Page 231 of Once Upon a Fable

He’d said he’d never unlock us, ever.

So what...what the hell happened?

I touched my painful throat with shaking hands.

One second, he’d been explaining the hydro thing, and the next, he’d gone stone cold and white. Absolutely ghostly white with eyes wide, seeing something I couldn’t. I’d popped back up from being underwater and tried to get his attention with a soft tap on his shoulder, but he’d merely hunched into himself.

I’d deliberated leaving him to sort through whatever memories had attacked—after all, it was all the suppressing he’d done that caused such misery—but then he’d groaned exactly like a haunted, hunted animal, and I couldn’t leave him to his mind’s mercy. I couldn’t stand there and not do my best to snap him out of it.

It turned out, that’d been the wrong decision.

Swallowing, I winced as familiar soreness throbbed around my throat. At this point, I’d almost lost track of how many times he’d strangled me. I was past berating myself or feeling furious or even guilty for being silly enough to keep letting it happen.

This time, he hadn’t been strangling me. I’d known that. Anyonewould’ve been able to see that if they looked into his hollow, hurting eyes.

What did he see?

What the hell has he lived through?

Kas popped up by the rapids, climbing from the deeper pool and wading through the shallower parts to the concrete structure in the middle of babbling white water. His naked back glittered with droplets as well as scars, complete with the leather belt that once bound us together. His long hair lay plastered over his shoulders, looking as if he’d just appeared from the jungle for a swim while his bare legs looked almost part of the river as he climbed over rocks and grew closer to his task. He wasn’t self-conscious as his cock bobbed between his thighs. He didn’t glance back at me to ensure I hadn’t run away. He acted as if he couldn’t stand to face me and hurled himself into distraction.

I bit my lip as he slipped on an algae-coated rock, falling to one knee. With his head bowed and both hands digging in the water up to his elbows, he looked as if he prayed to a river god.

He still wasn’t well. Doing this would tax him of whatever energy he’d been able to gain back. He’d brought me here to help, yet...I couldn’t seem to move.

Something called to me.

Something that had once been so strong I’d cried myself to sleep with longing, now whispered on the breeze.

Home.

I shivered as I turned and looked at the cliff surrounding us. The crisscross tree branch canopy shivered in the light wind, dropping the occasional orange and brown, crinkly and dead leaf.

The urge to run whispered louder.

Light-headedness from being strangled answered back.

Half of me swayed toward the rock face, gathering up strength to climb while the other half of me already knew how that story would go.

I would leave.

Kas would follow.

I would climb.

Kas would probably fall.

And I’d return because...

Why?

Because you’re worried about him? Because youcareabout him?

I winced.

I’d return because I was sick of going around in circles. Sick of fighting and arguing and going against all the nurturing and understanding parts of my nature.

This man was not at all well. Not just because of his concussion but something deeper than that. A rot had begun in his soul, and I didn’t know how much longer he had left. I cared because I cared about all life. It didn’t mean I wanted him for my own or had any delusions of why we were so drawn to one another.