The passion in his voice left me breathless. A part of me was dying to hear what he had to say, and I forcibly pushed my anger aside so I wouldn’t open my big mouth and ruin it. I could feel my limbs tremble, that desperate desire for him just beneath the surface the moment I let the anger fade.
His shaking hand came up to cup my cheek, eyes boring into mine. “I walked away from the dream, didn’t even bother trying to reach out, because I needed to findyou, Asteria, not anyone else. Not even the mate I thought I hadn’t met yet.”
I remembered that dream. Remembered him pulling away. The confusing mix of feelings I felt from him within it, and the resolve that suddenly sharpened before he disappeared from the dream. He didn’t return here until after he rescued me.After he knew it was me.My heart kicked almost violently in my chest.
“I chose you. I will always choose you,” Calix declared passionately, as he nearly hypnotized me with the colors dancing in his gaze. “In this life and any other. There will never be another for me. No one with the fire, the passion, the rage. No one with the beauty, kindness, and drive. There is only you. The only star in my sky. The light in my darkness.”
A ragged gasp left me, and I felt the moisture of a tear running down my cheek. It was everything I had secretly hoped for in the months I spent around Calix, trying to convince myself unsuccessfully that I didn’t care.
The bond I’d buried, to both deal with my own emotions and prevent his from interfering, pulsed inside me. Like searing a brand on my heart, Calix’s words successfully claimed the organ for his own.
Tears slowly fell down my face, and Calix brought his other hand up, so both palms now cupped my cheeks, wiping my tears away with his thumbs. His fangs had retracted, but his eyes betrayed his anxiety about my reaction.
“I’m a mess, Calix,” I whispered, my hands reaching up to squeeze his. The mess of emotions inside me squeezing my heart and soul in their grip. “I spent my life desperately clawing for control over my fate. These past months, here with you, I finally seemed to be making progress. But now, it feels like everything has crashed down in flames around me.”
I sniffed, trying to tame my tears. “I have no idea what to do. Everything I knew about myself is a lie, Calix.”
I nearly winced at the desperation in my tone, but forced myself to continue. “Before, I would have literally jumped you and wouldn’t have stopped until we were both sweaty and sated and unable to move. But I don’t know how to be with you when I don’t even know whoIam. For Nox’s sake, we’ve spent so much time trying to avoid the chemistry between us; we still have so much to learn about each other! To see if the feelings we both instinctually feel can actually be backed up in real life. We haven’t known each other long enough to just jump into a lifetime commitment. Especially an immortal lifetime!”
My words got increasingly frantic until I was near hyperventilating, grappling for any kind of understanding, any way to move forward, but I was completely adrift. Calix shushed me, bringing his forehead to mine and breathing in deeply, until I instinctively followed his example. My breathing slowly calmed, and Calix pulled back to gaze into my eyes, the Aurora within his calming to a slow mingle of colors that managed to entrance me into calming even more.
Calix breathed out, an amazed sound that had me tilting my head in confusion. “Your eyes,” he murmured. “My réalta, they’re like nothing I’ve seen before. Like the night sky full of stars, but painted against the bright sky-blue of a cloudless day. When you panicked, the stars churned like a cyclone, and when you calmed, they did, too. Now the stars are just slowly spinning.”
My breath caught in surprise, “My eyes? You mean like yours with the Aurora?”
He nodded in confirmation. “Your power and—well, that’s part of the explanation I need to go over with you. But for now, I want you to know I don’t expect anything from you, Asteria. I know you’re going through a lot right now. I can be patient. I’ve already waited over four hundred years. I can wait a little longer.”
I couldn’t help the sigh I let out, my forehead crashing into his chest. His hands gripped my biceps before one slowly made its way to my hair. He began brushing a hand through the mass of dark hair down my back, and I tried to ignore how it immediately soothed me.
“I must be the worst mate in the history of Celesterra. You’ve already waited four hundred years, and now I’m making you wait even longer. I’m sorry you got mated to such a mess.”
A disbelieving laugh left Calix’s mouth. “Asteria, not only do you owe me nothing, butIneed to prove myself toyou. Because we didn’t know you were Fae, I’ve done nothing to show you I’m worth your time, let alone someone you may even want to be mated to.”
I jerked my head back, eyebrows scrunched together as I opened my mouth to argue, but a large hand came up and covered my mouth. My eyebrows now flew upward as he shook his head. “Nope. Don’t argue with me. You deserve much more. I plan on proving it to you, my réalta.”
I searched his eyes, and I could see he was absolutely serious about this. He thought he had to somehow prove himself to me. It was ridiculous. I was the mess here, not him.
Like he could sense my argument, and who knew, maybe he could, he continued, “You may think you’re a mess, but you’re handling this much better than many would. And those emotions you feel so strongly? That’s part of what I want to explain to you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, my head tilting toward him.
“I promised you an explanation of your powers. I’d like to do so while I can test some things, so I’m afraid we’ll both need to be awake for this.” He smirked as I huffed.
He leaned in close, until his lips brushed my ear, causing a shiver to run through me. I could feel his lips tilt up into a smirk, but his whisper rattled through me, “It’s time to wake up, my réalta.”
Chapter Seven
Cyrus
“Perfect.”I smirked, looking out on the new operations I’d instructed be set up while I was in Day, solidifying my alliance with Aelius.
Humans were already strapped to boards, or hung with ropes from their wrists or ankles, draining them of their lifeblood. When the final blow was dealt, that blood could then be used to increase my magic and make iron weapons. Already, Kesshuu, one of the lesser nobles who agreed wholeheartedly with my plans, was hard at work turning the useless sacks of blood and meat into something useful.
Kesshuu followed me as I walked the rows of humans, inspecting his work in my absence. He’d done very well. I knew he was angling for advancement, and his work here proved he could certainly handle more responsibility.
“I’d ask you to help with setting up sites like this across Dusk.” I turned to the Fae, seeing a gleam of excitement in his eyes.
“I’d be honored, my Prince.” He bowed, and I allowed a smirk to creep up my lips.
