Threads of Fate

Chapter 72 ~ Time to Let Go

    Tissaia knew the moment her brother was gone, but just like him at the temple, she couldn't bring herself to let him go, even when his arm slackened around her. She held him even tighter to avoid letting it slip back down.

    Anything to pretend that he was still there just a little longer. To pretend that he was still embracing her. Still reassuring her. Still saying that he loved her, even though he was selfishly leaving her. Breaking her heart all over again. So many times, she'd thought all of its pieces had already been shattered, yet somehow, she was repeatedly proven wrong.

    She buried her nose in his tangled braid and drank in his dusty scent, ignoring the coppery tang that clung to it. A sob broke from her lips as she grew aware of his too still chest. He had always been there, from her very first moments alive. She had never known a world without her brother.

    He had always been the one she turned to. He had been the one to protect her. He had been the one to fight their father off so many times. He had never left her side, even after he and Kaius were mated. He could've had his own life, and still, he'd chosen to stay with her.

    Tissaia's head throbbed with the force of the sobs she was trying to hold back, and finally, she gave in and let them spill into the open. She heaved down ragged breaths as tears overwhelmed her and choked cries poured from her lips.

    Talarion had been so unselfish. He had sent away his first lover to protect him. He had kept Kaius a secret and spent so much time apart from him to keep him safe. He had put himself in harm's way to protect her. He had always put others' needs before his own. And now, the one time he had made a selfish decision, she would begrudge him it.

    Even though she had suspected...no, she had known that this was always his intention. A part of her brother had died with his mate, and only the part of him that wanted to protect her had kept him around this much longer. And now...he was gone. Her twin was gone.

    Tissaia cracked her eyes open, and with tears blurring her vision, she gazed at Talarion's relaxed features. Every part of him that made him like every part of her. Gently, she smoothed her knuckles down his cheek, then tipped their foreheads together as her tears continued to patter against his skin.

    "Do not go far from me," she whispered. "You swore that you would not go far from me if I wished it. I wish it now. Please, Brother. Please, don't go far."

    There was no response. His eyes remained closed, his lips slightly parted from the last words he'd spoken. Fresh tears welled within her gaze and Tissaia held him close as they spilled over once more.

•༻☽☾༺•

    Azael blinked his eyes open, briefly unsure of where he was, before the metallic scent of blood jogged his memory. He let out a muffled groan as he became aware of every lingering ache within his body, and the scorching pain that still lacerated his arm and shoulder. With his free hand, he tentatively pressed his fingers to his temple. They came away sticky and crimson stained, but he felt no gaping wounds in spite of his pounding headache.

    He swallowed in an effort to quell the dryness of his throat, then licked his lips. "Tissaia?" He rasped. There was no sign of his mate anywhere, but the bond within his chest was drowning with sorrow and pain. He braced his hand on the stone floor and shoved himself into a seated position. "Tissaia!" He called again, louder this time. Oh gods, she couldn't be...

    A faint sob reached his ears and Azael twisted, catching sight of her across the chamber. Dread and sorrow dropped into his stomach when he recognized the person she was clutching, his own arm now limply draped over her shoulder. Beyond them was the lifeless corpse of Roshan Lochren. Azael staggered to his feet and haphazardly sprinted over to Tissaia.