Chapter 10 #3
"The part where you were about to tell me how you feel." Her directness caught me off guard. "Before we run for our lives, I'd like to know."
My heart hammered. "Does it matter? We're leaving either way."
"It matters to me." She stepped closer. "I need to know if I'm running with my assigned mate or with someone who cares for me."
The vulnerability in her voice broke through my hesitation. "I care for you, Kalyndi. More than I thought possible. More than is probably wise."
"When did it change? When did I stop being an obligation and start being..." She trailed off, unable to find the right word.
"Everything?" I supplied, the truth escaping before I could stop it.
"I don't know. Perhaps when you saved my life in that cave.
Or when I saw how you cared for those children in the terramares.
Or maybe it was simply watching you create a home from nothing, your strength in the face of everything that's happened. "
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I tried so hard not to feel anything for you."
"I know."
"I failed." The admission seemed to cost her, but once spoken, her shoulders relaxed as if relieved of a burden. "Completely and utterly failed."
I reached for her then, unable to resist any longer. My hand cupped her cheek, and she leaned into the touch, her eyes closing briefly.
"If we do run, fight, whatever comes next, we do it together," I said quietly. "Not as matched mates, but as partners who choose each other."
Her eyes opened, meeting mine with newfound clarity. "I choose you, Redmon. Not because Magnus Terra decided, but because I want to."
The space between us vanished as she rose on tiptoes, her lips meeting mine in a kiss that contained both question and answer. Unlike our previous moments of physical closeness, this held no hesitation, no shadow of our forced beginning. This was pure choice, freely given.
When we finally parted, I pressed my forehead to hers, breathing in her scent, memorizing this moment. "We should finish preparing," I murmured reluctantly.
"Yes," she agreed, though neither of us moved immediately.
The sound of Selene clearing her throat from the doorway finally separated us. "Sorry to interrupt, but I think we have a problem."
We turned to find her pointing toward the forest edge. A lone figure emerged from the trees, moving with the stealthy grace of a tribal scout. I tensed, ready to defend our home, until I recognized the distinctive gait.
"It's Tarek," I said, relaxing slightly. "Marok's grandson."
The young mapinguari approached cautiously, his eyes scanning for watchers before he spoke. "War Chief, I bring warning from Elder Marok. Magnus Terra forces are gathering at the council hall. They speak of sedition charges against you and medical quarantine for your mate."
"Quarantine?" Kalyndi echoed, alarm edging her voice.
Tarek nodded grimly. "They claim potential contamination from experimental herbs. It's a pretext, but one that allows them to legally isolate her."
"When?" I demanded.
"Dawn tomorrow. A full contingent with both human and tribal authority." His eyes moved between us. "Grandfather says you should be elsewhere by then."
"We're already planning to leave tonight," I confirmed.
Tarek reached into his pouch, withdrawing a small carved token. "Take this. It will identify you to Marok's allies in the outer territories. They'll provide shelter and supplies when needed."
I accepted the token, recognizing the ancient symbols of tribal protection carved into the wood. "Thank your grandfather for us."
"He said one more thing." Tarek's voice dropped lower. "The children who were taken? They're being held at a facility called Nexus Point. Deep in the dead zones, where few dare travel."
Kalyndi stepped forward. "You're sure of this?"
"Grandfather has sources even within Magnus Terra. The information is reliable."
A new purpose crystallized in my mind. Not just escape, not just warning others, but something more. "Thank you, Tarek. Now go, before they connect you to us."
The young scout melted back into the forest as silently as he had appeared.
"The dead zones," Kalyndi whispered, turning to me. "No one survives there for long. The radiation… "
"Except children with genetic resistance to radiation and cellular degeneration," I finished her thought. "Children like ours would be."
Understanding dawned in her eyes. "They're creating a new generation that can survive where others can't."
"Colonists for uninhabitable land. Soldiers who can withstand conditions that would kill others." I shook my head, disgusted. "All without consent from the parents."
Selene joined us, her expression grim. "So what do we do? Just run and hide?"
Kalyndi and I exchanged a look, a silent communication passing between us. "No," she said firmly. "We find the other pairs, we gather evidence, and we expose what they're doing."
"And then?" Selene pressed.
I took Kalyndi's hand in mine, our fingers intertwining naturally now. "Then we find those children and bring them home."
"We leave at midnight," I repeated, my decision firmer than ever. "And Magnus Terra will regret the day they decided to play god with our lives."