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I ignore him.
If he wants to be a dick, so be it.
He can see what it feels like to receive the full silent treatment from his precious fated mate.
Sunder sets a mound of scrambled eggs and sausage in front of me with a heaping serving of sauteed veggies. Vicious growls erupt from my stomach as the tempting aroma reaches my nose. Training all day was mentally and physically exhausting, even though we just sat there. Cooking dinner while I showered earned Sunder a brownie point.
He points to the plate. “Protein. It’s better for you. You eat too much bread.”
Well, hehada brownie point.
I frown at him. I’ll break my silence for this. “Don’t presume to know what I do and don’t eat enough of. We literally just met.”
He gestures to my kitchen. Looking around, I see popcorn, two different loaves of bread, three empty cereal boxes, bagels.
Yeah ok fine. Ass.
He sits across from me as I dig into the meal. The flavors meld in my mouth. Damn, he’s an excellent cook. Although to be fair, it’s hard to mess up eggs. It’s just nice to have someone take care of me for a change, even in a small way. I just wish it was someone nicer. Like an exotic billionaire whose only goal in life is to shower me with gifts and vacations.
“I’ve been thinking. Getting out into nature isn’t a bad idea for your training. Chroma can be stronger the more connected to nature the wielder is. I found a cabin rental near Blue Ridge on an immense piece of empty land. We can spend the week without distractions. I’ll train you in self-defense too. You’ll need it in Illuemera.”
Sunder eats his meal more slowly. Dignified. A juxtaposition next to my ravenous frenzy. A spike of shame slams into me as I slow down.
“Sounds good, but I’ve missed too much work lately. We’ve got a deadline coming up on a new feature that the CTO is pushing hard for. They already sold it to several customers even though it’s not even in beta yet.” I roll my eyes. Salespeople. They promise the moon without consulting us and then wonder why the developers don’t deliver on time.
“And that matters because?”
“Because it’s my job. I’ve worked hard for my career. I’m not blowing it up because of a brain tumor.”
Confusion flashes across his face before he says, “You still doubt this is real?”
“I don’t know,” I sigh. “Regardless of truth, this is my current reality, right? So I think I just have to accept what I’m seeing and feeling.”
“You’ll like Illuemera,” he says finally. “But for now, let’s focus on training. Your job here doesn’t matter anymore.”
I scoff at him. Even if I leave my job eventually, right now they need me. “I can’t just take a week off. I have stuff to do. We can train at night in the park or something.”
Sunder growls in his throat. “That will take too long. We need uninterrupted time where no one will see us. Discretion is key here. We can’t practice sword fighting in the park.”
“Sure we can. Ever heard of LARPing?”
“We’re going to Illuemera, Mira. You’ll need to defend yourself. I won’t always be there to help you.”
I look at my food, eating more slowly as my belly fills up, trying not to overeat this time. Aren’t soulmates supposed to be together forever? But no, of course my soulmate plans to leave. Why would I expect anything else? I guess I’m destined to be a spinster for all eternity. At least I have Bobble.
And me. I’ll value myself one day if it kills me.
He continues, more softly this time. “Consider this. How many deadlines have you had in your life? Some you met. Some you missed. Overall, the consequences weren’t really life changing, were they? How many times in your life have you been offered private tutoring in sorcery and sword play?”
I bite my lip to hide the small smile creeping up. The allure is undeniable. Jasper’s gonna be pissed.
“Your human job is meaningless. Thousands suffer every day waiting for me to liberate my homeland.”
“Liberate it from what?”
Sunder pushes his untouched food around his plate with his fork, eyes downcast and far away.
“There was a war before my Chroma was taken from me. I’m the middle child, and I never expected to rule our lands. My sister, Eyveriel, was eldest and groomed from a young age on responsibilities and politics. I was in the lessons too, but it never appealed to me. I was to be the General of our armies, and my little brother, Cor’than, was to join the Druids. Eyveriel,” he trails off. He looks almost… sad.
