“Yes, I did. I was about to go home with him but wanted to check on you.” I hesitated. “You’re happy now, right?”
“Yes.” Mikel smiled, his eyes shining brightly. “You and Abram have been doing shit without me.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “You will be such a good husband and father, Mikel. I always knew that about you. I knew that you would love your mate with your whole heart. I am sorry for what happened, and I hope you forgive me. You know I have alwaysloved and looked up to you. I never meant to hurt you, and if I could have brought her back sooner, I would have.”
Mikel stared at me, and I saw the concern in his eyes.
“I love you too. Why does this feel like you are saying goodbye?”
I hugged him to me tightly so I could hide my face.
“I’m just emotional after everything that happened and wanted to make sure you didn’t hate me anymore.”
“I don’t hate you.” He rubbed my back. “If you are in some sort of trouble, I will do anything to help you.”
I pulled back and smiled before pinching his cheek like I used to.
“I’m fine, just tired, so I should get back to Haden.” I looked at my brother once more. In so many ways he was better than I ever had been. “Make sure you mark Remiah.”
“Already done. She became my wife the day you brought her back; I wasn’t going to risk that ever again.”
“Good. Well, I’ll come over in a few days and say hi to her. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Mikel gripped my arm tightly, questions swirling in his eyes, but he didn’t ask them. He let me go, and I left our home for the last time.
Chapter 21
Haden
What did I do? I stared at the fire as Ezra stared at the side of my face like I would explode or something. Della had left hours ago, and I could not feel anything. I was numb and empty. My soul knew something important was missing, and it wanted me to go find it. My heart beat to a different rhythm without her, and I didn’t like it.
My mating bond was gone. It did not float from me anymore. I had rejected Della in a moment of hurt and devastation. What was I thinking? I wasn’t. I would have never rejected her.
“Haden?” Thea sat down on the small table in front of me. “Do you want to talk about anything?”
I blinked up at Thea and felt nothing but confusion in my mind. What did I do? Thea’s eyes were red, meaning she was feeling overwhelmed. I glanced at Cassius, and his eyes were black. When I looked at Ezra, his normally red eyes were black too.
“I fucked up,” I said. “Right?” I looked at all of them.
Ezra sighed heavily.
“Thank the gods, I have been waiting for you to realize you were an idiot.” He jumped up. “You made a decision in the moment and should have probably taken a minute to think it through.”
I stood up, determined to find Della. But I stopped when I saw that Brim stood in the doorway of the home. His eyes found mine, and I could feel the worry coming from him.
“Brim?” Cassius asked. “Where the hell did you come from?” He looked around.
“What did you do?” he asked me. Brim’s eyes turned bright red. “Why did you do that?!”
I went to open my mouth to answer him, but his eyes faded from red as tears filled them. He buried his face in his hands and began crying like someone died.
“Brim, you don’t understand. She told me how she manipulated me,” I said. “But I was going to tell her no, that I was not going to reject her. Then, all of a sudden, I was rejecting her…oh my gods, she made me.” I looked at everyone. “That's why I am so confused; she used her magic to force my rejection. What would be her reason for that?”
Brim looked up at me and glared. He came at me so fast that I was unsure of what to do. He kicked me in the shin, and it made me feel something other than nothing.
“She didn’t manipulate you into falling in love with her,” Brim yelled. “Those images she planted in your mind were images she saw of your future. Della can’t fabricate images; she can only share what she actually sees in the future.”
A moment later, star mist filled the room, and my heart beat quickly.
