"Evren!" Eris hollered. There was no answer. He'd covered almost half of the border. He panted for breath and slowed his pace only slightly. He had to find her. He was taking too long. His eyes stung and he blinked rapidly. "Evren!"

He should have followed her. He should have ordered the guards to monitor her. He should've asked Mor or Seren to come from the Night Court and stay with her. He should've invited Keitha over himself. He never should have left her alone.

His thoughts spun in bitter panicked circles. Eris kept calling for her, scanning the forest along the borderline. Flames burned down his arms, shedding soft light across his surroundings. There was no sign of her.

He had to find her. She loved him. He had to find his mate, now, before he lost her forever. He would tell her everything. He would give her anything. He would do anything, just so long as he could find her, still safe.

"Evren!" Eris cried again. His voice was growing hoarse.

He heard a whinny nearby. A dark horse trotted through the trees. Eris approached Asper cautiously. The stallion was riderless. His heart clenched with fear but he snagged the horse's reins. Eris swung himself onto Asper's bare back and rode back the way the horse had come.

Please let me find her, he pleaded. Please don't let me be too late.

He was beginning to understand the lengths his friends in the Night Court had gone to for their loved ones. He would travel them and beyond to save Evren from herself. Eris let his flames burn brighter.

Please, he prayed again. Please let her still be alive.

•~ ❘ ۞ ❘ ~•

Evren knelt atop the leaf strewn dirt. She had dismounted Asper before reaching the grave and set him loose. Hopefully, he'd survive on his own in the woods until someone found him. Mortem and Vita lay on the ground before her. She hadn't decided which blade to use yet.

She lifted her eyes to the sky. Moonlight bathed her porcelain skin in a white glow. Stars glittered brightly, reflecting their light off the frosty ground. It was a beautiful night. It was so peaceful.

Evren lifted Mortem and let moonlight glance off the curved blade. She loosed a shaking breath. She wasn't afraid to die. Not like this. She'd always known this was how she would die.

Evren lifted the blade, pressing the tip of it just over her heart. There would be a burst of pain. She would feel it for only a few seconds, before her heart ceased to beat. For a moment, Evren tried to picture what her body would look like when she was dead. A thing of morbid beauty, no doubt. A blade buried in her chest, blood pooling beneath her ivory cheek, the rays of moonlight streaming down on her...

Would Eris look for her body? Would he have her buried? Perhaps she should've asked him to bury her here in her note. It was too late for that now. Whatever happened to her mortal body would happen. She was more worried about her immortal soul. All she wanted was to see her parents one last time. Just for a few moments. Then, she could be lost to an eternity of damnation.

Evren drew in a few steadying breaths, her last. The air smelled of the spices of the Autumn Court. It smelled of frost, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. She caught a whiff of her own scent, jasmine and sandalwood. Another scent hung beneath hers, faint to her Human nose.

Eris' scent. He was smoke and embers and fire and frost. She'd never truly paid attention to that before, but she drank it in now. It was faint, but it was him.

"Don't mourn me for long," she whispered. Evren tightened her hand around Mortem's blade. Her hand shook and she hesitated. Just a heartbeat of pain, she thought, and then it will be over.

A faint sound caught her attention. Hooves beat against the ground and there was a glow moving through the forest. Evren's eyes widened. No, not a glow. It was Eris riding Asper. Flames licked at his body, casting their light around the trees.

"Evren!" He called.

She turned away, squeezing her eyes shut and gripping Mortem with both hands. Now. She had to do it now, before he reached her. But...she didn't want him to see her do it. She knew if he saw it happen, he would never forget about her. He would be haunted by the scene for the rest of his practically immortal life.

Evren drew in one last breath and thrust the blade towards her chest. She met with resistance. Evren opened her eyes as Eris grabbed the blade with his bare hands, pulling it back from her. Blood dripped down the blade.

Evren's gaze flickered to Vita. Eris kicked it away, still holding on to Mortem. "Let go," Evren whispered. "Let me go."

"I won't." His features contorted with pain. Still, he refused to let go of the blade.

Evren took in his blood that was falling. She was making it worse, trying to push Mortem into her own chest. Evren let go of the blade with a start and Eris stumbled backwards. He dropped Mortem on top of Vita. With a wave of his hand, both blades disappeared.

"I..." Evren stared at his blood soaked hands in horror.

She had almost driven that blade through her chest. She had almost done it, but the thought didn't give her a sense of disappointment. It filled her with a sense of horror. What had she been planning to do? Tears sprang into her eyes. They rolled down her cheeks and her shoulders shook.

Eris dropped to his knees and pulled her against his chest, holding her there tightly. She didn't care about the blood he smeared in her hair as he touched her, making sure she was safe. Evren continued to sob, the reality of what she'd almost done sinking into her.

"What were you thinking?" Eris rasped. "What happened? Did someone do something to you? Did I do something to you?" Evren couldn't answer. Eris pressed his face into her hair. "Mother above, Evren." She felt him shudder and his own shoulders began to shake. He was crying. Eris was crying.

He held her tightly, rocking back and forth. "I'm sorry," Evren sobbed. "I'm so sorry. None of this was your fault. It was all mine. I'm so sorry. I didn't know what else to do." She buried her face against his neck. "I'm so sorry."

"What happened?" Eris' voice was still choked. He was crying. This cruel, arrogant, and scheming High Lord was crying. Because of her. Because he had nearly lost her.

"Celosia disguised herself as Keitha and lured me away from the village. She revealed herself and spoke to me. She said..." Evren squeezed her eyes shut. Eris held her even tighter. He was still shaking.

"Fae will never accept a Human as their High Lady. Even if they did, it wouldn't matter. I will grow old and die without making so much as a dent in your life. If you want me for anything, it's for my ability to give you heirs quickly. When I can no longer do that...when I'm no longer young and beautiful, you won't want me anymore." Evren's voice caught.

"I can't be abandoned again," she cried. "I can't be left behind. I can't be tossed aside. I let myself fall in love with you without considering any of this. I can't... So I pushed you away. I decided to come here and end it all before I could be left behind again. I...I love you and I don't want to be forgotten and alone again."

"Never again," Eris murmured. "You will never be alone and forgotten again, Evren. I want you. That will never change. You are the only female who could ever be my High Lady. The people will accept you. If you don't want to have children, I will have no heirs. I don't care, just as long as I have you."

"But I'm Human. I'll grow old and die."

"We'll figure something out," Eris promised. "We'll find a way for you to live longer...or I'll die when you do. I won't be without you either way. I can't. Evren, you are my mate. My equal. Half of my very being. I love you."

Evren's sobs were quieting now. Mates. She had been right. They were mates. "How long have you known?"

"I've suspected for a long time, but I knew when you asked me if I wanted you. Like calls to like. I call to you."

"That is what I wanted to talk to you about," she whispered. "Keitha explained mates to me and when she told me about the instincts that accompany a Mating Bond, I began to wonder." She swallowed. "But I don't feel anything."

"I do. I can feel you. I can feel the Bond, but it's incomplete."

"Why?"

"Because you haven't accepted it. I don't know how it will affect you. It won't affect you as strongly as it does me, I'm sure." Eris pressed his cheek against her hair, breathing in deeply.

Evren hooked her arms around his neck, closing her eyes once more. Somehow, for some reason, this powerful, beautiful, broken, and complex High Lord was her mate. Her equal. Her other half. A monster to complete her own. Broken pieces that fit together to create a whole. Like calls to like. Equal calls to equal.

"I call to you," Evren murmured. "My mate. Eris."

His breath shuddered again and she felt him tilt his head up. Evren opened her eyes, feeling a strange sensation in her chest. It was a spark. A growing spark. She felt it grow and her chest tightened.

Something snapped into place within her chest and it felt right. It was brilliant, shining, and new. She could feel it as though it were something tangible. Evren stroked the Bond and felt the gesture being returned.

Evren lifted her gaze. Eris watched her with shining eyes. "It was never going to be me," he whispered. "I was never supposed to find you. I was never going to be complete like this." He lifted a bloody hand to her cheek. "Never leave me again. Please."

"I am feeling relieved, grateful, and whole," Evren said.

"I am feeling relieved, overjoyed, grateful, and whole," he echoed. "I love you."

Evren met his gaze. His amber eyes were full of love and relief. He had had so much taken from him, just as she had. Why did she ever think she could take herself from him too?

Evren hesitated, then brought her lips to his. Eris' hands didn't move. One stayed at her back and the other still caressed her cheek. Evren kissed him slowly, nervously. She felt the shift in dynamic when Eris took over. The kiss was starved and claiming but still full of love. She broke away after a moment and leaned into him.

"Take me home," she whispered.

Eris clicked his tongue and Asper trotted towards them. He grabbed the horse's reins and kept one arm around Evren. Wind roared in her ears as he winnowed them home.