“What do you mean she disappeared?” Nate glared at me. “What did you do?”
“I found my mate.” I looked at him. “Not intentionally. More like she found me.”
His face drained of color before he let out a heavy sigh.
“So my uncle was right. You two weren’t fated. I really thought he was wrong.” He looked at me. “I told her that you looked like you were in love with her, and she told me I was crazy. She said that you wouldn’t love her.”
My brows pinched together.
“Maybe your uncle can help me?”
Nate shrugged. “Good luck. You know where to find him.” He paused for a moment. “I’ll look for her when I’m in Akecia for business. If I find her, I’ll call for you.”
Nate hesitated as if he were remembering something.
“One time, Elowyn told me that she wanted to run away to Falgon, where nobody knows her, to start over." He glanced at Ezra then back at me. “Maybe she really meant that.”
“Thank you.” I nodded. “Ezra, we are going to Falgon to see Thomas and maybe with luck we’ll see her.”
Chapter 21
Elowyn
Iwas standing at the river’s edge, staring into the rushing water, when a noise from my left made me flinch. Abram? My heart leapt, but it wasn’t him.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I said hi, but you seemed lost in thought.” Philip smiled at me.
I took in his fine clothing, the glint of the fabric catching the sunlight. His blue eyes were arresting, and his dark hair… It reminded me of Abram in ways I didn’t want to admit. His smile widened when he noticed me staring.
“Sorry, I was lost in my mind.” I nodded, trying to focus on the water again. “Are you stalking me?”
The river whispered beneath me. I wondered, just for a moment, what would happen if I stepped closer. If I let myself fall, would the water take me somewhere lighter, somewhere better?
“I’ve never seen someone else out here before.” He stopped a few feet from me, his gaze drifting over the rippling river. “It’sbeautiful here. I come here all the time, like I’m always waiting for something. Maybe it’s fate leading me to you, so I can take you on that date.”
I turned toward him, unsure how to respond.
“You don’t even know me. I could be everything you hate.” I tried to push the idea away, tried to resist the pull he seemed to have over me.
“Or…” he looked at me, really looked at me, as if he could see straight through all my walls. “We are perfect for one another.”
I stared at him, words lodged in my throat.
“You are very confident.” I chuckled softly, bitterly.
“Only when I see something I want.” He glanced back at the river, his voice lowering. “I can see you are still sad about the ex-husband, but maybe going out with me will help you move on.”
I thought of Abram, and the guilt pricked at me like cold knives. Even considering this felt like a betrayal.
“I should go.”
I turned, desperate to escape the magnetic pull of his gaze, but he stepped closer and stopped me.
“Stay.” His friendly smile tugged at something in my chest. “This is a pleasant surprise to see you in my favorite spot.”
I shook my head and stepped away from the water, but he reached out and grabbed my hand.
His eyes drifted over my face as he held my hand just a second too long. I smiled, more out of politeness than anything, and that seemed to snap him out of it. He dropped my hand and rubbed the back of his neck.
