55
CASSIE
It had been nearly two weeks since Thalia disappeared, and we still hadn’t found her. God, I missed her, missed talking to her, hearing her jokes, I missed... watching her and Barrett tease each other. Damien hadn’t verbalized it, but I knew he feared whether she was still alive as much as I did.
I almost ended it many times.
Damien’s words rippled through my mind. He’d told me how badly it affected their kind when their true soul mate passed, that his own grief from my loss had pushed him to an end he could never attain due to Selene’s curse. I’d been dead, so he’d been stuck in life. I couldn’t let myself think it, couldn’t bear to imagine the possibility that he could have…
Damien’s hand brushed against mine, jolting me back to reality, and I realized I’d begun to drift off at the dining table. I lifted my eyes to him, finding the weak smile he offered, but I couldn’t miss the concern in his eyes. I was worrying him again. I returned his smile, gently squeezing his hand.
“I’m okay. Just a little tired,” I whispered, answering the question in his eyes.
“Ye shuid come see eh new complex, Cas.” James said between bites of his eggs and bacon. “It’s massive. Renovations ur startin’ next week so it’s a bit o’ a mess right noo, but its gonnae look amazin’ once its finished.”
“Donnae talk wit yer mouth full, James,” Ethel chastised, and I giggled.
“I’d love to see it,” I said.
I noticed Zephyr’s gaze flicker to my untouched plate. His lips parted, but he didn’t speak. I should eat something, but I was so tired, my stomach not latching onto the aroma of the food before me. I swallowed, my stomach flipping at the thought of taking a bite, but I grabbed my fork and speared a bit of scrambled egg before lifting it to my mouth.
“How’s Anna doing?” I asked, lifting my eyes to Vincent across the table. It was so nice to see his face. It was the first time in over a week I’d had the energy to see them all.
“She’s on bedrest. We’re down to the last several weeks,” he said, and the light shining in his eyes was like a breath of fresh air. I’d been so worried about him.
“She’s already tired of sitting still,” Vincent said with a chuckle. “I keep catching her sneaking out of bed."
“Have you decided on a name?” I asked.
“We haven’t settled on one yet.”
I felt like I’d missed out on so much in the last two weeks. Damien kept me updated on things at The Outpost, told me when my recruits asked about me. I missed Sasha, Liam, and Zach, missed their antics and troublemaking. I wondered how their training was going. Was Aurelia still going to training with Lydia? I missed her sweet face, her voice. Maybe I could go to The Outpost with Damien soon, even if only to visit.
“How is planning for the mating ceremony?” I asked Zephyr.
He seemed caught off guard by the question, and the guilt that danced across his face confused me. “We’re thinking of postponing it.”
My heart dipped. “Why?”
“Calista and I were afraid that, with… everything that’s happened, it just isn’t a good time,” Zephyr explained.
I opened my mouth to speak, but hesitated. Damien looked at Zephyr. “You shouldn’t.”
Zephyr’s eyes jumped to Damien, and I was glad to see I wasn’t the only one thinking it.
“If anything, we need positivity right now, Zephyr,” I admitted.
His pale green eyes drifted over me, and it seemed as if he almost didn’t believe me.
“I agree with Cas and Damien,” Vincent added, and my heart squeezed. While I knew his hands had been full and his mind occupied with thoughts of Anna and their young, the wounds he held were still far too fresh.
“Barrett…” It hurt to say his name, but I continued. “Barrett would have wanted you guys to be mated as soon as you could. He’d want you to be happy.”
Zephyr’s eyes wavered, his fork lingering in his hand. “I’ll talk to Calista about it. We were originally going to hold it in two weeks, I just…”
I reached out to take his hand, and his eyes rose to mine.
It hurt to admit it, but it was something I knew all too well by now. “Don’t hesitate, Zephyr. You guys deserve to be happy. Don’t live to regret it.”
