by Starla Night
His kiss broke her. How dare he make her feel hungry? Hopeful? Happy?
When her life was crashing, how dare she let him?
“Bella! What’s going on? Please answer. Please, Bella!”
She lowered her chin to keep her lips away.
He stayed near, his hard jaw smooth against her cheek. She pulled in a deep, steadying breath. Her heart leaped and her knees shook.
Powerful rightness shook her foundation. She fought against it.
She’d met him. He was her one. Her soul mate. And she didn’t believe in soul mates. He was her everything.
And she would betray him.
Chapter Five
Balim’s soul mate, Bella, changed the color of her pale cheeks to bright pink. Her green eyes glistened with liquid. Her chest brightened with revitalization.
Good.
Pain had darkened his fated bride, and now his presence reignited her passionate inner sun.
They no longer endured loneliness and frustration. The tidal wave had crashed over her. They tumbled together on a current neither of them could control.
Her lips parted, and she risked a furtive glance up at him again as though testing herself.
He tasted her lips once more.
Her soul was hungry. So hungry. He needed to feed her.
They kissed.
He nibbled, giving more, demanding all of her.
She yielded to his wish. Her lips were plump, sweet, and the gateway to his dreams. His cock strained the human clothing, throbbing to burst. He memorized the suppleness of her lower lip, the sweetness of the upper, the damp secrets contained within. She released a sweet moan of need.
Her trusting sound made his heart clench.
This time, he ended the kiss. Not only her soul but also her body was starving for nutrients. He needed to heal all of her.
She held his soul in her hands.
No matter how much he feared that fact, he could not rip it away from her. It was already hers. From the moment he had first seen her, he’d known.
“You are my soul mate,” he intoned again as she rested and breathed against his jaw.
She lifted her head. Her clouded eyes cleared. “What does that mean?”
“We are sewn together. You and I. For all time.”
She rested one hand on her chest. “You’re remarkably calm after that revelation.” A touch of dryness entered her tone as she struggled to lighten the seriousness of his vow.
“I have had longer to become used to it.”
“Oh? But we’ve never met.” She licked her lips. “I would have remembered you.”
“You pass by this building sometimes.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the buildings in the distance. “I work on 37th.”
“I saw you. Your soul light.” He led her to the side of the garden and pointed over the rail at the walkway where, during the busy business hours, a mass of humans flowed without ever looking up. “You were the brightest sun in a sea of stars.”
He leaned back. His hands clenched in his pockets to stop from enveloping her in his arms. “And I also saw you at a human hospital.”
Realization flashed across her face. “You were at the metropolitan hospital two weeks ago. The emergency department.”
“Yes.”
She rubbed her chest harder. A frown darkened her lips. “But I can’t be a soul mate. There must be some mistake.”
Fear stabbed into him.
Bella rejected him before she even knew of his dishonor. Was he bared to her because they were soul mates?
Dannika appeared at the opposite corner of the pergola holding a tureen in her pot-holder-filled hands. She cleared her throat. “Tom yum soup?”
Bella pulled away from Balim and forced a smile to her face. “Thank you. That would be lovely.”
Her words were smooth and mature. Dannika’s soul brightened with ease. She thought this date was going well.
But in truth, Bella’s soul flared and extinguished chaotically.
Balim followed Bella’s lead to take a seat at the table, calming himself as he talked through her symptoms.
Bella was sick. Soul sick and body sick.
By the end of the first date, she would become his mate.
His queen.
And he would heal everything.
Dannika ladled steaming hot broth into their bowls.
Bella commented on the appetizer plates to avoid considering Balim’s truth. “Are these caramelized onion and pear crostinis from Syreno’s? And Moroccan-spiced salmon rillettes from Aslan Chic?”
“Look-alikes,” Dannika said with a smile. “We crafted them in-house. The soup and main course were ordered in and thoroughly tested. Enjoy.”
Dannika withdrew.
Bella crunched the small bites and moaned in pleasure. As Balim had guessed, she needed this hand-crafted, wholesome, flavorful food as much as she needed the sweet, flower-strewn benches and the vibrant gardens. She rolled the bites across her tongue. “Mmm. Oh, wow. This is excellent. And what did she mean by ‘thoroughly tested’?”
“For poison.” Balim bit into his own crispy cracker.
She stopped mid-chew. “Poison?”
“On one warrior’s first date, the food was dosed with Rotenone.”
A quiet vibration emanated from a dark ridge of metal behind her ears. She swallowed, and her soul light dimmed. “Fish killer?”
“Rotenone kills fish because it enters the bloodstream through gills. In humans, consuming it triggers an explosive vomit reflex.”
“Your warrior projectile vomited?”
“As did his female.”
“That would be a memorable first date.”
“Yes. We no longer reserve meals at restaurants.”
She toyed with her soup, and after he showed no ill effects, cleansed her palate with the complex, nutrient-filled spices. “Again, you’re so blasé about someone trying to poison you.”
“Blasé?”
“Unconcerned. People try to harm you all the time?”
“Yes. They always have.”
She tilted her head. “Really?”
“Beneath the water, raiders are a constant threat.” He picked up a shrimp and crunched it whole, consuming the chitinous brain and legs as well as the chewy inner meat. “We defend and protect our most vulnerable warriors. Above the water, we lack awareness. But with every new attack, our intelligence grows.”
Her soul light dimmed again.
“Do not grieve,” he ordered. “Atlantis is unusual. Warriors of many origins fight together to survive. Like a healthy immune system, attacks strengthen our bond.”
“And above the water, you can’t see them coming.” Her soul flared with determination. “Anticipation is torture.”
“Sometimes knowing what is coming next is worse.”
Bella lowered her spoon to the bowl with a clink. “I suppose, as a doctor, you’ve often had to comfort the dying.”
“No.”
“When a patient has no hope—”
“I have seen many recoveries since modern brides have joined the mer world,” he replied. “So long as a warrior lives, hope lives as well. I will use my skill to help him fight.”
She stared at him. Her soul burned hot with resonance. Her chin wrinkled. She touched two scuffed, scratched fingers to her mouth, looked away, and cleared her throat while reaching for her water glass and a napkin. “Well, I’m sure your patients appreciate your unfailing dedication.”
His chest clenched again. One patient he had deliberately failed.
No, he would not think about that.
“It’s admirable. Where is dinner? Oh. Goodness.” Her expression lifted and her lips affixed into a flat, closemouthed smile. “Dannika.”
“To the rescue!” The woman moved the soup dishes aside and served a large platter of Ethiopian food. “These just came out.”
Balim mentioned Bella’s scratches. “Your fingers are injured.”
“Hmm? Oh.
” She ran her thumb across the ragged skin. “I jammed them on a credit card earlier tonight. It’s fine. They don’t hurt.”
Balim’s tool kit was in the office, but he did not wish to interrupt Bella’s meal.
Dannika withdrew, and Bella tore the bread. She scooped a handful of green mush, savored the scent, and bit in.
He chewed his own bread-ful. The mer did not have hot foods under the water. They had few spicy dishes, though.
The yellow dish was creamy and tangy, the orange was crumbly and zesty, and the red was spicy. His tongue flared with heat.
The metallic squeak behind Bella’s ear made her enjoyment flicker. Her insightful green eyes closed on him and then veered away.
“You have a question,” he prompted.
She nailed him with her clear gaze. “How do you fight for a patient after you’ve tried everything?”
“I rest him against his city’s Life Tree. Its healing sap flows in the blood of every warrior, and its resin forms into Sea Opals.”
“What if his city’s Life Tree isn’t an option? Like, he can’t get to it. He’s too far away.”
“That is unfortunate. In Atlantis, channeling the healing energy of the Life—”
“Just humor me.”
“Do I have my tools?”
“Yes.”
“I would use my tools to stabilize the warrior to reach his Life Tree.”
“The Life Tree doesn’t heal him,” she insisted. “Put it out of your mind. What would you do?”
He wiped his fingers on the cleaning cloth. Few illnesses resisted the Life Tree. The more he considered her proposal, the more a certain illness seeped into his mind.
He murmured the nickname. “Oannes’ Curse.”
“Hmm?”
“An illness. A plague.” He could not repeat the nickname in case it summoned the horror. “It destroyed two powerful cities. No cure was found. Not even the Life Trees averted its demise.”
She sucked in a deep breath and tapped both fingers on the table. “No. I’m sorry. I’ll be more clear. What would you do if a human fell ill? And doesn’t respond to Sea Opal elixir. Obviously, he can’t go to the Life Tree.”
It took a long, hard moment for him to wrench away from the past and focus on her in the present. “A human? On the surface?”
She nodded.
“And he does not respond to Sea Opals… I would rely on human medicine.”
That was not what she wanted to hear. She leaned back in her seat, disappointed. “So, nothing else?”
“If a human soul does not brighten with resonance, all the elixir on the surface will not cure him.”
Her lips pinched together.
“Who is your patient?” he asked.
She waved his question away. “It doesn’t matter. You’ve answered my questions.”
“Explain.”
“It’s not important.” She smiled with a closed mouth.
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Force your smile.”
She beamed while her chest light darkened. The classic human contradiction between her soul and her body. Once, he’d thought it meant she was ill, but now, he knew it indicated lies.
“Why do you think it’s forced?” she asked breezily.
“Because your soul darkens.”
“Soul? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That is a lie.”
She laughed, shocked, and her cheeks pinked. “Lie! You don’t pull your punches, do you?”
“I do not punch. And this smile is natural.”
“All my smiles are natural.”
“Your lips are closed.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. “No.”
“Now you cover your mouth. Why?”
She studied her soup, her plates, the garden, and the koi pond without answering. Her ear metal vibrated. Her eyebrows wrinkled, and her soul light fluctuated.
“Now you contemplate more lies,” he noted.
She narrowed her eyes.
“And now my words cause anger.”
She dropped her hand, straightened, and rested her forearms on the table. “My front teeth are crooked. That’s why I close my lips to smile. My parents couldn’t afford dental care. I’m lucky I still have teeth.”
Her words were light, but her soul was dark.
He’d made her angry? By speaking about her teeth?
Balim didn’t want to make her angry. He spoke aloud what was obvious.
Her metal vibrated.
She took a deep breath and forced another close-lipped smile, picked up her glass of wine, and swirled it. “Sorry. I’m a little off-center by the ‘resonance,’ I guess.” She took a sip.
“And by the communication device behind your ear.”
She lowered the wineglass. Her soul light darkened to black. “What?”
“The metal bar behind your ear.” He pointed. “The one that vibrates and causes you to calm.”
The glass stem clinked on the table, rattled, and she settled it in place with both hands. “Vibration?”
“It vibrates now. What is it telling you?”
“You…” She swallowed hard and could not make her voice perform. “You hear words?”
“No. Only your reactions. I wonder who speaks to you.” His point shifted to her ear jewelry. “The whine of the small camera in your right ear.”
She bolted to her feet, stumbled back from the table, and grabbed for her covering. “I’m… I’ve got to, uh, got to go.”
He shot to his feet as well. “Bella. Wait.”
“I just remembered something.”
“My observations frighten you.”
“No, I just… It’s not the right place to talk about…” She stumbled on her heels. “I’ve got—”
“I frighten you.”
She was running away. Leaving him. His bride.
Rejection closed his chest. “My words. I do this.”
She slowed and stopped. One hand lifted and rubbed her chest. “Why does your tone hurt my chest?”
“Because our souls are sewn together. You feel my pain at your rejection.”
And that could not be allowed. He was a mer. A warlord. Control of his soul light should be a given.
He focused on calm.
“I’m not rejecting you.” She half turned. “I don’t want to ruin your life.”
“You cannot.”
“Give me time.”
“I mean my life is already not what I desired. Among other flaws, I cannot attract a worthy female.”
And now she was mad again. She turned all the way to face him. “What’s that?”
“You have never noticed me.”
“Because I never saw you. You looked down at me on the street. What could I do?”
“You never looked up.”
“Why should I?”
“That question has tortured me alone for a long time.”
Her mouth twisted. The small metal behind her ear vibrated. She lifted her head. “You don’t know what it is to be tortured or alone.”
“I do.”
She hung her purse over her arm. Walking out for the first and final time.
Balim’s heart squeezed.
She was leaving because he repelled her.
No.
“I did not go to you because I feared this. Overwhelming connection. Resonance I cannot control. We are destined whether or not I want it. Whether or not you want me. Whether or not it is convenient.”
She lingered. “So this date isn’t convenient for you, huh?”
“I cannot leave Warrior Pelan without a healer while we consummate our marriage and repopulate our race.”
Her soul darkened to black, and she snapped up her head. “That’s what I am to you? A means to procreate.”
“Our race is dying, Bella.”
“I know, and that sucks. It does. I have no wish to ‘procreate,’ not even with you.”
Her re
jection stabbed him.
“You don’t know me,” she continued, smacking herself on the chest. “You don’t know what I’m going through. The choices I have to make. You don’t even know why I’m here today.”
“I know you experience deep pain,” he murmured.
“You can’t understand how much being here and enjoying this date and talking to you betrays my…betrays me.”
“All warriors betrayed our origin cities to rebel to Atlantis. My origin city would kill me on sight. If you feel betrayal in your heart, it is only the mirror of my soul reflecting into you.”
Her anger lifted to quiet curiosity.
She cupped his cheek. “Does that soul light tell you everything about me?”
“No.” He savored the softness of her delicate fingers. “I sense the emotions that make you strong and whole, and the emotions that tear you down.”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth.
“I will always feel this compulsion to join with you because you are my soul mate. No matter what you or I do. Because our souls resonate on the same frequency. We are the same in mirror.”
She lifted her gaze back to his eyes. “I came here to heal my son. No other reason.”
The metal behind her ears vibrated insistently.
But her soul clarified. Pure light. She spoke the truth, and it freed her.
This was a solvable problem. “You need elixir? How much?”
Skeptical amusement crossed her face. “I can’t, Balim.”
“I will give you whatever medicine you need. Whether human medicine purchased with money or the medicine of my body for your soul.”
“It’s not for me.”
“You—”
She covered his mouth with her fingers. “I’m balancing a lot of plates right now. You make me want to walk away with you and let everything come crashing down. Don’t tempt me.”
He spoke around her muffling fingers. “There is another way.”
“Another way to what? Hurt people who depend on me?”
He shook his head, allowing her hand to move with his mouth. “We are soul mates.”
“So you better hope I never turn evil.” Her plush lips folded into a sad smile.
“You are not evil.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do, Bella.” He clasped the hand on his mouth and lowered her hand, sliding his fingers between her slender digits until they interlocked. “Whatever your reason, hurting others is not your wish, and it hurts you. We are mirrors. You and me.”
