She doesn’t know our customs. “On the contrary.” I say this to her coldly. “Meara is the strongest person I have ever met! She is a fighter.” I say proudly to the head healer, but I don’t admit to her that she is right, even when deep down I know that the healer is telling the truth. That is why I must let Meara go. Even if it breaks my heart and makes me surrender to the dark side,.
Merilla lays on Meara’s feet, looking at me sympathetically. She understands that a mating bond is the most sacred thing the Goddess bestows on you, and it will be the most painful thing for me to do. You must cherish the bond the Goddess gives you, so to turn your mate away is one of the most difficult things to do, that is, if she doesn’t cross over to the other side and I lose her before I get the chance to let her return home. But wait!
“I can share my magic with her.” I say it calmly, rolling up my sleeves. The room is quiet as Merilla and Luka lurk closer, watching me carefully.
We don’t normally share our magic, because if you give a part of your reserve to anyone, your own gets smaller. Little do they know that for me, it’s not a problem. Mine seems to be a never-ending source of power. I have been sharing it with some of my guards after battles when they were badly injured. My powers would always seem to restore to their fullest shortly after. I think it is one of the perks of being one of the strongest elementals with a rare power—that is, until Meara arrived. It seems her magical reserve is almost as big as mine. I saw the shields she broke for my men back in the garden. The healers think she might not make it, but I still feel the cold coming out of her. She is already restoring, but not fast enough because she is drained.
I only want to share my power with her, but only a little bit, because I don’t want to take any chances when it comes to her. Sharing magic is like sharing a soul; it connects people on a whole different level. It makes you feel each other, well, at least for a short while. That way, I can feel her after she is gone.
The day I met her, I was dying with longing for my mate, but there she was, sleeping peacefully in the garden. I couldn’t help myself, so I kissed her while she was asleep. She was furious, and I knew from that moment that she was a fighter. My whole world changed when she came into it. I was dying because the darkness in me wanted out. I didn’t feel like I could control it anymore, and I was planning on leaving the kingdom, but then she popped up out of nowhere, and her presence seemed to help contain the darkness a bit, but her not accepting the bond made the darkness take over me once more. I knew sooner or later she was going to reject me, but until then, I wanted to change her mind, but the darkness kept surfacing, making it hard to convince her that I am good and that she should stay. I want her to stay because she wants to. I didn’t want her to stay because she found out that her accepting our bond would prevent me from turning bad. She doesn’t know about my dark side.
Without saying anything else, I take her hand in mine and pour my magic into her body.
( Meara )
After the world went dark around me, it felt like I was stuck in this huge block of ice. It consumes me with each passing moment I stay in there. It brings me some kind of peace, though. Maybe I should give in to it, close my eyes, and let myself surrender to the pleasant feeling. I am so tired; I wouldn’t be able to stay conscious in my mind for any longer anyway. But then, out of the blue, something warm reaches me. It starts in the hand Kaden had in his death grip, and then the warmth reached my heart, and from there it slowly spreads all over my entire body. It released me from the frozen ice. I was trapped in the depths of my mind. I could breathe again. And also, the warmness calls to me, drawing me in like a moth following a light into the far distance.
The light gets bigger the closer I get to it. I open my eyes, and the first thing I see is the familiar ceiling of Kaden’s sleeping chambers. Memories of Kaden rushed back to me, making me feel outraged all over again.
As I tried to sit up straight, I noticed something heavy on my feet. I lift my head only to find Merilla curled up in a little ball over my feet. I turn my head slightly to the side and notice Kaden sleeping in a chair right next to the bed. It is already dark outside as I glance past him towards the balcony. How long have I been asleep?
I look at Kaden again, and from the position in which he is lying, he tells me that he passed out while watching me. I look down and notice my hand in his. I should be mad at him, but I am not. I relish the slight comfort his hand gives me. His hand is way bigger than mine, so he covers mine completely. I move my hand slightly, and instantly he lifts his head.
“ Meara!” He squeezes my hand much tighter. His face brightens up, and he looks relieved. “You are finally awake, Little One.” Merilla also lifts her head, now noticing that I am awake. She jumps up and wags her tail in excitement.
“Yes, I guess I am.” I try to sit a bit higher.
“And you are strangling my hand.” I tease.
“ Sorry.” He releases my hand immediately, directing his attention to the pillows behind my back so that I am more comfortable all the while I watch intensely into his eyes. His eyes are back to normal. There is no sign of the redness in them like before.
“ Kaden?” I say his name, and he freezes in place, lowering his head.
“What got in to you?” He sighs, lowering himself back into the chair. He cups his face in his palms before lowering them back down again, leaning on his knees.
“There is something evil inside me.” He said it softly; it almost came out as a whisper.
“Evil, how?” I was confused.
“Evil, like there is darkness lingering deep down in the depths of your soul. Sooner or later, it starts taking over your soul piece by piece, until it consumes you entirely and there is only darkness left, making you turn bad completely. It consumes you, turning you into someone you don’t want to be. You are no longer yourself. You don’t think for yourself, and your actions aren’t your own.” I watch him closely as he explains this darkness. I can hear the fear in his voice as he explains this darkness. I can’t help but feel sorry for him. It looks like he is in a lot of pain. Something in me wants to comfort him and tell him that he is going to be okay. Without realizing it, my hand cups over his, giving him a slight squeeze. He looks up at me, startled. I quickly remove my hand from his, realizing that I made a mistake, but he reaches over, taking my hand in his, and stares deep into my eyes. It looks like he wants to tell me something but decides against it and looks away.
“ Sorry.” He releases my hand, sulking back into the chair. To divert the awkward situation.
"HHow long have I been asleep?” I ask him nervously.
"JJust a day; do not worry. You didn’t miss anything.” He smiles softly, leaning back in his chair. He looks like he is not going anywhere, and I bite my lip.
"HHow are you feeling?” He asks with concern in his voice.
"SSurprisingly well,” I admit.
"II thought that it was going to be the end of me back there, but somehow I feel like I have more energy than before.” I giggle a bit as I say that, and by the look on Kaden’s face, he does not look pleased.
"MMeara, we need to talk.” He says it in a very serious tone.
"WWhat happened this morning should never happen again." I remember back to this morning how shards of glassy ice pierced through the guys shields they created. I could have killed them. I flinch at the thought and gasp.
"TThe guys?” I am concerned. “Are they okay?” Kaden exhales loudly and gives me a kind smile.
"TThey are all fine. Their egos are a bit bruised, but fine. They managed to walk away only with a few scratches.” I sigh in relief.
"II need to apologize to them."