My head whipped up in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Caelan got up and fixed himself another drink.
“When you disappeared to Malakka and we came back to the Citadel, we were all shouting with anger. We were losing our minds, the betrayal struck deep. He was completely calm and told us not to worry. That you were going to save us all. We told him he was crazy for thinking that. That he was naive and blind to the truth. We had heard you speak on the battlefield, we had heard the cruel words you had to say about us and Theo. But he shook his head and said that you loved Theo and that you would fulfill the prophecy.”
It was my turn to be surprised.
The Abbot had never liked me, had always questioned my motives and my dedication to the cause. But in the temple, when he and I had spoken about the ritual, there had been a moment of understanding between us. Where it had felt like he had looked at me for the first time and maybe he had seen the truth written all over my face. When I had confessed my love for Theo, I hadn’t been lying. I had told him whatI planned to do and even though I hadn’t mentioned that I was going to betray them, he might have guessed my motives when I joined forces with Ignara.
“Remind me to thank him for his trust in me.” I chuckled.
“But to cut it short, I behaved horribly and in return Ignara and her cronies trusted me enough to go through with our plan. The priest that had to perform the ritual knew nothing of the old languages and so it wasn’t hard for me to make him believe that he was performing the harnessing ritual on Theo, rather than on me. They believed his power would transfer to me and I would be their weapon to enslave the mortal world once more.” Theo cleared his throat. “You were very convincing, I will give you that.”
“I knew everything had to look believable or you would have told them about the mistake they were going to make. I told the priest to make sure he stayed out of earshot from you and he did until those final words. I could see the moment you realized what he was saying, but by then it was too late, our hands were interlocked.”
Pain was now clearly visible on Theo’s face, the memory of that fateful night replaying in his head like it did in mine.
“I felt so helpless and guilty. For ever thinking you could actually betray me. I felt responsible for not being able to save you.”
A tear slid down his cheek, and I wiped it away with my finger.
“After that, I don’t remember much to be honest. You already know the most important parts about me being stuck somewhere between life and death.”
“The only thing that matters is that you’re back now,” Theo said.
That seemed to shake Caelan out of his stupor “Yes, how exactly did you manage to outsmart death?”
And so I told them what I had explained to Theo minutes ago, about the Fates and the fact that they had lost their grip on me. My return from the dead had made me immortal, but it had been my choice to return.
Theo let out a big sigh when I came to that part. “You are immortal? Are you sure?” he asked with an urgency that seemed so unlike him.
“Well, I haven’t tested it yet, but the Fates told me the price for returning would be my mortality.”
The smile on his face was otherworldly as he pulled me close and kissed me deeply.
“I was fully prepared to take care of you as an old croon, my darling, but to know that we are facing eternity together is the best news you could have given me.”
He kissed me again and again until everyone in the room was mock puking, throwing pillows at us or shouting something along the lines of “just get a room.”
And amid all the chaos, I finally felt like I was home.
Chapter 44
One by one everyone said their goodbyes.
Caelan was the last to leave and just before he walked out the door, he turned to hug Theo. I don’t know what exactly he said to him, but there were tears in both of their eyes and a knowing glance passed between them. When the door clicked shut, silence fell over the Veilstead and Theo turned around wordlessly.
He crossed his arms behind his back and leaned against the door.
I was standing a few stretches away next to one of the sofas. We only stared at each other, as if we were seeing each other for the first time.
And maybe we did, because for the first time it was just me and him.
There was no prophecy between us, no Fates throwing us together, no secrets to uphold and nothing to hide about our relationship. We were truly free to choose what and who we wanted to be to each other.
The magnitude of this moment hung heavy between us, and I could see on Theo’s face that his brain was racing with questions as well.
“I think we should talk,” I said quietly.
