The Soul Mate

CHAPTER EIGHT

Hungary, 1070 A.C.E

Treime felt him before she saw him, smelled the sweet perfume that was Emilian and her stomach fluttered in anticipation. It was the perfect ambush. He never spoke to her anymore. He even went as far as to purposely avoid her at times, so she was determined to get him alone and rekindle their friendship.

“Treime! Treime get your skinny butt back to camp!”

She giggled. God how she missed him. She was shivering, not because of the snow but from the knowledge that she just might get to touch him tonight. It had been so long since she’d felt the warmth their skin could create by just a mere touch.

Shifting purposely in the tree branch, she caused a lump of snow to drift to the ground. Emilian looked up immediately and scowled at her.

“Get down right now, brat!”

She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Get down Treime!” He growled. “Everyone is exchanging gifts tonight for Yule and I don’t want to be stuck out here in the cold with you.”

Treime sniffed, insulted by his cruel words.

No matter how hard she tried, he refused to pay her any attention. He paid other girls lots of attention. She watched him sneak off with them all the time. Had even caught him kissing other clan girls, while she got nothing more than glares, dirty looks and lots of lectures.

At 10 and 4 years she was dreaming of her first kiss, had even had several boys try to kiss her but she had been repulsed by the prospects. It had to be Emilian. There’d never be anyone else, but there must be something wrong with her since he seemed to hate her so much.

“TREIME!” He roared.

“Okay, okay.” She jumped down, falling hard on her bottom. Emilian laughed as Treime tried desperately to wipe the snow off her kirtle.

“You’re soaking wet now,” He scolded.

“What do you care?” She threw back at him, defiantly crossing her arms.

He threw his arms up in the air and shook his head causing his long brown hair, now damp from the snow, to fall in his eyes. “You’re right. I don’t. Now go.” He pointed in the direction of the camp.

Tears stung her eyes. She never understood what she had done to deserve such treatment?

“Treime! Start walking!” Emilian grabbed her arm. “Get mov-

Treime? Oh, Treime, why are you crying? I didn’t mean…”

She looked up at him through watery eyes. “Why do you hate me?” She whispered though chattering teeth.

“Hate you?” He laughed as he captured her cheek in his palm. Both of them instantly felt the heat their touch caused. Treime gasped and Emilian closed his eyes. When he opened them again he took a moment to swipe a few of her tears away with his thumb. “I don’t hate you.”

“But…but you never play with me anymore. You never talk to me, we never run. You just yell at me and–

“Treime, stop.”

Treime looked up at him. His brown hair was covered in snowflakes and his breath was coming out in short little white puffs. His brown eyes had turned gray and what she saw in their depths made her want to weep.

Emilian had once been her playmate and her best friend. He’d always be the most handsome boy she’d ever seen but now… he was what? Emilian was a man now, full grown, who thought her still a child. She knew she didn’t belong in his life at all.

Emilian sighed, a deep heavy sigh, and Treime knew this was the moment where he would tell her to leave him alone for good.

“I wanted to let you have your childhood for as long as you could. For as long as I could stand it…”

“I don’t understand?”

“Puţin o, it’s simple. We are betrothed. We have been since you came into this world as a red faced babe.”

Treime’s heart stopped beating. Betrothed! To Emilian? This was the best Yule gift she could have gotten! Emilian smiled seeing her face light up and gathered her in his arms. Suddenly she needed more of him. She wanted to be… even closer to him. She was burning from their contact in a way she had never experienced before. Grasping frantically at his furs, she tightened her hold on him and aligned her body with his.

Emilian stiffened at the intimate contact.

Treime flushed, embarrassed at his rejection of her.

“All of those girls Emilian!” She accused. “You can kiss and touch them, but not me! Don’t even try to deny it! I have seen you!”

She screamed when he tried to reach for her again. “God only knows what else you did with them!”

“I am one and twenty, Treime and you are seven years younger than me. A child! I…I just…” When he didn’t say anything else Treime stomped her feet and turned away. Tears formed again in her eyes.

“You were betrothed to me! And you…with them! You are a liar and…and you are IMMORAL!”

I had to!” Emilian bellowed, startling her. “You were and still are a child!”

“I’m not a child!” Treime yelled. “And I will never marry you!” Even as she said the words she knew they weren’t true, there was no one else she would ever want but the man in front of her.

Hurt and angry, she took off fleeing through the woods.

It didn’t take long for Emilian to catch up to her. He was still faster, still bigger and much stronger. He swooped her up from behind and swung her around through the air.

“You’re acting like a child,” He said, breathing heavily as he placed her gently on the ground, still clutching her from behind.

“I’m not a child,” She whispered, on the verge of crying again. Treime hated herself for feeling so vulnerable and for being so weak. It had felt as if Emilian had possessed her very soul since the first day she could remember, but it had never been the same for him. She ached so badly inside she wanted to scream, to beat the earth from the unfairness of it all until it bled with understanding.

“You will marry me Treime. I have waited for you and will continue to wait until you are old enough, but then you will marry me.”

Emilian spun Treime roughly around and shook her. His eyes were dark, his anger hot and thick around them.

“You have no say or choice in the matter.”

“And you always get what you want, don’t you?” Treime thought of the Gaje girl at the well so long ago when she’d felt the touch of Emilian’s magic. She wondered how many other girls he’d used magic on to get what he wanted.

Emilian’s eyes widened.

“Little one, I didn’t force her,” He said gently. “All the magic did was intensify what she was already feeling.”

Treime started. “How did you know what I was thinking?”

Emilian smiled. “We’re special Treime, but you… you were special before you were even born. The Baró and all the elders knew that you were coming and that you were to be mine.”

“You’ve known about us since before I was born?”

“I did. I was terrified of you at first. Then I saw those big green eyes of yours and you smelled so beautiful and…”

He tilted his head smiled at her again, a different kind of smile, one that made her feel not so childish and caused a warming sensation low in her belly.

“And what?” Treime’s cheeks heated under his gaze.

Emilian’s lips met hers in a soft kiss that was slow and sweet and achingly tender. When he pulled away Emilian cupped her cheeks in his hands and their eyes locked.

“I kissed you puţin o. And I knew then I was forever lost.”