32. Separation of Paths #2
Callan lets out a bitter laugh. He shakes his head, his eyes boring into mine. “Do I? Ye’ve been keeping this to yerself, letting me walk around like a fool while ye’ve been nursing these feelings for my sister. It feels as though ye’ve betrayed me.”
“It is no betrayal,” I say, stepping closer, my hands open and unthreatening. “I did not seek this, Callan. I did not choose it. But I refuse to continue denying what I feel.”
The two of us begin to circle each other, tension crackling in the air. Our movements are sharp, eyes locked as though waiting for the other to strike first.
Callan’s expression hardens, his anger flaring anew. “And puttin’ on this farce just to bed my sister is worth our friendship?”
Callan throws a testing jab, his fist cutting through the air just shy of my shoulder. I shift to the side, my fist snapping out in a feint that sends Callan stepping back.
“In honesty,” I reply, my tone steady. “I’ve never wanted to strike you more than I do right now.
I’m not Marcus, and that ye’d dare to compare us confirms ye’re not in your right mind.
Triona is not some possession of yers. If you would be so daft as to hate me because I dared to love yer sister, then I would accept the expiry of the friendship.
” I throw my arms wide. “There’s naught left to hide.
No secret left unturned. What about the ones you so deftly hide? ”
Callan’s eyes narrow, indignation flashing. “Ye dinnae ken why I keep half of what I’ve had to, Finn. Secrets are a burden, but sometimes they’re the only way to protect the people ye care about.”
With a sharp motion, Callan lunges forward, his fist connecting solidly with my jaw, the impact cracking through the tense air like thunder.
I stagger back a step and reach to wipe a trace of blood from the corner of my mouth.
The sting from Callan’s punch lingers, but my willpower remains unshaken.
“And I kept this one to myself even as it tore me apart. I spent countless days believin’ that I was only a hindrance to her.
That she deserved a better man than I could ever be.
But she showed me otherwise; she chose me.
Made me see I belong beside her, not behind her.
Triona is as much mine as I am hers, and for her sake, you must make peace with it.
No other man alive will ever love her the way I do.
I’ll spend every breath of my existence proving the depth of my faithfulness to her, and to anyone who dares to question it. ”
I pivot sharply, my fist driving into Callan’s midsection with precision, the blow forcing the air from his lungs.
He staggers but recovers, regains footing, and swings back in a wide arc that I deftly evade.
I counter with a sharp uppercut that connects cleanly with his jaw; the impact leaving us both momentarily breathless as we steady ourselves for the next blow.
The sharp edge of his anger dulls into something heavier as he swipes a hand across his bruised jaw, still smarting from my last punch.
His gaze lingers, a mix of frustration and reluctant deference.
“Lovin’ her means puttin’ her first, Finn.
Always. Are ye ready for that? She deserves the best, and I willnae stand by and let her settle for less. I made that vow to my parents.”
“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life, Callan.
Puttin’ her first is the only way I know how to live.
Every choice I’ve made, every damn thing I’ve done, has been for her.
No one will ever love her as completely, as fiercely, or as endlessly as I do.
” I don’t hesitate, driving forward with another sharp blow that connects with Callan’s jaw.
The impact drives him back a step, his balance wavering before he falls to the ground.
As I stand poised for his reaction, the sound of rushing footsteps breaks through the tension. Triona, Casey, and Bran appear, their faces a mixture of shock and consternation.
Triona’s voice is sharp as she calls out, “What are the two of you doing?”
Just as she opens her mouth to say more, Callan and I speak in unison, our voices resolute and firm. “This is between us.”
She crosses her arms tightly over her chest, glaring at both of us as if daring us to explain ourselves.
I try not to notice the way the motion pushes her breasts together, and yet, a flicker of heat runs through me, causing my cock to stir in my trousers.
I attempt to will it away as Triona’s eyes sear into me.
Bran places a hand gently on her shoulder to draw her attention. “I think they’re trying to work something out—they both seem to need this,” he mumbles, his voice tinged with understanding.
Triona’s eyes snap to Bran, her tone sharp. “Says the man who won’t work out whatever the hell it is that’s got you and Casey at odds with one another.”
She looks between all four of us, exasperation clear in every gesture. “You are the reason for this species’ downfall—you know that, right?”
“ You ?” Casey asks .
“Bloody daft foolish men,” Triona mutters, throwing her hands in the air as she turns and stalks off, leaving us standing there in stunned silence.
Even as she disappears from view, her words still biting, I can’t shake the way my yearning for her refuses to fade.
If anything, her anger only stokes the desire inside me.
There’s something intoxicating about that fire in her eyes, the way it challenges me, dares me to tame it.
All I want is to replace her fury with something far more consuming.
I move to follow her, but Casey holds out a hand. “Just… finish whatever this shite is before you come inside.” Casey turns and strides after Triona.
“Callan, consider this,” Bran says, fixing him with a serious look.
“The man refused to talk about his feelings, but even I knew he was mad about Triona before I’d met her.
Never once laid with or looked at another woman.
That kind of devotion—it should count for a whole fucking lot.
Think about that before you continue throwing punches.
” Without another word, he turns and heads back inside, leaving Callan and me alone under the fading light.
Callan rubs his jaw, still aching from my last hit.
“Ye fight like someone with something to prove.” His voice softens, but a weight lingers in his words.
He meets my gaze, a flicker of something deeper crosses his features.
He pushes to stand. “If ye love her the way ye say, then ye better give her all that ye’ve got, Finn.
Every bit of strength, every piece of yer soul.
And if there ever comes a day when it costs ye everything, ye’d better be ready to pay that price. ”
I don’t hesitate at all. “I give my life to her, Cal. I’ve known it for longer than I care to admit. If it ever comes to that, I’ll gladly pay the price—everything I have, and more.”
As Callan nods, a reluctant understanding settles in his eyes.
He takes a step closer, his hand reaching out to clap my shoulder.
The gesture says more than words ever could.
“Prove it, Finn.” At that familiar phrase, I feel the tension in my chest loosen.
I’ll carry this challenge with me as a promise—to her, to myself, and to him.