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Clawdia’s face crumbled in concern and all I wanted was to console her. “Titan? You mean Zaide?”
My mouth opened again. “Yes. Where is he?”
“He’s just outside. Do you want me to get him?” Clawdia leaned back and moved her feet back to the floor.
My hand struck out to prevent her moving further away. “No,” Kaatu said.
She frowned and sighed. “You avoided the question earlier. How did you get here despite the protector’s magic and the wards?”
“I cannot tell you.” My eye twitched.
Does it do that a lot? Do I have a twitchy eye?I questioned myself, but while I was stuck in the back of my mind, I made a note to watch for that.
“Why not?” Kaatu didn’t respond, so she tilted her head and guessed, “Were you spelled?”
“In a manner of speaking,” he replied vaguely, but it was enough to reassure her.
Her shoulders relaxed, and she nodded understandingly. “But the way you portaled, it’s not something that can be replicated by another? It’s only something you can do?”
“Yes.” My head nodded, and I got a little dizzy from the strange view.
“Oh, good.” She sighed and chuckled in relief. “I can assure the council that we won’t be expecting any more surprise guests. No matter how welcome.” She smiled, lighting up the entire room with her beauty. “I’m glad you managed to get here, despite the obvious pain it caused you. Waiting until Fafnir was defeated for us all to be together would have been torture.”
She squeezed my hand, and more than anything, I wanted to grasp it and pull her closer, to kiss her, in the flesh, finally, and tell her I was also glad to be with them. But I couldn’t.
Kaatu was also stunned by her, because he told me,“She’s a beauty. You’re lucky to have her as your soul mate.”
While I didn’t think he was being disingenuous with his statement, I also believe he wanted to frustrate me. He was seeing the side of her that should have only been reserved for me and her other soul bonds. He was an interloper on a moment that should have been special to us. The start of our relationship. But she wasn’t speaking to me. She was talking to him.
“I have two soul mates,”I replied, trying to lean into the envy I sensed in his statement.
“I’m not interested in men,”he scoffed.
Panic surged as I realized he didn’t intend to consummate my bond with Zaide. Only Clawdia. He would try to seduce Clawdia and be cruel to Zaide. My titan soul mate already feared akari and thought the worst of them. It wouldn’t be difficult for Kaatu to shut him out, but it would destroy us before we ever started.
And so I vowed to do the opposite. When I fought back control, I would push Clawdia away and keep Zaide close. Even though it would kill a part of my soul to do it.
“Do you feel better now?” Clawdia asked, bringing our attention back to her.
“Yes, of course.”
She pursed her lips. “Are you sure? You’re acting so strange.”
“We’ve met only a handful of times in a dreamscape. Do you think you know all about me?” Kaatu tried to make us smile, to lessen the biting words, but Clawdia’s face dropped, and she stood up.
“Perhaps not.” She straightened her shoulders. “And if this is the way you aren’t going to act, maybe I don’t want to.”
Kaatu clenched my fists and jaw as he watched her slam the door behind her. I said nothing but couldn’t help feeling smug.He’s not the female-charming seductive shadow he believed himself to be.My soul mate was no fool, and Kaatu’s plan would fail. If I couldn’t ensure that myself, I could rely on Clawdia to see through this farce.
I hope.
CHAPTER17
ZAIDE
Iwas dishing up afternoon meal items onto plates when Clawdia slammed the door closed behind her and stormed straight toward me, wrapped her arms around me, and buried her head in my chest. I automatically returned her embrace but remained tense at her odd behavior.
“Well, what’s the diagnosis, Nurse Clawdia?” Charlie asked lightly but raised his brows at me over her head.
