“That"s it? That"s all you"re going to tell me?”
Tynan sighed. “Everything I"m about to tell you must remain secret. We cannot let word of our existence spread. ”
Not that she"d reveal their existence anyway…or that anyone would believe her. They"d all think she was raving mad if she tried. “Of course. ”
“Wizards are much like human males, except we have more…” He cleared his throat.
“Stamina. ”
Oh! The thought of shagging Ronan all night long made her flush everywhere. She hadn"t bothered with sex since discovering that her fiancé Edward had a revolving door to his bed.
Despite Ronan having the same habit, something about him made Kari remember all the reasons celibacy sucked. And Tynan"s words were only making her flush with need. “I see. ”
His voice dropped another octave. “We also have extra senses. ”
Fascinating. “Such as?”
Tynan leaned closer. “Wizards sense their lifelong mates by taste. We know very quickly if a woman is ours. ”
“Taste?”
“A deep sharing of mouths, kissing away a tear…sampling a woman"s arousal, any will tell us if she"s destined for us. Making love to her only cements the belief. ”
He was joking, right? Capitalizing on the fact she knew little about wizards. “Are you suggesting that Ronan could kiss me and determine I was his…”
“Mate. Yes. ”
“Like a wife?”
Tynan hesitated. “Deeper. More permanent. ”
His smile had vanished, and the tight ache in Kari"s stomach told her he was quite serious. “What happens if a wizard mates with a woman?”
“Happens? Well, he Calls to her. That is to say, he speaks ritual words offering a vow to her. If she wishes to accept, she Binds to him by speaking ritual words in return. Once they"re mated, if she"s human, she assumes a magical lifespan equal to her mate"s, at most a thousand years. ”
Kari gulped. A whole millennium? “Incredible… But what I meant was, if a wizard mates, does he…love her?”
“Always. Forever. ” His answer was quick and absolute.
“Auropha was your—”
“Yes. ” He looked down at his hands. “Or would have been once she"d grown up a bit.
Another three or four years, and I would have Called to her. ”
When his face tightened with grief, Kari felt instantly contrite. “How many years had you been waiting for her?”
He flashed her a sad smile full of memories and regrets. “Twenty. ”
The poor man. He"d loved her deeply and long, and never had the opportunity to make her his. “I"ve said it before, but I really am so sorry. Is it possible for you to find another mate?”
Tynan hesitated. “Not im possible, but unlikely. ”
If he had belonged to Auropha in his heart, did that mean…? “Can a mated wizard find another woman, then decide to mate with her instead?”
“In rare instances, usually when the mating was motivated by something other than instinct and love, a wizard may meet another who is his true mate. But if he has that instinct when he enters into the mate bond, then he is hers forever. ”
“He can"t…cheat?”
At that, Tynan"s face broke out in a smile, and Kari was amazed at the way it transformed him. His stark, handsome face turned downright dishy. Too bad for her that she had eyes only for Ronan.
“Impossible,” he assured.
Kari nearly signed with relief, then caught herself. Ronan had never kissed her, and given the hundreds—maybe thousands—of women he had, if he hadn"t yet found his mate, he was unlikely to press his lips to hers and suddenly decide she was “the one. ”
“Lovely to know, but pointless. Ronan merely wants to make me one in his long list of conquests. ”
“I wouldn"t be too certain of that. ”
Her heart nearly stopped. “Why not?”
“I overheard him. Bits, mind you, but he favored you over another perfectly acceptable female. ”
“Because I"ve said „no" each time he"s tried to seduce me. ”
“I might have agreed, except he said you were like a fever to him. ”
“Lust. ” She shrugged.
“Perhaps, but a wizard can sometimes sense his mate even before he tastes her. A fever is a good description. ”
“That wasn"t a line of crap?” Kari"s heart beat double-time, and she gripped the bar to steady herself. Was there any chance Ronan might be interested in her beyond making her one of his many lovers?