Page 16 of Beyond Fate

Damon shook himself out of his thoughts as he stood on the cliff, wishing to god he’d known everything when he’d been pulled out of Vicino’s sleep.

“Are you saying it wasn’t me who deprived you of experiencing…” Casimir’s voice trailed off as he glanced away but not before Damon caught a glimpse of shame in his eyes.

Most of Damon’s rage toward Panahasi was for stealing the experience of bonding as a couple from him and Casimir. But deep down, a part of Damon was also furious at himself for how he’d treated his mate for thinking Casimir was the culprit.

Because he’d felt their bond sealing as he was pulled from the sleep, he’d assumed it was Casimir’s fault. That his mate’s blood had completed the claiming between them.

Damon shouldn’t have assumed. He should have gotten answers first.

“I don’t know how I’ll ever make it up to you,” he said, guilt weighing heavily in his voice. “I said some horrific shit to you.” I hate you, Casimir! I wish you’d never come into my life! How could he ever come back from that? He felt like a monster for saying those things to his own mate.

Casimir held up a hand, palm out. “Just tell me yes or no. Did I betray you? Was it my fault our bond sealed?”

“No. You didn’t betray me or seal our bond,” Damon answered, his voice strained with remorse. He wouldn’t blame Casimir if he never wanted to speak to him again. Damon had been terrible to his mate this past week and he hadn’t deserved any of it.

Casimir flew at him on his fairy wings, making Damon brace himself. He thought his mate was about to kick his ass. Instead, Casimir pulled Damon into his muscled arms and hugged him hard against his solid chest.

“I was a nightmare toward you,” Damon choked out.

When Casimir gently tilted his chin, Damon gazed into those amazing cerulean-blue eyes. “You had an uncontrollable power inside of you while dealing with so many changes. You thought I had betrayed you. All that matters to me is your wellbeing. What happened while you were struggling is behind us now, nékah.”

“But I’m still struggling,” Damon pulled away from his embrace. “The keeper gave me instant knowledge on how everything works inside of me, but I’m still all those things. I no longer feel the aggression, but I still have wings, can still produce fog…and I still crave blood.”

“Do you think that matters to me?” Casimir frowned.

“It should.” Damon glanced at him. “I can smell the intoxicating scent of fae, and I want to drain every last drop of blood from your veins.” He wrapped his arms around his stomach. “The part of me that craves it doesn’t care that you’re my mate.”

Casimir chuckled, a sound that both surprised and confused Damon.

“You know, it’s funny how you can say that, and yet I still find you irresistible,” his mate said with a grin.

Okay, Damon would definitely address the irresistible part later.

“How is that funny?” He furrowed his brow. “I just admitted to wanting to drain you.”

“You could try, nétya. But all that will happen is you on your back, getting fucked,” Casimir replied with a smirk, his blue eyes filled with promise. “So be very careful. If you try to attack me while others are around, they will see quite the show.”

Damon’s eyebrows shot up. “Not in this lifetime.”

Still, he couldn’t forget how quickly Casimir had taken him down when his hunger became uncontrollable. The warrior’s strength was enough to overpower a frenzied vampire and keep him pinned down with ease. If Casimir hadn’t loosened his grip, Damon would never have been able to break free.

He pointed at Casimir with a circular motion of his finger. “We’ll get back to your Rick Blaine. For now, tell me what that word was you just called me.”

Although he felt a primal pull toward his mate and wanted Casimir in the worst way, Damon still felt like a freak.

“Nétya,” Casimir replied, a small smile playing on his lips. “It means wolf.”

“And the other one? I’m assuming it means mate.”

“In a sense, yes.” Casimir nodded as he settled back onto the rock shelf. “Nékah roughly translates to ‘most cherished.’”

“Why doesn’t Raidh call Jaytee...that word?” Damon couldn’t recall ever hearing Raidh speak in fae language around him.

“I was isolated from the Unseelie and raised in another part of the realm,” Casimir replied. “Nékah is the word used among the Méityah, but it’s never spoken out loud.”

“I heard Nazaryth call you that Méit…however you say it. What is it, and why don’t you use the mate word?” Damon sat next to him, relieved he almost felt like his old self again. He was still dealing with some of the crap over the past week, but he finally had a better handle on the circus inside of him.

“Méityah means guardian.” Casimir gazed off into the distance as if lost in thought. “When we were created as a fae race, guardians were born to protect the king. At that time, it was King Vesela. He was truly a great man among dark fae. A strong leader who took his duties seriously and ruled with fairness.”

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