Chapter 50 Anastasius
Claeg knelt, bearing his soul before those who mattered most to me. He’d already confessed to planning to betray me, my clan. This was different. I should be angry, but I wasn’t. I trusted Claeg. Maybe that made me a fool with a weak heart, but my path was entwined with his—the prophetic dance had revealed that to me. He was mine. Faults, broken pieces and all. Mine.
My tail curled around him protectively as I bared my teeth at my friend. The moment I created that barrier between them, he looked at me and his eyes softened. He trusted me even in this, and that made my heart warm with love for my friend. His hand shifted on his weapon, and he took a step backward, submitting to me as his De Vita. The realization slammed into me like the mesa was crumbling, falling to pieces: I was De Vita. The picture of my father bleeding out on the plateau surfaced. I was De Vita. I didn’t feel any different, and yet everything had shifted. Things would never be the same. I blinked, looking at my Chosen.
I stood before the prince of darkness, the Ruptor. He was beautiful, but the uncertainty on his face made me ache. I needed to tell him, so I allowed my draconis to recede. Instantly, the exhaustion returned in full force, but my vision was restored along with my hearing. It wouldn’t last, but . . . Claeg. He needed to know that I loved him. That I could never hate him. My mouth opened to make my declarations, but I fumbled, my knees giving out beneath me.
His eyes widened in horror, and Rohit screamed his protest, demanding I return to my draconis state. Meanwhile, Ercan dove into action, drawing on his magic to cast a summoning spell. The salves. With them, he would enable me to withstand the injuries long enough to make my voice heard. I grabbed Claeg’s hand, squeezing lightly. “You’re so strong, so brave, my Eleos, my Ruptor,” I gasped. I gave him a weak smile. Hopefully he was listening, I didn’t have much time before I had to return to my draconis. There would be no more time left after this. The next time I shifted, only healing magic would save me.
Tears glistened in his eyes as he caught me when I fell to my knees. I tuned out his blubbering pleas for me to shift,, along with Rohit’s shrieks. My friend would hate me for putting myself at risk, but they needed to hear what I had to say. “I will always Choose you.” He flinched as my hand went up to cup his cheek. “You are my Chosen. I will always Choose you. You stayed.”
“You don’t know me,” he insisted, going back to old excuses. But he was wrong. Because I did.
“I know you are honorable and will deny your desires to protect me. I know you like to fly to clear your head, and I know you would give up your wings for your father. You have a heart that cannot stand to see another suffer. So, you tell me: what else is there to know?” I growled, clenching my fists.
“Everything!” he snarled, jerking away from me. That single action burned me, hurting more than anything I could remember.
“Then tell me, Eleos!” I demanded, exasperated. His eyes narrowed, his lips turning into a sneer.
“I am the monster your father told you I am. I am everything he said but worse. I am the prince of darkness, the hunter of weakness. I promise you, following me is a mistake. I will ruin you.” Lies and false vows.
“I don’t believe you. You are Eleos,” I whispered, my brow furrowing.
“Stop, Stas, just stop! Listen to me! You’re trying to cast me in the light of some hero. I’m not the hero. I am the villain. I am the subject of death. I am Claeg!” His arms exploded out to the side as he roared in my face.
“No!” I protested weakly, grasping the fabric of his tunic in my palms for support. “You listen!” I croaked back. “I know who you are! I have seen the Ruptor you keep bound underneath your skin. You think that scares me? You think death scares me? Do you think I am a coward?” Even as I demanded answers from him, my heart feared his response.
My eyes begged to fall shut, but I kept them open, leaning on Claeg more and more with each passing moment. “Damn it, Stas! Shift! We don’t have time to do this now!” Claeg demanded, and I blearily looked up at him. When had my head fallen upon his chest? The look Claeg gave me was one of utter terror. His face was pale, his eyes wide with horror. A tear fell from his eyes, landing on my forehead where he cradled me in his lap. There were hands on me, more hands than just Claeg’s who was clutching me tightly. So tightly. I smiled. I didn’t ever want to leave his arms. I was vaguely aware of multiple voices yelling at me, but their words were lost to me.
“Take me to the Circulus,” I answered, my voice fragile. I closed my eyes. Just as consciousness left me, I heard a chanting plea emerge from my lover’s mouth.
Don’t leave me, he said, over and over. I wanted to promise him I wouldn’t, but even I could tell my death was near.