A small smile curls my lips at the memory of my ima telling me that shooting stars aren’t made to make wishes on, but rather, signify that your wish is coming true.
Ilian and I both want to remove his imprint, but at the same time, neither of us will really admit that we don’t.
So which wish is coming true?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Ilian
My mate slumbers like the dead, and since Aisyth hasn’t shown up, I decide to hunt for Zhuliya and me.
Ithaqua can eat raw meat, but I know I’ll need to make a fire to cook food for my tiny human.
Scenting the air, I catch the aroma of a wild cat north of the island. I leave Zhuliya behind reluctantly but know she’ll be safe in Aisyth’s sphere.
Not even Ulyen will dare touch her without permission.
I kick at a rock as I pass on my way to dive into the ocean. The arctic blast of frigid water does nothing to cool my irritation at the thought of the god making advances on my mate.
Then again, I’m fairly certain he made an advance on me, too, but I’m packing that away.
Swimming to the next island, I sniff, no longer smelling the cat but another predator far larger—a polar bear.
Normally, Mulen only hunt them in packs, but that’s when I was a tugan and much smaller.
A fully grown Ithaqua matches a polar bear in nearly every way, down to our claws and sharp teeth, and I know my kind can take them down.
Still, it’s a lot of meat neither Zhuliya nor I will get to eat, and I don’t kill for the sport of it.
I weigh my options when the breeze shifts, and I realize the bear is moving south from the way I just came.
With haste, I dive back into the sea, my arms swinging in a frenzy of movement as I paddle back to the island where Zhuliya sleeps.
Despite my speed, the polar bear beats me, pulling onto the sandy shore with its snout in the air.
Splashing loudly, I grab the creature’s attention only for it to trot off. It knows I’m not a meal and doesn’t wish to face off—nor share what it smells.
But I’ll be damned if this magnificent beast lays a paw on my mate. I push out of the water and chase after the bear.
It rounds one of the caves, getting closer, and I leap on top of the craggy rock formation so that I’m above it, and then I jump down.
My body weight slams the polar body to the ground, and it hits with a growl and a thud, swiping a massive, white paw at my head.
The bear might not have wanted to start a fight, but it won’t back away from one, either. It twists under my hold, roaring loud enough to shake the trees.
Scared Zhuliya might come running and distract me, I rake my claws over the underside of the bear’s belly.
The sharp tips easily pierce through the fat and muscles, spilling the mammal’s intestines in a bloody heap.
It jerks in my hold, too shocked to do much else, and I drag another claw over the polar bear’s throat.
By the time I’m finished, my light gray fur is matted with red blood brighter than Ulyen’s eyes.
I stare down at my hands, coated with another’s life essence, and it’s in this moment that Zhuliya comes into view.
Her gaze reflects the horror I sense pouring through our bond, and I back away slowly from the crime scene of my misdeeds.
Instead of trying to explain, I run as fast as I can away from her. I jump into the ocean, trying to wash away the stain that spreads across my soul.
I tried to tell Zhuliya—I’m nothing but a heartless, mindless monster, made worse by the blinding need to protect her.
Just last night, I was contemplating murdering one of my gods. Now, I downed an animal out of fear for my mate.
Of course, this is the Ithaquan way, but Zhuliya isn’t an Ithaqua. She’s a human, and by those standards, I’m nothing but a monster.
It doesn’t matter if I want this bond like I need air to breathe, keeping Zhuliya tethered to me is wrong.
She deserves a normal human man who isn’t twice her size and a fucking obsessive brute, but just the thought of another male touching her enrages me.
Even with my imprint removed, I fear the piece of my soul latched inside of Zhuliya will never come back to me.
I was hers before I even inked her back, and nothing will ever change that.
Growling, I capture some fish for breakfast and swim around the island, wondering how to approach my mate.
A streak of light blue with orange splotches catches my eye, and I realize Dairfyn is waving to me from a beach on the opposite side of where Zhuliya and I slept.
