Kalen took them in his hands and kissed them tenderly as he said, “I wish I had met you some other way, Ammara Weathers.”
Ammara laughed as she said, “But it wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting without the Stockholm Syndrome stuff.”
Kalen laughed and said, “And the bondage, of course.”
Ammara rolled over on her stomach and kissed Kalen’s chest as she said, “Actually, that I could do without,” before she moved down and took his penis into her mouth.
Chapter 6
“I want to explore the meadow.”
The first rays of dawn had just fallen upon their faces through the bay window.
Kalen had spent the entire night staring at Ammara’s face. He noticed the detail on it. How her eyes fluttered as though she were watching her dream like a movie. He noticed how she wrinkled her nose every so often. He noticed the soft, almost baby-like snores. How her chest slowly rose and fell. She was beautiful, and he couldn’t believe she was lying down next to him.
Most of all, he thought of how much he feared losing her again and refused to go to sleep for even a minute, not wanting to take his eyes off of her.
He finally felt complete.
Hours had passed, and he didn’t realize that he had dozed off. She was lying on top of him now, shaking him lightly. “Wake up! I want to go out!”
He kept his eyes closed, not wanting her to know that he had spent the night fully awake. She would have felt guilty for waking him otherwise.
“Okay, but we’ve got to get some food into our systems first.” He gave her a smug look.
“Right!” She paused to think for a minute. “Okay, you go freshen up, and I’ll go fix us some breakfast.”
Without waiting for an answer, she kissed the tip of his nose and scurried out of the room.
He sighed and sat up in bed, looking at the path she had taken.
Later that day, the duo retreated to the meadow. Ammara had always felt like the best version of herself when she was outdoors, in contact with nature. Perhaps most witches had this quality.
Whenever she was stressed or had a lot to figure out, she would retire to some place outdoors in complete solitude. It relaxed her, calmed her down. She would often walk for miles on end just to have a bit of isolation from the rest of the world. She knew that she didn’t have that liberty anymore. As much as Kalen understood her need for seclusion, he wasn’t going to let her wander off alone this time. Although she was an all-powerful witch and the first Caillagh, she wasn’t immune to death, thus proved by all the centuries he had to spend without her.
Kalen was exhausted because of the lack of sleep, but he was intent on making Ammara happy. He sat on the moist grass as she wandered around the meadow. The look on her face was enough to satisfy his soul. He would give up a thousand nights of sleep just to be the one responsible for making her feel that way.
The meadow ran for miles on end, and she wondered how much she’d have to walk before she’d reach its border. The grass flowed like a river of green–thick and lush–beneath her feet. The cold air swept her hair away from her face. This was her heaven on Earth.
She turned around to find Kalen seated under an old oak tree, eyes fixed on her.
Walking up to him, she sat down on her knees and stared into his eyes, and saw her reflection in them. There was something hauntingly sad in them. A fear. The happiness plastered on his face masked something much deeper.
And then, she realized it almost suddenly. Why hadn’t it occurred to her sooner? “Kalen, can I ask you something?”
“Of course, my love. Anything.” He was sitting alert now.
“Was it…?” She wasn’t sure of how she should pose the question. The words clawed at her throat, not wanting to leave her mouth. “Were you...lonely…without me?”
The question caught him off guard. He fumbled around, looking for words. They had all abandoned him, and so he settled for a sad smile. That was all it took for her heart to break and scatter around the room.
Silence settled between them now. They studied each other’s features, not quite sure of what to say.
“I tried to avenge your death,” he finally mumbled slowly, feeling each syllable crawl out of his throat.
She nodded. “I know.”
Her voice was soft, and he wondered if she was having difficulty in speaking as much as he was.
“You needn’t worry about Asthar,” he said.
“How can I not?” She fought to keep the steadiness in her voice.
“I put him in a deep sleep.”
Shock and disbelief filled her eyes this time, her mind running rampant with questions, while her mouth went dry. Was that possible? How did he do it? What kind of pain must he have gone through for her?
However, she stayed quiet this time, thinking no amount of words could ever be enough for her to ask all the questions she wanted to ask. And even if there were enough words, she didn’t possess the courage to digest all the answers. At least, not yet.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concern coloring his voice.
Another nod, eyes fixed on the ground as she tugged on her shawl and folded her arms.
“It’s getting colder. We should go inside.”
The air inside the cabin was dense now, heavy with unsaid things and unexpressed emotions that had gathered over the centuries. Ammara set to exploring the indoors now. She wondered how long ago Kalen had built this cabin. How long after she was gone did he decide to start building it? How long did it take him to build it? She ran her hand over every object in the room, admiring it all.
“I made everything myself,” he mused, proud of his handiwork.
One sentence out of his mouth had lightened the air between them once more. He had always had that power. One sentence, and everything was right with them again.
She raised a brow. “Oh, really?” She was teasing him now.
Disappearing into a corner of the living room, she was out of his sight for a long time which made his agitation grow. He hadn’t seen her for centuries, and now that he had her back, he couldn’t stand her being out of his sight for even five minutes.
“Ammara?”
He hoped calling out her name would relax him, which it did. She responded immediately, and he wondered how someone could have so much power over another being. The control she exercised over him was unbelievable, causing him to become restless or soothing him in seconds.
At the sound of his voice, she returned to the room, holding up something that hid her entire figure from the waist up. He knew what it was. He had tried so hard to hide it somewhere far in the corner of the cabin and had completely forgotten about its existence.
How stupid of him to think that no one would ever find it.
“I’d forgotten about this.” Her voice came out timid, and he wanted to rush by her side to embrace her.
In her hand, she held a frame. A happy looking couple stared back at her. She ignored the third figure completely.
“Look how happy we were.”
She turned the frame in his direction so he could gaze upon it, but unlike her, he could only look at the third person in the picture.
The fairy who stared back at him exhibited an air of arrogance and presumptuousness, despite it being just a picture. He traced the fine lines on his face, the features that were an exact replica of his, yet entirely different at the same time. The portrait was a paradox in itself.
In the middle stood Ammara, her lips curved into a smile.
Happiness was a beautiful color on her, and here, she looked positively radiant as though she had not a worry in the world.
Kalen smiled next to her, and her right held a picture of a man possessing the same face as his, both looking equally as gleeful.
“I wonder why I didn’t notice this sooner,” she said quietly, thinking he wouldn’t pick up on her words.
To her surprise, he did. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve never noticed how cruel his eyes look.”
***
Back in the Shadow Claw den, Cassie grew apprehensive with every passing minute.
The bear in her scratched at her skin, her sixth sense tingling all over. What was up with it today? She silently ordered it to hush but ended up making it grow wilder inside her.
The Caillagh’s arrival had proved to have a calming effect on her. Knowing that Nina had one of her own roaming among them gave her the surety that nothing would bad would happen to her. Not that shifters wouldn’t fight for her well-being when the time came, but a witch–the first Caillagh, moreover–watching over her, relaxed Cassie.
Nothing would happen to Nina. She was sure of it.
But then again, what was this feeling that had been driving her crazy lately? It was a feeling that something really horrible was about to happen.
The thought of Nina losing her baby crossed Cassie’s mind, but she discarded it immediately. Hadn’t Ammara said she would be an all-powerful witch? Surely, she wouldn’t have said that if Nina were meant to lose her baby.
The thought of Nina dying momentarily flashed in her brain. She hated herself for thinking of such a thing.
Hoping some fresh air would do her good, she stepped out of her room when a tiny hand tugged on her shirt.
The little figure rubbed her left eye as she looked up at her mother. “Where are you going?”
Cassie beamed at the sight of her little cub and bent down to embrace her. She didn’t know where she came from all of a sudden. For all Cassie knew, she had been asleep in her room in the far end of the corridor. Nevertheless, the sight of her endearing face filled her heart with newfound joy, and all ill-thoughts were sent rushing away.
“Wanna go out on a walk with mama?”
They walked in silence, holding each other’s hand. The young cub was still a little absent-minded, having just woken up from her slumber, but she enjoyed whatever amount time she got with her mother.
Since things had become unsettling around the den, they hadn’t been getting much time together, and she missed her so much.
Yet in that moment, all she wanted to do was relish in her presence. Words were not important. What they did was not important as long as they were together.
Clinging on to her as they walked, she closed her eyes momentarily, trusting her completely to guide her unharmed–not that there was much possibility to be harmed. Or so they thought.
“She’s beautiful.”
The voice sounded unfamiliar at first, ringing in her ears like a stranger trespassing on forbidden lands.
Lost in thought, Cassie didn’t realize when they walked right into the fairy king. She stumbled backward, obviously caught off guard and holding her daughter back protectively.
She clutched her heart as she exclaimed, “Kalen! You scared me.”
A soft smile.
The meek face peeked out from behind her, raising her head high to gaze at the tall stranger who blocked the sunlight from shining in her eyes. He bent down to offer her his hand to shake hers.
“Hi there, little one.”
“What are you doing here?” Cassie asked. Kalen was rarely ever around the den without any formal business. As alpha, she felt it her duty to inquire, hoping everything was alright around the outskirts of the den.
Ignoring her, the stranger kept his gaze fixed on the little figure who clung onto her mother nervously. Perhaps, despite her age, even she could feel a wrongness in the man.
Cassie’s senses started tingling all over again.
Why was Kalen suddenly so interested in her child? That was odd. He’d seen her many times before but had never met her with such fondness. Something was off.
“Kalen,” Cassie started, looking about, “where’s Ammara?”
She needed to talk to this person, to make sure he was who she thought he was. He had a familiar face, sure, but everything else about him felt unfamiliar.
“Oh, I don’t know. Must be here somewhere.” His reply came as a shock to her. Did Kalen regard a question about his beloved with such nonchalance?
Something was definitely off about this whole scenario. Kalen wouldn’t let Ammara out of his sight for even a minute, having found her after so many years.
She pulled her cub toward her solicitously and slowly moved in front of her, eyeing the fairy standing in front of her.
Peering around, she realized she was all alone. She had wandered too far off, and the fear reflected in her eyes, despite her not wanting it to show.
Another soft, almost sinister smile this time. “Looks like you’re all alone, bear.”
Chapter 7
“I want you to leave, Kalen.”
Even though she doubted that it was him, she couldn’t bring herself to stop saying his name. She didn’t know what else to call him. Her heart raced at the speed of light, and she clenched her fist, ready to throw a punch in response to an attack.
Her bear was now raging in her eyes. He seemed oddly pleased at the sight, as though he had been waiting for it all this time, waiting for her to get furious. The bear was overtaking her senses, forcing her to shift in order to protect her cub, but the human side fought to hold it back, sensing that it was not yet the time.
The stranger slowly inched toward them, eyes on the prize: her precious cub, who was now shaking out of fear, unable to analyze the situation, only sensing the tenseness in the air.
She sniffled softly, holding back her tears. Her mother had raised her to be a brave girl, always told her to be strong, never to let the enemy sense your fear, and in that moment, she felt as though she were letting everyone down. It wasn’t like her. She was usually fearless, but something about him made her shrink behind her mother.
Being the alpha’s child, more was expected out of her. She was never actually told that, but she always knew. She was to set an example for all the cubs in the pack, but at that time, she felt like she was failing everyone. She didn’t deserve to have parents like Luke and Cassie, she thought. They were strong. They always knew what to do in difficult situations, never gave in at times of distress, and they always fought and emerged victorious, unlike her. She was stupefied at the sight of a mere stranger who exuded bad vibes.
The mother instinctively pushed her cub backward, trying to send it as far from harm’s way as she could. She felt her daughter tremble under her touch, and her animal grew wilder at the thought of this man frightening her.
“LEAVE!”
Cassie didn’t know what made her scream or that she had begun screaming in the first place. All she knew was that she had to protect her child from the man who clearly wanted to cause them harm.
She glared at the figure, warning him with her eyes to stay away. However, he seemed to be enjoying it, relishing in the fear that they were exhibiting. Feeding on it. Basking in it. His eyes gleamed at the sight of panic on their faces.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Kalen started. “I thought alphas were supposed to be brave.”
He feigned a sympathetic look.
Cassie scoffed, trying to hold back the fear from ringing in her voice. “You think I’m afraid of you?”
“Oh, dear. Your words fail to coordinate with what you are feeling. You must try to be better at lying.”
Her voice got stuck somewhere at the base of her throat now. She wanted to scream. She wanted to get someone’s attention, for someone to rescue them. She couldn’t lose her child to this monster.
A rush of guilt surged up her veins. Had she walked her child right into the mouth of danger? She was aware of how shaky things had been around there lately, but still she wandered out unprotected and brought the evil eye of this monster on her.
If anything happened now, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.
How could she be so careless?
She didn’t know the fairy king that well, but she did know that he wouldn’t dare do such a thing. He had no reason to. Ammara was back, and if he were to harm them, Nina would surely never forgive them, and that would cause him
to lose Ammara’s trust, too. Was he seriously willing to risk that?
No, thought Cassie. Kalen would never do such a thing. His love for Ammara was too strong for him to do something like this.
This wasn’t Kalen. This was someone posing as him. She was well aware of the fact. Or was it?
Her thoughts ran wild again. Did getting Ammara back change something in the fairy king? Had he conjured up some master plan to keep Ammara with him forever? What was he thinking? What did he plan on doing?
The stranger wore an indignant look now, growing wrathful with every step Cassie took away from him.
“What is the matter with you, bear? I only want to befriend your little cub.”
A sharp pang of horror stroke Cassie’s chest as she heard him mutter those words.
His voice was harsh and unapologetic. It left his throat in a loud pitch. He was unafraid, unlike them, and he used every means to make sure they knew that. He had nothing to fear, nothing to lose, while they could lose each other to him.
He proceeded toward them. “I just want to play with her.”
Cassie snarled, rage filling her eyes. “Stay away from us!”
An ear-piercing shriek sliced through the dense air between them.
“Impressive,” he said, looking around, already aware that no one was nearby, “but not quite loud enough yet.”
She silently hoped that someone did manage to hear them. Realizing that was a far cry, she channeled the power of her mating bond, signaling to Luke that she needed help. She needed it now more than ever.
Desperate for it to work, she clung on to hope like it was a tightrope and she was about to fall to her death.
Suddenly, a ball of fire emerged as though out of nowhere. It hit Kalen in the back and sent him tumbling forward. Losing his balance, he landed far away from where he had been standing. He groaned loudly, clearly now angrier than ever.
Nina was now standing in his stead, bent awkwardly, her belly protruding forward. She looked flushed and breathless. With one hand supporting her belly, she stood alert, eyes full of fury at the person who dared to hurt her friend. The stare was unforgiving, like she was ready to rip him into a million tiny shreds.
The Broken Barrier (Shadow Claw Book 4) Page 5