Chapter 15 #2
Kaelan stepped outside into the night before temptation stripped away the last of his restraint.
Cool air greeted him instantly. The heavy downpour had weakened to a soft steady drizzle, rainwater still dripping from the roofs and trees surrounding the village. Clouds drifted low overhead, hiding the stars while mist clung to the ground beyond the cottages.
He drew in a long breath and leaned back against the damp stone wall beside the door.
Distance. That was what he needed. Distance from Bria, from the scent of her, and from the startled look in her eyes when she realized he loved her.
He ran his hand over his jaw, frustrated. He should have left things as they were, given her time, allowed her feelings to grow naturally without placing the weight of his own upon her.
Yet even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew she deserved the truth and the time to come to terms with it, one way or another. Even if the unthinkable happened, and she chose differently in the end.
The thought tore sharply through his chest.
Returning home alone… Kaelan shut his eyes briefly against it.
He had seen with his own eyes more than once what losing a life mate did to men and women as well.
Some Thornek who lost their mates eventually found comfort beside another who carried the same grief.
They built quiet lives together, shared companionship, raised children even.
But it was never the same. They never felt whole.
Because once a Thornek truly bonded, part of them belonged forever to the one they loved.
And when that bond broke… something inside them broke with it.
Kaelan’s thoughts drifted inevitably toward his grandfather. He was a large powerful man feared by enemies and respected throughout the Thornek villages. Though he towered over Kaelan’s grandmother, he was the gentlest of souls with her.
Kaelan could still remember returning from hunts as a boy and hearing his grandfather’s laughter carrying across the snow-covered village while he swept his petite wife into his powerful arms as though she weighed nothing at all.
She would scold him while laughing herself, demanding he put her down as he carried her towards their cottage despite her protests. They had six children together and shared a lifetime.
Then one bitter winter an illness took his grandmother.
Kaelan remembered those same strong arms cradling her gently upon the bed as her life slipped away. His grandfather had barely eaten or slept afterward.
The entire village watched the strength drain slowly from him with each passing day. Then only weeks later, Kaelan sat beside him near the hearth while the old man struggled for breath.
Yet when his grandfather looked toward the doorway as though he saw someone waiting there, peace suddenly filled his face.
“You’ll find your life mate one day, Kaelan,” he had whispered weakly. “Cherish her, for love is worth more than power or wealth.”
Then he smiled, reached out his hand as though someone stood waiting just beyond sight, and softly spoke his wife’s name before taking his final breath.
Kaelan opened his eyes slowly against the damp night. Now he completely understood. And it terrified him more than any beast roaming Driochmor ever could.
Bria remained seated upon the bed after Kaelan stepped outside. The wood in the hearth popped and crackled. It was the only sound in the room. The cottage suddenly felt too quiet, too empty without him in it.
She stared blindly at the fire while his words continued circling endlessly through her thoughts.
Love you for the rest of our days.
The certainty in his voice had shaken something deep inside her. Kaelan loved her and had from the first touch. How was she supposed to understand something like that?
Bria pressed trembling fingers lightly to her lips, still able to recall the warmth of his kisses, the fierce tenderness in his touches, and the overwhelming emotions she had felt inside him. Part of her wanted to surrender completely to him in return.
The realization unsettled her enough that she rose abruptly from the bed and began pacing slowly around the small cottage. She tried to sort through her thoughts logically.
Did she love him? The question alone made her chest tighten painfully. How could she possibly know so quickly?
But had she not already begun wondering the same herself?
She felt his absence whenever they were apart and felt calmer whenever he stood near. And whenever he touched her or held her hand, she felt safe. Even naked in the pool with him, she felt safe.
And now that he stood outside instead of beside her, she wanted to go to him. Wanted to step outside into the rain and slip herself willingly into his arms as though that was where she belonged.
Surely that meant something.
Bria stopped beside the table and pressed both hands flat against it, frustration building steadily inside her.
Nothing made sense to her anymore, certainly not the strange connection between them. And certainly not the way her heart ached simply because he stood outside instead of beside her.
With an aggravated sigh, Bria reached for the pitcher of cider sitting upon the table, desperate for something ordinary to distract her thoughts and to quench her thirst.
The moment her fingers curled around the handle—the world vanished.
A violent image slammed into her mind so suddenly she gasped aloud.
The beast.
He was massive, his fur as white as snow, and terrifyingly close. Its glowing golden eyes locked directly onto hers. His jaws opened wide in a savage roar so thunderous it seemed to shake the very ground beneath her feet.
Hot breath blasted across her face while droplets of saliva struck her skin. It felt so real, too real.
Bria cried out and stumbled backward as terror ripped through her. The pitcher slipped from her grasp and shattered against the floor.
Darkness rushed over her instantly and she collapsed unconscious beside the table.