There was a sudden knot in my throat, and I almost launched myself at the poor man, but I somehow managed not to repeat that awkward moment. “I know he needs to feed. He will.” I felt my cheeks heat. “But what is the Joining?”
Alastir’s eyes widened. “He didn’t tell you?”
My shoulders started to slump. “Should he have?”
“I would think so.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “It may be expected, especially since you’re not a full-blooded Atlantian, but it—well, it wouldn’t exactly be the easiest of conversations with someone who didn’t grow up in Atlantia.” He started to stand. “And it’s one I was eternally grateful I never needed to explain to my daughter.”
“Wait.” I lifted a hand. “What is it?”
“You should ask Casteel.”
“You should tell me since you brought it up,” I pointed out. “What is this thing? The Joining?”
Alastir was still for a moment, and then he closed his eyes. “This is going to be an incredibly awkward conversation.”
I started to grin. “Now, I’m really interested.”
“And you will likely change your tune fairly quickly.” He rubbed his chin. “Gods, he probably never told you because of your background.”
“My background?” My brows rose. “As the Maiden?”
He nodded. “In your own words, you said you were quite sheltered, but even if you weren’t, what you’re about to hear would have come as a shock.”
“Okay?” Curiosity burned through me.
“The Joining is a very old tradition—one that isn’t often done. And thank the gods for that.” His upper lip curled in distaste. “It’s quite crass.”
Now was probably not a good time to admit that I was even more curious.
“When a bonded elemental takes on a partner, the bond can be extended to that person. It requires an exchange of blood between the three—or the four if the partner is also bonded. And the exchange of blood…well, it is quite…” He cleared his throat as his cheeks flushed. “It can become very intimate. In a way that would most likely make you very uncomfortable.”
There were many times in my life that I was shocked by something. The last several weeks had been one surprise after another, but this…
Even as sheltered as I was, I had a pretty good idea of what Alastir was trying to say thanks to Miss Willa Colyns’ diary. “Do you mean sex?”
His face was as red as mine felt. “Unfortunately.”
I stared at him, mouth open, but I had absolutely no words.
“But,” he said quickly, “like I said, it is a very old tradition, and while some of my younger brothers and sisters are far more open to the archaic traditions, it’s not one often practiced these days for…well, for obvious reasons.”
“I…” I felt hot and cold at the same time. “But you said that it may be expected since I’m not a full-blooded Atlantian. Why?”
“Why?” He blinked at me, and then his expression smoothed out. “Penellaphe, my dear, have you and Casteel not discussed the future? At all?”
The look in his expression caused acid to pool in my stomach. It was one of parental patience, the kind when a child was in over his or her head and needed an adult to rescue them.
“You will age, and while Casteel will also, he will do so in a way that, in eighty years, he will look the same and—”
“And I will be old and gray if I even survive that long,” I cut in, and then lied through my teeth. “We’ve talked about that.”
His gaze searched mine. “The Joining would not only ensure that the wolven would be duty-bound to protect your life, but the bond would tie your life to the elemental and the wolven. You would live as long as the wolven did, however long that may be.”
Yet again, I was utterly speechless. So many things raced through my mind, but what came to the forefront was the fact that I knew why Casteel had never mentioned this. Tension crept into my muscles, and the heaviness in my chest felt suffocating. There was no need for this…this thing to take place. No matter what Kieran thought, Casteel didn’t plan for us to remain married.
Chapter 25
The realization had a far more chilling effect than it should, and it was all Kieran’s stupid heartmates conversation’s fault.
And come to think of it, why in the hell hadn’t Kieran brought this up?
Then I thought of having this conversation with Kieran, and I wanted to take a wire brush to my brain. As handsome as I believed Kieran to be, I just…I couldn’t even begin to imagine doing something like that with him.