Chapter Five

Caleb waited, concealed in the dense pines surrounding the cabin. When he heard the click of the bathroom door lock, he closed his eyes and focused inward, checking the strength of the wards safeguarding the cabin. They held, stronger than ever, and some of the tension eased from his shoulders.

Certain he’d done everything possible to keep her safe, he put on a burst of speed that blurred his image as he ran though the heavy foliage and up the hills overshadowing the cabin. His passage was silent, his image so vague it blended almost seamlessly into his surroundings. In a matter of seconds, he was nearly a mile away, standing on a rocky ledge high above the town of Haven.

“Stefan,” Caleb whispered, his senses confirming what he already knew. “You never cease to amaze me. My senses tell me you are near, yet I cannot pinpoint your exact location.”

A man materialized directly in front of him, no more than six feet away. He was unusually tall, dressed in a black turtleneck sweater and elegant dark slacks. His face was that of a fallen angel, harsh, aristocratic, yet too beautiful in its perfection to be entirely human. He appeared no more than thirty-five, but he had walked the earth for over a century.

“Time grows short,” Stephan replied in a lightly accented voice. “Is there a problem?”

“Is the team in place?” Caleb queried smoothly. He knew what Stefan was asking. He just didn’t want to discuss it. Not now when he burned with unfamiliar emotions barely held in check. And not when he needed to be at his peak but instead found his mind and body consumed with thoughts of claiming his mate.

“All is in place, but this distraction is most inopportune.”

“Max is not a distraction. She’s my mate.” Caleb spoke softly, but Stefan’s words angered him. Stefan was one of his oldest friends, part of his extended family, but he could allow no one to disparage his mate.

Stefan inclined his head slightly by way of apology. “We have found Michael’s stronghold, but it is protected by the Stone of Asreal. If we attempt to breach it, many will die. Yet we need to finish this. Too many lives have already been lost. Too many lives still hang in the balance.”

Caleb fought back his rising anger at the censure in Stefan’s tone. He’d fought countless battles for the Alliance over the years, and not once had he shirked his duties. That wouldn’t change now that he had a mate, but her needs came first. “I know the risk, Stefan, but I’m going to give her what time I can.”

Stefan stared at him, his onyx eyes unblinking. “The mating fire burns fiercely in you. I sense your need.”

“Is that why you demanded this meeting? Did you come to make sure I was still more man than beast? Or did you think I would forget my duty because I burn for my mate?”

“I requested this meeting to offer aid to one I consider more than a friend. We have helped each other many times in the past, and you have never questioned my intent. The fact that you do so now speaks clearly of your state of mind. Have you told her you must claim her on the next full moon or risk becoming more beast than man? Or is she one who demands the rite of courtship, no matter the cost? You are were, Caleb. Do not ape the humans to appease your mate. Mark her, willing or not. In time, all will be forgiven.”

Caleb felt his canines lengthen, his body going into a partial shift as his beast rose, angered to hear his mate spoken of in such a manner. He ruthlessly forced it back, knowing Stefan spoke from concern and a deep friendship forged in their childhood. “She knows I need her, and at the moment, that’s enough for her to deal with.” Caleb turned away, looking out over the valley below. “Though I will admit, claiming a mate is not the simple matter I thought it would be.”

Stefan joined him on the edge of the cliff, his harsh, aristocratic features softening as he surveyed the beauty of the valley below. “Women. Such fascinating creatures. They are mysterious, delightful—”

“And complicated,” Caleb broke in, rubbing a hand over the nape of his neck. He wondered if Max had obeyed him and remained safely tucked away in the cabin. Or was she having second thoughts about mating with him and planning her escape?

“Tell me of your mate. Perhaps in the telling, you may come to understand her better.”

Caleb smiled softly. “Max is not what I expected. She’s quite small, almost childlike in size, but shaped like a woman with curves in all the right places. And like a woman who knows her worth, she challenges me at every turn. I love her take-no-shit attitude, and I won’t deny that I was filled with pride when the seers told me my mate was destined to be the next mage slayer. But now, since finding her, I can’t imagine anything worse than having my mate go into battle with me.”

“You already care for this woman,” Stefan stated, his tone slightly surprised.

When Caleb gave him a dark look, Stefan shook his head slightly.

“Do not bother to deny it. We have known each other too long to prevaricate in such a manner. It is clear you are experiencing more than the fever of the mating bond. Nature may have chosen her as your mate, but your heart has chosen her as well.”

“Yeah, I care,” Caleb admitted, amazed at how little reluctance he felt in saying the words. “And the little hellion is smart enough to use that to her advantage.”

“Does she know of the prophesy?”

“Only the bare bones. I’ve been afraid to tell her everything.”

“Tell her. Whether she becomes the mage slayer of legend is yet to be seen.”

“You know the seers have never been wrong. I fear if I tell her the whole of it she’ll panic and run.”

“If she is still at your side after learning what you are, she is not faint of heart. I think you underestimate her.”

“You may be right, but although I don’t like giving her half truths, it’s a risk I’m not willing to take right now. Max has never had a normal life, and because of it, she craves normalcy. But once I claim her, a normal life is the one thing she will never have.”

“Unfortunate, but if the prophesy is to be believed, she will have little say in the matter.”

“She has a choice in this, Stefan. I won’t allow the Alliance to use her, prophecy or not.”

“You will claim her, because you must, and because destiny will not be denied. As for the Alliance, it uses us all, my friend. Never doubt it.” Stefan’s image began to waver, his body becoming transparent as he took his leave. “The Alliance is ruthless in its protection of Rephaims and mankind alike. My life, your life, all is expendable in the protection of Earth’s sentient life forms. In this, they do not waver. They do not hesitate. It is why we serve them. I as an assassin, you as their enforcer.”