Chapter 0751
And then I lift my finger, and hold it close to Luca’s mark for comparison, and see that Jackson’s…right. That it’s quite subtle, but the mini mark is…different. It…shines, almost? Just barely perceptible, an incredibly faint line of silver tracing through it? And Luca’s mark has none of that.

“Oh, that’s really incredible,” I murmur. Then I burst into a smile, looking at the mini mark. “See? I knew the mini mark was real.”

Jackson just laughs and shakes his head, putting his hands on my hips and stepping close, dropping a kiss to my hair. “Not my mark yet, tiny. But…” he hesitates and then drops the point. I lift my eyes and meet his in the mirror, knowing what he’s thinking, because I’m thinking the same.

That he needs to give me his mark. That the Goddess ordered it, and we both know it now. But also that…I am not ready. Not right now – not so close to my last marking which was, at best, traumatic. And even though I know Jackson would give it to me now if I asked for it…

“I just need a little time?” I whisper.

He nods to me, just once, quite simple. Letting me know that he understands and that the moment I’m ready, he’s here. And not because the Goddess demanded it – because it’s time.

For us, it’s time.