MTLNOVEL Chapter 191: [191] Our Bond
The sounds from inside stopped abruptly. A moment of silence stretched between them. Then footsteps approached, and the door swung open.
Xavier stood there, shirtless, his snow-white hair wild and disheveled. A look of pure, satisfied bliss shone on his face for half a heartbeat before morphing into shock as he took in her appearance.
"What's u—" The words died on his lips.
His gaze swept over her—the heaving chest, the furious blush staining her cheeks, the golden fractures pulsing beneath her skin in a rhythm identical to the heartbeat of the goddess he'd just left in his bed. Understanding dawned in his purple eyes as they widened with horror.
"Shit," he breathed, the single word an admission of guilt, of obliviousness, of profound apology. "Ashley, I—"
"Don't," she cut him off, her voice shaking but firm. "Don't you dare apologize."
She pushed past him into the room, her eyes immediately finding Calypso. The goddess sat up in the tangled sheets, red hair cascading down her bare shoulders, her purple eyes gleaming. A complicated storm of emotions crashed through Ashley—anger at her friend, longing for the man, resignation to the reality of her new existence.
"You could have warned me," Ashley said, the words aimed like arrows at Calypso. "I felt everything. All night. I was in a meeting with Margaret and Naomi when it started."
Calypso sat up, pulling a sheet to her chest. She had the grace to look abashed, though a hint of a self-satisfied smirk remained. "I didn't exactly plan it. I just... didn't think the bond would be quite so thorough."
Ashley's breath hitched at the movement, the feedback loop still active between them. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, golden light briefly pulsing brighter across her skin.
"This is..." She swallowed hard, eyes darting to Xavier then back to Calypso. "Complicated."
"Ashley," Xavier began, stepping closer, close enough that she could smell the lingering scent of Calypso on his skin.
"Don't," she repeated, more gently this time. "I'm not angry. Just..." She trailed off, searching for words that wouldn't come. How could she explain the soul-deep ache of experiencing such intimacy with him, only to be a spectator to his happiness with someone else?
"You're exhausted," Xavier said. He reached out, his fingers brushing her arm where the golden fractures traced delicate patterns through her skin. "You haven't slept at all, have you?"
The simple touch sent electricity racing through her veins. Ashley tensed, torn between pulling away and leaning into his warmth.
"How could I?" she asked, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "Every time I closed my eyes, I felt... everything."
Calypso slid from the bed, wrapping herself in one of the sheets. The goddess approached with an unusual hesitancy, her typical arrogance momentarily subdued.
"Ashley," Calypso said, her voice gentler than Ashley had ever heard it. "Our bond—it wasn't supposed to work this way. I thought..." She shook her head. "I thought I was saving your life. I didn't realize I was binding our souls so completely."
"Isn't that what gods do?" Ashley's voice dripped with exhausted bitterness. "Make decisions for mortals without considering the consequences?"
Calypso flinched as if slapped. "That's... fair," she admitted.
"So what happens now?" Xavier asked, looking between them. "Is this permanent? Will Ashley feel everything you feel, Calypso?"
"Not everything," Calypso said, her brow furrowing. "Just the most... intense experiences. And not forever. The bond will stabilize eventually."
"Eventually," Ashley echoed, closing her eyes briefly. "Wonderful."
Xavier's hand moved from her arm to her shoulder, the warmth of his touch seeping through the thin silk of her robe. "We'll figure this out, Ashley."
"Like we have a choice," she murmured, but she didn't pull away from his touch. Despite everything, it felt... right. As if his hand belonged there.
Calypso stepped closer, until the three of them stood in a small triangle, connected by touch, by shared trauma, by whatever strange fate had brought them to this moment.
"I could try to suppress the connection," Calypso offered. "It would be... uncomfortable for both of us, but—"
"No," Ashley said quickly—too quickly. Heat rose to her cheeks. "I mean... if it's temporary anyway, there's no need to make things worse."
Understanding flickered in Calypso's eyes, and a small, knowing smile played at the corners of her mouth. "I see."
Xavier looked between them, confusion evident in his furrowed brow. "What am I missing?"
"Nothing important," Ashley muttered, suddenly unable to meet his gaze.
"Perhaps," Calypso said, her voice taking on a playful lilt, "Ashley doesn't entirely hate the connection."
"Calypso!" Ashley hissed, mortification flooding her veins.
The goddess laughed. "Don't be embarrassed, darling. It's perfectly natural. The bond works both ways, you know—I've felt your... responses."
"I'm going to kill you," Ashley growled, the golden fractures on her skin flaring with her anger.
"You'd only be hurting yourself," Calypso pointed out.
Xavier looked utterly lost. "Will someone please explain what's happening?"
"Your goddess is being a brat," Ashley snapped.
"My goddess?" Xavier raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, yours," Ashley said, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. "You've certainly staked your claim thoroughly enough tonight."
Understanding dawned on Xavier's face. "Ah."
"Now he gets it," Calypso giggled.
"This isn't funny, Calypso," Xavier said, his voice sharper than Ashley had expected. "Ashley hasn't slept. She's been..." He trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with articulating exactly what Ashley had been experiencing.
"Feeling everything you did to me," Calypso finished for him, shameless as ever. "Every touch. Every kiss. Every... climax."
"Calypso!" Xavier and Ashley spoke in perfect unison, equally horrified.
The goddess rolled her eyes. "You mortals and your embarrassment. It's ridiculous. We're all adults here."
"That's not the point," Xavier said. His hand remained on Ashley's shoulder, his thumb absently tracing small circles against her silk robe. "The point is that Ashley didn't consent to any of this. We... I didn't know what was happening."
"And if you had?" Calypso asked, head tilting. "What would you have done differently?"
Xavier glanced at Ashley, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "I don't know," he admitted softly. "But I would have wanted the choice."
"Next time," Ashley said, "just give me some warning."
"Next time?" Xavier echoed, his eyes widening slightly.
Ashley felt heat rush to her face again. "I just meant—"
"She means," Calypso interrupted, "that the bond exists whether we like it or not. This will happen again. Unless you're planning to live like a monk from now on, Valentine?"
Xavier ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. "Gods, this is complicated."
"Divinity usually is," Calypso agreed with a wry smile. Then, unexpectedly, she stepped forward and took Ashley's free hand in hers. "I am sorry, Ashley. Truly. If I'd known the bond would manifest this way..."
"You still would have done it," Ashley finished for her. "You saved my life. I'm not ungrateful, just..." She sighed, too exhausted to maintain her anger. "Just tired."
"You should rest," Xavier said gently. "We can talk about this more when you've slept."
Ashley nodded, suddenly aware of how heavy her limbs felt, how her eyes burned with fatigue. She turned to leave, but Xavier's hand tightened slightly on her shoulder.
"Ashley..." He hesitated, searching for words. "I'm sorry. Not for being with Calypso, but for... causing you pain."
"Some of it..." she started, her voice barely a whisper, unable to finish the thought. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter." Then she turned and walked away, leaving him to wonder exactly what she meant.