Chapter 35 #3
The rain shifted into a downpour, her clothes and hair now beginning to fully soak. Shivers went down her spine at his possessiveness. Despite her anger, the words made her blood heat.
She looked up at the storm and back to him. Was he controlling this?
Airess gave him an incredulous look, “Why do you even care? You obviously loathe the idea of us being mates so much, you had fled.”
“It’s not – I don’t loathe the idea of us being mates, Airess.” He closed his eyes and breathed out. “Just–who touched you? Was it forced?”
His voice darkened, laced with a venom that made Airess flinch. She hadn’t seen this side of Taryn before, his usual sarcastic demeanor drained of life, replaced with hard resolve.
The sight of it had her stammering, “No–No, it was just Roz. He kissed my hand after walking me into town, so I could find you. It was nothing.”
Taryn scoffed and let out a bitter smile. “Of course he did. He knew what he was doing.”
Airess shook her head in frustration, but decided to ignore the comment about Roz. She wanted to get down to the root of the problem. She stepped forward, closing the gap between them and jabbed a finger at his chest.
“Why are you acting like this? Are you mad? Are you disappointed? Why did you run?”
He looked away, eyes closing. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, mixing with his scent. He smelled like the sea. He smelled like the earth. He smelled like a bad influence. Maybe he was, but she wanted him. Finally, he looked her in the eye.
“I don’t want to chain you to me. Do you have any idea what a mating bond means? It’s not just a relationship–it’s not even a marriage. It’s a bond that runs deeper than that. It's a soul tie, Airess.” He explained, a bitter laugh coming out of his mouth.
“Do you know how many fucked up things I have done? I don’t deserve you.
At all. I’m not a good person. How can I expect you to accept a bond you never even asked for or wanted?
My soul…it will tarnish yours.” Pain cracked in his voice, raw and unguarded, and Airess felt her heart twist painfully in her heart chest.
The wind rose, whipping Airess’ wet locks wildly around her face and neck. By now, their clothes clung to their bodies, completely soaked through. Lightning struck overhead, and she took a step toward Taryn, rain pelting her from the side. She raised her voice enough to be heard over the storm.
“Has it ever occurred to you that I don’t care what you’ve done? What makes you think I’m this good person? Why is the thought of us being together so unfathomable?” she retorted.
Taryn shook his head slowly, water dripping from his soaked hair.
“You are a good person, Airess. You deserve better than me.” He cupped her face with one hand.
“To think I would have trapped you forever if the Oathmark hadn’t interrupted us at the Inn.
I was so irresponsible.” He ripped his hand away, as if he were afraid to touch her.
Butterflies erupted in her stomach at the implication. Airess recalled Ismene’ words. Once the relationship is consummated, the true effects of the Bond will take place. Your souls will be completely tied together.
“What are you saying, Taryn?”
His face hardened. “You’re not Fae. How can you understand what this means? I’m giving you the space you deserve.”
“You don’t get to make that decision.” Airess shot back, instilling as much strength in her voice to mask the panic rising in her chest.
Taryn raked both hands through his wet hair. “Don’t fight me on this, Air. I’m doing this for – for you.”
Airess scoffed in disbelief. “Don’t shut me out just because everyone in your life has abandoned, betrayed, and left you behind.”
Taryn’s jaw ticked. “This is for your best interest.”
Anger simmered hot in her veins, and the words were pouring out of her before she could stop them. “Oh, that’s rich, Taryn. Especially coming from the male who murdered, spied and smuggled drugs for a living. What would someone like that know about my best interest?”
Regret closed in as soon as the words left her mouth. He took a step back, recoiling at what she threw in his face.
The rain poured harder than it had been. Water dripped off her nose, and her hair clung to her neck. Taryn’s curls soaked around his ears and plastered against the sides of his face. His eyes hardened, the background of the storm adding a shadow of darkness to his features.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down next to them.
Airess was knocked off her feet, and for a moment, her ears rang.
Adrenaline flushed through her entire body, and her hands suddenly were coated in Starlight, a natural defense mechanism.
She blinked, but hands had gripped her sides and yanked her to standing. She met Taryn’s wide eyes.
“Oh my Gods. Are you okay?” he asked, frantically scanning her entire body.
Lightning struck again, vibrating through the ground and shaking Airess to her very core. She stumbled backwards at the force of it. At the force of him.
He was causing this.
Her breaths became labored. Not in fear of him, but in shock. Airess had never known the depths of Taryn’s power, and when Ismene said it may be heightened outside of Luciena’s ward, she had never expected this.
Taryn held his arms out and reached to help, but yanked himself away with a pained expression. “I’m sorry. Fuck.”
Taryn stared down at his hands, as if they were the enemy.
She came to stand, looking from him to the clouds. She held out her arms, trying to diffuse the situation. “Taryn, it’s okay. Just–just breathe.”
Taryn shook his head and created more distance between them. “You need to leave.”
“It’s–”
“I don’t want you to see me like this,” he rambled, and suddenly he seemed lost. Broken. “You can throw my life in my face, and I would still do anything for you. You can’t make me hate you. I never will. My feelings for you are too strong. Please, just leave. I don’t want to hurt you.”
She stood there, frozen. If she left now, her words would sink into his mind. Fester. Gods, she was an idiot. Why did she say that?
“I didn’t mean what I said. I’m sorry,” she whispered, shrinking into herself.
She turned and left, tears pricking her eyes. She couldn’t look at his face anymore. She couldn’t look at the pain she caused, that they both caused to each other.
The storm raged on far long after she returned home that night.