Through her sobs, Rayla could only see the glowing white of Callum's eyes. She clutched his sleeves in her fists, and shook his arms, as though that would rattle Aaravos out of his head.
"Please," she cried, resting her head on his shoulder. "Come back."
"How touching," the deep, sarcastic voice taunted. He used Callum's hands to firmly push her away by the shoulders. "I'll give your mage back to you. If you do something for me."
"Anything!" A large part of her knew as soon as it came out that promising anything was a dangerous game.
The rest of her didn't care.
"I'll do anything, just give him back."
"What a good little assassin you are," he teased. "Simply bring me my Key. I'll give you the boy for now, so long as you follow through. Should you betray me, he will be mine. And you wouldn’t want anything to happen to him, would you?" He removed Callum’s hands from her, rolled up one sleeve, and turned the scarred wrist toward her to expose the blue flowers, scabbed and healing.
Then, all at once, the color on Callum’s soul mark swirled, and became saturated with an inky black.
Rayla cried out in pain, clutching her own wrist. She didn’t have to look at it to know that it was changing to match his.
“I’ll do it!” she choked. “I’ll do it, just let him go!”
Callum's mouth cracked into a crooked, wicked grin, and a moment later, his eyes reverted to their beautiful emerald green. As his body fell limp, Rayla hooked her arms under his, and gently lowered him to the ground, finally noticing the severity with which she was trembling. All she could do was sit with him slumped in her arms as she shook, desperately trying to gain control over her breathing.
A groan slipped out of him, and he stirred, pulling himself to sitting. It seemed to take all of his strength to sit up without toppling over.
His gaze met hers, and she watched as his vision noticeably cleared. He blinked a few times, and began to say, "Rayla—"
Relief flooded through her. He was himself again. He was okay. Nobody was hurt. Her soulmate was in his body again. There was so much alleviation and joy in her own mind and body that she was sure she would burst. It had to come out somehow.
She didn’t think. She couldn’t think. The only thing reverberating through her head was Callum Callum Callum.
Hands cupping his jaw, she pressed her lips firmly to his. Her tears didn’t matter. The horror of Aaravos taking him over again didn’t matter. Two years apart didn’t matter. It was just her, and just him, and just the kiss that she had wanted for so long, and hadn’t let herself have.
He shoved her away.
In a brief moment of panic, she was sure that his eyes would be white once more. She couldn’t be sure if it was better or worse that they were green, and casting her the most scathing glare she had ever seen from him. The look in his eyes felt like it was slashing through her chest and cutting her heart in two.
Oh, no. She had really messed up this time.
“A deal with Aaravos?” Callum accused, stumbling to his feet. “Are you stupid? You promised that if he possessed me again, you would kill me! Instead, you’re going to help him to keep me safe?”
Her tears thick and heavy, she cried, “I can’t lose you again, Callum! You know I can’t kill you—I have to keep you safe! You have to live!”
“You let me live.” His tone was low. Angry. “But you’ll kill us all.”
