“You don’t understand! I can fix him. He needs me to come back to him, Bas.”
I push her away, frustrated that she is not understanding me.
“At best it will be a temporary fix! How can you do this to him, Eden? You will drive him completely insane when you leave again. Even if somehow we manage to keep you safe and alive for years, you will still die one day and it will destroy him. Leave him be and let him heal. It may take decades or even another century - but he will one day deal with your loss and move on!”
She backs further away from me and I can see by the look in her eyes that she’s not hearing me. I am not getting through to her. She starts scratching at her arms and then pulling at her hair and I don’t understand how she’s changing right before my eyes. She just keeps crying that he needs her to go back to him. I curse and turn away, raking my fingers through my own hair. Her mind is broken. Luca isn’t the only one who is slipping into madness. Perhaps it’s the mirror that is doing this to her. She has traveled through it three times now. Maybe the price of time traveling is insanity and the more she does it the worse it will get. My blood must have helped restore her mental state but it has worn off. I don’t know what to do. I can’t let her anywhere near Luca. I need to think. I need time to decide what to do.
“Please, please, he needs me. Please take me to Luca? Please, Bas?”
I can’t, I can’t THINK here! I turn back to her and feel a sharp jab of agony seeing her this way. I need to go and think - somewhere away from her.
“There is fresh food and water on the table and clothing for you to wear on the chair. YOU WILL STAY IN THIS ROOM AND SPEAK TO NO ONE BUT ME. LOCK THE DOOR BEHIND ME.”
“Please, Bas, don’t do this!”
“I’m sorry, Eden, it is for the best. I will be back as soon as I can.”
With one last look at her heartbroken face, I rush out the door, pausing to hear her lock it behind me and then practically run from the building to escape the sounds of her cries. I collect my horse and stop to purchase a fresh shirt after many shocked looks at my bare chest on display. I’ve hardly mounted my horse when the skies open up and drench me with rain, soaking my new shirt and the rest of me to the skin. It is pointless to rush back to the house Luca has built and I let my mount walk at an easy pace once we are out of town. I lose myself on the ride with thoughts of Eden and my brothers. There is no solution to this mess that I can come to. Even if I could bring myself to…kill her to send her back, there is no stopping her from traveling back here again and again. If I could cry to relieve the misery inside of me I would.
So lost am I in my dark thoughts that when my horse rears back suddenly I almost lose my seat and fall to the muddy ground. I pull hard on the reins to get him settled and when I look up and squint through the pouring rain, everything inside of me surges with joy as two very large wolves step onto the track and look my way with glowing gold eyes. The shout of greeting dies on my lips as it hits me that they will know she’s here. They will feel the bond and insist we bring her to Luca. Somehow, I will have to find a way to keep them from her as well.
Luca
Iwalk through each room doing my daily checks to ensure that everything will be perfect should Eden come home today. It is day thirty-three thousand, nine hundred and sixty-seven since she died in my arms. None of them believe she will return, but I do. I know she will. I am sure that she will come back. I ensured she will come back. I wasted so much time fighting to keep her away and keeping my heart safe. I know better now what a mistake that was. I will not make that mistake again. Everything must be perfect for her here in the home I had built for her. All the dreams she had of us all together in this house will come true. My brothers will return when she does and we can finally have the happiness we all deserve. It will be different this time. It will be perfect.
I once again check the bathing chamber of the room I designed for her and turn the lever to let the hot water flow from the tank above that is kept hot at all times by the firebox connected to it. I reach out and let the water flow over my hand and nod at the perfect temperature. She will love this so much. I close the lever to stop the flow and glance at the ceramic seat set in a wooden chair and connected to a pipe in the wall in the corner and the basin of water beside it ready to be used to flush the waste away. Her armoire has all the clothing she left behind hanging and folded in it as well as a few new gowns that reflect the current style. Some will need to be replaced as the style has gone out of fashion. I will go and place an order with the dressmaker soon. I close the door to her room with a nod. Perfect. Everything will be perfect if she arrives today.
I move from room to room and picture her face when she sees what I have built for her, for us - until I come to the glass-enclosed atrium. I water the many blooming flowers and plants that I know will make her happy to see. When I reach the end, my eyes travel over the sacks filled with clay and the table with all the tools laid out that I will need to sculpt again. My fingers itch to feel the smooth, cool clay between them once again but I push my hands behind my back to lessen the temptation. No, I will not create anything until Eden is back where she belongs. She is, after all, my muse. I lose myself in thoughts of her as the rain beats down on the glass above me. What if I’m wrong? What if she was already too far gone when I compelled her to come back to me? How will I manage if she does not ever come back to me? This house was a mistake! A farce! I have lost her to time and I will not survive another century and a half without her. The weight of despair has my shoulders and head drooping on my neck. I am a fool. I didn’t protect her when she needed me the most. I don’t deserve to have her back! I let my temper at that soldier’s pathetic insult distract me from what I should have done as soon as they rode into the yard. I could have…
“Sir?”
The sound has me spinning with a snarl to see young Aiden hovering nearby.
“Yes, what is it?”
He shifts his gaze away but not before I see the pity in his eyes.
“I am sorry to disturb you, Sir, but you asked to be informed when our wood supply was down to half. We have reached that point…again.”
I frown and shake my head. “No, that will not do! We must keep the supply topped up so the fires can keep the water hot at all times. We will go now and fell more trees.”
“Sir? It will keep until the rain lets up. There is still a large supply that will last for weeks before we deplete it.”
I glance up at the rain-covered glass and nod absently. “Yes, I suppose it can wait for the rain to stop but please, ask Flora to bake that cake that Eden loves so much. If she arrives today it will be a nice surprise for her at supper.”
Aiden’s face pales and he turns away from me.
“What? What is it? Do we not have the supplies to make that cake?” I ask, confused that such a simple request would upset him in such a way.
He clears his throat but keeps his back to me when he answers. “My grandmother passed from this life over twenty years ago, Sir. You helped dig her grave.”
He strides away before I can reply and I’m left to stare at where he was standing in confusion. Flora died? How did I forget that? Eden will be so sad. She had a fondness for the cranky woman.
Shaking my head at myself for forgetting such a thing, I leave the atrium and head to the kitchen to instruct the staff on baking that cake for Eden. I’m passing through the main hall when the double front doors are thrown open and all three of my brothers walk in. Finn and Cade are completely naked and covered in mud. They nod cautiously my way and I can’t help the bark of delighted laughter that shoots out of me.
“Ha! I told you she would be back! None of you believed me but I was right. That’s why you’re back, right? The bond, the mate bond is back, isn’t it?”
I see them exchange frowns with Sebastian and it just makes me laugh even more. She’s back, no matter what they think. I know it in my soul.
