There was a lot of information in that speech but no real answers.
She chuckled and patted the cushion next to her. “Come. Sit. I’m Celeste.”
Aspen had already taken two steps in her direction, ready to obey with no idea why, when her name hit. He missed a step. His gaze moved over face. Of course, she was. That explained a lot yet nothing at all. He sat and stared at her in awe.
“You’re beautiful.” Aspen blushed as the words left his lips. It hadn’t even been a compliment. He couldn’t have stopped that truth from bursting from him if he tried.
She patted his arm. “You’re a sweet bear. That’s why you’ve always been destined for Leif. I knew he would protect your peace. Maybe it took me a while to figure out how I could make that happen. But from the day you were born, you were destined to love him.”
The sound of Leif’s name pulled him from his shock. He smiled. “Thank you for that.” He blushed again. He felt exposed sitting next to the goddess he had prayed so hard to, begging for a miracle. Aspen had begged Odin as well, even though he had known Odin had nothing to do with picking mates. It was kind of horrifying. He never thought he would have this meeting, looking directly at the being he had humbled himself so hard for.
After Celeste had patted his arm, she hadn’t moved her hand from him. Warmth spread from where she touched him, filling his soul with comfort. “Don’t be embarrassed. Love is a serious thing. Some would say it’s the most important part of life. Love drives almost every action. Men have started entire wars over that single emotion. You had found it, and—like me—you had no idea how to make it permanent. With that said, you never had to fear either of you finding a mystery mate. If I hadn’t found a way, it still would’ve been the two of you forever.”
A huge lump lived in Aspen’s throat. He had needed to hear this so many years back. All he had gotten was silence.
“Time moves differently in the heavens,” Celeste said, obviously hearing his thoughts. “Also, this is a special case. I don’t explain myself to anyone. It’s important to me that Leif doesn’t think turning his back on me got him his way. Do you understand?”
Aspen nodded. “You wouldn’t be safe if people thought all they had to do is walk away from you to get their prayers answered.”
Her expression was serious. She meant business. Celeste couldn’t let soldiers disobey her. That was dangerous. It made her look weak. “In this case, though, I’ve been busy. I didn’t know how bad the situation had gotten until Leif looked at me with genuine hatred. As cold as it may sound, there are bigger problems right now. However, I wanted to take a minute to talk to you. You have a sweet, soft soul. Leif needs that more than you know. You can see inside him now. Search. You’ll know what he hides when you see it.”
Celeste suddenly vanished.
Leif ambled into the room still looking tired. Despite the exhaustion in Leif’s eyes, he wore a sweet smile. “Good morning, sexy. The bed felt kind of empty.”
Aspen couldn’t stop smiling. There was a lot of bare chest on display. “I got hungry.”
Leif chuckled as he crawled onto the couch and sprawled out, using Aspen’s lap as a pillow.
Aspen grabbed the blanket folded on the back of the couch and covered Leif. With Leif settled, Aspen ran his fingers through Leif’s hair. The long locks were a mess.
“Mhmm. That feels good.”
With Leif’s eyes closed, Aspen got to inspect his face without guilt. Leif needed a lot more sleep than Aspen realized. His prickly pear was drained in a way Aspen had never seen before.
“You smell like cotton candy.” Leif muttered the words, sounding half asleep. Suddenly, Leif’s eyes shot open. “Wait. Why do you smell like heaven?”
Aspen dodged. “How do you know what heaven smells like?”
“I’ve been there. Don’t pretend I didn’t ask you—” Leif froze. “Celeste was here. Why was Celeste here?” It seemed he had reached in and taken what he wanted from Aspen.
Leif shook his head. “You know I try not to scoop thoughts from you without your permission. Why was Celeste here?”
Aspen didn’t know how to answer. It was obvious Celeste had come to him and not Leif for a reason. He decided to sum things up in a diluted way. “She wanted me to know she’d spent a long time trying to find a way to make us permanent. But she never intended to tear us apart with a random mate. We were written in the stars, apparently.”
Leif settled back down. “I can’t imagine Celeste explaining herself to anyone ever. It seems her nephew being missing has her more frazzled than I realized.”
All thoughts of laziness disappeared. “I don’t know who her nephew is, but you’re supposed to be a soldier she trusts heavily. Until you walked away, anyhow. You know what I mean. You should be out there helping her.” As soon as the words passed his lips, another thought hit. Celeste had told him to take care of Leif. “After you get some more sleep.” He urged Leif to relax. Aspen went back to running his fingers through Leif’s hair. “You’re no good to anyone this exhausted. Just close your eyes. Everything else can wait a few more hours. I’ve got you.”
Leif closed his eyes.
Aspen felt his determination to stay awake. He worried about Aspen’s wellbeing above his. But in no time, Aspen put him to sleep with his tender touches. Aspen smiled at the sight of Leif sleeping on his lap, as if he had never popped up in anger. His gaze moved to the scar everyone would see on Leif’s neck. This was his favorite day. Aspen sipped the coffee he had set aside when he sat down with Celeste. He winced. It was cold and needed honey. He had gotten distracted at the grocery store yesterday and forgot to pick some up.
Leif rolled to face him and snuggled closer. He touched the cup Aspen held. Steam rose from the top, yet Leif was asleep.
Aspen took another sip. It was perfect. He wouldn’t be surprised if there was a cupboard filled with bottles of honey now too.Aspen couldn’t stop staring at his miracle. They had a love so deep, it couldn’t be measured or even dampened in their sleep. Aspen had never been more grateful in his life. Whatever darkness Leif hid, Aspen would find it and fix him. That’s what mates were for.
In a show of support of Aspen’s efforts to become part of the community, Leif went to find Audor while Aspen helped a neighbor with their AC unit. He imagined with Frost in hiding, Audor was free. Leif went to Audor’s place first. His house seemed like the most reasonable place to start. Waylon’s police cruiser was gone. That made sense. He was likely on duty. Of course, it was equally possible all their vehicles were parked inside the massive detached garage that was twice the size of the house. The sound of hammering led Leif that way. The sidedoor stood open, and a sweat-soaked Audor worked away on a bookcase.
