Rafe began to stir with the first pink rays of sunlight coming through the window. The fire had burned low, and the room was chilled. He slowly became aware of a delightful sense of exhaustion, and he grinned as he remembered the previous night.
Eleta had pleasantly surprised him. He had held nothing back as he enacted some of his most lustful fantasies with her, and she had not only participated, she had encouraged him by fanning the flames of his passion. She had generously given her body for him to plunder, to ravish, to devour, and to claim as his own.
He knew in his heart that she was his one true mate. He would just have to make her see that, and soon. He had no intention of letting her slip through his fingers.
He groaned and tried to stretch. His eyes opened with a start when he realized he couldn't move. He immediately locked eyes with Eleta. She was lying beside him on the bed. She was wide awake and had obviously been watching him.
"Good morning, my love," she whispered. She stroked his cheek and ran her fingers through his hair as she smoothed it back from his forehead.
Rafe relaxed and gave her a grin. "Good morning." He stretched as much as his bonds would allow and gave such a huge yawn that his jaw cracked. He glanced up at his tied wrists and then cocked a teasing brow at her. "What's this? Are we working on your fantasies today?"
Eleta's lower lip began to tremble, and she began to cry. "No, my love. I wish that were the case."
Rafe frowned, immediately worried by her obvious distress. Looking at her more closely, he noticed that she had dark circles beneath her eyes, and she was deathly pale. He didn't think she had slept at all. He tried to reach for her but was hindered by the bonds.
"What is it, Eleta? Did I hurt you last night?"
The concern in his voice made her feel even guiltier. "No," she whispered miserably. "I loved every moment of last night. It's not that."
Rafe's frown deepened. "Then what is it, love. Tell me."
"I promised you complete honesty about the prophecy, and you shall have it." Eleta sat up on the bed and leaned down to kiss him gently on the lips. "But first, please remember what I told you, Rafe. I love you with all my heart. Nothing will ever change that. I would give anything to avoid what I must do."
His brows furrowed. "Now, you are making me nervous. What is wrong, Eleta?"
Eleta sniffed, and tears began to roll down her cheeks. "You remember, I mentioned a prophecy?" Seeing him nod, she continued. "More than two hundred years ago, following the civil war, there was an advisor to the queen. Her name was Veda, and she was an oracle."
"As in...she was able to predict future events?"
"Exactly," Eleta answered with a nod. "Queen Meleia was in a state of despair following the war. Her subjects were suffering, and she worried that things would never improve. Veda told the queen about a vision she had seen. She was so certain of the accuracy of her vision that she wrote it on this scroll." Eleta paused to hold up the scroll before continuing. "Veda predicted that a future queen would be born, and that she would restore peace and unity to Aglaia."
"I'm assuming the future queen is you," Rafe stated quietly.
Eleta nodded and smiled sadly. "Veda said that this future queen would be marked by a wolf's paw on her hip. That was how future generations would know that she was the chosen one."
Rafe's gaze dropped to her hip, and he frowned again. "Fine...so you're the chosen one. You told me that already. What exactly does that mean?"
Eleta drew a shaky breath, and more tears began to stream down her cheeks as she spoke. "In order for the chosen one...me...to save my kingdom and my people, Veda predicted that I would first have to abduct, seduce, and then kill the wolf...you."
Rafe's eyes opened wide and then he scowled at her. "What? Why would you need to kill me? That doesn't make any sense!"
"Unfortunately, it does make sense. In fact, everything in Veda's prophecy has come to pass exactly as she predicted that it would."
Rafe pulled against his bonds, but they were just as solid as he remembered from the previous time she had tied him to the bed. "Eleta, this is insane. Untie me and we can discuss this."
"I can't, Rafe," Eleta moaned. "The wellbeing of my subjects and the future of my country depend on me fulfilling the prophecy. My people are suffering terribly. They are slowly dying off, and their situation is worsening year after year. Veda predicted that if I didn't fulfill the prophecy, Aglaia would be destroyed altogether. I can't let that happen. I wish there was another way, but there isn't"
"Yes there is," Rafe insisted. He snared her gaze. "We can work together to heal the nation. If we combine our forces, we could..."
Eleta was shaking her head emphatically. "No," she interrupted. "Veda was very clear in her prediction. If I failed to kill you, with my own hands, Aglaia will forever remain divided and broken. Veda predicted that a terrible war would break out, and even the territories of Eastern and Western Aglaia will be destroyed. Our nation will fall and never recover if I don't fulfill the terrible prophecy."
"Eleta, listen...," Rafe began.
"I can't, Rafe! Don't you understand? My people...no our people are depending on me. They are suffering deeply. Many of them are starving. Their homes are being destroyed, and their lives are getting more and more desperate. I cannot condemn them to an even worse fate than they are now suffering. I cannot fail them, even though fulfilling the prophecy is breaking my heart."
Eleta leaned down and kissed him softly on the mouth. She stroked his cheek, and tears ran down her face in rivulets as she met his stare. "I'm sorry, Rafe. Truly, I am. Please forgive me for what I must do. I promise, I will make this as quick and painless for you as I can."
She reached down beside the bed and lifted a sharp dagger. She met his eye again and straddled his waist. Then, she pressed the tip of the dagger against his throat.
"Eleta wait," Rafe said. His eyes pleaded with hers. "Don't do this!"
"I must," she whispered forlornly. "You know I have no other choice."
They sat frozen for countless moments. Rafe held his breath while Eleta sat trembling above him. She closed her eyes and he felt the dagger press harder against his throat. Her trembling worsened, until she could barely hold the dagger steady. After what seemed like an eternity, she gave a pained cry, dropped the dagger, and crumpled to the bed beside him.
"I can't," she sobbed forlornly. "I just can't do it!"
Eleta curled into a miserable ball and wailed, dragging in great gasps of air between her keening cries. Rafe watched her and felt as if his own heart were breaking. He hated seeing her like that, especially when he was helpless to even offer her comfort. He was shaking as badly as she had been, and he breathed deeply to steady his nerves. After several long minutes, Eleta subsided into hiccupping sobs.
"Untie me, love," he softly requested.
Eleta didn't argue. She reached up and cut one of his wrists free with the dagger. Then, she handed him the dagger and watched tearfully while he cut the remaining restraints. She felt utterly drained and defeated, and she did not resist when he lifted her onto his lap and rocked her gently.
They sat in silence for several minutes, each simply relieved to be in the other's arms. Finally, Rafe heaved a deep sigh, kissed her forehead and then tilted her face up so he could meet her guilty stare.
