Page 43 of Blood and Fate

For a long time, she watched him, looking as though she were working up the courage for her next words. She opened her mouth, slowly wetting her lips. The sight did things to him that he chose to ignore. If she felt anything from him, she ignored it as well.

“Why?”

He blinked, pulling his attention back to what they were speaking of. “Why what? Why will I protect you?”

“Why do you hear me?” Her eyes glistened as though she might be on the verge of tears. “Why can you know when I’m afraid? How? How can I know when you’re near me without seeing you? What is this?”

Surprise hit him as she admitted that he affected her as well. He’d already known it, but to hear her say it was different. Something that had been knotted inside him loosened. But what answer could he give her? The truth? Should he tell her what he assumed—what he knew? Would that frighten her as well? Or did she already know, as he had known before he ever even spoke to Kezia? At least she was admitting that something was there. It was hard to deny it, but she could do just that if that’s what she wished. She could deny anything existed between them forever if she so chose. The thought caused a slight tightening in his chest. He would think about that later.

Satori deserved to know, to understand what was going on between them. He studied her for another long moment before he raised a hand into the air.

“Take a break!” he shouted to the men.

He turned back to Satori, inclining his head before he led his horse away from the group and didn’t look back. If she truly wanted answers, she would follow.

CHAPTER TWENTY

SATORI

She watched him as he steered his horse away from the group. The decision warred within her. Follow. Don’t follow. Trust him. Don’t trust him. But if he had even a theory as to what was happening, she needed to know. She needed some kind of answers—any kind.

She pulled on Luna’s reins and nudged her to follow Kais. He hadn’t gone far, just off the path inside the treeline. He dismounted and turned toward her. When she was close enough, he took her horse’s bridle, holding it while she climbed down.

He gestured to the ground around them. “I’m sorry, I have no seat to offer you.”

She surveyed the area until she found a bit of ground covered in leaves and pine needles. She moved to the place and lowered herself to the ground, waiting.

A half smile curled up the corner of his mouth, and he joined her in the leaves. He studied her for a moment. “You surprise me, Princess.”

“Because I sat in the dirt?”

“Because you sat in the dirt.” He glanced back toward where the voices of the men could be heard. “Because you followed me at all.”

“I’m curious.” She gave her head a shake, she had to know what he thought. “What’s happening?”

Kais scrubbed a hand over his face, glancing around as though he didn’t know where to look. “I want to say that this is just my theory, and I can’t be sure, but . . .”

She hadn’t missed the way he’d said the word want.

“But you are sure.” Chills ran over her arms at his sincerity. Just because he was sure of what he was about to say didn’t make it a fact. Sometimes people were wrong. “Tell me,” she pleaded.

He cleared his throat, appearing to be fortifying himself. “Do you know the old stories of Shala and Miram?”

The gods? What did they have to do with anything? There were many, many stories she’d been told growing up of Shala and Miram. Their meeting, their destiny, their judgments, their ruling.

“Which stories?”

“Their relationship.”

She straightened at the word relationship in the context of discussing the connection between her and Kais.

“They were mates.” As soon as she spoke the word, she realized what he was implying. Defensiveness kicked in immediately. “You’re not suggesting . . .”

She couldn’t even finish the sentence; it was too far-fetched.

“I’m not suggesting anything.”

He held her gaze. He wasn’t suggesting. He was certain. Her legs began to tingle and she could no longer sit still. She pushed to her feet and spun around to her left, to her right. There was no room to move. She needed to move. She couldn’t be still. His words—mates? Ridiculous. She wrapped her arms around herself.

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