Chapter 15
*****
Merilla lay on Meara’s feet, looking at me sympathetically. She understands that a mating bond is the most sacred thing the Goddess bestows on you, and you must cherish it, so to turn your mate away is one of the most difficult things to do, that is, if she doesn’t cross over to the other side and I lose her before I get the chance to let her return back home.
But wait!
“ I can share my magic with her,” I said calmly, rolling up my sleeves. The room was quiet as Merilla and Luka lurked closer, watching me carefully. We don’t normally share our magic because if you part your reserve with anyone, your own gets smaller. Little do they know that for me, it’s not a problem. Mine seems to be a never-ending source of power. I have been sharing it with some of my guards after battle when they were badly injured, and there weren’t any healers around.
My powers would always seem to restore back to their fullest shortly after. I think it is one of the perks of being one of the strongest elementals with rare power, which is until Meara arrived. It seems her magical reserve is almost as big as mine. I saw the shields she broke of my men back in the garden. The healers think she might not make it, but I still feel the cold coming out of her. She is already restoring, but not fast enough because she is drained. I only want to share my power with her, only a little bit, because I don’t want to take any chances when it comes to her. Sharing magic is like sharing a soul; it connects people on a whole different level. It makes you feel each other, well, at least for a short while. That way, I can feel her after she is gone.
The day I met her, I was dying with longing for my mate, but there she was in front of me, sleeping peacefully in the garden. I couldn’t help myself, so I kissed her while she was asleep. She was furious, and I knew from that moment on that she was a fighter.
My whole world changed when she came into it. I was dying because the darkness in me wanted out. I didn’t feel like I could control it anymore, and I was planning on leaving the kingdom, but then she popped up out of nowhere, and her presence seemed to help contain the darkness a bit, but her not accepting the bond made the darkness take over me once more.
I knew sooner or later she was going to reject me, but until then, I wanted to change her mind, but the darkness kept surfacing, making it hard to convince her that I am good and that she should stay. I want her to stay because she wanted to. I didn’t want her to stay because she found out that her accepting our bond might prevent me from turning bad. Without saying anything else, I took her hand in mine and poured my magic into her body.
( Meara )
After the world went dark around me, it felt like I was encased in a massive block of ice. It consumed me with each passing moment I remained there. Strangely, it brought me a sense of peace.
Should I surrender to it, close my eyes, and give in to the comforting numbness? I was so tired; I doubted I could stay conscious much longer. But then, out of nowhere, something warm reached me. It began in the hand Kaden had held in his death grip, spreading to my heart, and from there, it gradually permeated my entire body. It melted the frozen ice that trapped me in the depths of my mind. I could breathe again. The warmth called to me, drawing me in like a moth to a distant light. The light grew brighter the closer I got to it. I opened my eyes to the familiar ceiling of Kaden’s sleeping chambers. Memories of Kaden rushed back, igniting my anger once more.
As I tried to sit up, I felt something heavy on my feet. I lifted my head to find Merilla curled up at the end of the bed. Turning slightly, I noticed Kaden standing by a window. It was dark outside as I glanced toward the balcony. The moonlight filtered through the tall windows, casting a silvery glow over the room. The bed beneath me felt impossibly soft, but my body ached with exhaustion. My head swam, and it was hard to keep my eyes open, but the questions swirling in my mind was too loud to ignore. “ How long had I been asleep?”
“ Meara!” he exclaimed; face brightened with relief.
“ You’re finally awake.” he said, his voice soft with emotion. Merilla lifted her head, now noticing I was awake. She jumped up, wagging her tail excitedly.
“ Yes, I am,” I replied, trying to sit up straighter. The tension between us was cold and heavy. Kaden stood by the window, his back to me, staring out into the darkness. The moonlight outlined his broad frame, casting long shadows across the floor.
I watched him for a long time, gathering my courage. The events of the day played over and over in my mind; the memory of his cold grip still fresh on my skin. I needed to understand the force that had taken over him.
Finally, I broke the silence. “ Kaden,” I began, my voice soft but steady, “ was it the darkness that took over you?”
His posture stiffened, his head bowing slightly as if the question itself was a weight on his shoulders. For a moment, he didn’t respond, the silence stretching out between us. Then, almost imperceptibly, he nodded.
My heart clenched, a mix of fear and compassion swelling within me.
Suddenly, he turned to face me, his eyes was hard and filled with a turmoil that made my breath catch. “ Meara, you have to leave the kingdom. It’s for your own safety.”
His words were like a dagger, sharp and cutting. But I refused to back down. “ No,” I said firmly, shaking my head. “ I’m not leaving, Kaden. Not until I find out who my parents are.”
His gaze bore into mine, the firelight reflecting off the dark depths of his eyes. “ You don’t understand,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “ I don’t want to hurt you. I can’t control what happens when the darkness takes over. It’s too dangerous for you to stay.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I couldn’t let them sway me. I struggled to sit up, the effort making me dizzy, but I had to make him understand. “I’m not leaving,” I said firmly, though my voice trembled with exhaustion. “ Not until I find out who my parents are. I need to know, Kaden. Please… don’t make me go.”
His gaze softened for just a moment, a flicker of something tender in the depths of his eyes, but then it was gone, replaced by a mask of steel. He took a step closer to the bed, his face etched with conflict.
“ You don’t understand,” he said, his voice a mixture of desperation and fear. “ I almost killed you today. What if next time… what if I can’t stop myself? I can’t take that risk. I won’t.”
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away. “ I know you don’t want to hurt me, Kaden. But I also know you’re stronger than this darkness. You fought it today… you can fight it again. But I need to stay. I need to find out the truth about my parents. After that… then I would leave and never return.”
Kaden’s expression hardened, and for a moment, I thought he might refuse. His hands clenched at his sides, and I could see the internal struggle he was going through. Then, with a deep, resigned sigh, he turned away, his back to me once more.
The room fell into a tense silence as he wrestled with his decision, the crackling of the fire the only sound between us. When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy with weariness.
“ You’re so stubborn,” he muttered, more to himself than to me. There was a pause, and I could hear the faint tremor in his voice as he continued, “ Fine… you can stay. But the moment you find out who your parents are, you have to leave. No arguments.”
Relief washed over me, though it was overpowered with sadness. I knew how much it hurt him to say those words, how much it cost him to let me stay. “ Thank you, Kaden,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
He didn’t turn back to me, his gaze fixed on the darkness outside, but I could see the tension in his body, the way he was fighting to keep his emotions in check. This wasn’t just about keeping me safe—it was about keeping himself from becoming the very thing he feared most.