Kaius watched the three figures depart until he could no longer make out their shapes within the trees. When he brought his attention back to his own surroundings, he found Talarion and Azael muttering between themselves. Not out of a dislike for their new companions, he realized, but other concerns which their presence would raise.

    They had obviously pieced together who they really were, but should they reveal the true purpose behind their quest? How far should they allow the Forest Dwellers to accompany them? Could they be sure they could trust them?

    Their mutterings ceased when they noticed him watching them and Kaius frowned. "I understand you're concerned, but I think you're concerned about the wrong things."

    "Then what should we be concerned about?" Azael prompted.

    "Perhaps if we've met them now because my visions are about to get worse and we're going to need Kahari's help?" The words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to consider them.

    Kaius clamped his jaws shut, unable to take them back, but unwilling to reveal the true depths of his fears even further. His hand found his left wrist and he swept his thumb across the braided hair upon it. Gods, he hoped he was wrong. As if his visions weren't enough, now he was having nightmares about them.

    He'd had one last night, again seeing that dark, faceless Fae kill him. He'd jumped awake hard enough to disturb Talarion, who had only been lightly dozing. The male had been unable to persuade him to try to sleep longer, and in the end, Kaius had kept watch the remainder of the night while his mate rested.

    Talarion's dark gaze lingered on him now, dissecting every twitch of emotion that crossed his face. Soothing warmth drifted from the tether within his chest and Kaius closed his eyes briefly, trying to ground himself in it. "If that proves to be true, you know we'll do whatever we can to help," Azael assured him. "And hopefully Kahari can actually do what she claims. Now, here."

    Kaius opened his eyes to find the Prince rummaging through his saddle bags. He pulled out two changes of clothes and tossed one to him, then the other to Talarion. "Vael gave me these before we left the village. He said judging by the state of the Blood Fae you must've killed, you'd need a change of clothes."

    "Remind me to thank him when he gets back," Kaius chuckled with relief. It would be nice not to smell crusted blood on his clothes anymore.

    Admittedly, what he wore now was in much better shape than what he'd changed out of yesterday, but those still needed washing, and he'd lost all of his other clothes and supplies when his horse was struck down during the battle.

    Azael led his horse over to Talarion's while Kaius went and grabbed their other clothes. His mate followed him and at his behest, stripped out of his clothes and stepped into his new pants, letting his hair cover his back. Kaius followed suit, then carried their stained clothes down to the riverbank and set to work scrubbing them clean as best as he could.

    He paid extra attention to Talarion's leather suit, knowing the male would want it back as soon as possible. He worked until Talarion nudged him with a boot and gestured for him to move. Kaius obeyed and sat back on the grass, allowing him to continue.

    Azael joined them after his mount was contently grazing alongside theirs. Kaius glanced at him as he approached, not missing the intrigue that flashed through his pale eyes when Talarion's hair shifted, revealing a portion of his scarred back. Though not the portion that he was trying to hide, Kaius knew.

    He rose and joined Azael when the male paused behind them. His eyes remained fixed on the four carved lines beneath one of Talarion's shoulder blades, until the male moved and his hair covered them again.

    "There's eight in total," Kaius murmured, his voice low enough for only Azael to hear. "Four under each shoulder blade. They're the only scars he has that he specifically asked for."

    "He asked for them?" Azael repeated, glancing at him with an arched brow. "Why?"

    Kaius didn't answer right away, silently debating with himself over how much to reveal. What he could explain without giving away the secrets Talarion wished to keep. Azael must have picked up on his hesitation.

    Before he could speak again, the male added, "Tissaia told me the truth about you two. And I...I wish to apologize." Kaius's brows lifted. "For treating you the way I have. It was a misunderstanding on my part, not that it makes my actions any better."

    Kaius smirked. "I understand. At least you can rest easy now that you know she hasn't given her heart to anyone else." Azael cleared his throat, jerking his gaze away. "And I'm glad you know the truth, although Talarion might be a little irritated. It's not that he doesn't trust you personally. I think he's just afraid that the wrong person will hear something they shouldn't through you."

    "Their father," Azael guessed. "I think I'm beginning to understand there's a bigger picture there that I haven't been able to see yet."

    "And you won't see it. Not until they let you." He knew that firsthand.

    Through Talarion's letters alone, Kaius had been able to piece together some of what Roshan Lochren had put his children through, but his mate had refused to tell him anything specifically for many years. Not until their first night together, in fact. Then, Kaius had seen his scars for himself, and there had been no point in hiding the truth any longer.

    But Hadeon's Hel, had he wished Talarion had told him sooner. Not that there was much he could do. He had tried to persuade the male to leave with him many times, but Talarion refused to leave without Tissaia, and even when Kaius urged him to bring her with, the male had reminded him that they would live their lives on the run from their father forever after that.

    Kaius almost couldn't bear to think about what the Twins would do after this. If they dared to return to Lochren, who knew what Roshan would do to them for having been gone for so long? And having known how many times his mate had almost been killed by his own father for even more trivial matters, Kaius wasn't willing to take that chance. His mate had always suffered the more brutal beatings, although Tissaia wasn't left far behind.

    But she appeared at the palace more often than Talarion, and the male's injuries could be passed off as training accidents. If the Prince's betrothed were to arrive with her face ripped open and bleeding... At the end of this, it didn't matter what the Twins said. He wasn't letting either of them return to that place. He had no doubt that Azael would feel the same if he knew the truth.

    "So who gave him those scars?" Azael asked. "Why did he ask for them?"
   
    "I did," he answered honestly. "The night we were mated. He said he wanted me to leave a more claiming mark on him than his father had. I argued that the scar from our mating bond was enough, but it wasn't for him."

    And now, knowing every inch of Talarin's body as well as his own, having felt every ridged, gnarled scar, he understood why. So when Talarion had described the marks he wanted, Kaius had given them to him. He had carved the lines with his nails as deep as Talarion could bear it, then begrudgingly took the small vial of salt the male had pressed into his hands and coated the wounds in it.

    Talarion hadn't even used his magic to ease the pain. He'd felt the male's emotions through their bond. This pain had been soothing to him, in some odd, twisted way. That distinction, that he had asked for this pain and it was being given by one who loved him, had somehow made it bearable. Welcome. Like an erasure of every wound that had been dealt with the intent to harm, by one who hated him.

    But that hadn't eased Kaius's guilt for what he was doing, and he'd spent the rest of the night trying to make up for it both to distract Talarion from the pain and to sate his own conscience. When they'd woken in the morning to find bits of their hair braided together, Kaius had noticed something else that had pricked his heart with emotion.

    The wounds that he'd left raw and oozing had been healed by the Little Gods. There were even a few pale spots around the edges of them that he recognized as the Wisps's lingering handprints.

    "Are there many scars that they're both trying to hide?" Azael asked, his voice rough and low.

    Kaius looked at him. "I'm not the one you should be asking that question, but I'll say this. There is a reason my mate has never left Lochren to be with me." Azael barely inclined his head, then turned on his heel and stalked away.

    Talarion perked up at the sound. "Where's he going?"

    "To think," Kaius answered. He drew closer as Talarion stood. "He knows about us."

    Talarion gave an exasperated groan. "Right when we're being joined by two complete strangers."

    "What if we don't hide it from them?"

    "I'm not willing to take that risk until..."

    "Until you know you can trust them," Kaius interrupted. "I know. But who knows how long that will take? And honestly, you don't trust anyone, M'anam cor."

    "I trust you and Tissaia."

    "Then trust me when I say that it will be all right. I saw the same Doe that Kahari did, and I don't believe Drenusha would guide us to someone who's going to hurt us."

    Talarion closed his eyes with a sigh, then slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. Kaius allowed it, turning his head to rest his cheek on his shoulder. "I'm not so certain that Drenusha has your best interests at heart," his mate admitted. "There's still so much we don't understand, and your visions are so vague, not to mention violent. But if that's what you want..."

    "It is," Kaius assured him. "And I think after so many years of having to keep you a secret, it's about time I'm allowed to show you off." He could practically feel Talarion's answering smile. "Besides, did you see the way that female was looking at you and Tissaia? I'll be no better than Azael if you expect me to endure watching someone ogle at you for days on end."

    That drew a quiet chuckle from the male. "All right," he agreed. "But if either of them even insinuate that they're going to breathe a word about us to someone beyond our group, I reserve the right to cut out their tongues."

    "I would expect nothing less."

    "I hope this female can actually help you," Talarion sighed. Kaius lifted his head, meeting his gaze. "These visions worry me. And if you think they're going to get worse..." Guilt and a sliver of fear coated the male's features. "Your mind is the only place I can't protect you."

    Gently, Kaius smoothed hair back from his brow, then cupped his cheek in his palm and brushed their lips together. "There's nothing in my mind that I need protection from." Only silent doubt answered him. Kaius touched his mouth to Talarion's jaw. "I can tell there's something in yours that you're trying to hide from," he murmured. "What is it?"

    "It's just what that Shifter said. Our father has had his warriors searching for something out here for months, and it can't be us. We haven't been gone for months, so what is he looking for? I think Tissaia recognized the same thing."

    "So then what could it be?"

    "I don't know. Father is only ever interested in things that can serve him, usually by bringing him wealth or power." The faintest tremor swept through his body and Kaius immediately pulled him into an embrace.

    "He's not going to reach you here," Kaius assured him. "If what he's doing is important, I'm sure we'll find out. Otherwise, don't worry about him. He's not here, and he can't hurt you."

    His hand found the back of Talarion's head as the male lowered it, hiding his face in the crook of his neck. Kaius's brows furrowed with worry. Talarion was always so careful to mask his emotions, especially his fear. He had to be deeply afraid, terrified even, if it was affecting him like this.

    His jaw clenched as fierce instincts flooded his gut, and he found himself wishing for the same thing as Talarion. That he could protect him from his mind, because while he was physically safe and had escaped his father, he wasn't safe from his memories.

    "He's not here," Kaius repeated. "And I'm not going to let him find you. Do you hear me, Talarion?"

    "Don't make promises you can't keep."

    Once more, Kaius drew his gaze to his. "Then let me make you one I can. I'm not letting you go back to him after this. Either of you. I can and will swear that."

    Warmth flooded Talarion's features and he claimed his lips in a deep kiss brimming with need. "I love you," he breathed.

    "I love you," Kaius echoed.