Marked by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #4)(62)

“Beast,” I gasped as he pressed the heel of his hand against my sweet spot. The burst of pleasure sent a flush to my cheeks, and I arched my hips, seeking more. “It has nothing to do with the island.”

To my frustration, the hand retreated. “By Resinah, darling, what do I have to do to make you see reason?”

I sighed, realizing Iannis wasn’t going to drop this subject. “I’m not saying that I don’t want to marry you,” I said, levering myself onto my elbows so I could look him in the eye. “In fact, if it means we can do this every night, I’m all for it. It’s just… I’ve got some concerns.”

Iannis frowned, rolling off me and onto his side again. “What sort of concerns?”

“Well, for one, I have no idea what’s going on at home. Are we still in the middle of a revolution?”

“No, of course not,” Iannis said. “Two days after Thorgana’s capture, the Shiftertown residents decided to withdraw their support of the Resistance and attempted to kick them out. Between the clans and the Mages Guild, we managed to overwhelm them, and those who have not been killed have been taken prisoner.” He sighed. “I will need to sort that out when we return. Prison Isle is far too small to hold so many.”

“That’s fantastic though!” A weight lifted from my chest now that I knew the city was safe, or at least on its way to being safe once more. I grinned. “You know, I may have had something to do with the shifters deciding to change sides.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me at all.” Iannis kissed the end of my nose, eyes twinkling. “You’re becoming quite the unstoppable force.” His expression grew serious again. “But none of that has anything to do with our future. Tell me why else we can’t get married.”

I squirmed beneath the weight of his stare. “Everyone will think we’re rushing into this to silence all those rumors and gossip. I want to be with you, but I don’t want this to look like we got married just to solve a problem. And what about the fact that we’re supposed to be master and apprentice? I thought carnal relations with your apprentice were frowned upon among mages.” That was what I had always understood, though I was not entirely sure how bad it was. Mage customs and laws were not well understood among the other races.

Iannis smiled ruefully. “It is indeed unusual, but for mages, marriage – or at least the intention to marry – trumps every other consideration. The formal bond between a couple is respected by everyone. There have been some precedents of marriage between a master and apprentice, though not recently, and it is certainly going to cause talk. Still, an illicit affair would be considered much worse, and it would be impossible to hide in our position.”

“I see,” I said dubiously. “But could you still continue to teach me magic?”

“Yes, of course. I certainly would not want my fiancée or wife subject to the authority of another master.” From the expression that twisted his face, I could tell the very notion was repulsive to him.

“I suppose I could ask Fenris to teach me when you don’t have time, and Janta to tutor me in Loranian,” I mused. “But you would still be in charge of my training.” Yes, that might work. I sighed. Even if I got Iannis to promise to devote more time to my training, after the experience of the past few weeks, it was ten to one that something would happen to interfere with our regular times.

“As for rushing into marriage,” Iannis continued, “I only wish that were possible. Marriages between mages are a highly formalized matter, with lots of rules, and usually preceded by at least one year’s engagement. Ideally, we would wait until your graduation, but that is too long in our case.” His voice was firm. “Anyway, less than a full year would raise lots of comment, but I’m willing to go right ahead, if you are.”

“No, that’s fine,” I assured him, relieved. “That is, we can still, umm, be together, while we wait for the ceremony?”

“Just try to keep me away.” He kissed me again.

I grinned against his mouth. “In that case, a long engagement is a good idea.” After all, marriage was irrevocable while both partners lived. It only made sense to be very certain beforehand. If either of us were to change our mind, I’d rather it be before the wedding when it was still safe to back out.

Not that I wanted to back out.

“Good,” Iannis growled, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me on top of him. “Now, let’s stop talking and finish what we started earlier.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” I said, then he pulled my mouth down to his again, effectively shutting me up.



Eventually, the sun climbed high enough in the sky that we determined it was too hot to stay out any longer. Besides, we were both in desperate need of a bath, so I led Iannis into the forest and to the sweet water of the spring I’d been bathing in for the last week. Somehow, we managed to wash up without making love again, which was a good thing because I really wanted to get off this island.

“Do you have anything you need to take before we leave?” Iannis asked as he dressed. “Such as clothing, perhaps?” He arched an eyebrow.

“What, you don’t like what you see?” I gasped, pressing a hand against my chest in mock offense.

“You know well enough that I do,” Iannis said dryly. “But that doesn’t mean I want to share your charms with the world. You’ll need suitable clothing when we arrive at the mainland and meet any other mages.”