Chapter 61 Claeg
The sun set, leaving its bloody trail to be replaced by the stillness of the night. A small group of us had retired to the inner castle, where Rohit served us glasses of the honey wine. “Tomorrow, you shall return to the De Vita clan, Prince, and when things are settled, send word.” Thana took a sip of the mead Rohit had crafted with the spice of the Sand Eye, the same drink from the Choosing ceremony. It had gone through a fermentation process. Indulge too much, and it blurred the mind when ingested. I swirled the intoxicating drink around my glass, still leery of consuming something that would alter how I thought. Not having that definite control over my decisions didn’t appeal to me as it had to some. Yet, it was a traditional drink among De Vita, and I didn’t want to offend Stas by rejecting his traditions. He hadn't objected to the tattoo on his neck, so I would indulge him with a drink.
“We shall,” Anastasius assured Thana, gripping my free hand in his. I nodded my agreement. Clotho glared at us from her post at the doorway. My sister had made it crystal clear that she disapproved of our union. She wasn’t the only one among the Circulus with her feelings, but being the future Janardan, her thoughts had the most influence. Still, she followed Thana’s guidance for now, but I sensed a challenge approaching.
“I pray to all of the gods that the transition to peace is smooth. I have been waiting for this a long time—since my Entwined failed many years ago,” Thana smiled with a hint of sadness in her eyes, raising her glass in a toast. I gaped at my grandmother. I had so many questions. She was so eager for peace—the opposite of what I had expected, but the way she spoke, it was as if she had tried for it before with my grandfather. I had thought she would respond to Anastasius as Clotho had—with superstition, hatred, and a cold shoulder. Yet, she had opened her arms to the foreign prince and his ways. Even Ercan’s presence had been welcomed—however, only temporarily. I watched her with amazement as she consumed more of the mead with enthusiastic pleasure. There was a story here, one Clotho and I had only been privy to part of. I had foolishly believed I knew everything about my grandfather—he had been captured by De Vita long before I was born. Escaped. My mother completed his Circle because he was found to be weak. I wanted to ask about what truly happened, but now wasn’t the time to mourn. It was time to celebrate. I lifted my glass and clinked it with hers and Anastasius’.
The fire roared, a large piece of wood crackling and shooting up a wave of sparks. The log burned, late into the night, long after Clotho, Ercan, and Rohit had excused themselves. Slowly, members of the clan took their leave as a sign of dismissal and began dispersing throughout the castle to attend to their duties before retiring to their beds.
When it was just the three of us—my Janardan, Anastasius, and I—Thana turned toward me with a soft smile. “I know you have questions, Ruptor. I’ve kept secrets from you. When things are settled between the clans, I will tell you everything.” My heart fell with disappointment, but I didn’t press her. She obviously had her reasons for withholding information and she was my Janardan. I would respect her wishes.
“I shall see you in the morning,” Thana said, finishing off her drink. Anastasius gave her a smile and stood with her, bowing low. When the door clicked shut behind her, leaving us alone in the throne room, he straightened, a look of ease on his face.
“She likes you.” I gestured to where Thana had vacated the room. De Vita flushed, dark lashes shadowing his face. The silver Circles adorning his toasted skin complimented the pale moons of his irises.
“Your sister has her reservations,” he muttered. I took a step across the room, closing the distance between us. I cupped his chin in my palm.
“She’ll come around,” I inserted more confidence than I felt into the reply. He hummed, obviously not believing the lie. In truth, I doubted my sister would suddenly support the union of our clans without seeing that they were good. She needed time, like I had. But how could she begin to see what I saw, what I believed was worth fighting for, from here?
Anastasius’ stubble pricked my palm where he leaned into my touch. His arms rose to my hips, resting there gently as if asking for permission. Granting his request, I stepped into his arms until our chests were flush. I tilted his chin up so that those lovely gray eyes met mine. “Don’t worry about that tonight, Stas. Today, we became Entwined. Today, we became stronger together. We will figure it out. Tomorrow, the worries may claim us, but tonight, you are only mine.”
When our lips met, I tried my best to show him the truth in that statement. We would heal from our pasts. Together. He was mine and I was his. The Ruptor trilled with pleasure at the thought. No part of him unsettled me. The brave healer and the scarred killer—they both ensnared me in their trap. There was nowhere else I would rather be.
When I first came to the De Vita, I thought my purpose was to kill to keep the clan strong. Now, I knew that wasn’t true. Anastasius had shown me I was more. I was the Ruptor who relieved the suffering and protected the weak.
I was Eleos.