Chapter Twenty-Four
Nolen
So, Aiden was not in town, nor was he coming back anytime soon. I had shamelessly shown an older woman the picture of my sleeping Derek, telling her I was looking for him, hoping he looked exactly like Aiden. Hilda, which she’d told me her name was, had told me he’d left town a week ago to find himself, and how amazing was that? And how did I know Aiden? And maybe I should travel with him?
I was drained. I missed Derek. And when Hilda had let it slip that she was the one that convinced him to travel, I’d wanted to take her cane and run off with it. I was not okay. I was in thethinking about messing with old peoplestage, a stage I had no desire to stay in. I needed my Derek. It had been the worst week in my life, and now I had no clue on where to look for Aiden, only my instincts.
Sighing, I slid back into my beat-up car that thankfully still waited for me in the forest near the portal when I returned without Derek a week ago.Now, I would call my parents, then the rulers, andthen, I would drive…somewhere.
My parents gave me the boost I needed to continue on, while the rulers gave me the logical way of finding him, letting my instincts guide me to Derek. Since Derek wasn’t in this world, I would likely find the closest thing, Aiden. After hearing how Grovar thought it would work and the other rulers agreeing, I had this feeling of empowerment, like nothing could stop me from locating Aiden.
I’d promised the rulers that I would call them when I’d found Aiden so they could help me with how to approach him. A stranger telling him about a twin he likely couldn’t remember wouldn’t be received well, but until I found him, we could all work through on how to best deal with this special occasion.
After driving for three hours, I needed a pee break and some food. A motel was close by, so I decided to stop for the day there and rest. I also needed to refuel the car, so I did just that before I parked outside the motel with my takeout food. I really just wanted to get a room and eat in peace inside, then I would call the medical employer who was assigned to Derek’s care. She was kind whenever I called, which was every night before I went to bed.
Sitting on the motel bed, I gingerly ate my burger and hoped I wouldn’t make a mess. I hadn’t thought about the room not having a dining table, or a coffee table, and I was not about to eat at the nightstand beside the bed. There were limits to how I wanted to eat my greasy food.
With only a few stains on the dark grey duvet, I cleaned myself up and got ready for bed. I would wait to shower until tomorrow morning, wanting to feel fresh and clean if I were to locate Aiden.
Sliding under the covers, I called Mindy, the medical employee, and waited eagerly to see my mate.
Her kind face was soon projected over my slate. “Good evening, Nolen. Derek is still sleeping, and his condition hasn’t changed, which is both a good thing and a bad thing, considering he isn’t healing correctly.”
I loved how she always started each call with a rundown on the facts on Derek. Like she somehow knew I wanted to know every little detail of my mate’s wellbeing.
“Thank you, Mindy,” I said, smiling back kindly. “Can I see him?”
“Of course.” And then Derek’s sleeping face was all I could see.
“Darling, I hope you’ll wake soon, but is it selfish of me to hope you will wait for me to return? I would hate it if you woke up all alone. I promise I’ll hurry. Just keep working on that healing and I’ll bring Aiden home. I promise.”
Mindy moved her slate away and gave me a soft wave like always, wanting my voice to be the last thing Derek heard for the day.
Freshly showered and back on the road, I kept the radio on low, letting my thoughts wander to Aiden and how to approach him.
Trise had a lot of “good” advice for me when she called this morning, and she seemed hellbent on me enjoying myself while I searched for Aiden, reminding me I was working and should take in the differences and report back whenever I called them. Thankfully, she wasn’t asking for a written report, just asked if I could take some pictures and tell them what I saw whenever we talked.
The idea of telling Aiden about Derek didn’t sit right with me, like I had no right to be the one to tell Aiden. I guess I technically did, being mated to Derek, but it still felt wrong that I, a stranger, should be the one to tell Aiden about his twin brother.
Lucky for me, I had lots of time to figure out how to do this. With the upbeat music in the background, and the scenic landscape on either side of the road, I followed my heart and hoped it would guide me to Aiden.
It took me two days to locate Aiden. It seemed he’d driven to this location and somehow decided to stay a while, since I was able to catch up to him so soon.
The motel I’d found in town was in good condition and looked well kept, so I felt good about staying there for a few days as I tracked Aiden down. I could feel he was near, but not how close. My instincts told me he was in this cute little town, though, so any minute now I would meet Derek’s twin.
The kind woman at the check in desk had given me my key and with my bag of belongings put away, I figured some lunch in town would do me good. I also wanted to search for Aiden while there. So, I bypassed my car and walked a short distance before reaching the center of town where lots of small shops were located with restaurants, too, some you could sit inside and eat in, and others where you paid for your food to-go. I felt like the latter option fit me better, so I picked a place where they sold chicken wraps. Easy walking food.
With my food securely in hand, I began eating while walking down the cobblestoned street. This town really was cute.
I’d just taken a huge bite, when I felt the pull, just as strong as the day I’d opened the door to Remi and Derek’s dorm room. My head whipped to the right so fast I heard a crack.
And there, a true copy of my mate, was Aiden, laughing with a young man with black hair. I sucked in a breath. How was this possible? But as his brown eyes met mine, I knew it was true.
Aiden was my mate, too.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Aiden
