Falling in Love with the King of Beasts

GAHRYE

Eve hurried to help Kalle with the bags, heaving one onto her shoulder. Then they made the strangest procession to that cluster of rocks at the end of the garden, near where the trees lined the wall. Gahrye was concerned as Eve staggered, but they made it and Gahrye paused as the two women circled back around them, putting the bags to the ground near the opening to the portal itself, then came back to him.

Eve walked over to squeeze his hand once. "It was an honor to meet you. Thank you for making Kalle so happy," she said. 

Gahrye blinked. "Thank you, too. For everything. I hope I will see you again soon."

"Not too soon," she said, glancing back towards where Shaw's body lay. "I think we might have some trouble with the Police for a while and I don't want you caught up in that, okay?"

He nodded. They squeezed hands again, then she turned and walked slowly back up the trail. She wouldn't leave, he knew, but she was giving them space. 

Then he turned to his mate and readied himself to say goodbye as Elia paced the grass beside him. 

Kalle bit her lip and stared up at him in the moonlight, and he didn't think there was a more beautiful sight in all of Anima. When he stroked her cheek, she blew out a breath and it made her hair flutter, pushing her scent towards him. He resisted the urge to close his eyes and absorb it. He didn't want to take his eyes off of her.

"I'm sorry that I have to go," he murmured.

She shook her head. "Let's not get into that again," she said in a high voice, then cleared her throat. "We just got a whole bunch of new information. We're learning so much. I'm going to keep learning. I'll have a ton to tell you when you get back, so you better make sure not to leave it too long. I'll read all the histories and… and I'll be ready. When you come back, you'll have questions and I'll be ready to answer them."

He nodded and stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I love you, Kalle."

"I love you too."

"I'm so grateful to the Creator for you, that He gave me to you for this time."

"Me too."

They stared a moment longer, then he took her mouth, unable at first to do more than simply brush his lips over hers in a bare touch, letting the tip of his tongue trace her top lip. 

She sighed and pressed closer, opening her mouth, and suddenly the kiss was deep and desperate. She was so careful to avoid squeezing his sore side, and he marveled again at her thoughtfulness and kindness. He could barely hold her hard enough, pulling her in, despite the pain it caused in his back.

"Mine," he whispered, then nipped at her neck. 

"Yes," she cried and let her head drop back so he could take her throat.

"Forever, Kalle." 

"Yes. And you're mine," she said, suddenly fierce.

Gahrye groaned as she kissed her way up from his collarbone to this throat, pulling him down so she could reach, and sucking at the cord of his neck, nipping at this skin. Gahrye gave the mating call and she whispered, "Mine," again. Then he groaned and dropped his head to hold her, shaking with the intensity of the emotions rolling through him. 

Suddenly, from behind him, Elia's beast groaned something akin to the mating call—but not. As if she acknowledged them as Mates, but didn't take it for herself. He turned, tears in his eyes, to find the beautiful beast staring at him. And there, in the deep golden gaze of the lion, he remembered his purpose. He remembered why this goodbye was necessary. 

And he remembered his friend and prayed he hadn't lost her.

"We have to go," he said, his voice rough and husky.

"I know." Kalle wiped her eyes and stepped back, then leaned back in one more time for a quick kiss. Then she picked up the bags one by one to help Gahrye put the straps of both over one shoulder, and stepped back.

"Forever," she murmured under her breath.

"Forever," he repeated. 

Then he turned to find Elia still staring at him through the beast's eyes and opened his hand. She stalked forward slowly, her great body liquid and silent, padding across the grass. When she reached his side, he put a hand to the top of her head. "Just follow me," he said, then with a last, longing glance at Kalle, he started forward, his breath hitching in his chest.

He was shaking, but he ignored it, putting his free hand forward to breach the Portal first as they approached that shimmering light… only for his fingers to stub on its surface.

It's surface that was, once again as hard as the rocks around it.

***** 

"How did you get back last time?" 

"I don't know," he growled, frustrated. "At first it was like this, then after a while it started to give under my hand… then half an hour after that I could walk through again."

"Do you think it was just time?"

"I don't know. I didn't see anything in the stories about the Protectors not being able to go through."

Eve frowned. Kalle had taken his hand and been unwilling to let it go, he feared this drawn out goodbye was just killing them both. He raked his free hand through his hair, then hissed at the pain from his back. Kalle looked at him, worried. "I'm fine, I just forgot and moved too quickly."

"Tell me everything you did on the other side, Gahrye," Eve said, frowning at the Portal. She kept mouthing the word 'protector,' but whatever she was thinking, she hadn't found her answer yet. 

Gahrye made himself think back. Sitting outside the doorway, pressing on it. Praying. Pressing again. Then again—and it gave, just a little. Praying some more. "Then I got thirsty and went out to the river to drink. When I got back it opened for me immediately."

Eve looked at him sharply. "What did you do at the river?"

"I washed my hands and arms—I had been bleeding from the trip through—then drank, then… nothing else."

Eve blinked. She looked at his hands, then his side, then his face. "Protectors," she said, hushed.

"Yes?"

"The traverse… you can't go through it in groups usually, correct? Even if the groups are separate?"

Gahrye nodded, not following. "Yes. Without a Protector, an Anima has to go alone. If more than one Anima enter the traverse at the same time, neither of them are ever seen again."

Eve closed her eyes. "And it's your blood that you use to keep the voices at bay, when you cross?"

He nodded. "Yes, why?"

"Your blood is the key, Gahrye. You need… I think you need blood spilled just for the purpose of protection. Then the portal closes, stopping anyone else from going in unaware of your being there already. You need to wash off all the old blood. Then it will open for you."

Gahrye's jaw dropped and he turned to look at Kalle. "I think she's right. When I was coming back I had blood from the first crossing. When that was gone, it let me in."

Kalle's smile crumpled. "I think that's it, too."

Elia's beast huffed. She was still pacing, but she wasn't panting anymore.

A few minutes later, he and Kalle emerged from behind the boulder pile where he'd changed into clean clothes after Kalle washed all the blood off of his side and hands. 

He opened his mouth, reached for her to pull her in, but she shook her head. "You need to just go," she whispered, her voice trembling. "If… if you don't… I won't be able to let you go. Just do it, Gahrye. Don't think. Just go. I love you. Never forget that, I love you and I'll wait forever."

He groaned and squeezed her hand, but he knew she was right. So with one last, longing look at her beautiful face, one last stroke of her cheek to wipe away her tears, he lifted the bags onto his good shoulder and turned to find Elia at his hip again.

Then, without looking back, he and Elia's beast walked through.