The following morning, Callum informed Madelynn and Elise that they’d be journeying to Thelm, to find temporary residence in his parents’ guest house while he scrounged enough funds for a house of their own. After gentle probing, he confirmed that he was, in fact, coming with. So, they packed the few things they had and piled into the small carriage once again.

Madelynn sat next to Callum, her hand clasped between both of his in his lap, as Elise reclined on the bench across from them.

She picked absently at her teeth while Madelynn cringed at the sight.

“So,” Elise broke the silence, sucking in a sharp breath. “Not to be a downer on the whole marriage-relocation thing-” she waved a hand between the two of them, her eyebrow raised- “but why are we traveling across the country to stay away from Casimir if he already knows where we are?”

Callum leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “Well,” he began, his hands waving out in front of him as he explained, “if we can find a way to neutralize the rune, we’ll have to move anyway. As soon as he realizes that tie is broken, he’ll lash out. His shifting is strong, but it’ll take him time to get from Daam all the way to Thelm. The further we are from him, the better.”

Madelynn bit her lip, her mind traveling back to those moments when she’d shifted. Then to Casimir’s words. She knew he wasn’t a trustworthy source, but she couldn’t help wondering how much truth was in his words. After all, Callum was always going to be just one side of a story. “Why’d he do it?” she blurted, gnawing on her thumb nail as she stared at the side of Callum’s face. They’d barely spoken since her meeting with Casimir, besides clarifying that he hadn’t hurt her. What if he knew what they’d spoken about? Did he know she was questioning his genuinity? Or was he simply avoiding a difficult subject?

Callum turned to face her, his eyebrows drawing together. “Why’d who do what?” he asked, and Madelynn realized she’d been so lost in her thoughts he hadn’t been paying attention to their conversation.

“Why did Casimir mark you?” Madelynn clarified, her eyes darting to Callum’s middle before snapping back up to his face. “He knew we’d try to run?”

Callum shook his head, his expression turning solemn. “Cas is a very strange man,” he said in a monotone draw. “I still don’t know why he does the things he does. Revenge, maybe, for stealing you away from him?”

Madelynn just nodded her head. She wanted to press the subject, to rip apart everything he’d ever said to her, but her head still ached from the shifting yesterday. Instead, she just leaned back on the bench, her head tipping to rest on Callum’s shoulder.

He brought a hand up to play absently with her hair, his other still clasping hers in his lap. The easy conversation between Callum and Elise lulled her into a trance, the rumbling of his voice pulling her down toward relaxation. She inhaled- cedar, fresh rain, and a hint of mint. He laughed at something Elise said, his shoulder rocking against her gently.

The sound was deep and smooth, bringing her back to the moment he’d beamed at her, pulling two silver rings from behind his back. It had barely been five days, but it felt like a lifetime ago when he’d pulled the twine from her finger, replacing it with the delicate silver band. Everything felt so far away- the way he’d smiled lazily at her when he accused her of being bland. That same man, that slightly drunk, disheveled soldier, became her husband in such a short amount of time. Her chest tightened as she realized how easy things had been then, before she drug him into her mess of a life. He’d probably be much happier if they’d never met to begin with.

He’d thrown everything away for her- his life, nearly, twice now in the past eight days. She clenched her eyes shut, the image of him dangling by Casimir’s Essence burnt into the back of her eyelids. How could he go from so near to death to chatting and laughing so easily? It hadn’t even been a full day, the deep red bruises still circled around his neck, his eyes still bloodshot and glassy. Was it all an act? Was he putting on a strong face for her? The thought made her sick, that he’d be forced to live a life full of false composure just to hide his suffering from her.

Their conversation died, and Elise turned her attention to one of the many books she’d bought in town. Madelynn’s ears still rang from the shifting, the sudden silence pressing in on her eardrums. Her eyes flicked up to Callum’s neck, the crass, red bruises angry and painful looking. Instinctively, she reached her hand up, her fingers brushing lightly over the rough, scabbed skin.

Callum jumped. “You scared me,” he said quietly, that handsome, dimpled smile brightening his features. “I thought you were sleeping.”

Madelynn shook her head, watching his eyes scan her face, as if searching for something wrong. “No, just lost in thought,” she admitted, her eyes flicking down to the bruises once again. That had been the second time she’d watched him suffer, unable to do anything to help him.

As if sensing her thoughts, Callum’s hand in her hair dropped to her back and drew her into him, until she buried her face in his chest. “You’ve been… off, since yesterday,” he said carefully, prodding the conversation lightly, as if nervous she might unravel at the mention of the previous day’s events.

Madelynn just shrugged, not willing to share her thoughts with him just yet. “I think the shifting stole my energy.” She clutched at the front of his shirt, willing away the tears tugging at the back of her eyes. His hand resumed twisting through her curls, gently massaging at her scalp. Why was he so stoic while she was falling apart? How many near-deaths did it take for someone to become so immune to the lingering after-effects? The idea of him suffering at the hands of Casimir clawed at the back of her mind. If he could brush off being nearly strangled to death so easily, what atrocities had he already overcome?

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Hey,” Callum said softly, his hands cupping her cheeks as he pulled her up to look at him. His thumb brushed away a tear she hadn’t even realized was there. “What’s wrong?”

Madelynn frowned at the concern in his features, the softest crease forming between his brows as his eyes searched her face again. She opened her mouth to respond, but couldn’t find the words to voice her worries. Would he even understand if she told him? She just shook her head and tilted her head up, pressing her lips to his in the softest whisper of a kiss. When she pulled back, he tilted his head at her, a hint of confusion pulling at the corner of his lips. “You’re an incredible man,” she whispered, her hand coming up to caress his cheek, the stubble there tickling her fingertips. “I hope you know that.”

His features softened at her words, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him once again as he let out a sigh. “You could’ve just told me,” he said, his tone soft but laced with sarcasm, “there’s no reason to cry about it.”

Madelynn smiled against the collar of his shirt, his white hair tickling her cheeks as she rotated so she could pull her legs up onto the bench with them.

His hand rested comfortably on her knee as the rise and fall of his shoulders lulled them into a comfortable silence. His warmth wrapped around her, and she couldn’t help letting her thoughts wander back to that golden mist. Casimir’s Essence was soft and velvety, almost like sunlight reflecting off of an ocean of nectar. Elise’s took the form of blue light. She wondered what Callum’s Essence felt like. She’d only seen it the one time, when it climbed up his arm in a cloud of gray droplets. She wondered what her own would look like, once she learned to harness it- hopefully less of a puss-green color than it was under her skin.

The carriage rattled loudly as it powered through into the night, the wheels jumping over rocks and potholes. A single lantern attached to the ceiling lit the cabin in a soft gold hue. Elise had reclined across her bench, her bag tucked under her head as a pillow, the book in her hands sprawled across her chest as she slept- silently, this time.

“Oh,” Callum said suddenly, pulling himself away from Madelynn just enough to reach down into his own bag. “I grabbed this for you when I was in town the other day.” He pulled out a rectangular parcel, worn cloth enclosed around what was obviously a book.

Madelynn sat up, accepting the gift with a smile. She pulled at the twine until the cloth fell away, revealing a leather bound book. She flipped it over to read the title across the spine. The Science of Essence Bearing. “Oh, this is incredible,” she breathed out, pulling the cover open to flip through the pages. “But, I thought you didn’t think I was ready to learn?” she added with a raise of her eyebrows.

Callum chuckled, his fingers brushing across the leather binds. “I don’t think you’re ready to learn combative Bearing yet, but with Elise’s teachings, I’m sure you’ll be there in no time.” He leaned back against the wall of the cabin, stretching his long legs out around Madelynn. “I thought we could read it together, unless you’re too tired.”

“No, I’d love to.”

She untangled herself from his legs, and he spread his arms out wide, his hands beckoning her in to lay on top of him. “It’ll be comfier,” he drew out in a playful tone.

A laugh erupted from Madelynn’s chest as she crawled across him, letting the book drop onto his chest as she reached up to plant a kiss against his lips. He snatched the book out from under her and smiled easily into her hair as she settled herself onto her back, her head tucked under his chin.

“Oh, your wound!” she exclaimed as she realized her butt was digging straight into the rune in his side.

She bucked her hips upward, but he just wrapped his arm around her, pulling her back down onto him. She rolled onto her belly as he swiped her hair out of his mouth. “I’m fine,” he said finally, a laugh dancing at the end of his words. “Thanks to our little trumpeting healer over there,” He motioned toward Elise, whose mouth hung open as she slept away, “it stopped hurting a few days ago.”

“Oh,” Madelynn drawled, raising her eyebrows suggestively as she brought her hands up to cushion her chin against his collar bones. “Does that mean you’ll start training me once we’re settled?”

He rolled his eyes, but a smile spread across his lips as he tightened his arms around her back. “Do you think of anything besides training?”

“Hmm…” She pursed her lips, her eyes darting around as she pretended to be deep in thought. “Let’s see. I think an awful lot about your pretty eyes,” she said innocently, batting her own eyelashes up at him. “And your pretty dimples.” She brought her hand up to drag a thumb across his cheek, right where a dimple would emerge. And the way he’d groaned when she’d dragged her teeth across his bottom lip. Her gaze fell to his mouth, and he swallowed thickly at the words unspoken between them.

He won’t hesitate to lie to protect the ones he loves.

Casimir’s voice rang through her, uninvited, and that knot was back in her lower belly. The images of Callum’s body dangling in the air flashed across her vision, and she slammed her eyes shut.

“Wait, what was that?” Callum asked, as his hand rubbed gentle circles into her back. “What just happened?”

Madelynn just shook her head, letting her forehead rest against his chin. “I don’t even know how to tell you,” she choked out, her words dampened by her hands.

He didn’t respond right away, continuing to rub her back, until he adjusted under her, rolling her over until she stared up at the ceiling. “Well, how about this,” he started, his voice soft but firm as he held the book over them. “I’ll read to you, since I’m such an incredible man-” Madelynn smiled, as he hugged her against him- “and we can talk about it tomorrow.”

She nodded, her hand finding his, where it rested against her belly, and intertwined their fingers. Her other hand gripped his arm, as if he might disappear out from under her.

He cleared his throat and started on the first page. She didn’t pay attention to the words- couldn’t- as the vibration of his voice rumbled through his chest, willing her to close her eyes.

He didn’t stop reading until she was on the verge of sleep. He dropped the book down onto the floor of the cabin and let out a long sigh, shifting under her to push them further down the bench and rolled his shoulders. He brought his free arm around her and pressed his lips into her hair. Sleep overwhelmed her as she listened to him whisper into her hair. She would’ve thought she’d imagined it if it wasn’t for his hot breath tickling her scalp.

His words held a weight she didn’t realize would feel so heavy in her chest, but as she let herself slip into peaceful oblivion, she decided that she loved him too.