Page 76 of Magic & Secrets
I stepped under the warm water and sighed at the feel of Calla’s body against mine. For a moment, I could imagine us standing like this under the rain at Mt. Elysium. On the mountain, we’d be free.
My hands caressed her soaked hair before reaching for the soap. We cleaned each other, washing away a week of battles, cursed forests, and mating in the dark.
As the water left the soap pooling around our feet, I kissed Calla and lifted her into my arms. Her legs quickly wrapped around my hips. We had done this hypnotic dance so many times in the last few days, yet I felt as nervous as I did the first time.
“No matter what happens,” she whispered, “meeting you was the best moment in my life.”
I smiled at her words, even as I worried about the plotting Elves outside this room.
“You’ve changed me,” I told her. “I was a weapon before losing myself to the mountain’s solitude. I can see how I went astray. Without a mission, I’ve been sleepwalking for a century. But you woke me up and changed me into something better.”
Calla kissed me as her hands disappeared into my wet hair. I filled her body with mine. Inhaling sharply, I felt the magic between us surge and wrap around our bodies.
Before my mate, I had never loved anything or anyone. My heart beat cold until she lit a fire within it. I couldn’t return to my old self. To keep Calla safe at my side, I was willing to kill a million Elves and live in exile for the rest of my days.
Calla
ROQUE SETTLED MY DAMPbody upon the bed before dropping next to me. He chuckled at how we bounced on the springy mattress. I couldn’t believe how easily this stubborn beast smiled now. His deeply handsome face was built to wear this joyful expression.
“I have no interest in the feast,” Roque admitted as our bodies pressed together and his heart raced. “I should have fought the Elves in the clearing.”
“Making enemies isn’t a smart tactic. The Elves are proof of the power of diplomacy. They were the first magic folk to be viewed as a real threat by the Murade. Some Elves pushed back like the Jaala Elven Tribe. You know how that ended. The Elven Empire of Elatalora was smarter. They behaved submissively for decades until finding a common enemy. The Elves chose to fight against Von Ehlinger despite the obvious benefits of the Murade falling.”
“Elves made you,” he pointed out.
“Among other magic folk. The time of man fades as the magic within Lavinia grows stronger.”
“What if the Elves decide to join the Murade against my kind?” he prodded.
I smiled softly at his question. “Then, they will die.”
“What if the Bane Shifters are like our makers? The Murade is losing its grip over the Territories. They’re sending settlers to die in Pandorium Forest and countless men to perish at sea. The Bane Shifters haven’t even done that much in a century. We may no longer be the warriors we once were.”
“The Murade’s mistake was refusing to adjust to a changing world. If the Bane Shifters want to remain dominant, you must accept the world is no longer the one you left behind.”
“And what of your kind?” Roque asked, looking around as if someone might be listening to our conversation.
“I don’t know.”
“You must have a theory. You were quick to lead Mali to a plan to use the Murade against the Cult of Ivitithi.”
Sitting up in bed, I took his hand in mine and stroked his palm with my thumb. “My kind were trained to submit to our overseers. It’s all we know.”
“But?”
“I doubt Solme Divige has the same goals as the ones who made my kind.”
“How can we survive when we don’t know what she wants?”
“What do all the ancient ones crave?”
“Sacrifice?” he guessed.
“My belief is the ancient ones desire to live again, whether through worship or conquest.”
Roque’s blue-eyed gaze flashed to me and then to my stomach. “I can’t imagine what our offspring would be like,” Roque said and rested his ear against my belly as if listening for a youngling. “Knowing how we came to be and understanding our powers, I imagine whatever we create might be a monster.”
“You are a very handsome male,” I said, winning an arrogant smirk from my mate. “And the human used to create me was considered beautiful.”
