“No. My birth mother never had any other children, and neither did my father. My stepmother did bear a child from another man out of wedlock, but she disappeared when she was only a few weeks old,” he said, shrugging his shoulders as if it was inconsequential to him.
“That’s terrible. Did they ever figure out what happened to her?” I asked, swallowing back the sickness I felt over the thought of a child being stolen.
A baby, at that.
“No, but I have to think she was better off. My stepmother was a vile woman, and that poor girl would have suffered having her for a mother. I would know,” Caelum said, shuffling his legs once again.
“What about your birth mother? Did you ever meet her?” I asked, and he sighed, his eyes drifting closed.
“In passing. My family was involved in politics, as was my mother. Our paths crossed because of that frequently, but she always kept her distance because of my stepmother.”
“Nothing could keep me from my child,” I murmured, not pausing to consider that it sounded like his mother didn’t love him enough. It hadn’t been my intention.
“There are some evils in this world that use love against you. Keeping your distance is far safer in those circumstances. I hope you’re never put in that situation, my star,” Caelum said, not seeming to take offense to the words. “We should head back,” he added, sighing and getting to his feet. He left me with the distinct feeling that we would have stayed in the sun far longer had it not been for my difficult questions, but I couldn’t apologize for wanting to get to know the man who supposedly loved me.
He took my hand, guiding me into the tunnels once again and leaving the light of day at our backs. The descent into darkness seemed more jarring the second time, returning to shelter but leaving something else important behind. I wondered if it was the pulse of awareness coming from my mate, through his ability to feel me from somewhere out there. Hunting me. Searching for me throughout the Kingdom.
I swallowed, suddenly very happy to be returning to the warded tunnels that would protect us, as Caelum grabbed the torch off the wall. We headed toward the closest hatch to go to the lower levels, the silence of the caverns feeling like nothing out of the ordinary as we rounded the corner, me leaning my weight into Caelum’s side as we walked.
He froze solid at the intersection between two of the pathways, his grip tightening on my waist, and I followed his gaze, staring into the tunnel straight ahead of us. I saw nothing, felt nothing, until the cavern shook with a force as a taloned foot appeared from the shadows further ahead.
A thick leg emerged next, the hulking form of a cave beast appearing from the darkness as it stepped into the circle of light from Caelum’s torch. He put it in my hand, wrapping my fingers around it as he reached for one of the swords strapped to his back at all times.
I stared on in horror as the creature’s face came into view, its glossy black eyes too large in its face. It had no lips, only two rows of enormous pointed teeth that protruded from its snout. It stretched out a hand covered in mottled gray skin, jagged and sharp nails at the end of almost human-like fingers. It stood on two legs, thighs as big as my torso, and its ears pointed like horns toward the sky through the hair that sprouted out of the top of its head. When it took another step, the tunnels shook, knocking me sideways with the force of that step as it opened its mouth and roared.
“Run!” Caelum ordered, pushing me toward the other tunnel that would lead to the hatch to get into the safety of the Resistance tunnels below.
“No!” I protested in spite of the fear surging through my body. Our vow stuck in my head.
We lived together. We died together.
“Estrella! Go NOW!” Caelum roared, something Other flashing briefly in his eyes as he leveled a glare at me. The creature charged at Caelum as my feet carried me away from the fight. I hadn’t even realized I’d made the decision to run, meaning to stay with him, but my legs moved against my will, terror thrumming through me as I raced down the corridor.
He was the best fighter I’d ever seen. If anyone could survive long enough for help to get to him, it was Caelum. I sped around one of the corners, dropping the torch as I fumbled with the hatch and tried desperately to heave it back. The stone was heavy, threatening to crush my fingers as I shoved it to the side and lowered myself in. The compulsion to flee left me the moment I was tucked within the tunnel hatch, leaving me gasping for breath as I turned to watch for Caelum.
I reached back up to grab the hatch, ready to seal it behind me at a moment’s notice. The roar of the cave beast echoed down the cavern toward me as I watched for any sign of life from Caelum.
Listening.
An animalistic roar answered the beast’s bray, thunderous and murderous, making the tunnel walls around me shake.
I stayed with my head poking out of the tunnel entrance, rooted to the spot and unable to move and get help as I watched the shadows dance in the distance. In terror, I watched the dark blood splash against the cave walls and heard heavy footfalls land on the ground with every step they took.
The fight continued on, giving me just a moment of hope that Caelum was still alive, but even if my body seemed unable to return to his side, I couldn’t leave him, either. When silence fell in the tunnel, I slid aside hatch the rest of the way and pulled myself up, staying close to the entrance in case what came around that corner was the beast that would haunt my nightmares.
The sounds of what had been fighting faded into the distinct squelching of tearing flesh, and my heart leapt into my throat with a strangled sob. I couldn’t make myself walk away, not even when blood ran down the tunnel toward me, staining the ground with the macabre scene.
I stepped forward, needing to see for myself that he was gone, disbelieving that my new reason for living had been taken, too. I didn’t know who I would be, what I would do without him, and I immediately regretted not giving him the words he’d said to me, not letting him know how I felt before I lost him.
Steady, soft footfalls came from around the corner of the tunnel. Caelum’s fingers gripped the cave wall as he pulled himself along around the bend and toward me. He was drenched in blood, his clothing stained and his hair turned red with the blood of the creature that seemed larger than life.
I raced forward, touching trembling fingers to the sides of his face.
“What happened?” I asked, trying to glance around him to see what remained of the cave beast.
“Dead,” he groaned, drawing my attention back to him. I dropped my eyes to his blood-stained tunic, peeling apart the fabric of his shirt where it gaped at the front. Three enormous slashes cut through his clothing from where the beast must have swiped at him, the skin torn and bleeding.
“You’re hurt,” I said, wrapping his arm over my shoulder. “You need a healer.”