Dawn of Fire

Chapter 8

Clover

Cassius had led the way to the riverbank and Clover had taken the time to admire his form. He truly was a handsome male. He was tall and his tanned skin looked golden in the sunlight. His black hair was wavy and tied back in a knot on his head and he wore dark leather boots with a leather outfit. He looked every bit the Warrior King she knew him to be.

Clover knew who he was the minute he told her his name. She had never seen him before except at her birth ceremony but she was an infant then. She wondered if the spell to practically erase her worked on mates or was there a loophole for that?

She sighed both out of annoyance at her situation and longing for the male in front of her. Could she tell him who she was? Could that be revealed? There was too much unknown and even though he is her mate she would do anything to jeopardize herself without talking to Aisling and Talon first.

The closer he got to the riverbank the more his scent changed. Most fae scents changed based on emotion. They still had their main scents but it was almost as if Fae could sense the emotions of others based on the scent he or she would put off.

Cassius scented as if he was sad, distressed, mad. There was so much rolling off of him that she could barely distinguish the emotion. If he was this emotional, what was it he wanted to talk to her about? Was it bad? It had to be bad if he was this torn up over it.

The river was calm today. The currents were moving at a lazy speed along the ground. Cassius perched himself on a boulder along the water's edge and Clover slowly paced to him. There was a willow tree nearby and she sat at the base of the trunk. Close enough to make her giddy with excitement but far enough away that if whatever he had to say was bad she could make a hasty escape.

Cassius’s shoulders were tense and his jaw was clenching tight. He opened and closed his mouth as if he was going to speak but changed his mind. He tucked his chin to his chest, growled, and clenched his fists. It was a few minutes before he looked up to her and the pain in his eyes made Clover gasp. She wanted to run to him. She wanted to know what was causing him so much distress.

Mates were attuned to each other. Much like the bond between Talon and Clover, mates could sense emotions, feel each other's pains, so long as the bond was strong enough and open between them.

“You know who I am,” he said. It wasn't phrased like a question but she nodded regardless. “I never thought I would find my mate. I've been alive for 100 years, ruling for nearly 50 years and even though I'm still young, it has felt like a lifetime.”

Clover fiddled with the grass under the willow tree trying to ease her nerves. She was confused where Cassius was going with this conversation.

“Yes, but you found me” she whispered with a small but hopeful smile on her face.

Cassius’s face stretched with a smile and the scar on his face and neck pulled with the motion. The scar didn't scare Clover. In Fact she liked it. She liked the face that a fae could live through such a traumatic event and persevere. It told her he was strong. It told her he was a fighter.

But as quick as he grinned, the emotion fled his face. He clenched his jaw again and ran his hand through his hair and down to the back of his neck. He looked to the sky as if it had all the answers. As if the gods could help him right now.

“What is it?” clover asked timidly. She was normally sure of herself but her nerves at the moment were nearly eating her alive.

“You are upset. I can tell. You mentioned you didn't think you would find your mate. Does that mean…does that mean you don't want me?” she asked. It was the question that was on her mind more and more every day. Just because rejecting your mate was rare doesn't mean it's completely unheard of. Especially with those in high power positions and politics. Which Cassius checked off on both.

He stood quickly and knelt before her and gripped her chin. He looked deep into her eyes before he opened his mouth.

“I want you with every fiber of my being. With every breath I take.” he started and she relaxed a bit.

“But it's not that simple.” he said with a hint of sadness and regret in his eyes.

She froze. Clover wasn't even sure if she was breathing or not. No, she was sure she wasn't breathing. How was it not that simple? She was his mate, he said he wanted her. That should have been the end of the store. Should it not?

“You are my mate, Clover. But in my position I have duties. Responsibilities. I need an heir, I need a strong lineage to ensure the safety and success of my kingdom. My council, my court, they won't let me just mate anyone even if it is the one the gods gifted me. Not with the unsurety of the world now. With the war on humans raging on, things are more delicate and fragile than ever.”

She understood that but how was her lineage even a question? Granted he didn't know who she was but once he knew it shouldn't be an issue. She just needed to tell him.

“My life has been planned out for me since the moment I was born. Plans change here and there but they relatively stay on the same course.” Clover understood that more than he realized.

“My court has selected a mate for me. I have been betrothed to her for the last year.” he said and Clover felt the words like a dagger to the heart. She tried to back away but her back hit the trunk and his hands gripped her chin tighter as if he wasn't willing to let her go.

How dare he? He just told her he already had a mate but he wasn't going to let her leave? He even told her he wanted her.

Her mind was swarming with so many thoughts she couldn't keep up with them all. She scrambled to her feet pushing him back and he started towards her only to stop when she bared her teeth at him.

It was a warning. Though fae females were treasured that didn't make them any less dangerous, deadly even. Clover wasn't a fighter and she hated battles more than anything but Talon made sure she knew how to handle herself. He made sure that she was never defenseless. Her hand slid under her cloak to her dagger ready to grab it if necessary.

Cassius backed up only a few steps and raised his hands in a placating manner.

“If you already have a chosen mate then that is my answer.” she said fighting to keep the emotion from her voice. She wanted to cry, she wanted to waver but one thing Talon taught her was to never show her emotions to anyone. Emotions could be used against you, and right now she didn't know if she could trust Cassius. Not with her emotions, or her heart.

“I have a chosen mate but she's not who I want! I have to take a mate of Noble Birth, be it my god's given mate or not. I have to do what's best for my kingdom but that doesn't mean that I don't want you!” he nearly shouted.

Clover snorted. If only he knew who she was. She was the only heir to the throne of Daramond. Noble birth, Strong Bloodline, the forging of two mighty kingdoms. Perhaps that's what the gods want. They don't want the fae divided, they want them to stand together as one. But with Cassius being a fool right now the gods wouldn't get what they wanted and Clover knew better than anyone to not anger the gods.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked. She wanted to see what the spell had allowed already when she told him her name many days ago. He sighed and bowed his head.

“I know your name is Clover, I know you're my mate. But I know that you are not of Noble birth. None that I know of and I've made it my mission to know them all.”

She huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. She knew it was disrespectful but she was done playing nice. She deserved more than this. She had been forced into hiding. Forced to flee her homeland, forced to take a step away from her duties as the heir to the throne. She didn't want to be forced to give up her mate too, but it wasn't her choice was it?