Love’s Eternal Fire

Chapter 5: A Leader

Solaris' POV

Kesi flew away, leaving me dazed, confused, and shocked. I watched her silhouette become smaller as she whizzed through the sky. It had been eighteen years since I saw her, and it felt like only yesterday. I had never forgotten her, not for a second. Her bright green eyes burned into my memory, haunting my dreams. Little did she know I had come back to this exact spot for weeks after our parents separated us. It wasn’t easy since my parents had me under constant guard, but I managed to slip away when I could. She never came, despite how much I hoped she would. After about three weeks, I stopped coming because giving my guard the slip was getting harder and harder.

I never thought I would see her again, even after attacking the fairylands. We only attacked because one of our ranking members' children had gone missing. It had to have been the fairies; they were the only people who came after us. Although it seemed strange that I would be mated to a fairy, I knew Kesi was nothing like what I had been taught. Spreading my wings wide, I took off, heading for home. Being phoenixes, we could access our wings and powers without shifting completely, unlike werewolves. Landing outside my house, immediately, my brother stalking towards me caught my attention.

"Solaris," he growled.

"What, Ryse," I asked, wondering what he could want.

"Lysander said you hesitated to kill a fairy," he told me, pointing his finger at my chest.

"He's mistaken," I lied. "They flew away before I could get a clear shot. We were in the woods, and the thick trees were hard to see."

"You should have just fired and thought about it later; it didn't matter what you hit as collateral," Ryse seethed.

"Sorry, I froze for some reason," I explained, touching the doorknob and watching his amber eyes narrow. "Is that all you needed?"

"Just don't let it happen again," he told me sternly. "They could have been the ones that took Osiris."

"It won't," I replied shortly, opening the door and closing it quickly before he could ask any more questions. Leaning against the door, I let out a sigh. This felt like when we were kids; we had to sneak and lie to everyone around us. Being older meant we had a lot more to lose, but the thought of not being able to be with my mate was gut-wrenching. I knew we were mates from the second I saw Kesi when I was ten years old. Something pulled me to her and wouldn't let me forget her even after all this time. Hopefully, she felt the same and would accept me. When we swore to be mates, we did say we planned to leave our homes behind and find somewhere new to live.

"Solaris, are you home? Ryse told us you didn't kill a fairy." My dad's irritated voice rang out in my head. Since phoenixes could shift like wolves, we could also mind link.

"Yes, I'm home; it was just a misunderstanding," I told him. "They flew away before I got a clear shot." Only my family knew what happened between Kesi and me, and I wondered if they would know I had seen her again. Not that I had intentionally done it; seeing her had been fate.

"Come to my office, your mother, and I want to speak with you," he ordered.

"I'll be right there," I told him. F*ck... If they wanted to see me, it wasn't a good sign. Opening the door, I made the short trek to the main house where my dad and mom had their offices. Our clan was quiet after the fighting; people were still upset Osiris had been taken. He was only fifteen and hadn't been seen in almost twelve hours. My dad had no evidence that the fairy people had taken him, but that didn't stop him from attacking anyway. I didn't know if the fight had yielded anything, but maybe that was what he wanted to talk to me about.

"Come in," rang his still firm voice when I knocked on his office door. Opening it, I saw him sitting rigid in his high-back black chair, glowering at me from behind his large stone desk. My mother looked equally disapproving, standing next to my father, her sharp nose turned up slightly. One thing about my mother is that she always put on a hard exterior around my father, but she was much kinder and understanding when she was alone.

"Have a seat," my dad asked, motioning to the hard wooden chair in front of his desk. This room had no comforting cushions, only hard stone and wooden furniture. The room is designed to intimidate and threaten rather than welcome and invite. The only photo in the room was a large one above his desk. It was a family portrait, taken about five years ago, with all of us looking sternly into the camera, gathered around my father in his chair.

"Did you find anything out about Osiris or his whereabouts?" I asked first, hoping this was all this meeting was about.

"No, unfortunately not," he told me. "We weren't able to capture anyone to interrogate."

"I'm sorry; I'm sure we'll find him soon," I added.

"I hope so; his parents are very worried about him," my mom said.

"That's not why we called you here," my dad told me. Holding my breath, I waited for the onslaught of anger. "We want to talk with you about you becoming the next leader of our clan." That was not what I was expecting at all, and I felt my expression change from worry to surprise.

"What about Ryse? He's the oldest; he should be the next one in charge," I replied. "He's been preparing to take over for years."

"Yes, he should be, but his unwillingness to take a mate has complicated things, and so has his inability to think before he jumps into action," my dad told me. "It's come to my attention that he's too hot-headed to lead these people."

"I thought our leader needed to be hot-headed," I said, thinking about him and his rash decisions.

"They have to be strong and willing to make difficult decisions, but they need to think before they act. It might not look like all the decisions I've made throughout the years had been made with thought, but believe me, they have," he replied.

"He's not going to like this," I reminded him. Leading our clan had been something Ryse had talked about since we were kids. He never let me forget he was the older one and the one who would one day be telling me what to do. I did not see myself leading this clan; maybe that was simply because having an older brother meant I didn't have to.

"No, he won't, but it's my job to make the best decision for this clan, and I believe that's you. As long as you can follow the rules that have been set because a leader needs to set a good example," he told me. The way my dad was staring at me right now gave me the impression he knew exactly what was happening in the woods a few minutes ago, or at least who I had hesitated to kill. One thing I had never done in my life was kill a fairy. I wasn't able to, after promising to be Kesi's mate, and I thought she would hate me if I ever did. It hadn't been an easy thing to do with so many attacks, but I always found a reason not to hurt someone.

"I'm not sure I want this responsibility," I told him. Being twenty-eight meant I could take over for my dad if he wanted me to, but did I want to?

"You have to," he told me. "This is your duty as my son."

"Does this mean you're planning to step down from your position?" I asked, wondering when this transition of power would take place.

"Soon, I will be. I'm getting too old for these constant attacks, and I need someone I can trust in charge," he said.

"I understand," I replied.

"That's all we wanted you for," my dad told me. Nodding my head, I stood up to leave.

"Thank you for doing this, dear," my mom added.

"Yeah, sure," I said, heading for the door.

"Son," my dad said, stopping me with my hand on the doorknob. "Remember that you must follow every rule and law set, even those we might not agree with." Turning my head slightly, I knew what he meant. Opening his office door, I exited quickly. This would throw a wrench in any plan to be with Kesiray if she wanted to be with me.

Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough, and as I was going to bed that night, I was reminded of being a child. I lay awake, smiling at the thought of seeing her and wondering what adventure we would have today. This was different, though; as kids, we didn't have the pull or desire of the mate bond.

For most of the day, I tried to focus on the combat class I taught the young warriors before they received their powers and wings. Ryse taught the older kids who were sixteen and older. His challenging and intimidating personality didn't suit him for teaching young children, who were often frightened of him and would refuse to come to class. When noon approached, everyone went to lunch, but I ducked out, disappearing into the woods and flying low between the trees to avoid being detected.

I reached the clearing before Kesi, hoping she would still show up. After a few minutes, I could hear movement nearby, and she emerged out of the trees. Stunningly beautiful, she took my breath away, just like the first time I had seen her. Her long brown hair was tied back in a braid that fell over her shoulder. Fairies usually wore the color tones of their element, and her bright green short spring dress matched her eyes perfectly. Her full lips pulled up slightly in a smile I could tell she was trying to hide.

"You came," I said with a smile. She held up her hand when I stepped towards her, making me stop. "What's wrong?"

"I think we should keep some distance between us," she told me, which hurt.

"Why? It's just me," I reassured her, thinking maybe she thought I had brought other people with me as an ambush.

"I know, but with the mate bond, I think it's best if we don't get too close," she explained. So she felt it too, the desire to be together, the pull of fate asking me to pull her into my arms and mark her as mine.

"Okay," I told her, respecting her wishes and remaining where I stood. We just looked at one another, her expression confused and almost sad. Neither one of us knew what to say after so many years apart.