Beyond the bounds of fate

Lirielle was startled when she felt his presence in her home. She could feel him, right past the door. “Ellie?” her classmate asked, voice uncertain. They’d been out on a study date, and she’d invited him over for some drinks. But she’d stopped so abruptly, hand on the door, he would have bumped into her had his reflexes not been quick enough. “Sorry,” she said, turning to him and flashing him an awkward smile. Shy and apologetic. “Do you mind a raincheck? I just… remembered something personal I need to take care of.” “Oh! Of course,” Robb said with an easy smile. “Don’t worry about it. Is there anything I can do to help?” Lirielle shook her head, smile becoming a bit more sincere this time. Amused. Because of course, this boy would ask her if he could help. There were still such creatures that existed in the world. She wanted to reach out and touch him more, feel his warmth for a moment, feel his mouth against her skin. That had been the plan. But maybe another time. “It’s fine. Thank you though.” “Alright,” he said with a nod. “I’ll call you.” She shifted back a little. He would have given her a kiss if she hadn’t. It would have been welcome any other time, but not today. “Thanks, Robb. See you tomorrow.” He nodded and gave her a soft smile goodbye before leaving. She could tell he was a bit disappointed. She was too, a little. She opened the door to her apartment and sure enough, there he was. Lounging like a predator after a kill, limned with the light from the street streaming in from the window. “You should have let him come in,” Calix drawled from his place on her sofa. “I don’t think so.” “I’m not averse to sharing,” Calix gave her a lazy grin. “I like this new place you have. Cozy.” Lie, Lirielle thought as she flicked on the lights. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she zipped up her jacket and crossed her arms. She frowned because he was even better looking than she remembered, and the lighting just emphasized how flawless the bastard was. She always hated that about him. “Well, you moved again. Without telling me.” Lirielle watched him stand up in one fluid motion. He was wearing a business suit, tailored to perfection. He ran a hand through his thick blonde hair. His fingers were thick, long, his hand powerful. He tried to look nonchalant, but he wasn’t at all.   “It pissed me off,” he confessed. “You always keep running off… how long will it take for you to accept you can’t hide from me?” He started walking towards her, shrugging off his jacket first and throwing it to the side before taking off his watch. Then he started working on his tie. His strides were slow, and deliberate, like a stalking beast. It made Lirielle’s heart pound with a mixture of fear and excitement. She hated her innate reaction to him and refused to show that he affected her in any way. She stood her ground, arms crossed and frowning. By the time he was in front of her, close enough to breathe the same air, his torso was revealed along with the markings on his body. Each one took him father away from the perfection his domina demanded. But the one on his sternum right above his heart was the mark that bound him to Isadora forever. An indelible oath. An offering. Given long before he understood what it meant to give a vow. Lirielle hates it because it made her own life complicated. Because she was bound to this man too. Her soulmate. As his soulmate, she was supposed to be both anima and domina. His soul and his sworn lady. That was the destiny of soulmates, to belong exclusively to each other, to cherish each other. It was what the bond dictated. But Calix, long before he met Lirielle, had promised himself to another in his youth. That was the geas above his heart. Isadora was his domina and he was bound to her as surely as he was bound to Lirielle. And Isadora was a jealous mistress. Lirielle glanced at her right wrist, where the mark lay dormant at the moment, beneath the faint scar that was a testament to how much she hated being tied to this man in front of her. Calix must have noticed because he caught her wrist and brought it to his mouth. He licked the scar, catching her eyes and smiling with no remorse. She could see the lust there, he was almost manic with it, as her soul mark activated and synced with his. “You’re just like her,” she said. “You devour everything.” Calix braced his forearm against the door, forcing Lirielle back until she was leaning right up against it. “You promised you’d love me forever… did you lie?” Calix murmured as he leaned in and nuzzled against her neck. He gave her shoulder a small bite before kissing it in apology. Lirielle sucked in a breath. She hated how her body reacted to him, hated herself because her heart ached for him still. She remembered her younger self, years and years ago, not knowing what was to come, only believing that fate had tied them together and she was lucky because he was kind. “You should just leave me alone,” she said, knowing he never would. “What did she even make you do so you could come here?” Calix leaned back and gazed down at her. “Will you make it up to me then? Should I f**k you with your back against the door? We could give your neighbors a show,” he suggested lightly as he gave her marking a kiss. "As if you'd ever do something as vulgar as that." "You're right...I'm very jealous, after all," he said as he let her hand go easily, when she yanked it from his grip. And he allowed it when she pushed against his chest. He smiled because he knew he would get his way. Because that was how they were designed. Because she belonged to him. He leaned down and kissed her, smiling against her lips as she opened up for him, breaths mingling. He had to tease her tongue with his own, coax it into his mouth. He continued to kiss her as he unzipped her jacket and ripped off the silly white shirt she had on. Lirielle sighed and pushed him away when he dipped his head to suckle at her breast. “Bed,” she muttered because her knees were starting to get weak and damn if she collapsed because of him. He laughed and scooped her up in his arms. ____ooo____ “You’re back sooner than I expected,” the woman sitting in Robb’s apartment commented. Beside her was the real Robb who had been knocked unconscious and was sleeping soundly. The man who wore his face shrugged and dispelled the guise he was wearing with a hand gesture. It revealed someone taller, with darker hair and finer features. “Calix was already there,” he said with a sigh. “I was going to set up protection and deflection wards once I got into her apartment, but there’s no point in doing it now.” “We should watch her then. She doesn’t stay in one place long once he finds her.” “I’ll have her surveillance increased,” the man said with a nod. “Good, now come here, Delos. Show me how your night went.” The man walked forward and knelt in front of the woman. He closed his eyes when he felt icy fingers touch his temple. He brought his memories of tonight as Robb to the surface, so she need not dig too deep into his psyche. He stifled a sigh of relief when he felt her retreat from his mind. He opened his eyes just in time to see the mist of his own recollections be fed to Robb. “I have to go back and speak to the elders. Make sure your people are extra careful,” the woman said when it was done, and Delos’ memories had been integrated with the human boy’s. “Calix is dangerous, and he won’t take kindly to his anima being watched.” “If he cared about her, he should have kept Isadora away from the kind.” The woman gave Delos an amused look before she took out a warping crystal. “I’ll reach out again soon.” Delos nodded and watched as she stepped into the activated portal and vanished from sight. He gazed at the sleeping kid on the sofa. “Sorry kid, but you never even really stood a chance, you know?”