Page 36 of The Prince's Mate

"He wanted me," Caelan said, confirming my suspicions. Another thought formed in my head, something much worse, and I held my breath as I asked him.

"How old were you?"

"Ten," he replied. "My parents didn't try to fight their leader, just accepted it. Then again, they had six more kids to take care of. Maybe they were glad to be rid of me. One less mouth to feed and all."

Unable to take the distance between us, I dropped Caelan's hand and slid closer, wrapping my arms around him as I buried my face in his neck. "I hate them." They were no better than my birth parents, who'd sold me to a vampire for drugs, and I wondered if they were in the Chasm too. It would serve them right.

"You know what the worst part is?" Caelan asked, and I pulled back to look at him.

"What?" I asked in a soft whisper, and he pressed into me harder, as if he needed the assurance of my touch before he would say the words.

"I fell in love with him," he said in a hushed voice, as if he was confessing a sin.

"What?" I asked, a little confused and a lot surprised.

"Yeah. I was a ten-year-old whose family just sold him to a stranger, and there this man was, buying me toys, feeding me better food than I'd ever had. He...he taught me things I had no business learning at that age, and he made me like them. When I was older, when I was no longer...satisfying to him in that way, he turned me into his warrior. He would make me fight anyone who opposed him, and sometimes just for fun.”

Suddenly, Caelan's reluctance with me made complete sense. Why he'd left all those years ago made sense too. He hadn't wanted to be like Andras. Not that he could ever be, but even I could see the parallels between our stories, and I could very well see myself falling in love with Caelan as a teen just because of his kindness.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I lost a fight. Next thing I knew, I woke up in Otherworld. If it weren't for Damien, I don't think I would've survived very long in Otherworld either. He's my first true friend, and he saved my life," Caelan said.

"Does he know?" I asked, and he glanced down at me.

"About Andras? Yeah." Of course, he did. Dad's anger at me on Caelan's behalf was proof enough.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you, Kitty," I murmured, and he shook his head.

"It wasn't your fault."

"You know, maybe it's a good thing Andras is here now," I said, and his brows shot up.

"It is?"

I nodded. "Now, I can make him pay for everything he did to you. Properly." Caelan blinked at me, looking a tad surprised. Did he really think I wouldn't do that? That I would, what, let Maximus or Dad take care of Andras?

"Caelan," I murmured, climbing over him so I was straddling him, my thighs pressed against his hips, my lips inches from his. Our chests were pressed together, and I could feel his heart beating against my skin, faster and harder than normal. "My kitty," I added, and he smiled softly. "I don't think I can ever apologize enough for the way I treated you."

"You don't have to apologize, Walker. I forgive you, I promise," he said, eyes shining with sincerity, and I sighed. Maybe it was just me who needed to forgive myself. I hated that I'd hurt Caelan when everything he'd done since we met was to protect me. No matter how badly I treated him, he'd always put my interests above his.

I pressed my lips to his, hard, telling him without words how much I cared about him. He kissed me back without restraint, and I hummed against his mouth. Fuck, I didn't think I would ever get used to this.

Caelan

Walker was everywhere. His warmth pressed me into the mattress, his lips danced with mine, our fingers tangled together. In all my lives, I'd only ever been with two people before Walker: Andras and Day. With Andras, I'd had no choice, but with Day, it'd taken me a few centuries to be able to trust him enough to let him in, to be with him.

I trusted Walker with my whole heart, despite all the little ways he'd hurt me over the years. Like I told him, I forgave him for everything, and I trusted him. I really did.

And yet, as he pressed me down into the mattress, his lips brushing against my jaw and then my neck, I found myself locking down, freezing up. Shit, not now. Not for this. Walker would never hurt me. Why was I reacting like this?

His weight above me that had felt comforting until now was suddenly too much, and I couldn't breathe. I tried to suck in a breath, but it was as if my lungs were filled with sand. I tried to remind my body that breathing was optional, that I wouldn't die without it, but it wasn't willing to listen.

"Caelan? Kitty? Kitty!"

I gasped, and air filled into my lungs all at once. Walker helped me sit up, worry clear on his face, and I winced internally. Shit. Why couldn't I ever do anything right? Walker was my mate. I had no reason to freak out with him.

"Sorry," I mumbled, feeling a sudden need to hide under the covers.

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