It was worth it, though. He knew that the moment she let him into her life, and he’d clung onto the deal because he was terrified of letting her go. But Kaz was right. He had to trust Elise to give him the truth when he asked for it. So far, she’d never given him any reason to believe she wouldn’t.
Kaz’s heavy hand landed on Cal’s shoulder. Giving him a hard shove, the orc said, “Go, Cal. You’ve got a mate waiting for you.”
He stood up from his bar stool on unsteady legs, his heartbeat a thundering rhythm in his ears. He thought of all the intimate moments they’d shared; how she fell asleep with her head in his lap and how she kissed him whenever he came home from his vigil. He thought of her magic coursing through his fog and the way she brought him into her family’s home, wreathed in smiles. He thought of her tears when he told her his story and the long, hot looks she gave him when she thought he wasn’t looking.
Gods, was he fucking blind?
I have a mate.
I have a mate waiting for me.
Suddenly, nothing else mattered. He needed to be with her. He needed to know, with no hint of doubt, that they were not going to end now or any time in the future. He needed his mate like he needed air.
In an instant, Cal dematerialized. The bar’s other patrons exclaimed with surprise or consternation as the space was suddenly filled with thick, rolling fog. Kaz’s voice rose above the din as he cursed. “Fucking— Damn it, Cal, you can’t just drop your clothes in the middle of the bar!”
If he had shoulders, Cal would have shrugged. He didn’t give a shit about his clothes. All that mattered was his mate, and she wasn’t in The Broken Tooth. She was waiting for him at home.
He would be damned if he made her wait a moment longer.
* * *
FROM THE DESK OF ELISE SASINI, A PAGE FROM HER NOTEBOOK DATED FEBRUARY 15th 2045:
Reasons to spend the rest of my life with Cal:
1. I love him
2. He’s the most beautiful man in the world, bar none
3. I really love him
4. He’s an insanely powerful elemental whose magic meshes with mine like we’re a damn PB and J.
5. I don’t think I can live without him
Reasons to not spend the rest of my life with Cal:
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