Page 57 of Elas (Mate’s Mark #2)
He tells us about Commander Bravis following him to the house Cameron was hiding in, and how he wanted Ronan to bring Cameron to base with him. August and I exchange a glance, knowing exactly where that would’ve landed them, but we don’t interrupt .
Cameron jumps in with a very animated retelling of the fight that led to Commander Bravis’s death, arms swinging. Ronan jerks his head back to keep from being elbowed in the face. “He didn’t tell anyone he was going after you,” I say, and Ronan nods, unsurprised.
“It was personal. When he was dying, he… said some things,” Ronan says, his eyes growing distant.
“Made it sound as though he’d been the one responsible for the attack on my village.
Like he’d taken me… like it was his goal.
” A century-old memory flashes through my mind, and my eyes momentarily go wide.
Ronan’s face darkens, his nostrils flaring. “What is it?”
I swallow, guilt clogging my throat as I dig out the ancient conversation. “The day we met… the day Bravis brought you in and made me fight you… he said something to me. I’d forgotten until now.”
“What did he say?”
I stare into the deep brown eyes of my lifelong friend.
“He told me your mother had been one of the best fighters he’d ever known.
” Ronan’s brows pinch, his head tilting in question.
“She was military, but she disagreed with the direction they were going. According to him, she deserted… ran with you and your father.” Ronan gulps, giving a single dip of his chin for me to continue.
“He said they caught up to her, but your father got away with you. If he said he attacked your village, it’s probably true.
They’d probably been searching for you for a long time. ”
“Bravis never knew how to let go of a grudge,” Ronan says quietly, and the room falls into a heavy silence. Cameron snuggles closer to him as he sighs. “My whole fucking life has been a revenge story.” His voice is thick with grief as he meets my gaze, and I manage a faint, sad smile.
“But not anymore,” I say, and he takes a deep breath, his eyes going distant for a moment as he nods.
“Yeah… not anymore,” he agrees.
Ronan clears his throat and continues their tale, some levity returning to the room as he recounts Reyes stabbing him and attempting to run off with Cameron while he laid unconscious on the ground.
Reyes jumps in, describing how Ronan bound his entire body like a rope-covered mummy before Cameron came in and put a stop to it.
Everyone laughs, though a heaviness remains in Ronan’s demeanor.
We’ve all heard the story, but Reyes recounts his experience at the camp alone anyway.
He tells us again of the military convoys coming through with the bound sets of mates, and the discussions he overheard.
Cameron smiles when he says he packed his notes, and leaps from his seat to hug Reyes when he tells him he brought him more books.
Ronan picks up the narrative after they left Reyes.
We’re on the edge of our seats as he shares how the soldiers caught up to them and insisted Ronan and Cameron join them at their camp.
My pulse thumps as Cameron nonchalantly tells us how they tossed him into a cage, and subconsciously, my fingers drift over the scar on my lip.
August notices, pressing a soft kiss on my pec as he stares up at me with an understanding smile.
“Your bloodlust triggered?” I ask in surprise as Ronan skims over the fact that he slaughtered eight soldiers—including a fucking Bhotan —with nothing more than his sword.
He nods, a satisfied smirk pulling on his lips and flashing his fangs.
Smug retribution flares in his eyes, a revenge that says he’d happily revive them just to kill them all over again.
“It was fucking amazing ,” Cameron gushes. “He wasn’t even bothered by the rest of them. Was just like, ‘Yeah, I’m here, bitches. What of it? Give me your head.’” Cameron grimaces as he twists to glance at Ronan’s proud face. “It was pretty gross when he chewed up Brukduuch’s neck.”
“Brukduuch?” I ask, and Ronan gives a casual shrug.
“The Bhotan.”
Somehow, my brows climb even higher on my forehead as Ronan’s smirk turns downright villainous. “It was gnarly,” Cameron continues, wrinkling his nose. “Although his giant knot made up for it.”
I choke on my drink, water threatening to come out of my nose as I cough. August thumps on my back as I force the liquid down my throat. “Fucking gods, Cameron, really?” I rasp, and Ronan’s grin is wide as Cameron sinks into his lap, curling into him. “I didn’t need that visual.”
“What’s a knot?” August asks slowly, like he doesn’t want to ask, but his curiosity gets the best of him. Reyes leans forward, interest sparked. Ronan chuckles and Cameron grins as I glare at both of them. My eyes dart between Reyes and August, who both wait for an answer.
From me.
“Fuck… me…” I groan, dragging my hand down my face. “I refuse to sit here and explain the anatomy of my best friend’s dick. I didn’t sign up for this shit.” Cameron open s his mouth, but I shoot him a glare. “And I’m not going to listen while you explain it, either.”
He flashes me a grin and a snarky wink, but settles back in to Ronan’s lap. “I could draw you a diagram,” he says to August, and I sigh at the intrigue on August’s face. “You look awfully curious.”
“Strictly for medical purposes,” August hurries to say, a blush forming on his cheeks. “The differences in anatomy are fascinating.”
“Differences, huh?” Cameron leans forward with mischief positively gleaming in his eyes. “What sort of differences are we talking about here? Doesn’t Elas have a giant swell at the base of his cock that locks you together?”
“No,” August says, eyes wide as he blinks a few times. “But his balls are absolutely enorm—”
“We have gotten off topic here,” Ronan says loudly, and I grin as I fold my arms over my chest and sit back.
“What, you were fine hearing him gush about your knot, but you don’t want to hear about my giant balls? Hypocritical, Ronan.”
Reyes has a strange mix of horrified and intrigued on his face as he glances between us. Cameron leans closer to August and whispers loud enough that we all hear. “Does his dick do anything else fun?”
August is positively red now, and I chuff a laugh as I pull him into my side, protecting him from Ronan’s snarky mate. “It gets bigger,” I say with a cocky smirk, and Cameron rolls his eyes.
“That doesn’t count, dude. Even humans can be growers. ”
August makes a strained noise in his throat, and when Cameron glances at him, August holds his hands apart. “Oh, it is not that fucking big,” Ronan snaps, yanking Cameron back against him.
I glance at the distance between August’s palms. “Looks pretty accurate to me,” I muse with a demure smile, fluttering my lashes.
“Do you…” Cameron’s eyes widen comically large as his mouth drops open, staring at August. “Do you bottom?! ”
“Enough!” Ronan roars, and I bite at my lip as I try to hold back my laughter.
“ How does it fit ?” Cameron whisper-shouts, desperate to get his answer as Ronan growls threats about tossing him over his shoulder and giving him a demonstration.
Everyone laughs except Ronan, and Cameron gives up, shooting August a loaded glance that tells me they will absolutely discuss this at a later time.
“Alright, back on track,” I say, still grinning.
“So, you slaughtered this camp. Then what?” Every trace of humor is sucked from the room when Ronan gets to the part where they discover Nyx and break him out of his cage.
Memories of cold bars and darkness make me shiver, but I know it’s nothing compared to what Nyx went through.
Who knows how many years—how many decades— he spent in confinement?
“Then we got here,” Cameron finishes, gesturing around. “We realized this was the village I grew up in and decided to make it a home. Nothing too exciting has happened since then. We’ve been rebuilding and getting the village operational again, Nyx is working on a garden—”
“A garden?” Reyes asks, perking up. “I could help him with that… if he wants.”
Ronan and Cameron exchange a sad glance before Cameron smiles gently at Reyes. “We can try once he’s gotten used to your presence. Nyx doesn’t trust anyone right now.”
“Not even the two of you?” I ask, and Cameron teeters his hand in front of him.
“Sometimes he does. Other times, he’s still terrified of us. We’re getting there.”
“Oh,” Reyes says, eyes dropping to the ground. “I wouldn’t want to scare him, I just thought… that’s what I did, you know? It’s been years since I’ve had the chance to grow anything, and I want to contribute.”
“You will,” Cameron says. “We’ll figure it out. This is a situation no one could’ve planned for, and we’re making it up as we go now.” Reyes nods, falling silent once more.
Ronan takes a deep breath and looks in my direction. “Well, you’ve heard our side of the story. What trouble have the two of you stirred up?”