Chapter 11
eleven
KAT
One fight bled into another, and eventually, we could leave.
Callum's hand gripped mine as we made our way back to the car. I was tired enough that I didn't protest when he recaptured it as he pulled out of the parking lot.
We were both quiet during the drive. He played folk music, surprisingly enough. The same kind I had on in all of my cafes all the time.
"Do you like this music, or is it just for my sake?" I asked.
He didn't reply.
I didn't feel like prodding him for information.
So, I stayed quiet through the drive.
Tomorrow was the mating ceremony, which was... a lot.
We picked up food, and Callum's phone buzzed while we were eating back at the house.
I tried to focus on my food instead of watching him work, but it mostly failed. Honestly, I was curious about him. Between his constant pain, the stalking, and his family, there seemed to be more to the guy than I’d realized.
My mind eventually went back to Gwen.
She had hardly looked at me during the challenges.
Not even after Jonah kicked a guy's ass and I gave him a thumbs-up, which made Callum growl, and everyone in a twenty-foot radius shivered in response to the chill that filled the air.
Except me, and the other fae.
Liv had smacked him on the arm.
Merrily had grimaced.
Darius had relaxed like he enjoyed the cold, and started snoring in his chair when he fell asleep a few minutes later.
"I want to sleep next to him again," Sable said, as I finished my food.
Callum was still looking at his phone.
"Alright. I should probably try to seduce him first, though."
"Probably. Your plan isn't going very well."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
She snorted.
"He's so confusing," I said.
"Maybe he'll be less confusing after the bond is sealed."
"That doesn't seem likely."
"You never know."
Callum surprised me by sliding his phone across the table to me. His motions were stiffer, since we were no longer touching. I was pretty sure that meant he was feeling pain from his magic, but didn't want to ask me to touch him. If he wanted it, he needed to say that.
"We sold it," he said, as I read the article on top of the screen.
CALLUM FROST AND KAT DAVIS, DEVASTATINGLY OBSESSED WITH EACH OTHER
There were a few pictures in the article of us at the challenges. I assumed they'd been taken with someone's phone, because I hadn't seen any cameras.
"Devastatingly obsessed, huh?" I scrolled through the pictures.
Some of them actually looked kind of romantic. And, despite the differences in the way we dressed, there was no denying that we looked good together.
According to the article, multiple people had mentioned that we smelled like sex.
"Did Merrily make this happen?" I asked, sliding it back.
"Not that I'm aware of." He finished his food and leaned in his chair, as if he was trying to get comfortable.
The way he sat stone-still told me it wasn't working.
"She's usually too wiped out from events like these to handle anything related to the Cabinet for a few days.
She'll struggle at the ceremony tomorrow. "
"You could tell her she doesn't need to come."
"I could. She wouldn't listen, though."
That was fair.
"Your magic seemed to make Darius more comfortable," I said.
Callum nodded. "I'm sure fate didn't intend it, but some of our powers balance each other out a little. It’s a natural consequence of season-based magic, I guess."
"Darius didn't seem like he was uncomfortable before that."
"He hides his struggle better than the rest of us."
"You said you believe in fate? Most immortals don't, as far as I know."
"Fae are not most immortals."
I waited for more of an answer, but he didn't give it.
He stood. "We should get some rest."
"I need to get caught up on work before the thing tomorrow."
"The mating ceremony." He held my gaze, not struggling at all to say it. Unlike me.
"Right."
"You got everything set up with Elle. She'll manage it. We're getting married tomorrow, Kitten. You aren't working. Come to bed with me."
I sighed.
"I love it when he's bossy," my wolf murmured.
So did I.
I knew it was ridiculous, though. Unlike her.
Callum took care of the trash leftover from our takeout food, and I reluctantly rose to my feet too.
"How will I know when you're using the bargain against me? Yours looks lighter than your other markings, but it looks the same on my arm," I said.
"You'll know."
"It's going to force me to make the vows, right?"
"Something like that." He walked past me while I stopped abruptly.
I grabbed his arm, touching his skin with my palm.
"I'm not making the vows if you don't force me to with the bargain, Callum.
You know that, right? I'm not going to be manipulated into sealing the bond if you'll still be able to control me with the bargain afterward.
Giving you my future is at least as big of a favor as making my cafe succeed. "
"I'm aware you feel that way, yes."
My nostrils flared. My anger did, too. "That's not good enough."
He met my gaze. "A fae can't bargain with or use a favor against their mate in any capacity, so as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't particularly matter. Whether or not I've influenced you, when you make the vows, everything between us will be equal."
"I don't believe you."
Callum pulled his phone out of his pocket. My forehead creased as he tapped on the screen a few times, but he put it on speaker a moment later, and I heard it ring.
"Hello?" Merrily answered. She sounded tired.
"Is Dare with you?" Callum asked.
"Of course. You know his magic eases my pain after a day like today. What do you need?"
"Kat would like to know if a fae can use a bargain against their mate," he said. "She's on speaker."
"Hi, Kat." Merrily didn't sound surprised. "No, we can't make deals with our mates. Our magic can't take a piece of a soul that's already connected to ours."
"I can confirm," Darius called out in the background.
"So even if Callum doesn't use our bargain to force me to make the vows, I won't owe him anything after we're mated?"
"Correct," Merrily said.
"But since I don't trust you guys completely, I can just make him use it at the ceremony tomorrow to be safe," I said.
The pause before they answered was slightly too long.
Not trusting them was a good call. They were clearly bullshitting me about something.
"Yup," Darius finally agreed.
"That wasn't convincing at all." I looked at Callum. "What aren't you telling me? Does this have to do with the way I affect your magic?"
Callum's jaw clenched.
Darius cleared his throat. "You know, I actually have to get going, so—"
"If I mated with Merrily, would I cancel her magic out too?" I asked.
"I wish. I would already have stolen you from him," Merrily said easily.
Callum growled, "I'd like to see you try."
"Let's be real—I'd melt both of you and take her for myself if she could fix me," Darius said bluntly.
"That doesn't make any sense. Why can't I do the same for every fae, if this is some weird talent I just happen to possess?"
Silence followed.
I narrowed my eyes at Callum.
Merrily finally sighed. "You're going to have to tell her if you want her to walk down the aisle tomorrow, Callum. For the record, I said honesty would be the best route from the start."
With that, she hung up.
I didn't take my eyes off the ice king.
His jaw clenched.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Sable was quiet, but the conversation had her full attention too.
He didn't respond.
I waited.
"You can tell me, or I can walk out that door right now." I pointed toward the exit.
Callum let out a harsh breath. "Have you heard of fated mates? Soulmates?"
My forehead creased. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Have you heard of them?" he repeated.
"I mean, yeah. Hasn't everyone? They're a myth."
"For most kinds of immortals, yes. Not for fae."
I stared at him.
"There's one person out there for each of us. The only way to find them is by making a bargain with them. Because bargains require a piece of a person's soul, when a fae attempts a deal with their fated mate, it connects their souls instead."
"Okay... you and I have a bargain, though."
He clenched his jaw again
"We do, right?" I pressed.
He undid the top button on his shirt.
"What are you doing, Callum?"
The next few buttons followed.
The crease in my forehead deepened as he took his shirt off, revealing an expanse of delicious muscle that I wanted to get far more acquainted with than I already was.
He lifted both of his bare forearms out toward me, stretching them closer.
"I don't understand," I said, scanning his arms and torso to look at all of the marks. "The mark from our bargain is a little lighter, but..." My gaze trailed off as I realized why he was showing me this.
What the difference was.
Every single other mark on his body looked the same. The swirls were similar. The color was identical. They were dark, charcoal shapes that resembled fog.
But the one we shared was different, even if it was a slight difference.
It was more opaque, and it wasn't just gray. There was a metallic sheen to the delicate twists and curls that none of the others had. The difference was subtle, but it was undeniable.
"We're fated?" I asked Callum, my voice barely above a whisper.
He dipped his head. "We don't have a bargain, Kitten. We have a mate bond."
I swear, my heart skipped a beat. "That's impossible."
"When the bond is sealed tomorrow, the mark will become a darker shade, and look more metallic. People will speculate about the true nature of our connection, and you can't tell them the truth. If we confirm that we have fated mates, it will affect every fae in the city. Particularly my family."
"If people knew they could end up mated to a royal, everyone would come up with excuses to make bargains."
"They would."
"This is..." My voice trembled. I took a step back. "Holy fuck, Callum. How could we possibly be fated? I’m just a werewolf, and you’re you." I gestured toward all of him. All of the ice magic, and pain magic, and power.
"Fate probably hates you for some reason."
"Don't say that." My anger from earlier was fading. "If we don't have a bargain, you can't force me to seal the mate bond with you."
He shook his head slowly.
"So, what? You were hoping I would just let you pressure me into the bond instead of using your magic to force me? That I wouldn't ask you? That I'd just let you manipulate me?"
His lack of answer confirmed that.
"What the actual fuck, Callum?" I tossed a hand out. "That's twisted!"
"I’ve already admitted to being exactly that, Kitten."
"What happens if I refuse to seal the bond?"
"You can't refuse."
"I can. What happens if I refuse to seal the bond?" I repeated, raising my voice and making it clear that I wasn't going to let him distract me from this.
He let out a slow breath. "I suppose if you refused, I would make a public announcement about delaying the ceremony. Nothing else would change about our situation. There’s no way to remove the mark of a mate bond, and when we stay away from each other for too long, it causes us pain in an attempt to force us back to each other. "
"Wait, what?"
"I've tried to prevent you from feeling the pain, but I'm sure you've noticed the ache in your arm at some point.
If I track you down to the cafe you're in and go through your drive through, it subsides for a few weeks.
It's not a big problem, but I obviously couldn't go to prison. It would cause you too much pain."
"That's why you can't go to prison?"
He seemed to realize how angry I was getting, his expression growing slightly wary. "Yes."
"God, Callum." I lifted both hands to my head, trying to breathe through confusion and fury and stress.
"What the fuck is wrong with you? I deserved to know this.
What would happen if I tried to mate with someone else?
What if I'd fallen for someone else while you were staying away because my magic was settling?
What if Jonah really was my boyfriend? What if—"
"If you tried to mate with someone else, they would die. If you fell for someone else, they would die. If Jonah was your boyfriend, he would—"
"I get it," I snapped. "I'm not talking about what you would do. I'm talking about how it would affect the mate bond we apparently already have. I didn't even know this kind of connection was possible."
"Theoretically, if a fated immortal seals a bond with someone else, the fae would have to bond with both members of that couple to be with their mate. The fated connection doesn't change, regardless. Fate brings us to our intended mate before that person has a sealed bond, though."
He added, "Even if you were bound to someone else, someone kinder, they would still fight with everything they had to keep you away from anyone else. There are very few reasons to refuse a fated mate bond, and fae only get one chance. If we blow it, that's it. Endless suffering with no way out."
I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut as I turned away from him.
"This is too much," I told Sable. "I need you to take over, and get away from him."
"A run in the forest behind our new house sounds lovely." Despite her words, she was quieter than usual.
She might like Callum, and she had already claimed him herself, but she wasn't going to pretend this wasn't a big deal. She was a pain in the ass, but above all else, she and I were on each other's sides.
"I need some space to process this. Sable is going to go for a run," I finally said.
"No."
"That wasn't a request, Callum. If you want me to even consider walking down the aisle tomorrow, you will give me space."
He clenched his jaw, his entire body tense.
I could relate.
"Fine," he gritted out. "One hour."
I wasn't coming back in an hour, but if it would make him feel better to try to give me that command, he could pretend as much as he wanted.
I strode to the back door, leaving my clothes on the floor as I made my way out.
I was going to need a real plan, now.