The Priestess' Affair [Books 1 &2]

Book 2: Chapter 42

-HIM-

"I'm going with you, and you can't do anything to stop me," she challenged me, an inferno burning in her eyes. This only agitated me further. I couldn't understand why she would willingly put herself in danger.

Sure, I decided to bring her here, but I couldn't take her beyond this. This is where I drew the line. Even though I was sure about my plan, a healthy amount of risk and danger was still involved. After all, it was one of the most fierce warrior tribes in my kingdom. Things could go wrong at any moment, and having Theresa there would be nothing but foolishness.

If she went with me there, I wouldn't be able to focus on the mission. I'd be too focused on her safety and keeping her out of trouble. No. I wasn't going to let her come with me. I couldn't afford to, but the look she gave me was fierce determination. She wouldn't back away so quickly, and neither would I.

I wouldn't put her in danger. It was my responsibility to protect her at all costs. I'd hate myself forever if she ever got hurt because of me in any way. My wolf and Drucaoth felt the same way about this.

This time, I tried a calmer tone. "Theresa," I said, "Please... It would be best if you didn't go there. I'd lose my mind if something happened to you." I told her, running the back of my knuckles on her cheeks while peering deep into her eyes.

"And what if something happened to you? What would I do then?" She demanded, tears in her eyes. As soon as a tear escaped her eyes, I wiped it before it could run down her cheek. I groaned. Seeing her crying was tugging at my heart.

Despite my austere ways of dealing with such things, she managed to find a crack in my hard surface, and now she was using it against me. It was almost working. As much as I was concerned about her safety, I didn't feel like leaving her behind.

I wanted her beside me as I faced all life's battles. Whenever she was by my side, I felt alive; I felt strong and powerful enough to take on anything and everything. She was my greatest strength and my fatal weakness. This should've been as simple as telling day apart from night, but the more I looked at her tears, the more my heart ached.

"You're making it hard for me, Theresa," I told her, wiping more of her tears. She sniffed loudly. "I know you're concerned for me, but you must get used to this. It's only the beginning. There's going to be a war soon and many more difficult periods. I want you to be strong for me," I told her softly.

"I can be strong for you while I go with you," she told me, and I immediately bit back a groan. She was dishing my words back to me. "I don't care about the wars or the difficult periods. I want to be by your side to face it all with you. This is all I'm asking from you. I don't want anything else. I want to be by your side; otherwise, I'll lose my mind knowing you're out there in danger,"

"I'm not going there alone, Theresa. I have Lars by my side. He's a fierce warrior, and so are my other men. Then I have all these warriors with me. I'm more than prepared," I tried to convince her, but she shook her head.

"You're only seeing the physical things, Alex," she said, something dark and unrecognisable in her voice. "I see beyond such things. I see and hear things that your senses cannot allow you to hear and see. I mean it when I say I don't feel it's right for you to go there without me." She spoke, blinking her tears. I stared at her for a couple of seconds.

"What did you see?" I asked, curious. I knew she was sensitive to such things, but I hadn't explored this aspect of her personality.

"I feel something terrible coming our way, Alex. It's not the Zabona. It's something other than that. I cannot explain it. I can only feel it, and it's nothing less of a giant storm," She told me, searching my face hopefully. I narrowed my eyes at her. She could've been making it all up to ensure that I listened to her, but at the same time, I knew that she wouldn't sabotage an important mission after all the efforts I had put into it.

She was serious about this. Dead serious.

"I need to go with you," She whispered, brushing her lips against mine, "I trust in your abilities, Alex. I know you'll deal with the Zanobas, but I don't think they'd be the only thing you'd be facing," She told me, and as much as I was reluctant about this, I couldn't help but take in her insight.

It would be foolish to ignore what she was telling me. I didn't want to regret not listening to her later. It wouldn't do any good to our relationship, but at the same time, it was too dangerous to take her, especially if everything she was claiming was true.

I gritted my teeth, deep in the dilemma. A veil of thick silence descended over us as we stared at each other. Her eyes grew more expectant as she stared at me, making it harder for me to say no to her. She was breaking me.

"Are you sure about what you claim?" I asked.

"Yes, I was sure since last night's bad omen. I was too drunk to tell you about it, and I thought maybe you..." she trailed off.

"I what?" I asked.

"You wouldn't believe me. Alex, I have been... I have been hearing whispers since we started travelling in the desert," She said, her eyes wide in an unsettling way.

"Who was whispering to you?" I asked, terrified.

"The desert," she whispered after licking her lips and looking around to ensure no one was there. "I told you I can hear things." Her voice dropped to a chilling whisper.

"You never told me about it," I admitted. She pressed her lips and looked away, a hint of guilt in her eyes. It was as if she was keeping something from me. It reminded me again how little I knew about her, and it physically crushed me. She was such a mystery to me, making me feel insignificant the same way the depth of the oceans and the vastness of the night sky did.

"I thought you'd think I'm mad," she said. "Do you think I'm mad?" she asked me cautiously.

"No," I shook my head, "I believe you. I know you don't want me to go because you care for me, but... I have to go and..."

"And I'm coming with you," She completed the sentence on my behalf. I knew I had lost to her long ago.

"You'll maintain distance and stay undercover. No one other than my men should know you're accompanying me," I told her sternly. Although she didn't look satisfied, she didn't argue further.

~

vote. comment. share. follow me

Read the complete book on Patreon. The links are in my bio.

Also available on Patreon: Veronica's Fallacy, A Touch of Desire, Monstre, Marmadoke and many other stories.

Follow me at Instagram - benita.ritz

thanks for reading<3