We couldn’t get ourselves to Edinmyre anymore without Emma’s help. It was impossible for anyone but her to get to the fae world now, as the connection that tied it to Earth was so weak.
Gods, if she wished to be rid of me after we’d failed to protect everything that mattered, she could’ve told me. I would’ve let her be, run away with my tail between my legs if she’d turned me aside. But to leave me like this, without even a note, or a goodbye… it was beyond cruel.
I was a shell of a man, more of a ghost than a being existing. I kept myself holding on for one reason only; the sake of my friends. We were all in this together now, and we’d promised after losing Emma to stick together until the bitter end.
I patrolled the woods lonesomely, Tygrys flying at my side. Since Emma had left, he rarely parted from me. I slept in the forest more than I did in the estate most nights. The cold, wet ground and barren trees seemed like a fitting bed. Emma had pleaded with me not to lose myself to my rage, but now, I was lost to loneliness, prowling the woods like a wild animal desperate for a scrap of food.
What I longed for, though, was attention, a gentle caress of my mate’s hand to let me know I wasn’t all alone in the world.
The whispering of the wind through the barren branches was the only kiss I felt. It was time to admit it. I was alone. If I could lay down in the snow and allow the cold to take me, I would.
For them, I promised myself, and I pushed onward. I thought of Stefan and Delmare, and their son. I thought of Theo and Alexei, and remembered Kiara and Odette. We’d all lost someone in the past few months, some of us more than others. Allowing myself to succumb to the sadness was not an option.
I put my nose to the ground and smelled for predators. Since Emma had vanished, threats to the estate had been minimal. There were no vampires to be chased, orkarkansprowling around Ireland. Droga had pulled back all his forces from the corners of the world to focus on Malovia.
And what a sick masterpiece he’d created.
My pawprints padded against the melting snow. What purpose was there in staying alive, in a world like this? I could hardly see the point in it all.
Tygyrs began buzzing next to me. He was going wild, making small zooming circles that made my head spin.
Ethan!I heard Arthur scream my name telepathically, calling from the house.You need to get back here right now!
My heart thudded. Had they finally found us?I’m coming! I broke into a run and tore off toward the house. I shifted as soon as I hit the front porch and put a hand on the hilt of my sword, preparing for a fight.
I let out a ragged gasp as my eyes fell upon her. There she was, as lovely as ever. Her cheeks and gaze were vibrant, her side of our bond undeterred. My emotions crashed on the floor and shattered like glass as tears began to pour from my eyes. My beautiful wife had returned, and I’d never experienced a more earth-shattering moment.
The way Emma stared at me was completely baffling. She appeared puzzled, as if we hadn’t been separated for months… like we’d just seen each other yesterday.
Her reaction became more profound to me as I took in her appearance. She was wearing the same clothes she had been the day she’d disappeared… but there wasn’t a mark on them. They weren’t dirty, disheveled or worn, but fairly clean, as if she’d just put them on this morning.
I stared at the twins in her arms. They still appeared like they were three months old… like they hadn’t aged a day.
I put a hand against the wall to remain upright. My head spun, and my knees threatened to buckle with the incomprehensible madness of it all. Something was very, very wrong.
The room was full of people— all of our friends, her parents and grandparents. Each of them stood rigid while waiting for my reaction.
I was, apparently, the last person to see her. Everyone else had already greeted her.
I staggered forward. Emma handed off the twins to Arthur, and wrapped me in an embrace. My body sagged against hers in complete and utter relief at this true miracle. I let out a few lone sobs, and she clutched me tighter.
“You came back,” I whispered, and kissed her hair. I never thought she’d return to me, that I’d been cursed by the gods to a life of loneliness.
I didn’t understand how Lucien had managed. How he’d spent decades without his mate. Nine months had almost shattered me.
“I didn’t go anywhere,” Emma whispered. “I— I just saw you not a moment ago.”
I withdrew from her embrace and looked at her, scarcely able to believe it. I didn’t let her go, continuing to cling to her arms as if she might vanish once again. “I haven’t held you in ages, Emma.”
She stared at me in a kind of delirium. This was either a dream, or some very powerful magic we didn’t understand.
“Let’s give Ethan and Emma some time together,” Lucien offered. “We’ll speak of this later.”
Emma nodded. She put a hand on my back before taking my arm and guiding me up to our room. I paused, putting a hand on the door.
“Don’t go in there,” I said. Embarrassment and shame twisted inside of me. “It’s a mess. I— I failed to keep things together, while you were gone.”
One of those things being myself.
