Page 24 of The Survivors (The Children of the Sun God #4)
Isaak
“She’s never known a love like mine, but I’ll spend every day showing her that this bond we share—this sacred connection—is worth every fear, every hesitation.”
Navigating a relationship with someone who’s never experienced or witnessed true love is a delicate task. I’ve been patient, waiting for her to find her footing in this unfamiliar world of devotion and bonds. However, I’m beginning to see the limits of her experience. Lena is still learning to trust not only me but the idea that love can be safe, enduring.
She asks questions daily about our history, the world of humans versus ours, and about the family and people who make up my life. Yet, strangely, she never asks about what it truly means to be mates. She skirts around it, as if the topic is too fragile to hold or as if the idea itself might evaporate if she says it out loud .
And, if she’s noticed my body’s persistent response whenever she’s near, she’s too polite or too uncertain to mention it. She has two children; I know she understands the basic mechanics of desire. But does she understand that for me, being with her is more than mere functionality? That I want to connect with her soul as much as with her body?
For days, I’ve avoided this conversation, sensing her hesitation. Now she’s asked to leave, though, and I know I can’t delay any longer. She expects us to seek Helios’ blessing, and I need her to understand the gravity of our bond.
Once I’ve tucked Serafim into a blanket in the tent we share, I turn to Lena. “Can we go for a walk?”
“Sure,” she says with a smile. The tooth that Frank pulled created a small gap in her otherwise perfect smile. She’s not embarrassed by it. Showing her flaws so openly is a rare kind of honesty in a woman.
We walk away from the others lost in their own world. Their voices murmur in the background.
Lena watches me with a slight furrow between her brows, as if she’s already wondering where this is going. “Is everything okay?” she asks. Her voice tinged with worry.
I rub my beard, struggling with the words for what I’m about to ask. “Lena, you’ve asked a lot of questions since you woke. But there’s one thing you haven’t brought up.”
She stops walking and fixes her gaze on me with such openness. The same way Serafim looks at me—trusting and full of hope. Seeing her so unaware of the effect she has on me makes me ache.
“You’ve yet to ask what it means to be mates,” I say carefully.
Her mouth forms an “O,” and she turns her head. Her eyes drift to the others, to the way they naturally seek each other’s touch, and how their glances convey a thousand unspoken promises. For a long moment, she doesn’t answer. When she finally looks back at me, her gaze is as open as before, yet there’s a new glint of determination in her eyes.
“I haven’t asked because I know what it means,” she says quietly, almost defiantly.
My chest tightens, both at her bravery and her naivety. “Would you tell me what you believe mates are to each other?” I probe gently.
She looks away again. This time she stares at the stars scattered across the dark sky as though searching for an answer. “I know...that mates are bound together.” Her voice is steady but uncertain. “I know it means…you would care for me, and I would care for you. That it’s about loyalty.”
She pauses, glancing back at me as if looking for confirmation. I nod slightly, encouraging her to continue.
“And I know it means…” she hesitates, a light blush coloring her cheeks, “that we would...share things. Together.” Her fingers twist the edge of her shirt, and her shoulders tense., as if she’s bracing herself against something terrifying and beautiful.
“It’s more than loyalty, Lena,” I say tenderly. Feeling the need to bridge the space between us, I take a step closer. “To be mates is to be bound so deeply that you cannot imagine a life apart. It’s a pull in the soul, not just the body. A sense that every step you take is meant to be shared with the other person.”
She watches me, and the innocence in her eyes gives way to a flicker of vulnerability. “But…how can you be so sure?” she asks in almost a whisper. “How can anyone know that someone is…meant for them?”
My throat tightens, and I realize she’s never felt that kind of certainty. Her life has been built on survival and protecting her children. But trust? That’s something new to her.
“I can’t explain how I know. Only that, from the moment I saw you, I felt a connection, like a thread pulling me to you,” I say, hoping my words can convey what my heart knows. “I’ve walked this earth a long time, Lena. And never—not once—have I felt for anyone what I feel for you.”
Her breath catches, and she looks down, biting her lip as if she’s afraid to let herself believe it. “What if...I don’t know how to be someone’s mate?” she admits, barely audible .
I reach out, gently lifting her chin so that she’s looking at me again. “You don’t have to know, Lena. We’ll figure it out together. But I need you to understand that this bond…it’s sacred. It’s a promise that we make with our hearts, our bodies, and our souls.”
She nods. The tension in her body easing as my words sink in. I see trust deepening in her eyes, and I know I’ll spend a lifetime nurturing it, if that’s what it takes. I lift her hand to my lips, brushing a light kiss across her knuckles.
“Let me show you,” I murmur. “Let me show you what it means to be mates.”
For a heartbeat, she hesitates, then she nods and a shy smile breaks through the uncertainty. She leans into me, resting her body against mine. I wrap my arms around her, feeling the warmth of her trust. And in that moment, I know that whatever it takes, whatever battles or struggles lie ahead, I’ll face them with her by my side.