Page 79 of Dark Princess Emerging

"Don't apologize." She cupped his cheek. "I know that you care about me and that you mean well. When your controlling tendencies bother me, I promise to let you know. We're both learning how to do this, how to be together." She rose to her feet.

He shook his head. "Fated Mates should fit together perfectly. Otherwise, the bond won't snap in place."

The words sent an unexpected chill through her chest and froze her in place.

Fated mates? Was that what everyone meant when they said that their encounter had been fated?

She desperately needed to talk to Jasmine, Margo, and the others to find out if everything had been perfect between them and their mates from the start.

What if she and Brandon weren't fated for each other? What if the connection she felt with Brandon, powerful as it was, didn't go as deep as that?

The thought made her feel ill.

Morelle forced a smile. "We have plenty of time to discover whether we're fated mates or not. As you said, we are immortals, and we are not in a rush, right?" She leaned over him and kissed his forehead. "Are you going to be okay here while I soak in the bathtub?"

He nodded, but his expression was still troubled as she ducked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Leaning against it, Morelle let out a shaky breath.

Fated mates. The phrase echoed in her mind as she started the water running. Did it really mean a perfect fit?

Everyone seemed to expect some magical, instantaneous perfection. What if she and Brandon didn't live up to that standard?

The steam from the filling tub began to fog the mirror, obscuring her reflection. Appropriate, she thought wryly, given how unclear everything felt right now.

Adding some of the bath oils Annani had given her, Morelle breathed in the calming scent and closed her eyes.

Maybe she was overthinking everything.

Maybe fated didn't mean perfect and devoid of challenges.

47

ROB

At six in the morning the gym was already humming with activity, and as Rob headed toward his favorite station by the punching bag, he was glad that no one had taken it yet.

He'd quickly fallen into a comfortable new routine—an hour of training in the morning, shower, head to the lab and go over all the things William wanted him to learn before he started the actual job, lunch with Gertrude, back to the lab, then another two hours in the gym before spending his evenings with his girlfriend.

Sometimes, Margo and Negal joined them, along with the other gods who had recently moved to the village.

Rob smiled to himself as he wrapped his hands, still amazed at how his life had changed. If someone had told him a few months ago that he'd be spending his evenings casually hanging out with gods and immortals, he would have questioned their sanity. Yet here he was, preparing to train in a state-of-the-art facility built into a mountain, surrounded by beings straight out of mythology or science fiction or both.

And the most amazing part was that he felt more at home in this village than he had ever felt in the human world.

For the first time in years, Rob felt genuinely happy.

There was one more hurdle he had to overcome before this dream could become his permanent reality, and that was the dreaded induction ceremony and the transition that followed.

He wasn't afraid of getting bitten by an immortal, nor was he anxious about surviving the transition, but he didn't want to embarrass himself, and by extension, his sister and her mate, by doing poorly in the ring.

His form had improved considerably since he had started training. The basics of boxing were becoming more natural, and he was learning various sparring techniques so he could hold his own for a few moments in the ring and put up a decent show.

As he approached the heavy bag, it occurred to him that he no longer attacked it with barely contained rage, venting his anger at Lynda. The pain she'd caused him and the profound feeling of unfairness had fueled his aggression. Now that the anger had dissipated and optimism about his future took root, his strikes were controlled and focused.

Life was great when you loved the right woman, and she loved you back. It was difficult to hold on to anger.

Rob hadn't actually told Gertrude he loved her yet, though. He was waiting until after his transition, wanting to promise her forever when forever actually meant something.