that happened when I have the dream," I point out, though I'm surprised he heard it. Maybe it's because of the potion. "That shouldn't have made you growl, and your eyes glow."

He clears his throat. "It's nothing."

"No, it's not."

He swallows hard.

I break his hold on me, but only so I can go onto my knees and look at him. "Cethin..." I reach out and touch his cheek, drawing his gaze back to mine. "Tell me," I whisper softly.

"You don't want to know."

"Why would I ask if I didn't?" I can tell that whatever is bothering him is important, even if he doesn't want to say.

"You're my mate, Anja," he says.

"What?"

"My mate."

"I heard, I just don't really know what that means or why it's making you all growly and glowy. I mean I know what mate bonds are, everyone knows. But witches don't have them."

"You're not a witch," he whispers.

"Well, yes. I noticed that. I mean that I'm not aware of all the details because I didn't hear about it growing up."

He takes a deep breath. "It means that we're a good match for each other, and that we can form a mate bond that brings us closer together. It's...I guess a little bit more intense than just a relationship."

I wait for a sense of panic to set in, but it doesn't. Something about his words feels right. "I'm your mate," I murmur.

"You can say no," he blurts out. "You can reject it."

I put a hand on his arm. "I know. I've heard enough talk around the academy. When did you realise?"

"The moment we met, but it took me a little while to work out what the feeling was."

"What is the feeling?" I move closer to him as if drawn in by something I can't see.

His eyes meet mine, and I see a burning passion in them that I haven't seen before. "A need to be with you, to touch you, to protect you."

My breathing hitches. This is different from our conversation before I drank the potion. But it also makes everything slot into place and gives me a real understanding of the way I've been feeling.

"That's why my eyes were glowing, and I was growling. Hearing you scream like that made me want to summon every shred of magic I could so I could tear the world apart and make it all better."

I swallow hard. "There's nothing to protect me from. I'm right here."

"I know."

I bite my bottom lip, drawing his gaze right to it.

"You shouldn't do that," he murmurs, his voice low and inviting.