Chapter 95 Chapter 95
_Leah’s POV_
I tried to sleep, but my mind would not quiet down. Every time I drifted close to rest, the seer’s words echoed inside my head. She had spoken about the astral realm, about the dark bond that chained me to Tariq and about Sarah’s soul waiting somewhere beyond this world. The thought of stepping into a place between life and death refused to leave me.
I shifted beneath the blankets and let out a slow breath, hoping I would not wake Kayden. The moonlight filtered through the curtains and painted soft silver lines across the room. It should have felt peaceful and safe. Instead, it felt as if the night itself was watching me, listening to every fearful thought in my mind.
Kayden stirred behind me. His arm tightened around my waist instinctively and he pulled me closer against his chest.
“You’re awake,” he murmured, his voice still heavy with sleep.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I whispered.
“You didn’t,” he replied gently. “You’re too tense to stay still. I can feel it.”
His hand moved slowly over my arm, then down to my waist. He was tracing slow and soothing lines as if he were memorizing me. The warmth of his touch softened something inside my chest.
“I keep thinking,” I admitted quietly.
“I know,” he said and pressed a soft kiss into my hair. “You always think the hardest at night.”
I turned to face him. His eyes were open now. They were dark and focused entirely on me. There was no irritation in his expression. Only concern. Only love.
“You’re scared,” he said softly.
“Yes,” I answered honestly. “I am.”
His hand came up to cup my cheek. His thumb brushed gently over my skin as if he were smoothing away invisible cracks.
“You don’t have to pretend with me,” he said. “You don’t have to be brave right now.”
I swallowed and searched his face. “What if I’m not strong enough to do this?”
His expression changed. Not with doubt. With certainty.
“You are stronger than you think,” he said quietly. “But strength doesn’t mean you never tremble. It means you move forward even when you do.”
I felt heat rise to my eyes but it was not from fear this time.
“You always know what to say,” I whispered.
He gave a small smile. “That’s not true. I’ve said plenty of foolish things. You just choose to forgive me.”
His fingers slipped into my hair and combed through it slowly. The motion was unhurried and gentle and it made my breathing slow without me realizing it.
“I don’t like the thought of you somewhere I cannot reach,” he admitted. “It makes something inside me restless.”
Athena stirred softly within me.
He speaks from the bond.
I nodded faintly. “I don’t like the thought of leaving you either.”
His gaze softened even more. “You are not leaving me. Not truly.”
He shifted closer until our foreheads touched. His breath brushed against my lips.
“The mate bond does not disappear because you step beyond your body,” he continued. “It does not weaken because of distance. It is tied to something deeper than that.”
His hand slid down to intertwine our fingers. The warmth between our palms flared gently like a quiet pulse beneath the skin.
“Do you feel that?” he asked.
“Yes,” I breathed.
“That is not fragile,” he said. “That is not something that breaks easily.”
The warmth spread slowly through my chest. It eased the tightness there.
“You sound so certain,” I murmured.
“I am certain about us,” he replied without hesitation.
He leaned in and kissed me. It was slow and tender. There was no urgency in it. No rush. Just warmth and reassurance. His lips moved against mine as if he had all the time in the world.
When he pulled back, his thumb traced the edge of my jaw.
“You carry too much weight on your shoulders,” he said quietly. “You always have.”
“I don’t know how not to,” I admitted.
“Then let me help you,” he said.
His hand moved down my side slowly. They rested at my waist before pulling me closer until there was no space between us. I felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my palm.
“You do not have to solve everything alone,” he continued. “You do not have to protect everyone without allowing yourself to be protected too.”
I let out a soft laugh. “You sound very serious.”
“I am serious,” he replied. “But I can be romantic too.”
I raised a brow slightly. “Can you?”
He smiled and there was a warmth in that smile that made my chest flutter.
“Watch me,” he murmured.
He kissed me again, deeper this time, but still slow. His hand slid gently over my back, drawing lazy circles that made my thoughts blur at the edges.
“You are trying to distract me,” I whispered against his lips.
“Yes,” he said simply.
“It’s working.”
“I know.”
His forehead rested against mine again.
“When this is over,” he said softly, “I will take you somewhere quiet. Somewhere that does not echo with battle plans and warnings.”
“Where?” I asked.
“Near the lake,” he said. “There is a small cabin. It’s peaceful there. No one will disturb us.”
“That sounds like a dream,” I murmured.
“It will be real,” he insisted. “You will wake up without fear pressing on your chest. You will walk outside and feel sunlight instead of shadows.”
He brushed his thumb over my lips gently.
“And I will make breakfast.”
I laughed softly. “You cannot cook.”
“I can learn,” he replied. “For you, I will learn.”
His confidence made me smile.
“You would look very serious trying to follow a recipe,” I teased.
“I would look impressive,” he corrected.
“You would look proud.”
“I would be proud,” he said. “Because you would be relaxed. Because you would not be thinking about curses.”
The tenderness in his voice made my heart ache in a good way.
“I want that,” I whispered.
“And you will have it,” he said firmly.
His hand moved up to cradle the back of my neck as he kissed me again. This time the kiss lingered.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held him there, letting the warmth of his body seep into mine.
“You feel calmer,” he observed quietly.
“I do,” I admitted. “When you’re this close, everything else feels farther away.”
He smiled faintly. “That is because the mate bond is steady. It answers when you call it.”
I rested my head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It was strong and even.
“I don’t want to lose this,” I whispered.
“You won’t,” he said.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I will not allow it.”
There was no arrogance in his voice. Only certainty.
“You saved me once,” he continued softly. “You brought me back when dark magic tried to claim me. Do you really think I would not fight just as hard for you?”
I closed my eyes and let the warmth of his words sink in.
“I love you,” I whispered.
His hand tightened gently at my waist.
“I love you more than my fear,” he said. “And that is saying something.”
I smiled faintly against his chest.
“You are dramatic,” I murmured.
“Only for you.”
He pressed another kiss into my hair and continued to stroke my back slowly until my breathing matched his.
The fear that had been sharp and loud earlier softened into something distant. It did not vanish completely but it no longer controlled me.
Wrapped in his arms, I felt anchored.
The mate bond pulsed warmly between us. And as my eyelids finally grew heavy and sleep began to take me, I held onto that warmth, trusting that whatever waited beyond the veil of worlds would not be enough to break the strength of what we share.