Chapter 47
Varum opened his eyes to a bright light.
He blinked against the harshness and turned his head to get away from it.
A dull pain pressed on him and spread throughout his body.
He dragged in a ragged breath as his gaze landed on Kalyani.
She sat on a stool, bent over so that her head rested on one arm while her other hand held his.
For a long moment, he did nothing but stare at her, taking in the sunlight streaking through the open window to land on her curls.
He watched the wind gently lift strands, allowing him to witness the red and copper colors in her hair that he had never noticed before.
As if they could only be seen in the sun.
He reached his free arm over his body, biting back a moan of pain at the pull he felt in his back, just so he could smooth some hair away from her eyes.
In the moonlight, Kalyani was captivating.
But in the sunlight, she was ravishing. Whether in the depths of the ocean, hiding in his home, covered in yellow scales, standing in the moonlight, or sleeping in the sun, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
His finger skimmed her cheekbone before caressing her temple. He didn’t even mind the pain since he was touching her. Varum smiled as he lowered his arm to his side. Her eyes fluttered open before their gazes met.
She immediately sat up. “You’re awake.”
“It seems so.”
He followed her gaze as she glanced over her shoulder and spotted Nirav in another bed, still resting.
“I should get Rohan,” she said.
Varum stopped her by tightening his fingers on her hand and refusing to let go. “Not yet.”
“You scared me last night. Why didn’t you tell me you were wounded?”
“I didn’t know that I was.”
Her brow furrowed in disbelief. “How could you not know? Do you have any idea how many injuries you had? Rohan spent most of the night tending to them.”
“I didn’t feel anything. There wasn’t time while trying to stop Nirav’s bleeding and getting to you without being caught.”
“Don’t do that to me again,” she said and looked away.
He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “I won’t.”
The door opened before he could say more. Varum eyed the man and the Wood Elf who strode inside. He and Rohan looked each other up and down. Rohan was exactly as Kalyani had described him.
Varum started to sit up. Kalyani tried to keep him down, but he gently pulled her hand away. She shot him a dark look while helping him up. He had to grit his teeth against the shooting pain every movement cost him.
“You shouldn’t be up,” Rohan said from the foot of the bed.
Varum waited until the worst of the pain had passed before turning his head to meet Rohan’s light green eyes. “Thank you for seeing to both Nirav and me. Kalyani spoke highly of your skills in healing.”
“Even humans have their uses,” Rohan stated.
Beside him, Farah elbowed Rohan’s ribs, while Kalyani narrowed her eyes at him.
Varum touched Kalyani’s arm. “He has a right to his anger.”
“You’re still injured. He should save it,” she argued.
Varum couldn’t help but smile. After all, she was taking up for him. His grin faded as he remembered why he was here in the first place. He sighed before returning his gaze to Rohan. “I wronged both you and Kalyani by taking her to Tarangarh without her permission. I put her life in danger.”
“You had a good reason,” Kalyani said.
Varum shook his head. “I disagree.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve already forgiven you.”
He touched her face, amazed, once again, at her willingness to let go of the past and look ahead.
Had he been able to do that, his life could have been much different.
“It does matter. And while I have offered my apology to you already, this one is for Rohan.” Varum looked at her brother.
“I’m sincerely sorry for the suffering you went through, wondering where Kalyani had gone. ”
“You think words can fix things?” Rohan asked in a tight voice.
“I do not, but the words are owed. I intend to follow them with actions.”
Rohan grunted. “Is that so?”
“Enough,” Farah chastised Rohan as she tossed her long, red braid over her shoulder. “He’s still recovering.”
“If he can sit up, he can have a discussion,” Rohan stated.
Kalyani rolled her eyes. “You call this a discussion? You’re intentionally needling him.”
“I deserve it,” Varum interjected.
Rohan pointed to him as he looked between Kalyani and Farah. “See? Even he agrees.”
Farah tugged Rohan’s arm down and gave him a pointed look.
After a moment, Rohan released a loud sigh and looked away, but he didn’t say more.
Farah then turned her hazel eyes to Varum.
“As you may have guessed, Kalyani told us what happened while she was with you. We all worried that you and Nirav might not have made it out. Please, stay for as long as you like.”
“We didn’t come empty-handed,” Varum said.
Rohan quirked a dark brow. “Meaning?”
“Meaning, that while Nirav and I were evading the soldiers, we were also gathering information.”
Farah shoved Rohan toward the door and told Varum, “We can’t wait to hear it.”
“What are you doing?” Rohan asked her as he fought to stay in place.
Varum watched the couple exchange looks before Rohan sighed loudly, obediently turned toward the door, and walked out. Farah lifted a hand to him and Kalyani as she followed Rohan.
“I’m sorry about that,” Kalyani said. “Rohan can be a bit much sometimes.”
Varum slid his gaze to her. “He’s protecting his family. I don’t blame him. I’m surprised he left so easily.”
“That’s because it was Farah,” Kalyani said with a smile. “She’s good for him. Really good for him. He smiles now. And laughs. He would do anything for her.”
Varum knew the feeling well. Each time he remembered the sight of the soldiers leading Kalyani into the arena, he was overcome with fear and anger again. “Do you think you can ever forgive me?”
“For what?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“I promised to protect you.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “You did. What happened wasn’t your fault.”
“It’s solely mine. You wouldn’t have been in that mess had I not brought you there.”
“I thought we already talked about this.”
He tried to shift to ease the throbbing of his wounds, but nothing lessened his pain. Besides, the ache of his injuries was nothing compared to that of his heart. “You could’ve died.”
“I could have, but I didn’t. Neither of us did.”
“Do you have any idea how scared I was when you walked through the nehras?” He winced as his heart clutched.
Despite her fear, she had taken the upper hand and stepped into the water herself.
It had been an incredibly brave act. Yet it would haunt him for the rest of his days. “I couldn’t get to you.”
She glanced down before covering his hand with hers. “Why do you think I did it? I saw you struggling, and I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“Me?” he asked, shock rolling through him. “You were thinking about me when you were about to die?”
“Of course.”
He searched her face, seeing the truth reflected in her eyes. “You should’ve been worried about yourself.”
“I was trying to save you. I thought my life was already over, and I wanted to do whatever I could…for you.”
Varum followed the tear that rolled down her cheek. He gently brushed it away with his thumb.
Kalyani sniffed and wiped her other cheek. “Did Tanira really get you out?”
“Aye.” He lowered his arm and curled his fingers as he fought the urge to pull her against him. “There were passages I didn’t know about that she used to guide me out. She intends to remain in the city and gather intel on the Masters and her father.”
“That’s going to be dangerous.”
He flattened his hands on his thighs. “She’s made up her mind. Tanira always was stubborn, but from what I saw and what Nirav told me, she’s found something to turn her attention to. She’ll be a great asset.”
“As long as she doesn’t get caught.”
“It’s a risk we all take while fighting against the Masters.”
Kalyani nodded and turned her head away.
Varum studied her profile. The scales along her temples and on the backs of her hands were gone.
She was once again in the simple, bleached gray garments he had first found her wearing.
The clothes covered her collarbones as well as her arms, making it difficult to know if there was any trace of the scales there.
“You can ask,” she suddenly said. “I know you want to.”
“It seems like something you don’t want to talk about.”
She swung her head back to him. “It isn’t that. It’s just…I don’t know the answers. I’ve tried to find them for Rohan’s sake. He found me…like that.”
Varum could imagine Rohan’s shock, but it had likely dimmed at the knowledge that she was home.
“Do you remember when I told you that I used to hear music coming from the sea?” she asked.
He nodded, watching as she fidgeted nervously while refusing to look him in the eye.
“I heard it again as I was dragged toward the nehras.” She paused and met his gaze. “The fear that had gripped me so fiercely faded. I became calm. Relaxed, even. That was how I was able to go into the water myself.”
“Did it hurt?” His voice was a broken whisper.
She inhaled deeply and slowly released it as she nodded. “It was more painful than anything I’ve ever experienced before. I thought I was being crushed by the water. I had no idea what was happening. It felt as if it lasted for hours.”
“It was over fairly quickly.”
“Really?” she asked with a slight frown before shrugging. “Once the pain stopped, I saw the changes.”
He looked at her legs. “That change allowed you to get away.”
“It did.”
“Can you change at will?”
She tucked her feet out of sight. “I don’t know.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’ve not been back in the water since Rohan carried me out. It took some time, but I eventually returned to normal.”
Now, he understood why she was hesitant to look at him.
“It’s normal to be scared about such a change.
It’s also probably good that you didn’t go back into the water.
Patrols are everywhere, looking for you, as well as Nirav and me.
And,” he said when her gaze darted away again.
“How do you know that you aren’t meant to be both this version and that one? ”
“It never happened before. What if I can’t get my legs back?”
“What if you can? What if you were meant to become exactly that? It doesn’t matter if you have two legs or that stunning tail, you are beautiful.”
Slowly, she looked at him once more.
He smiled as he took her hand. “You should’ve seen yourself after you transformed.
Those yellow scales stood out like a beam of sunlight in the darkest parts of the deep.
You were so magnificent that you took my breath away.
I thought I needed to save you, but it turned out you were able to save yourself. ”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“I disagree. From the moment I first saw you, you’ve set aside worry about your own safety to help others. Even locked away in my home, your thoughts were on Rohan. You’re braver than you realize.”
She glanced down at their joined hands. “You said you would never leave the ocean.”
“That was before I fell for you. All I’ve been able to think about has been you and getting here as quickly as I could.
I know what life is without you, and I don’t want to spend another day apart.
I don’t care if we’re in the sea or on land.
As long as I have you by my side, I can face anything.
I…” He swallowed and tried again. “I love you.”
“That was hard for you to say.”
He shook his head, holding her gaze. “Only because I’ve never spoken the words before. And…I wanted to convey the truth of them to you—the one I cherish above all others. The one who means more to me than anyone. My beloved.”
“No one has ever called me such.” She brought his hand up to her cheek and leaned her head into it.
“I understand how you feel. I don’t know when I began to love you, and it doesn’t matter.
You claimed my heart. I want to greet every rise of the sun and moons with you.
I want to experience every moment of life with you.
” She pressed her lips into his palm. “I love you.”
Varum had never known he could experience such happiness. Even the pain of his wounds barely registered as he pulled her against him and slid his fingers into the tangle of her curls.
“It’s about time,” Nirav said in a gravelly voice.
Varum met his friend’s gaze as Kalyani pulled out of his arms and spun around. He and Nirav exchanged a smile while she fussed over him before rushing out to get Rohan.
“Grip her tightly and never let go,” Nirav said.
Varum grinned as he watched Kalyani run back inside. “I intend to.”