Page 153 of A Courage of the Chosen

“I’m part Dorche. Tavish unlocked something in me with his magic. That’s why I’m The Chosen. I was born with both powers.”

Fuck.

Chapter 45

Elsie

This is it. The moment I’ve been avoiding but has come for me anyway. The one where Callahan walks away and never looks back.

I’m in love with him, have accepted his proposal, but knew that I needed to tell him this before our lives together could truly start, and now it might be over before it’s even begun.

Callahan is utterly still as he stares and stares at the spot where my magic was. I shift on my feet, waiting for the inevitable breaking of my heart when he leaves and never looks back.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Tone low, question restrained, hands fisted.

“After how everyone responded to me losing the Craobh, and then how everyone was so quick to vote on killing Kerr, and your reaction to Rach having Dorche magic, I couldn’t find the words. So, I was selfish, and I kept it to myself until now.”

I can’t even look at him. Not ready for the love and surety in his eyes from a second ago to be replaced by glacial contempt. I thought I was somewhat prepared for this. That I loved him enough to let him go when the time came. Now that it’s here, there’s a part of me frantically begging and praying that he won’t gut me.

Deep down I stupidly hoped he would stay when he found out the woman he loved possessed the magic of the enemy he’s spent his life fighting. As the tense stillness stretches long beyond what I’m comfortable with, I begin retreating in my mind, layering up what little defenses I have when it comes to Callahan because how fucking stupid do I have to be to think there would ever be a scenario where he would still choose me.

My chin is in his grip, and he’s lifting my head so that I can’t avoid him any longer. The mask is in place, and the bridge between us is sealed off. I can read nothing about what he’s thinking or feeling.

The tears come thick and fast while I wait.

Just do it already. I almost speak the internal plea, because teetering on this ledge is becoming too much. My lungs scream, and my stomach is repeatedly somersaulting as Callahan passes his judgement.

He reaches for the dagger resting on the stone behind him, and I flinch a step back.

Callahan’s lips twitch as he shoves the pommel in my direction, a silent command, and I take it with shaking fingers.

He clutches my clammy free hand in one of his, and then holds his other hand out, palm up.

“What are you doing?” I gasp.

“Do it, Elsie.” His response is clipped, and with enough bite to make me pause. It takes me a long minute to work out that . . . it’s not at me, it’s for me.

Callahan lowers his walls then, and the maelstrom of his thoughts collide with mine. At the middle of them all are two things.

Relief that he finally knows.

And love.

He . . . still loves me. He still chooses me.

I’ve never been more unworthy of this man.

“Wait,” I blurt, and Callahan holds his hand there steadily, a scowl on his face. “That’s not all. There’s a . . . bond. Between me and him. Through this magic. We’re connected, like you and I are with our light.”

Storm-washed eyes glaze over in murderous fury.

“I keep him blocked most of the time. But he’s there, always waiting.”

“Is he there now?” Callahan bites out.

I shake my head, lips pressed together.

A beat of silence while he processes the fact there’s another man with a direct link to my innermost thoughts. It stretches, and the gaping hole that threatened to form when the truth was revealed starts to cleave me open.