Chapter 24

ACHILLES. It takes me a long while to realize the meaning and the weight of the words that I just uttered to Claudia. But when the realization finally hits, I just stare into her eyes, waiting in dread for the sense of doom to kick in. Because I shouldn’t have a mate. I never considered myself someone connected to anyone by fate. That thing is rare nowadays, with the war going on. Nearly all the marriages lately have been done for power, status, and protection. It was never about love anymore. Never about destiny. So I distanced myself from it. Until now. Now that I’m face to face with the one that’s meant for me. I wait for it to feel wrong, to feel almost deviant. But it doesn’t. It feels freeing. Warm and comforting. A fire in the hearth burning after a long day out in the cold. It’s welcoming. And when Claudia meets my eyes, her face soft with surprise, I can’t help but feel that it all makes sense. She feels so good against me. She’s home to me. But more than that, she ign