The desperate look in her eyes scares me. I don’t know what’s wrong with her but I know I have to keep her away from Luca to protect him. He will not survive seeing her die again so I push my power into my voice and compel her to stay put and to lock the door behind me. The frustrated, desperate whine that escapes her has me pulling back and rushing from the room to purchase the supplies I will need to make her more comfortable. She starts crying again as she follows me to the door and I hear her pleading for me to take her home even as I run down the stairs.
It takes me next to no time to locate a nearby mercantile and purchase ready-to-wear clothing, soap, and some bread and cheese. I rush back to the room and breathe a sigh of relief when she opens the door for me. Her face is wet with tears as I push her back into the room and drop the supplies on the small table. The bath has cooled but is still warm so I strip the filthy clothing from her body and suck in a breath of dismay at just how much weight Eden has lost. My hands have mapped every inch of her beautiful, curvy body and all I see now is a sick body with sharp contours of bones where soft curves use to be. I guide her down into the bath and wash her body and hair even as she continues to beg me to take her home. I ignore her pleas and once she is clean, wrap her up in a sheet from the bed and settle her on my lap. It is time for some answers. I tilt her head back so she is forced to look me in the eyes.
“Eden, tell me what happened? Why did you come back when you promised you wouldn’t?”
“I died again! I don’t know why I keep dying! I tried to come back as soon as I could but the mirror wouldn’t work no matter how long I stared at it. Please, take me home, Bas! Please, help me.”
“But why, Eden? You promised not to come back! Why are you here?”
Her crying turns to sobs and I can barely understand her.
“Need to come…need to…be with…feels like…dying…”
I pull her close and press her head against my chest letting her cry and mumble into my shirt the same words of needing to come back over and over again as I glare at the wall across from us. I do not think she has a physical illness. I believe she has neglected her health in her desperation to return to us. Eden is a strong woman. She faced many tragic hardships in her life and managed to overcome them. It would seem that the cursed love we all share has finally broken her as well. I hold her in my arms until exhaustion overtakes her and she slips into sleep. I hold her long after as I try to decide how to go forward and fix the mess we are in.
Eden
Iwake slowly and snuggle into the warmth of the body wrapped around me. It’s so comforting and feels like home. It feels like it’s been so long since I had a proper sleep that I feel like a new woman. I force my swollen, gritty eyes open when he kisses the top of my head and tilt back to see Sebastian’s cinnamon-colored eyes looking back at me. I must be dreaming and if I am, I never want to wake up. I blink at him as memories slowly start to form in my head of sitting in front of the mirror waiting for it to come back to life so I could get back to him, the wolves and…Luca! I need to get back to Luca.
“Bas? Are the others here? Luca?” I croak out from my incredibly dry throat.
I see the frown cross his face before he sits us up and reaches for a cup on the table nearby. He pushes it towards my lips and the cool wash of water that slides down my throat is like heaven. I dip my fingers in the last bit of water and use the wetness to rub into my eyes to try and cool the burning gritty feel of them and then hand the cup back to him. I lick my dry cracked lips and try and remember why I feel so weak but there’s still a fog in my brain that makes it hard to think straight. I shake my head in frustration and take a look around the room with a frown of confusion.
“Where are we? How did I get here?”
Sebastian sets me to one side of the bed and rises to pull a chair over and sits facing me. I already miss his strong arms around me and wish he would come back to bed with me. I know he will help make everything better but he just sighs deeply and leans toward me.
“Eden, do you remember traveling back through the mirror?”
I push at the fog in my brain but all I can remember is kneeling in front of the mirror waiting to come back, not actually traveling through it - so I shake my head and ask, “Where are the others? Can you take me to them?”
He sighs again. “They aren’t here. You’ve been gone for a long time, Eden.”
I jerk my head in denial. “H-how long?”
“Ninety-three years. It’s been ninety-three years since you left and a lot has changed since then.”
My lips start trembling and I feel my body start shaking hearing that. “W-where are they? How…how can we find them? Please, Bas, I need to get back to them.”
His face hardens. “I am sorry, Eden, but that cannot happen. You made a promise not to come back and put us all through this again. It is too hard, it does too much damage to all of us. We already lost the wolves, I will not lose Luca as well.”
I cry out as the painful itch of need floods through me. “No! You don’t understand, he needs me to come back! Don’t do this, please, don’t do this Bas!”
He scrubs at his face and then drops his hands. “The very last thing any of us need is to watch you die and leave us once again. Luca is barely holding on to his sanity. You coming here again…no. I will not let this happen again.”
The tears are flowing freely from my aching eyes as I reach out and grab his hands. “Is this why you hate me? Why you chose that woman to be with again? I can fix it, I promise, I’ll fix it! You just have to take me to Luca and everything will be all right again.”
He pulls his hands from mine. “I don’t hate you, Eden. What woman are you talking about? There has never been another woman since you!”
I nod rapidly. “Yes! I s-saw you with her. In my own time. You, you said you would kill me if I came near you again. Y-you were with Keket! Why? Why would you be with her? S-she’s the reason I died the first time. She did this to us. How could you be with her?”
Hot anger starts forming, pushing aside the desperate need to find Luca. Sebastian betrayed me, he’s keeping me from Luca and the others.
“Fuck you, Bas! I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not my fault that I died. You were supposed to protect me. You promised to keep me safe but you failed! All I ever did was love you. I gave you every part of me, all of it - but you chose her in the end over me. I hate you! You have no right to keep me from them. Luca needs me to come back to him. I need him!”
He shoves himself out of his chair, sending it toppling back to the floor. I see the pain on his face as he turns his back on me and moves to the door. He’s going to leave me here. No! I jump to my feet and press my naked body to his back, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“No, don’t go! Please, Bas, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it! I could never hate you. I don’t know why I said that! Please, please don’t leave me. I love you. I’ll love you forever!”
