“No, no. I just—”
“Soren.”
His shoulders slump. “Thank you so much, Lyall. I’m not the biggest fan of seafood.”
I work hard to keep my expression neutral. We used to sit on the shore together, light a fire, and cook our catch together. He’d smile as I hand-fed him pieces of salmon. He’d lay his head on my shoulder and sigh as the waves crashed on the shore.
This is perfect, Lyall. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
I try to smile, though I’m unsure how convincing it is. “That’s all right. No need to force yourself.”
So what if he doesn’t like fish? Tastes can change. It doesn’t mean anything.
Soren sighs heavily. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. That was rude of me. I’m sure it will taste great if you cook it.”
“Sit tight. It’ll be ready soon.” I grab my tools from my pack.
“Do you know where we are?” Soren asks.
I sharpen my hunting knife. “I’ve brought us to the island of your birth. Your village is only a few miles from this cave. After we break our fast, I will lead you there.”
“What’s there that’s so important?”
I look over my shoulder at him, needing to see his reaction to make certain he is comfortable with this. “Your childhood. Your parents. The fate of your village.”
“Fate of my village…” Soren wets his lips. “Guessing it wasn’t a happy ending.”
I set down my knife and reach out to take his hand. “Was I wrong to bring you here?”
Soren shakes his head, and his eyes burn with resolve. “No. I need to see them. My parents. Fergus lied and told me that my mother had abandoned me. I want to know who they were. That’s all that matters.”
Then I will support him in this. I lift the knife and bring it down hard, preparing the fish for roasting.
“Oh. That’s a lot of blood…” Soren’s faint voice alarms me. When I look back at him, he’s astonishingly pale. I look down at my hands, red and wet, then back at him.
“So?”
Soren swallows thickly. “Nothing. Just… Excuse me.” He lurches to his feet and stumbles outside.
Before I can ask what’s wrong, the sound of puking makes me wince. The sight of a dead fish didthatto him? The man I knew didn’t bat an eye at the sight of blood. This version of Soren is soft and sheltered. Nothing like the man I fell in love with.
Are we too different now to share a life together?
I lead the way to the village of Soren’s birth. I’ve visited here many times over the years in my search for anything that reminded me of my mate. I made sure to send us back only a day before the attack on the village so we could witness it together, but now I’m second-guessing myself.
Soren said he wanted to know, and I must respect that, but I fear seeing such a painful memory will do more harm than good. I’d only wanted him to see our story from the beginning.
“Mayhap we should visit another memory.”
Soren shakes his head. “No. I want to see my parents.” He moves past me, quickening his pace. “Can anyone in this time see us?”
I shake my head. “No. We cannot change events that have already come to pass. It goes against the laws of time travel. There are exceptions, of course.”
“What kind of exceptions?”
“Meeting those we are destined for. The witches could never find a way to prevent those fated for each other from altering the timelines. Some things are simply meant to be.”
Soren looks back at me, frowning. “Fated? Like soulmates?”
