Bound By Moonlight to My Mates (by Sofange Daye) novel Chapter 98

Caleb

Smoke claws its way up the stairwell, suffocating the air and my lungs.

“Aclara, move!” I shout, gripping her hand tighter.

She doesn’t need the command; she’s already ahead of me, cloak snapping like a shadow in motion. The hallway behind us trembles as another explosion hits the lower floors. The zealots aren’t subtle, and that is a problem. It will draw more unwanted attention in our direction.

We reach the final flight of stairs. I shove the door open, and we burst onto the roof.

Cold air rushes in, pushing the smoke from my lungs. Each breath burns uncomfortably, but I draw in the air like a man who has drowned. The city stretches below us, nothing but endless glass and neon. Sirens wail somewhere far away. It looks almost peaceful from up here.

Aelara doesn’t stop. She crosses to the ledge, scanning the rooftops beyond. “They’ll be here in seconds.”

“Then we go that way.” I point to the building across the alley; it is a narrow gap, a ten–foot jump at best.

She glances down. “Mortals can’t make that.”

“Good thing I’m not just mortal anymore.”

Her eyes flick to mine, and for a second, the black of her irises disappears, turning to a beautiful silver. She looks almost mortal. Almost. For a moment, I think she’ll argue, but she just nods. “Fine. Run when I do.”

She sprints for the edge. I match her stride, the wind tearing past my face. When she leaps, I follow. My heart hammers, and my lungs burn. I am scared I won’t make it, but letting her go on this journey alone is not an option.

For a moment, there’s nothing but air, fear, and her cloak brushing my fingertips. Then my boots hit the opposite roof hard enough to jar my teeth.

I land too hard, but at least we are alive.

She stumbles, and I catch her before she can fall. The heat of her body presses against me, and for one stupid heartbeat, I forget the zealots are chasing us.

“You okay?” I manage.

“Yes,” she breathes. “Keep going.”

We race across the next rooftop. Behind us, zealots spill through the stairwell door, their chants rising above the wind. Light gathers in their hands, and even I know it is wrong.

Aelara stops suddenly, turns, and raises her palm. The air ripples, shadows coiling outward like living smoke. The light from their magic bends and collapses under her will.

But I see what it costs her. Her knees buckle.

I lunge, catching her as she sags forward. Her skin is cold, eyes unfocused. “Aclara!”

She shakes her head weakly. “Too much… Can’t… keep it…”

“Stop talking,” I respond a little too roughly. I lift her easily; she weighs too little, and carry her toward the far corner where a fire escape winds down the wall.

“Put me down,” she whispers.

“Not a chance.”

The metal rungs screech under my boots as we descend. Every breath she takes is shallow, uneven. The glow around her skin flickers like dying embers, and I realize she is losing her divinity, all because of me.

By the time we reach the alley, she’s nearly unconscious. I kick open a side door into what used to be a bakery. Broken counters, dusty shelves, and the faint smell of sugar gone stale are all that remain inside.

I set her down gently on a counter and check her pulse. Too fast. Her magic’s eating her alive. This has happened before, but I cannot seem to remember when. Visions of her crumpled on a battlefield, desperate to heal me, but I am too far gone, and so is her magic.

I curse under my breath, shaking the memory away. “You’re supposed to be the immortal one.”

Her lips twitch faintly. “Immortal doesn’t mean indestructible.”

I huff out a shaky laugh. “You’re not allowed to joke right now.”

She opens her eyes. The silver glow dimmers, and the black seeps back in. “You shouldn’t have followed me.”

I brush her hair back. “And let you fall off a building? Not really my style.”

“Caleb…”

Her voice softens on my name like it doesn’t belong in this century. Like she’s said it for centuries anyway.

“I’m fine,” I lie.

“You’re bleeding again.”

“Just a scratch.”

She glares, weak but stubborn. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“Guess that makes two of us.”

For a long moment, neither of us moves. The sounds of sirens fade into the distance. All that’s left is the whisper of her breathing and the thud of my heart trying to keep up.

I grab the first–aid kit from my bag and start cleaning the cut on my arm. It’s not deep, but it burns. Maybe

that’s the magic. Maybe it’s just her.

She watches me, eyes heavy–lidded. “You shouldn’t bleed for me.”

I glance up. “A bit late for that.”

She tries to sit up, fails, and scowls at me. “You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re bossy.”

Her lips twitch, almost a smile. “You weren’t like this before.”

“Before?”

“When you were Cael.”

I freeze. “You really believe that, don’t you? That I’m him.”

Her expression softens, regret and longing tangled together. “It isn’t Belief. It’s truth. The way you move, the way you look at me… the bond recognized you before I did.”

I stare at her, torn between wanting to believe and wanting to run. “If that’s true, then why don’t I remember?”

“Because mortals forget. The divine never do.”

Something inside me twists. “So you remember every time I died?”

“Yes.”

That single word holds far too much meaning. I look away, throat tight. “No wonder you’re so guarded.”

She reaches out, fingertips brushing the back of my hand. “I tried to stop it, Caleb. Every time, I tried.”

“You don’t have to anymore.”

Her eyes flicker, tired and wary. “You can’t promise that.”

“Watch me.”

I finish wrapping the bandage and take her hand, pressing it over my chest. My heart stills under her palm. “See? Still beating. Not dying today.”

She exhales a shaky breath, her shoulders trembling. “You shouldn’t be so reckless.”

“Maybe that’s what you liked about me.”

Her gaze softens, heat flickering beneath the exhaustion. “Maybe it was.”

I can’t help it, and I lean closer. “And now?”

Her hand slides from my chest to my throat, resting there with quiet warning. “Now it’s dangerous.”

“Everything with you is dangerous.”

Her thumb traces the edge of my jaw. “And you still stay.”

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I do.”

Her lips part, but before she can speak, light flickers through the cracks in the boarded windows. Searchlights. Zealots again.

She curses under her breath. “They’re relentless.”

“Can you move?”

“Barely.”

“Then hide.” I motion toward the back room. “I’ll hold them off.”

“No,” she says sharply. “You’ll die.”

“Not if you keep your promise.”

She frowns. “What promise?”

“To find me again.”

The look she gives me could burn through walls. “You infuriating mortal.”

I grin. “Takes one to know one.”

She pushes herself off the counter, swaying. “If you go out there, I’m going with you.”

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