13. Khuldruk

13

KHULDRUK

A loud bang and rocking of the camper aroused Khuldruk from his sleep. He jumped from the bed, ready to fight whatever was coming for his little mate.

"Calli! Let's fucking go! We start in fifteen minutes!" a voice from outside shouted.

"Fuck!" shouted his little mate as she jumped out of bed, naked as the day she was born. "I'll be ready in a minute," she called as she threw her dress over her head.

"Get dressed," she said to him. "I'm late."

"Late for what?" he asked in confusion.

"Our gig. I have to be onstage in fifteen minutes."

He had totally forgotten she had a job to do. "Right," he said as he picked up his discarded clothes. They bumped into each other as they got dressed and laced up.

"Can you help me with this?" she asked as she started lacing her corset.

"Of course," he said as he pulled it and started to tie.

"Tighter," she said.

He pulled the strings and started to tie it off.

"Tighter," she said again as she pulled a brush through her hair. With a look of slight concern, he pulled them tighter and started to tie them off. "Tighter.”

"Don't you need to breathe to sing?" he asked.

"You're cute," she said with a smile as she stepped over to the tiny sink in her camper and got out her toothbrush. "What are you doing today?" she asked before shoving the toothbrush in her mouth.

"I don't have any plans. Although, I am looking forward to seeing you on stage again," he said while he watched her with an interested expression on his face.

"Okay, good. Let's go." She grabbed a handful of pins from the jar next to her small mirror and started pinning up her hair.

He followed out of her camper as she was putting the finishing touches on her dress.

"It's about time!" called the guys waiting for her in the golf cart. "Let's go."

She turned to him. "You'll come find me, right?"

"Yes, my pet. I will always find you," he said with solemn certainty.

She bit her lip and lowered her head. He really didn’t want to get out of bed with her when she looked at him like that. He wanted to sweep her back into that tiny space and have his way with her one more time.

"Calli," called one of the male voices from the cart.

He fought the urge to glower at them. She had a job to do. She bounded over to the cart and hopped on the back. She turned and smiled at him as the cart pulled off. She waved, and he fought the urge to run after her.

Once the cart was out of sight, he took off walking down the trail. As he started down the trail, he felt a funny feeling in his pocket, followed by a ringing sound. He pulled out the phone to find his brother's name had appeared on it, with a bar underneath his name that said answer . He looked at it in confusion as he continued to vibrate and ring. He shook it, but it did nothing to shut the thing up.

Finally, he tapped the screen, and suddenly, his brother's face was there.

"Brother," he said.

"How is this possible?" asked Khuldruk.

"I received this from the witch in the easterly wood. She said we could communicate."

"It seems we can."

"Have you found your mate?"

"Yes. I have."

"What good news! When will you return?"

His brow furrowed. Now that he was here, he wasn't sure what to do. Surely, Calli wouldn’t want to go live with him in the monster realm. She had a whole life here.

"Brother, when will you be back? I’ll start preparing the ceremony and the mating den."

He had been so certain of his path when he set off. He would come and find his mate and bring them back to the realm and save the magic. But now that he had seen Calli, he knew he had to give her a choice, and he wasn't sure he would be hers.

"Is this still working?" his brother asked loudly, holding his face close to the screen.

"Yes, it is working," Khuldruk muttered.

"Good. When will you return?"

"I don't yet know," he said.

"But you found your mate?"

Khuldruk nodded. "I need to go to her," he said.

"Brother," he started, but Khuldruk hit the end button, hoping it would make his brother disappear, and was pleasantly surprised when it worked.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His whole life was spent serving his clan, and being their leader had been everything. It was his identity and purpose. But once he laid eyes on Calli, that path wasn't as clear as it once was.

He set off down the trail, and the sounds of the fair were already in the air, sounds that would soon be bolstered by his lovely mate singing. He set off, eager to see her on stage again. Still, he was concerned because why would she want to leave all of this and how could he ask her to.

But on the other hand, he didn't belong here. Maybe if he wasn't a chief, he could just stay in this new world with his mate, but he was the chief. He had a responsibility to his people he couldn't just walk away from...but now, he also had a mate he couldn't just leave. He was at a loss as to what his next step should be.

As he came to the fair, he set off to find the stage his mate would be on, following the sound of the fiddle and drum. As it came into view, his little mate was taking the stage. Could he stay here with her if that was what she wanted? As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t. As much as it would rip his heart out of his chest to leave his mate in another realm, he couldn't just steal her from her life here. There had to be another way to save the magic in his realm.

He came to the tent where the Flying Kilts were playing, sitting on the benches towards the back. For just a moment, he allowed himself to dream about what it would be like if Calli did return home with him. She would rule the clan by his side. She would bring his people hope. The bond would prove that the magic was not dead. She would prove that his people could find a place in the ever-changing landscape of the monster realm.

Just then, he caught her attention on stage. As they looked into each other's eyes, she continued to sing, and at that moment, it felt like she was singing directly to him. The rest of the world fell away; all he heard was her voice. Was this the magic of the siren or the bond? He didn't know; he just knew she was everything.

He closed his eyes and stood to leave. It was like every cell in his body was screaming to go back to his mate and listen to her song, but he was overwhelmed by the utter need to be in two places: in his realm with his people, and wherever his mate was. Those might not be the same place, and he didn't know what to do about that.