Page 71 of Beyond the Storm

I waited for him to say more. He didn’t. I drew back to look at him. When he averted his eyes, I grabbed his chin and forced them back up. “What are you keeping from me?”

A whine left him, coming from someplace deep inside his chest.

“Kallias.” My voice cracked on his name. “Tell me.”

“You told me last night I was cruel—”

“I only said it in jest,” I interjected.

“Yes, but if I told you what I learned this morning… I truly would be cruel.”

“Then you must tell me anyway.” I slid my hand from his jaw and down the side of his neck, resting it on his collarbone.

Kallias studied me as several quiet moments passed. “We are mates. That’s why I bit you. It…” He quickly wet his lips, and his eyes reminded me of an animal caught in a hunter’s trap, frantic and frightened. “It was more than a bite. I marked you as mine. Lazarus said he’s never met anyone who has experienced what we have, but his superiors explained it to him.”

“We are… mates?”

“This intense connection we both feel? It is because we’re bound by fate, Elasus.” His chin quivered, just like his voice as he said much softer, “You are the missing half of my soul.”

My breath hitched, and it felt like the camp was closing in around me, obscuring my vision. All I could see was him. All I felt was him. “You marked me as yours?” I lifted a hand to the bite on my neck. Warmth tickled my palm, one I felt bone-deep. “You claimed me?”

“Y-Yes.” Kallias took a step backward, shaking his head. “But it means nothing.”

“How can you say that? It meanseverything.”

Kallias reached for my hands. “One night. That’s what we promised. And that is all we can ever have.”

“What if I want more?”

“Fate brought us together, but this is where our paths diverge.”

“No.”

“No?” Surprise lit his dark eyes. “But—”

“I have never taken anything for myself,” I said, linking our fingers. His calloused fingertips matched mine. “I have lived my life for Sparta. Emotions, desires, I’ve cast them all aside in place of serving my home. However, I look at you now and know deep in my soul that I could not bear to turn my back on you. I cannot leave you behind. It would shatter my heart.”

“We’ve only just met.” His gaze lowered. “Your shattered heart will mend with time. As will mine.”

“Look me in the eye and say that.”

He didn’t. He only stared at the ground. “This is where we say goodbye, Elasus. We haven’t a choice.”

“What of our bond?” I asked, voice thin. “I wear your mark on my neck.”

“Lazarus believes it should fade with the passing of days,” Kallias said, still not meeting my eyes. “The mark is a symbol of possession between fated mates and has increased our feelings for each other, but as it fades, those feelings should fade with it.”

“Do you truly believe this will fade? That either of us can return to our lives and pretend we never met?”

He gave no response.

Deep down, I knew he was right; I knew we couldn’t be together. But it didn’t dull the ache of knowing I was about to lose him.

“Will you do something for me?” he asked, finally meeting my gaze. The sadness I’d come to know from him stared back at me. “When you return to Sparta, visit the olive trees. As a boy, I enjoyed walking amongst them in spring when the buds first bloomed. It brought me a rare moment of peace.” A wistful expression crossed his handsome face. “Tell them an old friend says hello.”

“Return with me and tell them for yourself.”

Emotion flitted across his dark features. His lips twitched, as though he wanted to smile but couldn’t. “We’ve only just met, and you already wish to bring me home with you? I am no bride, Elasus.”