this. I wanted time to get to know him.”
“You will get to know him. And just as I did with your father, you will grow to love him. It is determined , prophesied . Do you not feel it?” Her mother’s eyes were imploring Layla to be more reasonable. Crap. How could this be happening to her? She’d imagined being able to see her older sisters go through the mating process first.
“I feel a need for him,” Layla admitted softly, “but not love.”
“And how might you define this need?” Her mothe r was pushing her now . Layla could sense her mother using the same strategy she always used on her and her sisters to get them to understand something she thought so obvious . H er mother’s hand then fell on Layla’s head, strok ed Layla’s hair as she’d done when her daughter was a little girl and caused Layla to consider her words .
“It is lust, mother . J ust lust.”
“There is no such thing with you, Layla. It is de termined that when you experience lust for the first time, it can only mean that is your life’s mate. It is not a destiny with which we can argue,” Chiara’s gentl e voice soothed Layla while her soft strokes through Layla’s hair relaxed her tightened mus cles. Layla curled into a ball and pull ed her legs up to her torso for comfort.
“I always thought I would feel love, that love and lust would go hand-in-hand,” Layla explained as she dried the tears that continued to fall.
“You are worrying far too much. Allow the Acclimation to pull you along.” Layla rolled her eyes at her mother’s reference to the process of forming the emotional bond with one’s mate. “I saw that, Layla. I’ve always known this would be difficult for you , but that makes it no less right. You do realize that your poor sister Eloise is green with envy?”
Thinking about Eloise upset for the very opposite reason Layla herself was upset made Layla laugh and sit up. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of the nightgown she wore and attempted a smile.
“ What do I do?” Layla implored her mother, hoping to glean wisdom from the woman she always believed held the answers . R ather than answering, Chiara turned her head to look towards the library doors. Her head tilted as if she’d heard something but Layla heard nothing until a moment later when Madden stepped from the shadows. And it was from the shadows that Layla’s question was answered.
“You come back to bed, Layla l ove,” Madden’s voice broke the spell. Chiara guided her daughter’s hand into Madden’s and stepped away with a slight bow before leaving the room. Her mother had a deep respect for the Valendite breed they served, great reverence knowing that their unions s ustained a necessary population of the near immortal .
“Mother,” Layla called after her.
“We will have time to talk later, my dearest one, ” the words faded as her mother continued to move away from her.
Layla cast her eyes up to Madden, who tugged slightly on her hand before he loo ked over her shoulder and nodd ed to her mother.
“ T hank you for your daughter,” he spoke with reverence . Though she wanted to be angry, he was speaking about her as if she weren’t there , she couldn’t seem to muster the anger. S he followed behind him silently , h er fingers linked in his , as they returned to her bedroom. Her skin was prickling again under his touch and the w arm sensatio n in her lower stomach returned; her body was alert and ready for this man again . She had no idea lust could be this way, this warm , but Layla yearned for so much more. Layla wanted love.
* * * *
“Did she say when they’d return?” Eloise found Paige in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Eloise had heard the other sisters stirring but knew Madden was gone which meant that Layla must be gone as well. As much as Layla hated to hear her mother’s stories of the mating, Eloise was quite the opposite and ate the stories up s o she knew all too well that Layla wouldn’t be