Page 80 of Beyond the Storm
Nikandros laughed. Surprisingly, I did too. I enjoyed seeing this playful side of Elasus. And the male who continued to poke at him? It only verified my worries about Elasus agreeing to leave. He would be leaving behind a close companion. Asking him to choose between us felt wrong.
“This is an order,”Lazarus had said.
Ever since he had taken me away, I’d followed his orders. Defying one of those orders went against everything I knew. But it was unfair for me to place that burden on Elasus. Whether he came with me or refused, that decision would weigh on him for the rest of his days. How could I place that on him?
“We are heading to the stream to wash,” Nikandros told me. “You should join us.”
Elasus arched a brow at him. “If this is an attempt to see him naked, I truly will kill you.”
The smaller male laughed again. “Teasing you brings me much joy, dear friend.”
“Go wash,” I said, looking at Elasus. “We will meet after.”
Indecision wavered in his eyes. In our short time together, I had already learned to read him so well. He had learned the same of me. “After,” he agreed.
Our next meeting would end in either heartbreak and farewell or a promise for a future together. And as I walked away, hearing the sounds of their laughter as they continued toward the stream, I wasn’t sure which one would be worse.
Chapter Six
Elasus
Kallias waited for me among the olive trees. As I approached, he stood with his eyes closed and his face angled toward the branches. A ray of fading sunlight found him through the leaves, kissing his bronzed skin. He opened his eyes, and the light of the setting sun somehow made them appear sadder.
“You came,” he said in a voice so heavy with sorrow that I could’ve sworn I felt it pressing down on me too. Was it because of his sin?
“Of course I did.” I walked until I reached his side. Nerves twisted in the pit of my stomach. “Something is troubling you.”
Kallias held my gaze for only a moment before returning it to the branches. “As much as I wish to remain in ignorant bliss, reveling in your warmth and pretending the outside world doesn’t exist, the time has come for me to tell you why I’m here.”
Those twisting nerves wound tighter. I felt like they had traveled to my lungs, cutting off my air. When I’d seen Kallias outside the barracks the night before, I hadn’t questioned why he had come. Maybe a part of me hadn’t wanted to know. As if I’d been content with living in blissful ignorance too.
“Tell me,” I said.
“For you,” he whispered, shifting his gaze back to mine. “I came to find you and bring you back with me.”
“Take me where?”
“To live with me and my brothers.”
My heart thumped so hard I heard the beats resounding in my ears. “You’re asking me to leave Sparta.”
“Yes.” Kallias stared at a leaf that had fallen from the branch and glided as it approached the grass. “It pains me to even mention it, but I haven’t a choice. We cannot stay like this forever.”
Somewhere deep down, I knew this decision would eventually come. How could it not? Kallias and I wished to be together, but both of us led separate lives.
“If I came with you, I would help you in your fight against the demons?” I asked.
He nodded. “Lazarus says you’re a skilled warrior. It’s one reason why he ordered me to retrieve you.”
“What of the other reason?”
“Being parted from you worsened Melancholy’s influence over me,” he answered. “It became a distraction for my brothers as well. We can feel each other’s strong emotions. And they felt my grief.”
I understood that grief, for I had felt it as well.
Kallias released a shaky breath. “From my understanding, the bond between fated mates can sometimes be rejected. By one of the individuals, at least. So if you decide you don’t want this, if you don’t wantme, you should be able to live a full life without me.”
The thought alone felt like I’d been kicked in the gut. “What about your life?”
