Page 11 of The Prince's Mate

He nodded again, still without saying anything, and frustration bubbled inside me.

“Why did you leave, Caelan? Why?” I asked, dropping all pretenses for once.

Caelan’s eyes softened a little, and he swallowed.

“I had my reasons, Walker. But trust me when I say leaving Otherworld hurt more than anything I’ve ever had to do, and I’ve been through some fucked-up shit,” he said, and for once, I believed him. He’d had to leave his family and the place he’d called home for nine centuries. I’d known him for barely a year before he left. If one of us deserved to hate the other, it shouldbe him who hated me for separating him from his home, even though I still didn’t know why I was the reason he’d left.

“I want you to come to the human realm with me,” I blurted, and he raised a brow at me.

“You were quite firm about not going with me in there,” he said, pointing to the dads’ place with his chin, reminding me we were still standing in the doorway of his.

“I was being an idiot. Dad was right. I know practically nothing about living in the human realm, and I don’t want to go between here and there every evening. I want to experience life as a human. I never had a chance to,” I said with a shrug, and he frowned, though I had a feeling it wasn’t directed at me.

“All right. When would you like to go?” Caelan asked, and I grinned.

“Tomorrow, if that works for you?” I said.

He nodded, and then, he shut the door in my face.

Caelan

I sank back against the door, burying my face in my palms as I tried to keep in the groan that wanted to slip out. Walker was driving me fucking crazy.

I couldn’t wrap my head around him, or what he wanted from me. Sometimes, he acted like he’d be happier if I moved on to Afterworld and he never had to see my face, and then he did something like this. What was I supposed to think, todo? He was messing with my head, and I didn’t like the feeling one bit.

I shouldn’t have said yes to going with him. Damien never would’ve forced me to, but Walker’s puppy eyes worked just as well now as they had twelve years ago. Still, this whole trip had disaster written on it in all caps, bold, and italics.

A small part of me, a very, very small part of me, was excited about the idea of having Walker all to myself—with the exception of Ro'Shassz, of course—but the bigger part of me was just nervous and maybe a little afraid.

Despite his apology, I couldn't just erase his words from my mind, or the venom that had coated them.

Sometimes, I wished Walker hadn't killed himself, hadn't ended up here as a kid, and then immediately felt like the worst person in the world. I knew what it was like to grow up in a place where no one cared about you, where everyone just wanted to hurt you, and I never wanted anyone to have to go through that, especially not Walker.

After what felt like hours, I sat on the edge of the bed, fiddling with the pendant that hung around my neck. It was something Fate had given me when I'd worked for them, meant to keep Walker from recognizing me as his mate when I visited Otherworld. When I'd first moved back permanently, I'd pulled it off, but when a week had gone by with Walker avoiding me, I'd put it back on with the intention of repairing my friendship with him before telling him. I hadn't removed it since.

“What the fuck am I doing?” I grumbled to myself, burying my face in my palms.

“Planning for a trip, I hope.”

I shot upright, glaring at Ro'Shassz, as he casually slithered over my bed.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded, turning to face him.

“Making sure you don't jump headfirst into an anxiety spiral,” he replied easily, now on my pillows.

“I thought you were Walker's babysitter, not mine,” I shot back, and he stuck his tongue out at me.

“I can't help it if you constantly need one,” he sassed back, and I rolled my eyes.

“What do you want, Ro'Shassz?” I asked tiredly, scratching at the bedsheet with a fingernail that turned into a claw midway through and sliced through the sheet, making me wince.

“Why haven't you told Walker you're mates yet?” he asked, and I huffed.

“Are you kidding? He hates me. What's the point? Even if I tell him, it won't change anything. And if by some miracle it does, then I'd still always wonder if he just tolerates me because of the bond. I don't want that,” I said with a shake of my head, and Ro'Shassz scoffed.

“You really think he hates you?” he asked.

“He told me he does,” I reminded him, and he rolled his eyes.

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