“I am the one who made sure there was a way to break the curse that had been set on you. It was me; my will to have you was so strong that I would have done anything.
“So, I lied to everyone. I wrote the book about the curse and your parents, and I left it for Avesh to have because I knew the moment you smiled at me that I was breaking you out of Hell. There was nothing that happened that I did not manipulate so that the only outcome was that you would be mine. You were always meant to be here with me.”
I stared at her, mouth open, because I was honestly impressed with her persistence over such a great length of time.
“I remember smiling at you,” I confessed, and she stilled as she stared at me. “Obviously, I did not know it was you. But I smiledbecause something about you made me happy. When I saw you in Akecia that first time, I somehow knew it was you without ever seeing your face. It was like my soul did recognize yours.”
I smiled at her.
“I told you, bond or not, I would always be yours, and I meant it. I was yours, whether the heavens destined it or not. I was created to love you, Della, only you.”
Della launched herself at me, her mouth crushing mine as we fell into the tub together, causing the water to splash out and cover the floor. The kiss went from hard to soft as we giggled, overwhelmed with giddiness as we just absorbed each other’s presence. She leaned back and traced over my face with her eyes.
“I love you so much, Haden.”
“You are the whole reason I know what it feels like to love and be loved, Storm, and I will always be most thankful for that. I will love you always.”
Della smiled down at me. “I have dreamed of this very moment for hundreds of years, and now it's here.”
“Our forever starts now, Storm, and I can’t wait to see the beautiful life we build together.” I leaned up and seared a kiss into her that would mark her all over again and remind the fates who she belonged to.
Epilogue
Della-- 25 years later
My gaze immediately went to Abe when he stormed into the house. Shit. His green eyes narrowed on me, and I pretended to be busy making food even though Haden had told me that I was forbidden from cooking unless he was in here. I didn’t blame him—I caught the bread on fire and almost burned our home down.
I refused to acknowledge his presence, but I could feel his eyes staring into my soul. Maybe if I ignored him, he would leave, but his presence was becoming more hostile with every passing second. Sighing heavily, I turned and looked at him.
“Oh, hi, I didn’t see you there,” I lied.
His eyes flashed red. Oh, fuck, he was really pissed at me.
“You invited her,” he said, glaring at me.
“She’s nice.” I smiled.
“She’s fucking stalking me. Her coven is the biggest pain in my ass.”
“I don’t think she’s stalking you; she just thinks you're handsome.” I smiled, but he was not amused. I sighed heavily and looked at him. “She’s pretty.”
“Yeah, pretty psycho,” he reminded me. “I do not want her anywhere near me. There is nothing about her that I want. You think she would take a fucking hint that I do not find her appealing in any sense of the word. The best part of hiding was that I did not need to see her or that damn coven.”
I looked over his shoulder and frowned when I saw Elowyn’s smile slowly fade away. My face fell when I watched her friendly, honey-colored eyes fade at my brother’s words. He noticed the look on my face and turned around.
“Elowyn,” he said quickly.
She looked at him like he had ripped her heart out and stomped on it. Then she swallowed hard, set down the desserts she made on the counter, and hurried out of the house to join the rest of our friends.
Abram turned his angry glare at me.
“She isn’t my mate.” He narrowed his eyes on me, but I saw a hint of something in his eyes when he said it.
“I didn’t say she was, but she is my friend. She helped me when she didn’t need to.”
Abe clenched his jaw before looking at the desserts she set down. He snagged one and began eating it before he stormed out of the house. A moment later, Haden came in and gave me a concerning look.
“What happened?” he asked. “Elowyn looks like she’s been punched.”
