Was he even alone at the house or had he brought company?
My heart was beating fast and erratic and I had to laughbecause apparently, being reborn hadn’t changed me at all—or at least not my fears and insecurities. The Veil lifted and I saw the Veilstead appear in front of me.
The last time I had been here, it had nearly been night, but today the sun was out in full force. The snow around me was glowing white, glistening in the sun. Like tiny mirrors reflecting light, the snowflakes painted patterns in the untouched snow and white smoke rose from the branches of the trees. It was peaceful, quiet, and so at odds with the chaos inside of me.
I felt sick to my stomach, torn between bursting into tears and laughing like a mad woman.
Choice.
This was my choice, my own free will. Like the untouched snow in front of me, my life’s story hadn’t been written yet and it was up to me to make it count. I took one step after another and the closer I came to the house the more I could see inside.
There were several people in the living room.
I could make out Malek with his black features and I saw a blonde woman, probably Lythandra. I couldn’t spot Theo anywhere, but then I heard him laugh.
I stopped, and the sound of his voice took my breath away. Malek was teasing him with something and I heard Theo’s flat response through an open window, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying exactly.
I felt like an intruder.
Maybe life had just carried on without me and maybe I shouldn’t be here. But the Fates had told me that living meant hurting and I couldn’t do one without the other. So I took another step forward and another one and suddenly I sawMalek go rigid as he was staring out the window.
I stopped and took off the hood of my cloak.
My dark hair fell down in waves over my shoulders and I lowered my hands to my sides. Malek didn’t move.
I knew it was impossible for him to blanch, but he surely looked like he had seen a ghost. Without taking his eyes off me, he started shouting, “Theo! THEO! THEO!”
That’s when I saw him running down the stairs to the living room. He frantically looked around the room and everyone followed Malek’s line of sight.
Time stopped.
Literally.
I didn’t know if it was me or him or both of us, but nobody and nothing moved around us, and the only indication that we weren’t affected was the quick breaths we were both taking.
Theo stood there, and the book he was holding fell to the floor with a thud.
Before I could even blink, he was outside, standing just a few stretches away from me.
Shock was edged on his face, but also tenderness, longing and pain.
“Maelis?” he whispered.
I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore and fell to my knees.
Every bit of strength left my body when I heard him say my name and I was so tired of being strong.
He was instantly in front of me, on his knees too. I wept into my hands, unable to speak or even look at him.
He gently stroked my head with his palm.
“It’s all right, darling. I am here.” And with a tendernessthat left me speechless, he lifted me off the ground and into his arms.
I buried my face deep in his chest, my shoulders shaking from my crying.
He just held me and carried me back to the Veilstead, past the frozen people in the living room and up into the bedroom. He sat down on the bed with me and grabbed the warm blanket, covering us both in it. He didn’t speak, he just waited for my body to stop shaking, until I didn’t have any tears left and my face was red and swollen.
My breathing evened out, the pounding in my head fading until there was only the quiet between us.
