[Forrest] I had asked Queen Maeve for more information about the weird group all of the supernatural leaders were investigating. Rock was fairly certain the person who chased them was after Carmen. Austin was fairly certain they were after Gemma. Naturally, I worried that they were actually after Pyla. Shayle left the fae lands after she failed to calm me at my coming-of-age. My parents and Rock told me about what happened between Shayle and Pyla while I was chained up. There was nothing I could do. She was long gone by the time I was safe to be unchained. I marked Pyla as soon as I was out of the chains. Queen Maeve didn’t give me much. It was all the same information they were giving to everyone else. I asked her if she thought Shayle might have joined the community/cult thing, but she didn’t really answer. Fae don’t like liars and they don’t lie to each other in general. I was more sure than ever that Shayle was with them and Queen Maeve didn’t want to confirm it. We were getting all of the arrangements made for Pyla’s coming-of-age. Pyla didn’t want anything big, because she didn’t really know anyone and her lizard family couldn’t be here. Since they couldn’t use glamour, they didn’t leave the fae realm. She didn’t want her mother and her mother’s mate to be there, either. Something about having such a small and private party seemed sad. I was more than willing to invite a bunch of people, but Pyla pointed out that they would be my friends, not hers. She wanted to have people she cared about at the house. As it stood, we would have Mica, Tana, Kaya, Elbio, Jett, Carmen, Rock, Gemma, and Austin over. It didn’t seem like a real party with less than ten people. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t listen to her. I only hoped that Pyla wouldn’t regret the celebration she got. The freezers were stocked up with food for our revelers and for us. The werewolves wouldn’t come until after the first twelve hours, just like normal. There was plenty of room for everyone and seats for all of them. There shouldn’t be any fights for Tana and Kaya to break up. It could get a little boring for them, but I would be in the room with Pyla and wouldn’t have time to be concerned about them. “What are you thinking about?” Pyla asked me, breaking me out of my thoughts. She made sure dinner was ready when I got home ever since she moved in. Pyla told me it was only fair that she took care of the house while I was away. I wouldn’t care if she decided to lay around all day. As long as she was there when I got home, it was enough. “Just looking forward to your coming-of-age,” I replied. Pyla blushed. “I’m a little nervous about it. I know you’re my true mate, but... Being chained up in the nude.... It’s embarrassing.” “I think you look beautiful no matter what you do or don’t wear. The only people who will see you is Tana and Kaya. Everything will be alright, Pyla,” I assured her. She nodded, but looked worried as she ate her dinner. It was only two days until her coming-of-age. Unlike mine and Rock’s, Pyla’s would be in the middle of the week. Rock and Carmen left the office to Viola and put men in charge of the jobs that were currently going on so they could be there for Pyla the whole time. I was happy about that. They treated Pyla like family and she really needed that here in the human realm. I was certain she would have left long before my coming of age if Elbio hadn’t brought her to Rock’s house back in the summer. She told me Carmen was probably her best friend, in the human realm or the fae realm. It was sad to think of my mate not having anyone she was close to who wasn’t family. As I watched Pyla nervously nibble on her food, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. It was my responsibility to ensure that Pyla felt safe and comfortable in her new home, yet I had failed her. She shouldn’t have to feel embarrassed or self-conscious about her coming-of-age. “Pyla, I know I’ve said this before, but I want you to know that I will never judge you for anything,” I said, taking her hand in mine. “You don’t have to feel embarrassed or ashamed about anything, especially not around me.” Pyla looked at me with tear-filled eyes and nodded, her hand squeezed mine and I smiled at her. Sometimes she doubted herself when around other trolls because she hadn’t been raised around trolls. I knew a lot of people didn’t like her because she seemed colder than a lot of other trolls. Being raised as a lizard person and being raised as a troll were very different. Lizards, after their first ten or fifteen years, learned a lot more control over their feelings. They went from expressing them to hiding them from others. Trolls felt things very strongly and we couldn’t do that. For a troll, Pyla was cool and fairly emotionless. For a lizard person, she was too emotional and reactive. Carmen never had a problem with Pyla, but she was a werewolf and they weren’t really like either species. “Will I say things to you that might make you mad? I know you worried you would say things that insulted me when we did your coming-of-age,” she murmured. I chuckled. “I doubt that. If you ever came on to me like a troll, I’d probably die from bliss.” She laughed. “Lizard people can be cruel when insulting people. I might hurt your feelings.” “Never. It doesn’t matter what you say, as long as you’re the one saying it, I’ll want to hear it.” Pyla blushed. I knew all of her weak points and one of them was how much I loved her. Whenever she was reminded of it, she blushed and her tail stuck straight up. During some pillow talk during my coming-of-age, Pyla admitted that it was a sign of attraction. Now it turned me on whenever I saw that.She was wearing me out in so many ways. Trolls actually didn’t have a high ѕex drive compared to something like a werewolf. Before we came of age, we would have ѕex a couple times a week if we could. If we got a partner, we could go all night, but it was usually a one night engagement. My little mate had me going a couple times a night every night. Rock tried to warn me that a softie mate meant a mate who needed touch a lot more than we did. And because she was so soft, smooth, and sweet, I would want to touch her just as much as she wanted me to touch her. I was tired a lot, but I was starting to get used to it. Pyla was more than willing to take over when I started getting tired, toward the end, as well. I shouldn’t need that, because I was trained like a troll warrior and I should have the stamina, but it wasn’t for the same sort of motion. As I glanced up at her, I couldn’t miss the desire in Pyla’s eyes. She definitely wanted me. I wanted to oblige, but Pyla decided we wouldn’t have ѕex again until her coming-of-age. I was actually grateful for the break, which is not something I ever imagined saying. “Have you heard anything about Shayle?” Pyla asked, changing the subject. “No,” I replied, shaking my head. “It’s like she disappeared. I think Queen Maeve knows something, but she isn’t talking. All she’ll say is that Shayle left the fae lands and hasn’t returned. She won’t tell me if she’s spoken to her or heard from her at all. Are you afraid of her coming while you’re chained up?” “I wouldn’t be able to fight as well while being chained by iron. The chains would inhibit my movement and strength. I hate the idea of being weakened while I have a potential enemy in the world.” “She really seemed like she was letting me go when she was in the room with me. I’ll protect you, Pyla. All of our friends will stop her if she comes into the house. She has no warrior training. Shayle couldn’t fight her way out of a paper bag. I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I insisted. Pyla nodded, but I could tell that she was still worried. I wanted to reassure her again but my attention was drawn to her lips, and the desire to kiss her became stronger. I leaned toward her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She responded immediately, deepening the kiss and pulling me closer to her. I could feel the heat building between us as she wrapped her arms around my neck, her tongue exploring my mouth. I trailed kisses down her neck, nipping at her skin as she moaned softly. Even though we had promised not to have ѕex until her coming-of-age, I couldn’t resist her anymore. It had already been two days and there would be another two days before her coming-of-age. Before we could go any further, Pyla pushed me away with a sigh. I was struggling a little with her decision, but she was struggling more. She even moved back into the room she was staying in before my coming-of-age so she wouldn’t be tempted and asked me to wear clothes instead of the loin cloths I preferred when I was around the house. She was so cute when she was trying to resist me. Her eyelids were half closed over her large, golden eyes. Pyla’s hand lingered on my chest before she pulled it away. “You’re way too tempting. If you don’t stop that, I’ll move over to Rock and Carmen’s house until my coming-of-age,” she chuckled. “Never leave me, Pyla. I’ll die without you by my side,” I murmured.“Really, Forrest?”“I would tear the whole world apart to find you if I ever lost you. People might think they know what a rampaging troll looks like, but they wouldn’t be prepared for me if someone ever took you from me.”Pyla smiled sweetly at me, her eyes filled with love and adoration. I felt my heart skip a beat as I looked at her. She was everything to me and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. “I’m not going anywhere, Forrest. I’m yours and you’re mine. Nothing can change that,” she said, her voice soft and gentle. I leaned in to kiss her again, but she pushed me away gently. “We really should wait until my coming-of-age, Forrest. I don’t want to break our promise,” she said. “I want you to be rested before you have to spend three days taking care of all of my needs.” My eyes widened and I stared at her. She knew? Of course she did. That little minx, making me thing I was protecting her from the truth. “You knew?” She laughed. “I know I wear you out with my desire. I appreciate you doing your best without complaining, but you know you can tell me if I’m too demanding. I wouldn’t know if Carmen hadn’t told me. Communication is important, Forrest. I should hear these things from you, not from our friends.” Of course, Rock had told Carmen what I told him. I hadn’t told him not to. I was grateful, though. I didn’t talk to Pyla and I really did need to. There was something about a real relationship that had me a little afraid to speak my mind. It wasn’t just that I was a troll and thought I might insult her. Though, I was afraid I would say something wrong and hurt her feelings. I didn’t want Pyla to think I didn’t like what we did together, because I love it. “We can talk about it more after your coming-of-age. It’s only a few days away. I promise I’ll give you everything you need. I won’t let you down during your special time. Once you’re unchained, you can mark me and we’ll officially belong to each other. Sound good?” I asked. Pyla nodded and smiled at me. We finished our dinner and she helped me clean up the mess. The rest of the night was spent on the couch, talking about our plans for the future, children, and our first visit to the fae realm after her coming-of-age. Pyla wanted me to meet her family and I couldn’t wait to go with her to see them.