Chapter 49
Collum flew back to Alex and plucked her out of the dwindling battle. Silently, he took them to the beach where they’d made love the night before. He ignored her protests, sat her gently at the edge of the water. He absorbed his wings back into his body before quietly washing the dirt and soot from her face.
“We have to go back, Collum. They need us.”
He ignored her protests as each cleansing swipe of water showed him more wounds. “No. You almost died back there. You promised not a scratch. I see a scratch.”
“Did you kill Taurin? Oh God. He murdered my grandmother.”
“He will never hurt anyone else.”
He sat back on his haunches and stared at her. There was nothing more important than her.
“Your family is capable of protecting themselves. We’re staying right here until my heart attack is over and then we’re flying directly back to My. Goddamned. House. Where we will stay until you get over your shit and admit you love me.”
Tears began to fall from her eyes.
Immediately contrite, he said, “Are you hurt? Why are you crying?”
“I love you.”
“What?”
“I'm crying because I love you.”
“Oh, well aren't you supposed to be happy when you fall in love?” He stood up, still full of fire from the battle. “Don’t think that gets you out of coming home with me.”
“Quit telling me what to do and be happy I said it.”
“I'm happy.”
He stopped his pacing as she broke out in laughter. “Something tells me this love thing isn’t going to be easy between us.”
Collum flopped beside her on the sand. “You know it won’t be.” He plucked dirt and flowers out of her hair.
He prepared himself for her anger. “I need to ask something of you, princess.”
She stroked his shoulders. “What is it?”
“You must let the witch bind your dreamwalker power over the Elementals.”
She leaned back from him and removed his hand from her hair. “That’s never going to happen. That’s what this war was about.”
“No, this fight was about balance and keeping you alive. This was no war. The only way to keep a war from happening is to ensure you hold no power over the Elementals. It was promised to Lachon the Law.”
“Grandfather won’t let this happen.”
“He engineered this, Alex. And as much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. He spent twenty-five years trying to find a way to save your life. Finding a witch powerful enough to perform the binding spell. You and your brother hold too much power. Power you aren’t ready to manage. You must be willing, or a war you may not be able to stop, will happen. Hell, a war may still happen.”
She dug her feet in the sand. “Why does no one feel it necessary to bind your powers? It seems to me you are more powerful than all of us?”
“I am The Guardian, Alex.”
“Yes, I know that. You’ve said it enough times.”
“But you don’t get it. Only a few do.” He sighed. “I cannot forsake my calling. It is my sworn duty to maintain the balance in the world. The final choices will always be black and white. I make those choices.”
“There are gray areas. There is free will.”
“No. There must be balance in everything. I keep that balance. The decision of The Guardian is the last decision, regardless of free will.”
“And the right to my power falls under that category?”
“Your power disrupts the balance, Alex.” He was stoic, a rock. “These are not gray areas.”
“You would do this to me, for balance?”
He nodded. “I would.”
“And my free will? What about that?”
“That is mine in this instance.”
“How many times has my free will been yours, Collum?
“This is a discussion we cannot have, sweetheart.”
“But you love me.”
“I do love you. I must also protect you and sometimes that means my will must be followed.”
Alex sighed, realizing the whole dreamwalking thing didn’t even matter to her that much. But she needed Collum to be her champion not just her protector. “You can let her bind me, Collum. But after, you need to leave.”
“I’m taking you with me, princess.”
“No, not this time.” She placed her hand on his lips when he would have argued. “I love you. I do. But I’ve only been immortal for a week. You’ve been for thousands of years. I don’t understand any of this, not even who I am.”
“I know who you are.”
“Do you? You keep expecting me to blindly accept all this immortality stuff. You need to recognize that I grew up human. All my choices will be affected by my humanity. I don’t think like you. I need to question everything, understand it all.”
“You will.”
“Maybe. I doubt it.”
You’re special. It’s your humanity that makes you that way to me.”
“Maybe. But I think I need you to go home for a little while.”
“Because of my request?”
“Because of everything. I ache for you. I love you. But I need time.”
He held her face in his hands and kissed her eyelids. “We’re destined.”
Tears streamed down her face. She kissed his lips before taking a step back. “I like cheap Tuesday at the theatre and gummy bears. I’ll expect you to pick me up in two weeks. After you study up on what it means to be human.” She turned to leave.
As Alex walked away from him, emptiness hollowed out his gut. His dragon stirred in protest, everything in him demanding that he stop her. That’s when Collum realized balance wasn’t worth losing her. Maybe that’s what Domhall had been trying to tell him all this time.
He reached her in two long strides, clasping her shoulder to gently turn her around. The heat from her skin burrowed beneath his own, shattering two thousand years of armor. He bent a knee so he could look directly into her beautiful eyes. Brought up his other hand to brush the back of his fingers across her damp cheek.
“I forgot, Alex. I forgot what it meant to put love before duty, before balance. I forgot what living looked like. I won’t lose you. You come first, from this day forward. If that means you need time, then I give it to you freely. But know this, sweetheart, I will never, for a moment stop fighting for you. You belong with me.
Her eyes widened, and he could read every conflicted emotion swirling in her violet gaze. Love. Stubborn defiance. Hesitation.
Satisfied she got his meaning, Collum straightened and kissed her cheeks, her eyes, her lips. He held her until his dragon calmed—until he tasted the answer on her mouth. “Two weeks, babe. Then I’m coming for you.”
He released her and stepped back. “Be ready.”