Page 50 of Embers of Fate
Her eyes widen, surprise and hope warring on her face. “You mean it?” she whispers, her voice trembling. “You want me to stay?”
“More than anything,” I tell her, pouring every ounce of sincerity into my words. “I know it won’t be easy, that we have a lot of lost time to make up for. But I’m willing to try if you are.”
Tears well in her eyes, spilling over onto her cheeks, and then she’s launching herself into my arms, her small frame shaking with sobs. I hold her close, stroking her hair and murmuring words of comfort, my own eyes burning with unshed tears.
“I’ve never had a real home,” she chokes out, her face buried in my chest. “Not since Mum and Dad died. I was always sent away, passed around like an unwanted burden.”
“Never again,” I vow, my arms tightening around her. “You belong here, Clarissa. With me, with our family. And I swear, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you never feel alone or unwanted again.”
We stay like that for a long moment, clinging to each other like lifelines in a storm-tossed sea. And when we finally pull apart, I feel lighter somehow, as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
But then Clarissa’s eyes meet mine, and I see something there that makes my blood run cold. A knowing, a sadness that seems to reach into the very depths of my soul.
“You’re in terrible pain,” she murmurs, her voice soft but filled with a quiet strength. “I can feel it, rolling off you in waves.”
I start, my eyes widening in surprise. “How did you...?”
“I’m a witch,” she explains, a hint of pride coloring her words. “And an empath, like Mum was. But I’m also a seer, Nik. I see things, things that haven’t happened yet, but will.”
I swallow hard, my heart racing in my chest. “And what do you see now?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Clarissa’s gaze turns distant, unfocused, as if she’s looking at something far away. “I see her,” she breathes, her voice taking on a dream-like quality. “Samara Alexeeva.Your fated mate.You’re destined for each other, Nik. Two halves of the same soul, bound together by a love that transcends time and space.”
I stumble back, my knees suddenly weak, my mind reeling with the implications of her words. Sam... my fated mate? The idea seems impossible, too good to be true. And yet, as I think back on our time together, on the way she made me feel, the way everything just seemed to click into place when I was with her...
It makes sense. Perfect, beautiful sense.
Of course she’s my destined mate. How could I have ever doubted it, ever questioned the bond between us? Everything always felt so natural, so right when we were together, as if the universe itself had conspired to bring us into each other’s lives.
“Will you fight for her, Nik?” Clarissa asks, her eyes boring into mine, searching my face for an answer. “Will you do whatever it takes to win her back, to claim the future that’s meant to be yours?”
And in that moment, I know. Know with a certainty that goes bone-deep, that reaches into the very core of my being.
“Yes,” I breathe, my voice ringing with conviction, with a determination that sets my soul on fire. “Yes, I will fight for her. For us. For the love that we share, the love that nothing and no one can destroy.”
Clarissa smiles, a fierce, proud smile that makes my heart swell with affection. “Good,” she says, reaching out to take my hand in hers. “Because you’re going to need every ounce of that strength, every bit of that courage, if you’re going to face what’s coming.”
I frown, a flicker of unease running through me at her words. “What do you mean? What’s coming?”
But she just shakes her head, her expression turning serious, almost grim. “Darkness,” she whispers, her voice taking on a haunting, otherworldly quality. “A storm that threatens to consume everything in its path, to destroy all that we hold dear.”
I feel a chill run down my spine, a sense of foreboding that settles heavily in my gut. But I push it aside, squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin in defiance.
“Let it come,” I growl, my eyes flashing with the fire of my dragon, the power that thrums through my veins. “Whatever it is, whatever challenges lie ahead... I’ll face them head-on. I’ll fight with every breath in my body, every beat of my heart, to protect the ones I love.”
Clarissa nods, a fierce light shining in her eyes. “And we’ll be right there beside you,” she vows, her hand tightening around mine. “Your family, your clan. We’ll stand with you, Nik. Always.”
A torrent of gratitude overwhelms me, a love so fierce that it takes my very breath away. This is everything I’ve ever yearned for. A clan to call my own, a cause to fight for, a purpose to live and die for.
And Sam... my beautiful, beloved Sam. My fated mate, the other half of my soul.
I’ll prove to her that our love is stronger than any obstacle, any force that dares to stand in our way.
Come what may, I’ll find my way back to her.
30
SAM
