Something like guilt roiled in my stomach. I ignored it.
I tried to open my mouth, to take it back, to tell her how badly I wanted her, how I had always wanted her. I wanted to yell at myself for being such a dumbass. I tried to walk after her as she ran out of the room, choking back a sob.
But this was a memory. And I was a kid desperate to live up to his father’s expectations, to make myself worthy of the title of alpha. And that meant rejecting a person I knew the rest of the pack considered weak, no matter my own thoughts. So all I could do as I relived the memory was stand in place and watch, listening for the sound of the door slamming below. Then I went about my business, pushing against any murmurings of guilt or attraction toward her. It had been a one-night thing, after all.
Feelings for her.
As those words hit home, the room melted away, replaced with another familiar room. My living room. Emma lounging on the couch. At first, I thought this must be another memory. Except it couldn’t be. This Emma’s face was creased with laugh lines and the beginnings of crow’s feet. She was somewhere in her thirties. Next to her was a teenager I didn’t recognize. Except, I realized with a jolt, I did. Auburn hair,blue eyes, Emma’s round face. Grace was lithe and muscular, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes as she laughed at something her mother said. Then, with an even stronger jolt of shock, I saw another, smaller kid I had never seen before. A boy with my shaggy hair, my chin, my nose.
“Welcome home!” Emma exclaimed as her eyes fell on me.
This wasn’t the home of two people staying together out of obligation. This was the home of a happy family.
She stood and walked over, pulling me toward her and pressing her lips to mine.
“How was your day?” she asked, practically glowing with happiness.
For whatever reason, seeing her like this, seeing the happy family that we may or may not have in a few years’ time, seemed to put everything in perspective. I wanted Emma. Not just because of the mating bond, but because she was her. I didn’t want anyone else. I admired her strength and courage. I admired her desire to take matters into her own hands. I had treated her terribly when we were younger. Now, I wanted to spend the rest of my life making it up to her. Iwouldspend the rest of my life making it up to her.
I woke up with a gasp, body convulsing, back arching as my eyes flew open. I heard a squeak of surprise or delight nearby.
I groaned as I pushed myself to a seated position, rubbing my head. As I looked around, I heard a familiar voice nearby, and my head swiveled toward it.
“Oh, thank God.” Emma crawled next to me, her eyes darting across my face, my body. “You’re…” She swallowed, hermouth opening and closing as she stared at me with wide eyes. She sucked in a breath, then flung her arms around me, holding me tight.
My injuries groaned in protest, but the stabbing pain had dimmed to an ache, as if the injuries were several days old. I barely noticed them as I wrapped my arms around her. I nuzzled my face into her neck, breathing in her scent. After a moment, she pulled back, looking at me all over.
“I was afraid I lost you,” she said, swallowing.
I gave a flirtatious grin as I reached up and brushed a strand of hair back. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” I said. I glanced around, taking in the cavernous space, the slight echo of our voices, the gently moving water I was still sitting in. My brow furrowed. “Though you might need to fill me in on a few things. Like, where the hell we are right now.”
“Right, of course.” She let out a puff of air as she sat back. She was half in the water, her knees and calves wet, her shoes soaked. She didn’t seem to care. “How much do you remember?”
I blinked. Fuzzy memories came swimming back to me as I tried to place them. Images of my father, of Emma in my bedroom, of Emma and me wandering hand in hand through the streets—something that definitely had never happened.
Then I remembered the sand wraith, the pure agony as it sliced into my side. I remember lying in the oasis, then Emma helping me along.
“You brought me here,” I said, glancing around.
She nodded. “It’s an underwater spring. I’m pretty sure it feeds the oasis. But this is where the real magic is.”
“Wow. I’m impressed you found it.”
She bobbed her head modestly. “A little bit of luck and a little bit of magic,” she said coyly. “I’m just relieved it worked out.”
I pulled her toward me again, pressing my forehead to hers. “Thank you,” I said.
She pulled back. “I wasn’t about to sit around and let you die.”
I clambered to my feet, wincing at some of the pains, as I stuck my hand out toward Emma. She took it, and I helped pull her to her feet. When we were both upright, I kept her hand in mine, unwilling to let go. She took half a step toward me, not taking her hand back as she stared at me, waiting.
“I’m so sorry,” I murmured.
Her brow wrinkled. “Sorry for what?”
I brushed the water from my face, pushing the wet locks clinging to my forehead away as I stared up at her.
“For everything. I messed up, Emma. I messed up when we were kids. I picked on you for years. Then, when I had the chance to be with you, I pushed you away. I thought I was supposed to be with someone else, someone who ticked all these bullshit boxes, so I decided that night was a mistake.”
