“You doing all right, Reidar?”
“As good as can be expected,” he admitted, figuring it probably wasn’t a good idea to tell Obsidian he hated sleeping alone.
“We’ve been together a long time,” Obsidian stated. “I can usually detect when your brain’s on overload.”
Reidar kept walking as he gathered his thoughts, then paused, the move drawing Obsidian to a halt.
“When you met Penelope, was there ever any doubt in your mind that she was youramsouelot? I mean, I get that you knew she was because of the list and all, but … was there ever any doubt?”
Obsidian’s silver stare scoured his face. “None.”
Reidar sighed. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“You made the right choice with Winnie.” Obsidian’s voice was laced with sympathy.
Meeting the male’s eyes, Reidar nodded. “I know. It’s just…”
“It sucks?” Obsidian chuckled. “It’s not supposed to feel good. Just because she wasn’t slated as your soul’s destiny doesn’t mean you didn’t care about her.”
“I know.” And he did, but that hadn’t stopped all the what-ifs that continued to plague him. What if he’d treated her differently? What if he’d undergone thelintamairrather than hold out?
Obsidian cursed under his breath.
“I swear on my soul, Obsidian, I believed her to be myamsouelot. I’ve never felt that sort of connection with anyone before. But…” Reidar exhaled heavily. “I found myself wanting space from her. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a great female. Kind, sweet, beautiful.”
“But she’s not youramsouelot.”
“How will I know who is?” he blurted. “Is there some sort of sign that’ll appear?”
Obsidian’s big hand settled on his shoulder. “When your soul meets the one who’s destined for you, there’s no question. You simply know.”
“Fucking hell.” Reidar stabbed the toe of his boot into the soft earth beneath his feet.
“You need to reset your focus, Reidar. We’ve got a lot going on right now. And I need you now more than ever. With the baby coming, this sitch with Taayin … I have no right to ask more of you, but I need your head to be clear.”
Reidar stared into Obsidian’s face. “It is.” He shook his head. “It will be. I assure you of that.”
Obsidian nodded. “Come on. Right now, let’s check out this new Lair Kaj is bragging about. I’m in the mood to give him shit. We’ll start with his choice of decor.”
Reidar chuckled. “And if it’s nice?”
“We’ll give him shit anyway.”
Grateful for some space from his own thoughts, Reidar fell into step with Obsidian, his shoulders feeling a little lighter already.
Eclipse strolled down the hall, past thewar room, beyond the storage areas to the new double doors that had been installed. He pushed the bar on the door, smiling when they swung wide to reveal an expanse of clean white floors, bright white walls.
The new medical facility was almost complete. Considering Penelope was entering week sixteen of her pregnancy, they’d all been under the gun to get it finished before the baby made an appearance. Based on what he could tell, they were going to meet their goal with a few days to spare.
He heard the familiar sound of power tools, saw a dozen heads bent over various projects, finishing up before the healers arrived in a couple of days. But it wasn’t the curtained spaces or the fancy equipment that had drawn him down here. While he was happy to see the progress, he was in search of hisamsouelot. She’d been spending a significant amount of time down here, helping Penelope to design the space and secure all the necessary medical equipment to make it functional.
“I’m worried one recovery room won’t be enough.” Penelope’s voice carried from beyond a newly constructed wall.
“I agree,” Orianna replied. “I think two at the very least.”
“I’ll talk to Gryffyth,” Penelope said. “Have him modify the blueprint to incorporate another space. What about the training suite?”
Eclipse stepped up behind Orianna, watching the two females as they stared out at the white tiled flooring laid out before them.
