The Ghost Lioness of Phantom Moon

Chapter 10 - Marks

A few days passed as well as Nova’s heat. Sylas had never had a workout quite like keeping a female shifter sated in heat. Caelan and Ellie filled them in on a job they got from the Queen. There were several women of the night that had been killed in brutal ways. They were all cut to pieces, and some of them were missing pieces. Nova shivered when she saw some of the crime scene photos from Scotland Yard.

“That’s beyond messed up. Did any of them have anything in common aside from their jobs?” she asked. Caelan nodded appreciatively at her question.

“They did. They all had surgery a few weeks before they were murdered. A specific surgery.” he replied. Nova thought for a moment then her face turned red in anger.

“Those bitches had their unborn babies killed?! Almost makes me glad they’re dead. Shifters love children. Family is the most important thing to us. Any leads on who killed them? No, that was a stupid question. If there was a lead, you wouldn’t have been called in on this.” she growled. Her eyes started turning red as Aya tried to push through. Sylas placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Nova turned and put her face in the crook of his neck. She took a deep breath a few times to calm down. Sylas rubbed his hand up and down her back. Once Nova was calm, she turned back to the group.

“Sorry. I needed to calm Aya down or she might have shifted here. Didn’t want that. Breathing in the scent of our mates helps calm us.” she explained. Caelan and Ellie nodded.

“You’re right. There are no leads. We will be going in tonight to an alley near where the last victim was killed. Nova, would you be willing to dress like a lady of the night? I’m certain you can handle whoever this is with no issues. A human doesn’t stand a chance against you.” Ellie said. Nova looked at Sylas, and he nodded. Nova sighed.

“Alright. I’ll do it. I won’t like it, but I’ll do it. When do we leave for the alleys?”

“In three hours. Sylas will be going with us. Meet me in the foyer then.” Caelan excused them and Nova took Sylas’s hand when they left Caelan’s office.

“There’s something I need to do if You’ll accept it.” Nova said as she led Sylas to her room. Her heat ended two days ago and the sheets had been changed yesterday. She sat Sylas on the bed and straddled his lap.

“Will you wear my mark? Will you let me mark you as mine?” she asked as she started kissing the crook of his neck. He sighed and tilted his head to give her better access.

“How will you mark me? What does a mark do?” he asked in a breathy voice.

“I extend my teeth a bit and bit you hard right here.” she said and licked his marking spot. She felt him shiver under her. He gripped her hips and started moving her center over the bulge forming in his pants. She moaned and kissed his neck more. She pulled back and continued speaking.

“By marking you, I bind our hearts and souls together. I will feel what you feel and you will be able to talk to me mentally. Do you have a way of marking me? Trolls brand their mates with their tusks, shifters bite their mates, witches draw magic tattoos on their soulmates with special ink, vampires bite their mates like shifters, but they exchange blood.” Sylas stopped moving her hips and sat still for a moment. She stopped and waited patiently, He held his right hand up to his mouth and bit the glove at his middle finger. He slipped the glove off and held his hand up to Nova’s neck.

“May I mark you as well, Nova?” he asked. Nova unbuttoned her shirts and took them off. She tilted her head to the side to give Sylas better access to her marking spot. He held two fingers against her skin and looked at her.

“Mark me, Sylas. I want it. I want to be yours.” she breathed. A flame appeared on his fingers and he pressed them into her skin. She hissed and started purring as the pain turned to pleasure. After a few seconds, he removed his fingers from her neck and the flames went out. A circular mark appeared on her neck that looked similar to the one on the back of his right hand. She looked at the mark on his hand, then got up to look in the mirror. It wasn’t exactly the same, but was very similar. She looked back at Sylas with the question hanging in the air, unspoken.

“The mark on my hand is the contract between our master and myself. It appeared when we agreed to the terms of our contract. The one on your neck is a different sort of seal. This seal is meant to do what your mark will do. Bind us together. Will you bite me now, Nova? I want it so badly.” he said as he beckoned her back to the bed. She jumped from where she stood and landed beside him on the bed. She moved to straddle him again as he took his shirts off. She kissed and licked his marking spot and ground her hips against him.

“I must warn you, marking normally happens during love making for shifters. Are you ready?” she breathed.

“Yes.” he replied. She removed his pants and laid him back on the bed and started making love to her mate. She nibbled his marking spot a few times between kissing it. When she felt him growing close to his climax, she extended her teeth and bit down hard on his marking spot. His blood coated her tongue and she swallowed, then liked her bite to seal the wound. He roared his completion and dug his nails into her back.

“I see why shifters mark their mates that way. That was amazing.” he panted.

“I love you, my mate. You’re my entire heart.” Nova’s voice sounded in his head. His eyes were wide as he stared at her.

“I know you said mental communication, but I wasn’t expecting that. I’m not sure what I was expecting.” he said.

“It takes some getting used to for non shifters.” she replied. They cleaned themselves and got dressed for the mission. Nova dressed in a plain dress that looked like a prostitute might wear.

“Why did you say you wouldn’t like this? Are you worried about hunters?” Sylas asked as they headed downstairs.

“No, it’s not that. I don’t like it because if I have to play a woman of the night, I might need to act on a man’s desires. If I have to do that, you’ll feel pain in your heart. It’ll feel like your heart is being ripped in two. A couple women in my pride experienced it when their mates cheated on them. I never want to hurt you.” Nova said with tears in her eyes. Sylas took her face in his hands and wiped the tears away.

“If I give you permission, will that prevent the pain?” he asked. Nova’s eyes widened in shock.

“I don’t know, but I don’t want to try it to find out. I never want to be unfaithful to you. I never want to hurt you.” she said. Sylas wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Nova hugged him tightly and breathed in his scent. He let go and led her to the foyer where Caelan was waiting. He nodded at Nova’s plain dress and led them outside to a horse drawn carriage. Sylas sat in the drivers bench and Caelan helped Nova inside. Once Caelan got seated and shut the door, he knocked on the roof and the carriage started moving. Nova drifted off to sleep on the way to the town. She had a dream of her family instead of a nightmare. They were happy and healthy like the last time she saw them alive. Kira and Jaden ran to her and hugged her tightly.

“We need to go now Mommy. He’ll take care of you now. We tried to reach you a lot of times, but your nightmares kept us from talking to you. We love you, Mommy. Be happy for a long time, okay?” Kira and Jaden said. After they let go, Adam walked over. He hugged Nova tightly as well and kissed her deeply.

“I’ll always love you, no matter what. It wasn’t your fault what happened to us. Live your life well, my love. Your Goddess made a home for us in her realm so we can be together when your life is at its end. Don’t go rushing to us, though. She told us of your fae blood and I know that means you’ll live for at least a couple hundred years. If you die too soon, I’ll kick your ass and send you back to Sylas. He makes you happy, and he is healing your heart. We will always have a place in your heart, loving him won’t mean you replace us. Have a long and happy life, Nova. We’ll be here when you come home.” he said, and they disappeared. Nova woke up with a warm smile and tears running down her face. She saw the door open and Sylas was standing in the doorway.

“Are you alright? I felt a pain in my chest.” he asked.

“Better than ever. I got to say goodbye to my family.” She smiled.