Stellar
I shook myself free of the oppressive memories and stared into the intoxicatingly green eyes of the male before me. With a sigh, I leaned my forehead on Tamlin's chest. The overwhelming feeling of belonging, of HOME, soothed me and gave me the courage to face the brutality of my past that I had long since buried. "I was simply reminded of the ones who set me on this path," I muttered as I snuggled closer to his warmth.
Strong arms pulled my melancholy self into the solid and broad chest. "Tell me about it."
A command. A question. A request for me to lower the barriers that surrounded my fragile heart. I squeezed my midnight blue eyes shut as my arms tightened their hold on my mate. "What's there to say about a poor, defenseless little female who fought tooth and nail for everything she had for as long as she could remember? It's a tiring tale that few would find interesting. Besides," I grimaced as I pulled away from that warm embrace, "That girl is long gone." I pulled myself as far away as possible and started directly into Tamlin's eyes.
Shock ran across Tamlin's face as he was left speechless by the harsh words and rebuff to deepen our connection. Anger swiftly followed. The anger fueled his thoughts, and he quickly recovered.
Tamlin stood from the bed to stare at me in a single, fluid motion. "Listen closely, Stellar, and listen well." His glare intensified, deep blue eyes meeting radiant green. "You. Are. My. Mate. Your pain is my pain. Tell me why. Tell me who."
It wasn't a question. We both had been through so much to recognize that this… trauma… was from someone or, rather, many someone.
I broke free of the High Lord's menacing glare and rolled free of the bed, wings flaring slightly to help balance me. "You may be my mate, but you DO. NOT. OWN. ME. Nobody owns me." My wings flared wider in my anger. "I am a proud Illyrian warrior who is battle-tested and battle-ready. I have fought hard for my place in this world, and you will not take that away from me." My resolve hardened, banishing the female he just met. I would see that Tamlin felt pure terror and determination through our bond. I crouched into an attack stance. "You may be the High Lord of Spring, but you have not earned my loyalty."
As I watched Tamlin respond to my pure aggression, he stopped short at my words. I felt the confusion and his lack of control over his powers. I felt it wash over me and reveled in it for a moment, savoring the raw power of Tamlin, of a male who could hold his own against me.
As I spun from my revelation, I saw Tamlin bolt as he lost his faerie shape. I heard heavy feet grow farther and farther away. In my shocked state, I felt the turbulent emotions coming from the other end of the bond, and I couldn't make heads or tails of it. 'What happened? Why did he run away?' As I thought this, a light caress brushed along the barriers of my mind that heralded her High Lady.
"Go after him, Stellar. He needs you now."
I bolted after him without hesitation. Tamlin's trail through the mansion wasn't hard to follow until it hit the forest line. I raced through the forest, hoping his trail would stay this obvious to a skilled hunter like me, but I gave a firm tug on the bond, letting it guide me.
It wasn't long until his trail became more challenging to follow, as if Tamlin had tried his best to lose her in this dense forest. 'It's a good thing Cassian taught me how to hunt.' I let out a humorless huff at the thought of Cassian "teaching" me anything. 'More like dropped me in some remote location with my wings magically bound and nothing but a small hunting knife and the clothes on my back. Prick.' I carefully followed my mate through an unknown forest, reminiscing about her experiences in a similar forest.
The smell of water had me pausing. 'I didn't know this forest had lakes here, but I can feel Tamlin very close by. He must be at the source of water I'm smelling.' I trod with caution, not wishing to provoke the High Lord who was so close by. The turbulent emotions stemming from the bond also lent an air of reluctance to her.
With a firm square of my shoulders, I took a deep breath and strode forward with confidence I did not feel.
Alright, please review. Stellar has deviated from the female I introduced before. As I was rereading, I realized that I did not give her Illyrian blood enough sway. That will be changing now. Any who, welcome back and please let me know that you think.