“You don’t think she’d want to see you?”
“Will she?”
“Gray, everything you feel, she’ll be feeling too.”
I nodded. “Don’t tell anyone. I mean it, Erik. I need to figure out what to do.”
“Of course.”
We were soulbound.
That infuriating and brilliant woman was designed for me, and yet she wasn’t mine. The glow of her soul had faded as Erik’s powers left my system. It had been so bright, but I wasn’t surprised. Mine was dark in comparison. We balanced each other.
“I need to see her,” I said.
I had no plans to tell her. I knew Quen well enough. If I told her, then she’d think and rationalise, and I didn’t want that. I wanted her to fall in love with me, and then and only then would I tell her about the binding. Or maybe I wouldn’t. What use would it be to put her mind in the same turmoil as mine? I didn’t understand it completely either. Only Erik truly knew the extent, and he’d confirmed it.
I let my aura drop me where she was. I found myself in a quiet corner of a hotel with boards signposting what was going on in each room, but I didn’t need directions. I could sense her in the building and followed my instincts.
The room was packed with chairs, and I took a seat at the back. The stage at the front boasted a large projection screen, and the opening slide for Quen’s presentation was displayed. She was announced and walked out onto the stage, and I swallowed hard.
I had behaved around her. I did what she’d asked, and I’d tried to be a good friend minus the single slip up, but knowing she was mine, that part of my soul sat in her, made this so much harder. I took a deep breath and watched her carefully, hands gripping my seat and turning my knuckles white.
“Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Dr Quentin Scott and I’ll be talking to you today about developmental programming in regard to fetal growth and the effects of hormonal imbalance during pregnancy.”
She didn’t falter. Instead, for thirty minutes, Quentin moved back and forth across the stage, flipping through her slides and explaining her research. She handled it all as if she’d been doing this her entire life.
Part of her soul resided in me, and I felt lucky. I felt lucky that such a confident and amazing woman was made for me.
“Thank you for taking the time to listen to my talk. I’ll be happy to answer any questions.”
There was a flurry of hands, and for the next fifteen minutes, she answered questions from the audience. Once or twice, she flushed red when she didn’t know the answer, but kept her cool. The chair called time on the session and Quentin was allowed off the stage.
The room buzzed as people got up and left to mingle. I made my way through the crowded space and found Quentin surrounded by a small group of people. I kept my distance. As badly as I wanted to see her, she was working. This might not mean anything to me, but it meant everything to her, and she wouldn’t forgive me if I intruded.
I heard her laugh, and a smile broke out on my face. That sound, hearty and uninhibited, had become one of my favourites. Music that only she knew the notes to.
The crowd slowly thinned, but an older man stayed close by. He had a hand on the small of her back and she was grinning up at him. I walked over and cleared my throat, wanting to break up the cosy setting.
“Gray? What are you doing here?” she asked.
Her tone wasn’t accusatory, but she sounded surprised and happy to see me. Quentin moved away from the man, old enough to be her father, and hugged me.
“Gray,” she said. “This is my old supervisor, Professor Dylan Watts. Dylan, this is a friend and colleague of mine, Grayson.”
Dylan Watts extended his hand towards me, and I took it, gripping it with more force than necessary.
“Pleased to meet you,” he said.
I let go of his hand, and Dylan told Quen he’d see her at dinner and placed a kiss on her cheek. It took all my control not to bring down the entire room.
Any anger seeped away when she turned her smile towards me.
“What are you doing here?”
She was still on a high after her presentation. Ig would have loved to read her now and feel how grateful she was for the opportunity.
“You didn’t think I’d miss it, right?” I asked coolly.
