Calan pushed away the thoughts before his anger consumed him and focused on Rhys’s suggestion. “No. Harley said her mother was raped. She knew.”
Rhys made a noncommittal sound.
“Harley admitted to enduring for all the years we’ve been separated because of the promise she made to me.”
“Which promise did she deem worthy of keeping? As I recall, she made more than one.”
Calan accepted the jab. He too felt the sting of Harley’s broken vow where she’d promised to come to him. No longer did he want to dwell on it, not when she’d finally returned. “She survived by using the knowledge I shared with her, and she held on to her honor because she promised to retain her goodness until I could finish saving her.”
“Is she still worthy of the sacrifice you seem so eager to make?”
Calan raised his inner guards, blocking Rhys from the knowledge of how close she was to becoming Unseelie.
Rhys’s laughter echoed around them. “The fact that you have to hide your own doubts from me proves the truth.”
“It proves I am protective of my future mate.”
Rhys’s amusement died abruptly. He turned his silver eyes, similar to their father’s, onto Calan. “Do not forget the oath you made to the Triad. Break it, and you damn the world.”
The mention of the triple-faceted deity who ruled over all sent a chill down Calan’s spine. The Huntsmen had stood in the being’s presence once—the day they’d embarked on their final battle. Never did Calan want to see the deity again. He’d felt stripped raw from its all-seeing touch. He hadn’t been able to shake the feeling his fate had been sealed in that moment. Not knowing its appraisal of his worth bothered Calan the most.
He met Rhys’s piercing stare. “I have not, nor will I ever forget the reason I was created or my vow to the Triad that I would protect the humans at all costs.”
“Good.” Rhys dipped his head. “Then trick Harley into releasing you and walk away. You would serve the humans better as a Hunter, not as a demigod mated to a tainted fairy.”
“No. That isn’t an option.” Calan’s voice took on a low growl. “I will mate Harley. I will save her and the world.”
Silence stretched. Finally Rhys sighed. “I hope that is a vow you can keep, my brother.”
With those words, Rhys cut the connection between them. Calan opened his eyes and glanced at the dagger that had taunted him for a thousand years.
“I will, Rhys.” Calan straightened his spine. “I vowed to avenge the wronged, and Harley was damned before she even took her first breath. If anyone deserves to be saved, she does.”
He only hoped he could keep his promise without breaking any other one.
Chapter Eight
Harley sat on a thick quilt in the middle of her living room floor. Sunlight peeked around the edges of the heavy drapes. The brightness didn’t bother her. She’d trained her body to sleep in full sunlight without fear of being woken by the glare. Sometimes she did so just to add a little color to her pale skin. With her platinum hair, she often looked washed out. Today, she didn’t want to go outside or leave the shades open and risk a redcap seeing the mark on her palm. Unlikely one of the Unseelie’s creatures would find her here, but Calan’s warning forced her to take extra precautions.
The triple locks on all the doors were secured. The windows were bolted, and she had her dagger and a gun within reach. The small revolver wouldn’t kill a redcap or a sluagh, but it’d slow them down. She’d learned to embrace everything that gave her an advantage.
Assured she was as safe as she’d get, Harley cradled her hand and stared at the swooping X, though the description didn’t quite fit the symbol. The lines didn’t bisect at the middle. The curved edges overlapped so a small circle formed at the center. She traced them as she’d done countless times since she’d left Calan’s prison. No tingles accompanied the exploration nor did she feel the flare of the chaos she carried.
Eyes closed, she reached inside herself—something she’d learned normal people couldn’t do after a few awkward moments with her family—and examined the evidence of Calan’s touch. A silky, shimmering second skin wrapped around her heart and spread out to coat every organ and vein.
She examined it from all angles, then used a metaphysical hand to stroke the shrouded veil. Warm and alive, the iridescent glaze pulsed with life. The scent of a smoky campfire wafted around her with the simple stroke. Calan. Harley could taste him on her lips too. She pulled back, more confused than ever. The intimate connection to him shouldn’t be possible.
“What did he do to me?”
“Let me shield you from the chaos your father infected you with.” His words echoed in her head.
Realization struck. She gasped.
He’d imprinted himself on her, for lack of a better term, and formed some kind of barrier against the chaos she’d been born with. That was why she could feel Calan even with the distance separating them.
“He saved me.”
Or started the process, according to him, and awaited her return to finish it. By making love to her? She shook her head at the wanton thought but very much hoped it was the truth. The romantic aspect of it brought a breathy sigh to her lips.
Harley tugged off her clothes and tossed them on the couch. The cool air in her house did
