My head snapped up to see a familiar supe standing amongst the chaos.
“Jessa, hey!” I said, hurrying toward her, stepping over debris. “Where did Louis go? And … what happened in here?”
Jessa looked around, a wry grin tipping up her lips. “Louis has exceptional hearing,” she said, repeating my thought from a moment ago. “And he makes things explode when a woman he cares about is crying.”
I slammed my mouth closed, reaching up to rub at my tender eyes. “He heard me crying in the shower?”
She nodded. “Yeah, and he didn’t take it very well. I convinced him not to smash the door down and surprise you with his fury, and Braxton has taken him out into the meadow for some cool-down time.”
“He did all of this while I was in the shower?” I said, trying not to cry again. The mate bond drove supes insane at times, that was for sure.
“No.”
My head snapped up and I met her blue eyes.
“He did most of this when you almost died. He brought you here, and he was not in a good place. Which for someone of Louis’s power…”
“Is very dangerous,” I finished, somewhat breathlessly.
All of a sudden, panic filled me. This was too much. The bond was too strong already. We would not be able to fight the pull. It was going to take all of our choices away, and I refused to let that happen. I needed to be away from him while I tried to think about the future. About what I wanted.
Lurching forward, I grabbed Jessa’s hands. Her concerned expression met mine. “I need your help,” I whispered. “I need to leave. Right now. I’m going back home, because Louis and I both need time to think about everything and decide what we want.”
Her tanned skin paled. “Lizzie, dude, I really like you. I think we’d all have died without your help, and for that you’re family to me, but … there’s nothing that can stop Louis if he wants something. I really think you should talk this over and explain to him that you’re leaving.”
I shook my head violently. “No. No, it won’t work. The bond will stop him from letting me go. Even though he knows, deep down, that it’s better if we’re apart, at least while we both deal with our feelings.”
Jessa didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t argue again either. Her head flicked to the door for a beat, before coming back to me. “Louis is occupied right now. The dragons have come to visit.”
It was only then I remembered the wild dragons who had arrived when the spell was cast. “They’re still here?” I asked.
Jessa nodded. “Yes, they came because it was time for Maximus to bond to his dragon soul. But it’s now time for them to return.”
An idea came to me. “I’m going to go with them,” I told her quietly. “My transition from Faerie to Earth will take at least five Earth days. That will give Louis time to think about what he wants. Give him the space he needs to deal with this revelation.”
“What about you?” Jessa asked.
I laughed without humor. “I have loved Louis since I was five. He was my best friend, the one who got me through every fucking hard moment of life. But he also broke my heart. Shattered it into a million pieces when he chose my sister as his mate.”
The pain still felt like it was strangling me.
Jessa’s expression was sympathetic. “I’m not going to defend Louis here, because I don’t know enough about the situation, but, Lizzie, you should have seen him when you got hurt. He held you like you were precious. He looked at you like he would never see another thing outside of your face. That love you felt … it was not one-sided. Louis was devastated when you almost died. Maybe the two of you just need to explore this bond between you. Stop fighting it.”
I wrapped my arms tightly around myself to try and prevent my pain from leaking out. Like … her words had actually cut into my skin, and I was bleeding from the agony.
“Is it ever too late?” I whispered. “Is there a point where too much has happened … there’s no way we could be together…”
She shook her head. “While you both breathe, you still have hope.”
I choked on a sob, my chest aching. “I think … I think we both need a few days. At least. This is a shock to us, and there is no way to make a decision while in shock. If Louis chooses to follow me, chooses to explore this mate bond, he’ll know where I am. If I go via Faerie, he’ll be forced to wait a few days, which will give him time to think.”
Jessa threw her head back and laughed. “Girl, you’re delusional if you think he’s not going to follow you. He’s going to be on your ass in all kind of ways.”
Before I could stop myself, I laughed too. She had grown on me, and I was going to miss her. “I’m mostly trying to give us some time. Please let him know that.”
Despite the spells that were hiding me in Alaska, I knew Louis would find me when I returned. If that’s what he decided he wanted.
“They’re leaving,” Jessa whispered. “Louis and Brax are heading back this way. If you want to leave at the same time, you need to do it now.”
