Page 138 of A Warrior's Fate

Callan.

She felt a growl rumble in Kai’s chest, so low she wouldn’t have caught it unless she was up against him like this, and cocked her head to cast a curious sidelong glance at him. Her mate didn’t pay it any heed, only focused on the man who’d just paused his walk right where she’d disappeared. As the fellow warrior lifted his head to catch a scent, Isla shrunk further into Kai’s embrace, letting whatever empty essence she was casting get lost in his.

There were much greater things for her to fear than her narcissistic former lover, but she didn’t need him catching her with the alpha.

She counted out ten seconds, timed to the heartbeats she attempted to slow before Callan disappeared.

Isla didn’t move until Kai did a few beats later. And when she faced him again, his eyes remained on the forest, tension still cutting his features, no sense of mirth in his eyes, even if she dug for it. There was too much going on in his head. Too much going on in general…and she hadn’t even told him half of it yet.

She risked reaching up to touch his face, the stubble a little rougher beneath her skin as she ran her thumb over his cheek. At the touch, his eyes met hers, and the muscles beneath her fingertips relaxed. Something in the storm had cleared, a flicker of light where she could get through to him. And the clouds parted further when she got up on her toes, holding his gaze, and touched her mouth to his. The small upward tug of his lips was all she needed.

As he leaned in to deepen the kiss, she pulled away.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask, so much she wanted to do—either break down to him or drag him down into the leaves with her—but she settled for simple first. For obvious.

She kept her voice low. “What are you doing here?”

Kai’s stare flickered between her eyes and her mouth, and she could practically see the battle going on in his head. Three steps forward and he could have her pressed back against a tree.

“There’s a strategy meeting,” he said.

Isla refrained from furrowing her brows. She knew of the meeting—not so much of Kai’s attendance. He hadn’t gone to the last one the day after the warriors had arrived. The one between Eli, the lead commander, and Ezekiel.

Before she could ask him another question, Kai drew his gaze away and back to the trail again. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and the hard lines returned to his face. “What can you tell me about that warrior?”

Isla’s eyes widened. “Callan?” When Kai nodded, she grimaced, flashing her teeth and shifting on her feet. “He’s a…warrior from Io.”

“Thank you.” Kai offered a deadpan look. “I couldn’t get that from the ledger I had to approve.”

Isla mirrored the expression with her own. Though, she was happy for the dry remark. It felt like him.

She folded her arms, playing aloof. “What do you want to know?”

Kai lofted a brow at her demeanor as if clocking how disingenuous it was. “Do you know him?”

Too well.

“We grew up around similar circles,” she said, clearing her throat, willing away any memories of their courtship. Though she was curious how her mate would react to the man who’d been in her bed—underwhelmingly so—much more than he had. “Why do you want to know?”

Kai’s gaze turned suspicious, analyzing; it reminded her of Jonah. They both had silent, brooding moments. She wondered if they bonded over the fact they could glean so much about someone from what appeared to be so little.

As if proving her notions, Kai’s face dawned with amusement, lips curling in smug enjoyment. Isla couldn’t even appreciate seeing him smile, seeing that indent in his cheek, the full light shining in his eyes. “No…”

Somehow, he’d figured it out.

She let out an exasperated breath. “Kai.”

“Him? Really? One of the infamous former flames.” He pointed to the empty area. “He seems like a bit of an asshole. But then again, you said that was your type.”

Isla glared, saying pointedly, “And it’s also all I’m destined for, apparently.”

“How long did it last?” Kai asked, that curiosity of his over her past rearing again. “One night fling? A few months?”

“Almost two years. I nearly chose him.”

That seemed to sober Kai up.

The darkness came over his face again. And soon, so did that familiar feeling. The cloud above her, that tether, coiling along and through the bond. As invigorating as it was, being so…wanted, she didn’t want Kai to lose that spark. Whatever form of peace that seemed to emerge, even at the expense of a headache.

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