Falling in Love with the King of Beasts

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GAHRYE – Human World

An hour later, he stood in the hallway outside the suite, whispering with Kalle. She'd arrived as requested and with Elia calm, he'd slipped out to speak with her. She'd tugged him around the corner so they wouldn't be heard by anyone who came up the stairs and he'd gone, even though he should have been at the door. He couldn't resist.

But standing here, so close… her eyes wide with both curiosity and concern… his skin prickled, and his hands twitched with the urge to reach for her. He ached to know if her skin was as soft as it looked.

Her scent was perfect. Especially in this world that was full of such a sharp stench. When she smiled up at him and asked if Elia was okay, he could have gathered her in, lain on the floor and pulled her into his side and just inhaled her hair for an hour and been content.

But he swallowed and pushed the images of that kind of intimacy away. It wasn't his fate.

Kalle looked up at him, her brow furrowed and her full lips pinched thin. "What's the priority?" she asked carefully.

"We need anything that might give insight into what happens to humans who carry Anima babies," he said, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one else would come in. "Specifically, the effect it has on the human body, and any… any difficulties they may have suffered in delivering the baby. How long the pregnancy took… anything like that."

She nodded and made a note on the little notepad she'd brought with her. "I'm sure we'll have something, but I don't know how much," she murmured, concentrating on her notes. "It hasn't happened often that I'm aware of. Certainly not in the last three generations. I would have heard of it from my grandmother."

Gahrye sighed and resisted the urge to comb her hair back from her face as she looked down. "I'm not a keeper of the histories, but I think Aymora said it had been at least a dozen generations since a human had come to Anima. And maybe as many as twenty since there was a Queen."

"Yes, Ruth," Kalle said, nodding, which made her hair wave—which washed her scent over him and tightened his groin. Kalle, unaware of her effect on him continued making notes. "That was… yes, about three hundred years ago—at least on this side."

"So, time does move differently here?" he asked, hushed.

"We aren't sure. It seems like it isn't consistent. There are times we seem to be in step, other times we seem to move more slowly, and a very few times when we have evidence that Anima have lived longer than their human guardians by more years than they should have. But it's all… it's all difficult because we see you all so infrequently." She trailed off into mumbles and made more notes, frowning. "I know where I'll start looking, but the truth is, it could be anywhere. The tales of humans and Anima aren't collected anywhere. They are sprinkled throughout the histories."

"Then bring anything you can think of… also anything to do with how humans can survive returning here and go back to Anima healthy. We don't know how all of this is going to affect her—if the pregnancy will make those negative effects better or worse. If her humanity will make the pregnancy shorter or longer… we don't know anything. If you find anything…" he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair, suddenly overwhelmed with the risks that they faced. And the looming threats that they might not even see coming.

He closed his eyes for a moment, just to breathe—and push away the image in his mind of Reth pressing into his space and making sure he understood the vow he was making.

The cut on his hand had healed, but he felt it like a brand. Not because he regretted it. But… what if he failed? What if  Elia—

A soft touch on his arm made him jump—which made Kalle pull her hand away, but when he pulled his arm down to look at her, she was offering a sad smile.

"Your care for her… it's really touching," she said. "I was here when they took her. I didn't see it, but… that's been what? Less than a year. But it's obvious that you're a true friend to her. I'm glad to hear that. I felt so bad for her when she was taken. I thought she was going to die."

"We all did," he said honestly, his voice faint because she was standing close, her scent embracing him like a hug. "But," he swallowed convulsively, "she's a fighter. And… she's teaching us as much as we're teaching her. At least, I'm learning," he gave a cold chuckle.

"Thank you for caring for her. If I'd been the one… if I could have gone… I would have wanted a friend like that."

Gahrye blinked at her, and she gave him a quick smile and looked away, like she was embarrassed.

"Thank you," he breathed. "Thank you for saying that."

She shrugged, then went back to her notebook. But her cheeks were pink. "I think I know where to start," she said carefully. "And there will be a lot more at the university. I think…. I think if we can, you should come with me. There's some that we could check quickly while we're there, and if they don't have what we want, we won't have to cart them around. These old books are heavy, and—"

"Yes, definitely," he said instinctively. "I just… I need to do it when she's resting and not at risk.

Kalle nodded. "Okay, well I'm here for the day. I'll keep looking here and bringing things to you until you think it's a good time, then we'll just go. My grandmother is there, she'll make sure we get in and—"

"Thank you," he said and wished he didn't sound so breathless. "Thank you. I can't tell you… I wouldn't even know where to start."

She smiled. "It's what I'm here for. What I was created for," she said, then her eyes went sad and she looked away. "I'm really glad I'm going to be able to help you."

Me too, Gahrye thought.

He had to close his hand to a fist to stop himself stroking a finger down her arm. Then he turned away and muttered a curse.

She couldn't ever go to Anima. And he was avowed to take the Queen back and to stay by her side as Cohort.

Nothing could happen with Kalle. She probably wasn't even his mate. It was probably a deception from the voices. They knew how to tempt, right? That was their whole thing. Wasn't it?

"Actually, Kalle," he said, caressing her name in a way that made her blink. "If you have anything on the voices… it isn't as urgent. But personally, I'd like to understand them better too. So that when we do go back we can handle that safely."

She nodded and made another note. Then they were both quiet. It should have been awkward—Gahrye was really good at awkward. But they just looked at each other.

She was going to leave in a moment and he needed her to. But he swallowed hard because when she did, it was going to feel like she was walking away, taking a piece of his heart with her.