Chapter 74

Damion and I get ready for the day together, each of us helping the other to wash off the activities from last night in the shower. After showering, wrapped in towels, I follow him back into the bedroom where I pause half way across the room as realization dawns.

"I'll need to go back across to my room to get clothes," I tell him.

Damion turns back to me, rubbing a hand along the sharp edge of his jaw, as he clears his throat, "Actually, after last night, I asked Mitra bring a few of your spare dresses over yesterday morning." He admits.

"Really?" I ask, blinking in surprise. He studies my face carefully as he watches for my reaction. Like he's worried I'll be upset by this.

He opens the door to his closet and steps back to reveal where a few of my dresses now hang next to his shirts, stowed in their own spot. Something about seeing both of our clothes tucked into his closet together makes a warmth spread through my chest.

A smile pulls at my lips, "Smart."

He's still watching me warily as I step up beside him and raise up to my toes to plant a quick kiss on his lips. He lets out a breath as I move around him to pick out a day dress in a rosy shade of pink.

Doing something so normal- so mundane as getting dressed together, it feels comforting. It's still strange seeing my reflection in the mirror- seeing all the changes my body went through after being in Elfhame and gaining a strength that had never been there before. The bright dress brings out the healthy flush glowing in my cheeks, and more importantly, I *feel* strong.

The days I've spent away from Elfhame's charge of power doesn't seem to have done anything to diminish the changes it had brought out in me either. From what elder Aelrie told me before I left Elfhame, I would eventually have to return to power source when I felt my energy levels receding. But she'd been optimistic that I'd be stable enough to be away from it for a few months before I started feeling any side effects.

Just as we finish dressing, as I'm starting to comb through the tangles in my hair, the door to Damion's bedroom bangs open and I jump as my eyes turn to see Leif barge into the room with swaggering steps without bothering to knock.

"We've got another long line up of meetings to get to today-" Leif starts without looking up from a ledger in his hands.

Without warning, Damion pushes me behind him so he's blocking me from Leif's direct line of sight. My entire body freezes as a blood chilling growl rips from his chest. I'm not the only one who freezes either, Leif stops dead in his tracks, head whipping up at us- more toward Damion as I'm still hidden behind his back, barely peeking out from around his shoulder. I watch as Leif's pale features settle as understanding dawns.

"The frenzy's taking over then, eh Lothbrook?"

Damion just lets out another terrifyingly black growl that has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end and goose bumps prickling on my arms. I've never heard anything so nightmare- inducing in my life. And while my body is reacting to the sound physically, I also know that I don't have anything to fear from Damion. I know deep down to my very center that Damion would never hurt me, but I *am* worried for his friend.

"What's a frenzy?" I ask slowly, carefully.

Leif's eyes stay carefully locked on his King, hands up in a placating show of being non- threatening as he answers my question.

"A frenzy is what we shifters call the state of madness that overcomes shifter males when they're in the process of forming a mating bond with a female," Leif explains, and there's a slight glimmer of amusement in his eyes that's nearly overshadowed by the grim look on his face, "The males tend to be overwhelmed with a phase of mania where they become obsessed with their female's safety. Their bodies begin functioning entirely off of a deeply ingrained territorial instinct that takes over and doesn't really have a rhyme or reason to when it comes and goes."

Damion takes a slow, threatening step forward and another chilling rumble emanates from deep in his chest. Leif responds with a compliant step back toward the door, keeping his hands up in a mollifying gesture.

"So what does that mean?" I ask Leif in a voice riddled with forced calm, "He's not going to be acting like himself for a while?"

Leif still doesn't take his careful focus off of Damion, and I can't really blame him with the way Damion's muscles are coiled as if readying to strike out, "It's different for everyone, but it's fairly common among the first phases of shifter mating relationships. It comes and goes. I can't say I know how it will work for a *Bonded* couple or if there will be any differences, but the frenzy will eventually taper off."

"Is this because we didn't seal the Bond last night?" I ask, somewhat hesitantly. I really hope this isn't because of anything I did. But, I'd told him I wanted to seal it with him- wanted him to mark me and make things permanent. Damion hadn't wanted to make any sudden decisions that I'd regret. At my question, Leif's eyes do flicker to me for a moment in his shock, which sets off another warning growl from Damion. Leif moves his gaze firmly back to Damion, away from me.

Without thinking, my hand shoots out and grasps onto his muscled forearm. There's no way I'm going to stand back and let him hurt his closest friend while his mind isn't really *his*. A shudder ripples through Damion at my touch.

Leif considers my question for a moment before saying, "No, from what I can tell, there's not really any reason behind them. Frenzies are all based off instincts and the body's natural reaction to what the shifter side views as threats to you and your Bonding. Over time he'll be able to control those baser instincts, but for now with the Bonding being so new, it'll take some time to adjust. That's not to say that he won't still get pulled into the madness from time to time, just that they'll become less frequent as he adjusts."

"What can we do? Is there something I can do to help?" I ask, my grip tightening on Damion's arm.

"Nothing we can do really, except wait it out," Leif admits, "He'll come back to himself soon enough. Though, I've been told that*alone time* can help ease it up a little." The usual mischief I've seen in his Leif's eyes returns for a brief second.

*Alone time.* It's easy to hear the innuendo in those words and a flash of a blush warms my cheeks.

Leif takes a slow step backward toward the door, keeping his front to the tense male crouched in front of me, "Lothbrook, I'm going to step out into the hallway. We have planning meetings in a half an hour, so try to pull it together, brother. Aside from that, you're freaking Lily out."

To me he says, "I'll be out here if you need anything, Princess. He's not going to hurt you."

"I know he won't," I say, ignoring his use of princess instead of my name, "But thanks, Leif."

The door closes behind him, leaving me alone with a frenzied Damion.