Chapter 18 #2
Cercies’ shield began to shrink as the High Lord of Flames’ power slowly overpowered his own.
Titus’s flames crept closer and closer to his General’s face.
They were shouting at each other, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying over Calpurnia’s bloodcurdling screams and the faint ringing in my
ears from the explosion. Then I heard Titus shout, “You will never touch her again. You’re fucking dead!”
I raised my forearms to shield my face and pushed my way into the room, thick with magic and burning fury. “Titus!” I shrieked.
His flames dissipated. He lowered his hands and turned to look at me, his face a perfect mix of shock, relief, and horror.
Cercies fell to both knees, sitting back on his heels and panting heavily, on the verge of passing out from exhaustion.
Calpurnia unburied herself and wore my blanket like a dress.
She rushed over to her mate and wrapped them both in the plush down fabric.
She held him tightly, grateful that he was alive.
Though relief washed through her at the sight of her mate unharmed, it was shadowed by something far darker.
She had witnessed firsthand just how terrifying the High Lord’s power truly was.
“What are you doing?” I asked the High Lord. My face held disappointment, but my voice carried a tinge of fear and disgust.
He turned his attention to Cercies and Calpurnia.
“The handmaid? What is going on, Cercies?” Titus demanded.
Cercies, still out of breath, could not form words. Calpurnia shook in his arms from fear and shock. I could tell she was not in any state to answer Titus’s question. So, I took it upon myself to clear up the mess.
“They are fated mates,” I shouted, anger souring into disgust as the words tore themselves from my throat.
Titus spun around to look at me again. The rage in his eyes evaporated as the truth settled in and he realized what he had almost done. His eyes widened in shock, then shut. The corners of his mouth turned down, and he looked away, hiding his face. He was ashamed of his outburst.
Titus turned back to his General for confirmation.
Cercies struggled to breathe but managed to nod in response.
Titus quickly retreated. I stepped out of his path as he stormed out of my room. I didn’t chase him. I cared about him more than I wanted to admit, but that didn’t excuse what he’d done. He could wrestle with his guilt on his own. Cal came first.
I rushed to Calpurnia’s aid. She assured me she was unharmed, just shaken.
Cercies caught his breath, and I brought him a glass of water, a cool towel, and his pants.
I dabbed the towel against his head, and thanks to the Fae’s fast self-healing, it did not take long for him to recover.
They sat together, cuddled in my blanket, as I began to assess the damage to my room.
The walls were stained with black smoke.
My desk looked more like a pile of half-burned firewood, but Big Red was okay.
I just wanted to make sure. There were holes in the window coverings where wandering flames had burned through the fabric.
In the spot where Cercies had knelt while taking the brunt of Titus’s force remained a perfect black circle of melted stone that had already begun to reharden.
I was aware of the High Lord’s power, but witnessing it firsthand confirmed its reality.
The possibility of being reduced to a pile of ash at any moment during one of his unpredictable moods left me unsettled and disturbed.
A fragile, high-pitched voice questioned her mate. “What did Titus mean when he said you will never touch her...again?”
I spun around to meet Cercies’ pain-filled eyes.
I had only ever spoken telepathically to dragons, and I knew I could not do the same with the Fae, but I did not need mind powers to understand what Cercies was asking of me.
I never thought I would see such a mountain of a male crumble.
I took a deep breath, and nodded, giving him permission to tell her the truth.
I did not want her to know, but she deserved it.
She deserved the truth, and as much as it was going to kill me, I could not keep this from her.
Because if it were me, I would want to know I mattered enough for the truth.
The General began to explain, “Calpurnia, before I even knew you existed, I was in Titus’s lounge with Delilah and Aurelius earlier this morning.
We were discussing her escape. Titus wanted to share a bottle, and things got heated between the High Lord and his future mate…
and it turned out that wasn’t all he wanted to share.
One thing led to another, and it became clear that I had been part of something I never should have been.
I feel disgusted. I feel awful for every female I ever touched before you.
Now that I know what it is like to be with my fated mate, I wish I had saved myself for you. I’m sorry. I do not deserve you.”
“Cal, it was mostly Titus and Aurelius that were involved; Cercies mostly watched and maybe touched my boob a little, that’s it, I swear. Please don’t hate me, I’m so sorry, I had no idea he was your mate, I didn’t even know fated mates existed!” I pleaded.
The sparkles in her eyes shattered, like a snuffed-out candle. The twin flame that had burned so brightly only moments before flickered, then dimmed, one half left reaching for a fire that no longer answered.
“Oh,” She replied in a soft, broken voice, looking at the floor. She stood up and wrapped her naked body in the blanket.
“Calpurnia, please.” Cercies grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving, but she pulled her hand away.
“Just let me go, Cercies.” She commanded meekly, refusing to look at him.
He released her hand, and I could tell his soul had just shattered into a million little pieces.
The mountain of a male reduced to dust on a crying wind.
And for the first time, he looked painfully, terrifyingly mortal.
There was nothing I could do but stand there and watch him collapse beneath his own avalanche.