Carina struggled with the healer. Her eyes stayed closed. Her chest labored in shallow, panting breaths. Her whisperings remained the incoherent ramblings of the delusional.
“What’s wrong with her?” Marek asked.
The healer shook his head. “I don’t know. What happened?”
“We were attacked by a large, yellow Criton.”
“What?” Caden asked.
Marek mistook the incredulous look on Caden’s face as disbelief and his blood boiled. “Aye,” he snapped. “An enraged female would’ve killed me if Carina hadn’t stepped between us. Then something happened—” Marek’s legs buckled.
Caden grabbed Marek’s arm while Damon seized the other.
“Sire, you should sit,” Damon insisted.
Marek accepted their assistance into a chair. He too, was getting worse. He struggled to remember, but a fog had rolled across his mind zapping his ability to think. And the more he concentrated, the more the elusive threads of coherent thought danced deeper into the thick vapor.
Carina’s mumblings rose. Only her voice could penetrate his confusion. He had to get to her, but his legs refused to work.
Out of nowhere, Caden knelt in front of him. “Forgive me, Sire, but I must know. What did the yellow Criton do?”
Marek stared at Caden. His body shuddered, but not from being cold. He concentrated on swimming through the haze so he could remember the only thread that mattered—Carina. “Her eyes glowed,” he whispered. “And we were surrounded by light.”
He closed his eyes at the memory. “I was so tired. When I woke, the Critons were gone and Carina wouldn’t wake up.” Just speaking rendered him breathless.
Caden reached for Marek’s arm, but Damon drew his sword and pointed it at the Tiwan. “You will not touch the king.”
Caden remained kneeling and raised his hands in a non-threatening gesture. “Damon, I know you’re protecting your king, but if what I believe is true, then both Marek and Carina will die soon if we don’t take action.”
Damon’s brown eyes narrowed. His face twisted with uncertainty. He glanced at the healer.
The healer shrugged. “Magic is at work here. I might be able to bleed it out of her, but she’s already so weak, I fear bleeding would cause more harm than good.”
“We must hurry,” Caden urged.
Damon nodded, but kept his sword drawn as Caden grabbed Marek’s right wrist. Frowning, Caden reached for Marek’s left. Caden’s hands shook when he noticed the marking.
Damon leaned forward to see the wound. “Looks like a burn.”
“Carina’s right hand also has the mark,” Marek gasped. Breathing had become a battle, the simple inhale and exhale of air a crushing weight on his chest.
Caden bowed his head and placed both hands on Marek’s knee. When he glanced up, tears rimmed his eyes. “Sire, you already have my loyalty, but henceforth, I pledge my tribe to your service.”
Damon’s eyes widened. “But the Tiwan Tribe has never sworn an allegiance to anyone.”
“That’s only because Tiwan Callers have always bonded to Tiwan men.”
Damon shook his head. “What in Haden’s breath are you talking about?”
“Carina is the Caller of Light and Marek, her bonded lifemate. Now, help me get the king to his bed so they can finish the bonding process.”
When Damon hesitated, Marek nodded. “Do it, Damon…I must be with her.”
As soon as Marek stretched out beside Carina, air that had been unobtainable moments before flooded his lungs. His heart stopped floundering and thumped in a strong rhythm, pumping blood through his body and feeding strength into his arms and legs. The fog in his mind dissipated. He slid an arm underneath Carina’s head and pulled her against his side. His heart swelled and throbbed with a dull ache because of the beautiful woman he held. His cure and salvation, she breathed life back into his dying body.
His touch seemed to have a calming effect on Carina. She buried her head into the crook of his shoulder and draped an arm across his chest before settling into a deep sleep.
The healer placed a blanket over them and straightened on his large frame. He crossed an arm over his rounded belly and cupped his chin with a meaty hand. His brows furrowed in concentration. “Sire, I don’t pretend to understand this. But unless you wish me to stay, I’ll check on you later.”
Stroking Carina’s hair, Marek drifted on a plane of peaceful awareness and could have fallen asleep with everyone in the room. “Go,” he murmured so as not to wake her. The healer bowed and left.
Both Caden and Damon turned for the door. Although Marek longed to close his eyes and let sleep wash over him, he needed answers. “Caden,” he called quietly.
The men stopped. Damon looked at Marek for direction and Marek nodded, giving him permission to leave.
“I’ll be outside if you need me, Sire.” Damon bowed before disappearing from the room.
“What did the yellow Criton do to us?” Marek asked.
Caden’s lean body moved with the fluid grace of his people as he walked over and settled into the chair Marek had just vacated. “Although Callers cannot Critonbond, they can bond with a lifemate. The yellow Criton who attacked you was the Criton Matriarch, Naya. Carina must have claimed you and Naya found you worthy because she sealed your bond. You are now Carina’s bonded lifemate.
Marek shook his head. Sleep pressed on his body and lurked at the edge of his mind, but he was alert enough to know Caden had to be wrong.
Caden persisted. “Sire, why did you choose Carina instead of her sister?”
He shrugged. Carina mumbled at his movement, but he silenced her with a kiss to her forehead. “I’m not sure. I just couldn’t leave her.”
Caden nodded. “Probably because the bond tie was already calling you, but you both didn’t realize it.”
“How can Carina be the Caller?”
“Because Carina’s mother was Alaine, the previous Caller. Alaine was the most powerful Caller we’ve ever known due to her strong bond with her lifemate.”
Marek frowned. “No, your words cannot be true. Carina’s mother was a servant in King McKay’s household.”
Caden bowed his head and sadness filled his voice. “I don’t understand why Alaine lied about her identity and why she didn’t try to find her way back to us. I only know that Alaine’s mate died in a battle against dark Criton riders and she disappeared. For two full cycles we searched for her, but finally decided that both she and her unborn child had been killed.”
“How do you know Carina is Alaine’s daughter?”
“Because she wears Alaine’s medallion, the symbol of the Caller. And more importantly, because she called Naya,” Caden answered with an awed reverence. “Untrained, yet she summoned the Criton Queen.”
Sleep whispered in Marek’s ear, encouraging him to slip into its embrace like a lover’s kiss. The temptress called to him, ran soothing fingers down his body, and sang softly in his mind, commanding him into her care. He fought the desire. Until he knew what happened so he could protect Carina, he wouldn’t surrender to the luxury of sleep.
“If she’s the Caller, why did the Matriarch attack us?”
Caden leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, his long, blond hair shadowing his face. “The Matriarch would never attack the Caller. Something you did must have appeared threatening.”
Caden raised his eyebrows, but Marek ignored his curiosity. When the Matriarch attacked, he’d been standing over Carina putting on his steel. Maybe Naya had misinterpreted his actions.
He glanced at his palm. Except for some tenderness, the pain had subsided. “And our hands?”
“Once Naya deemed you worthy, she used her power to mark you. Your brands are the same Criton heads that are on Carina’s medallion. Once the swelling subsides, when you hold hands your Critons will intertwine just like the necklace.”
Caden stared at Marek for a moment. “Sire, it is a great honor to be chosen as the Caller’s lifemate. But, it can also be a great burden.”
What burden?
Marek thought, unable to voice his question. Sleep, the ever persistent seductress, refused to play fair and his body couldn’t resist her call.
“Carina’s necklace now can be detached into two separate Criton medallions. The pendants enhance your power and will remain separate and distinct until one of you dies, then they’ll merge into one piece again.”
“Why am I so tired?”
Caden stood, preparing to go. “Naya forced powerful magic on you in order to leave her mark. The fact you are tired is good because that means you and Carina have a strong bond. Your bodies need time to absorb her magic, which can only happen when you two are touching.”
Caden paused at the door. “You would’ve died if you had stayed apart because alone your bonds cannot absorb that enormous amount of energy.”
Marek wrapped both arms around Carina and closed his eyes. Caden’s voice drifted over him.
“One thing is certain. Carina is not just the next Caller. She’s an extremely powerful one.”
Marek smiled. He wanted to tell Caden that she was so much more than just a powerful Caller, but had slipped into that relaxed just before sleep stage. Tiny sparks of heat shot through his body acting as a reminder of Naya’s magic. Silence blanketed him in a soothing tenderness. Now he understood his purpose in life and knew exactly where he was supposed to be—holding the woman who had captured his heart and soul. With a soft exhale, he yielded to the sorceress murmuring in his ear and joined his lifemate in the dream realm.
40 – KINGS’ ARRIVAL
Carina basked in the sun’s rays, the warmth restoring and rejuvenating her body. Practically lying on top of Marek with her head buried under his neck and his arms wrapped around her, she couldn’t imagine a better place to be. The light filtering into the room indicated they had slept a long time, but she didn’t have the desire or energy to move.
From the shelter of Marek’s arms, she remembered what happened. She’d never been so terrified, but not for herself. She shuddered at how close she’d come to losing the man she loved more than life. When she had stepped in front of Marek, her only thoughts were of protecting him. She smiled at her foolish, self-sacrificing courage. Not even the mighty Criton Queen had expected her to jump between them. She closed her eyes at the memory of Naya’s voice booming inside her head and the pain cascading through her body. Naya had forged some mental connection between them, and in a strange way, a part of her now missed Naya’s reassuring presence.
A deep sense of contentment washed through her knowing Marek was safe and asleep beside her. She inhaled his earthy smell and savored the soft rise and fall of his chest. He looked so peaceful with his long eyelashes pressed against his skin. She reached up to touch his face, but winced when a spasm shot through her right hand. She rolled off him to look at her injured appendage and gasped at the puffy red Criton staring back at her. The angle of the Criton’s head reminded her of her mother’s pendant and her hand drifted toward the necklace. With a groan, she bolted upright. A small sob escaped her lips when each hand cradled a separate piece of the pendant. Somehow, she’d broken the necklace—ruined it. Tears slipped down her cheeks.
She heard a rustling of sheets and found herself surrounded by a wall of muscle as Marek leaned into her. “What’s wrong?”
She gazed into his concerned eyes—eyes that offered her sanctuary when she needed to disappear—but couldn’t find her voice. So, she stared at him, holding the broken necklace.
****
Marek’s lips twitched into a soft smile. With gentle thumbs, he wiped her tears away before framing her face with his hands. “Caden told me this would happen.”
“What?”
His fingers roved through her jumbled hair then drifted to the back of her neck. He noticed the slight catch in her throat and the rosy flush in her cheeks. He loved how his touch could affect her. He unhooked the clasp to her necklace, but lingered to enjoy her fluttering pulse reverberating through his fingertips before focusing on the pendant.
With the medallion in two pieces, each Criton head cradled a separate eye crystal. He intertwined the heads so the crystals overlaid each other to become one, and then pulled them apart again, marveling at the intricacy.
“According to Caden, after the Matriarch marked us, the medallion was designed to separate. We are each supposed to wear one because they’re magic.”
Carina slid her hand down his arm and interlaced her fingers within his, trapping the two pieces between their marked palms. The sandwiched pendants throbbed with power.
“See?” Marek pulled her against his chest. “Do you feel it?”
“Yes.” She gazed up at him. “I do.”
“We’re bonded,” he whispered against her ear. She shivered, and images of his hands stroking other parts of her body filled his mind, the necklace forgotten. He brushed featherlight kisses down the beautiful curve of her neck and collarbone.
“What do you mean, bonded?”
Her breathy voice encouraged him. “You’re the Caller and I’m your lifemate,” he murmured, his lips never leaving her skin.
She twisted and stared at him with wide eyes.
“What?”
He frowned, and leaned against the mahogany headboard. Obviously, he needed to explain what he knew before his perusal could continue. “You are the Caller of Light.”