Rayner nodded. He lowered his head and spoke quietly to him as they walked. "I think you are each as stubborn as the other. I also think the priestess was not mistaken. You were marked as his mate for a reason. Before this adventure is through, we shall discover the purpose. I'm certain of it. His reaction proves it."
Riley let out a heavy sigh as they started walking again. "I doubt it. It's just the mark making him think we're connected. The only reason he's protecting me is to protect himself, not because he feels anything for me. Which is fine, I get it." Rayner looked oddly surprised by Riley's words.
"What makes you say such a thing?"
"Khalon told me the truth. If I get killed, it'll leave him weak and vulnerable." It had hurt to hear, but it was probably for the best.
"That is true, but there is far more to it than that. Did he not tell you?"
Riley frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Rayner glanced ahead at Khalon and seemed to think before coming to some kind of conclusion. He spoke quietly. "It is true. If Khalon does not lay claim to you or if you do not accept your position as prince, the demons will do their damnedest to kill you, and when they do, Khalon will be left weak and vulnerable. They will slaughter him, and the rest of us will soon follow since we will be left weakened as well."
"What?" Riley couldn't believe what he was hearing. Khalon didn't say anything about the Soldati being weakened too. Why wouldn't he tell Riley?
"Why do you think there are so many of the damnable creatures everywhere? They know. With the Soldati gone, the human world would be overrun with demons. Your death would weaken us all."
Riley's heart hurt. Why would Khalon intentionally leave that part out? Why make himself sound like a selfish jerk? To push you away.
"If you were to accept your position as prince, and he were to claim you, the demons would no longer hunt you, but you would remain mortal, and in our
realm, a human would never survive. Khalon would be forced to live out his immortal life without a prince."
"What if I accepted my position to be his prince, but he doesn't claim me?"
"If you were to be killed before he could claim you, he would not weaken, as you have accepted your position as Soldati prince and begun the claiming, but your soul would forever be in limbo, belonging neither to your world or ours, as you have pledged yourself to a mate, but have not been claimed."
"Well, that sucks too." So if he was claimed and became the Soldati prince, he wouldn't be hunted, but was still mortal, and his death would mean Khalon lived his immortal life without a mate. If Riley didn't accept his position as prince and Khalon didn't claim him, and Riley were killed, Khalon and the others would be weakened, vulnerable, and be killed. If Riley accepted his position and was killed before he was claimed, Khalon wouldn't be weakened, but Riley's soul would be in limbo for eternity. For crying out loud! Was there any scenario where Riley didn't end up dead or screwed?
"However, I believe that is not the worst of it."
"God, it gets worse?" What was worse than getting killed and having his soul be in limbo for eternity? Or in Khalon's case, getting killed along with the whole of his army? How could there be something worse?
Rayner stopped to face Riley, his voice laced with concern. "Think about it, Riley. He claims you and loses his heart to you. Despite what you may believe, Soldati kings are born to love deep. They give their hearts to one mate in their lifetime. We have lived for centuries and will continue to live for many, many more. How long does the average human live?"
Riley felt the sting in the back of his eyes. "If I'm lucky? Another fifty or sixty years or so. Maybe."
"So you see, Khalon is not merely protecting his kingdom and your world; he's protecting his heart. The thought of loving you so completely, only to lose you in such a short amount of time, is more than he can bear, and, I suspect, the true reason for his rejection."
Riley's chest felt tight. He'd been right. Khalon did feel something for him, more than just the connection of the mark. He was afraid to lose his heart, and then of course the small detail of maybe losing his life and the lives of his soldiers. Light flashed before his eyes and Riley gasped. He heard Rayner scream for Khalon before something slammed into Riley's chest, leaving him gasping for air.
It was like he was drowning. He gulped in deep breaths but no air seemed to fill his lungs. Everything around him grew blindingly white before it vanished suddenly. Riley stood alone in the middle of the woods. The trees were on fire, black smoke blocking out the sun and a fog surrounding him on all sides. Ash rained from the sky and Riley dropped to his knees at the carnage around him. Soldati warriors in human and tiger forms lay scattered all around him. All of them dead. Tears rolled down Riley's cheeks as he pushed himself to his feet, walking through the heaps of dead warriors, their skin or fur matted with blood, their eyes vacant and expressions filled with horror. So much blood....
Riley turned, realizing the bodies had all fallen in a circle around him. His gaze fell on a body dressed in black and he shook his head.
"No. Please." He forced himself to move, breaking into a run. He dropped to his knees beside Khalon, a sob catching his throat at Khalon's lifeless body. Blood stained his mouth, his once-vibrant green eyes now pale. "How...?" How could this happen? If Riley was still alive, how could Khalon--oh my God.
Riley had been so preoccupied by his devastation, by Khalon's death, he hadn't noticed the hand Khalon clutched to his side. With his heart in his throat and his body shaking violently, Riley stared at the man lying on his stomach in the mud, face turned away from him. It couldn't be. He pushed himself to his feet and shakily moved around to the other side of the body, his hands going to his mouth to stifle a cry as he stared into his own lifeless eyes.
Riley was dead. He shook his head then looked around. That's why they were all dead.
"No." He choked on the bile rising in his throat. "It's not my fault." Tears blurred his vision as he stepped back quickly, tripping on something and falling onto the muddied ground. He turned to see what he'd tripped on and found it was Rayner, a sword through his chest pinning him to the ground. A cry tore from his chest.
"Riley!"
Riley gasped, rising swiftly to the surface and breaking through. There were hands on him and someone tried to hold him.
"Riley, it's me. It's Khalon."