I hoped and prayed to get lucky just once and fall asleep quickly. But fate clearly intended to beat me down at every turn today. Sleep didn’t come. Instead, I lay in bed, staring up into the high ceiling where shadows, moonlight, and my imagination re-played the nightmarish scenes of everything that had happened today.
All that Kye had said went through my head over and over again. I believed there had to be a solution in every situation, but I couldn’t find one in this case. My only escape was to risk it all and go back, hoping I’d survive crossing the River of Mists one more time and land in the world where I was meant to be—my world.
I never even got to say goodbye to anyone back home...
The thought rushed me with so much sadness, my heart ached and my eyes burned with tears.
As far as everyone I knew was concerned, I’d disappeared from life without a trace or an explanation.
Not entirely true because I’d tried to leave traces like crumbs marking the path of my kidnapping. Liam had Leslo’s picture and driver’s license. Someone could’ve found my purse on the side of the highway at some point too.
But what good would that do?
No one would find me in another fucking dimension, in another world that isn’t on any map back home. Even if they ever tracked Leslo upon his return to his goddess, what consequences would he face? Likely none. And he knew it. That was the reason for his acting so unperturbed when he kidnapped me. He simply didn’t care who saw his picture because he knew his goddess would protect him for as long as she needed him.
I twisted the platinum ring with a rare canary diamond around my finger, the ring that Liam so proudly placed on my finger the day I passed my bar exam, the day he asked me to marry him. Liam might eventually learn that something went horribly wrong with me, but he would never be able to help me.
For the first time in my life, I felt completely and utterly alone. And helpless. Sadness pinched harder in my chest. Pain lodged in my throat. The moonlight shadows above me blurred.
I wasn’t used to crying and couldn’t stop a sob from tearing out of my throat. Mortified, I slapped a hand over my mouth, but that didn’t stop tears from rolling down my cheeks.
Up until now, I’d tried so hard to remain calm, to be strong, to use my brain and find a solution. I’d tried so hard, and all of it proved useless. Everything had failed, as if I hadn’t tried at all. Now I was stuck in a world that made no sense, away from everyone I knew.
And there was no way back.
None.
Even if I ran from here, even if I managed to swim across the ocean, even if I found the portal, I would never come back to those I left behind. I’d never see my fiancé or my parents ever again...
At the end, it just proved too much, and my composure snapped under pressure.
I cried.
Burying my face into the pillow to smother the sobs, I let the tears flow.
Thankfully, all seemed quiet behind the screen separating my bed from the rest of the room. Kye must’ve fallen asleep again already. There was no one to hear my meltdown.
Or so I thought.
Until a sound reached me through the wooden screen.
Quiet as a whisper. Gentle as a hum. Flowing like a current.
A song.
Chapter 6
Kye
Iwas no stranger to women's tears. I’d disappointed many in their expectation of me and had witnessed quite a few female breakdowns as a result. Fuck, I’d even managed to make my own mother cry.
But there was something especially heart-wrenching in witnessing a strong woman like Maren break.
Throughout the day, I’d watched her trying to keep it together. She’d managed it quite well by being skeptical, pushy, snappy, and even aggressive at times. She’d asked questions, demanded answers, and undoubtedly plotted something in that blonde head of hers.
It surprised, amazed, and thrilled me to find a challenge in her. It didn’t hurt that all that challenging personality came packed in an alluring body complete with a pair of most delightful breasts and full pink lips I’d sell my soul to kiss.
My cock had twitched in her presence. Weighed down by my bitterness and numbness, it hadn’t stirred for years. It’d been quite a shock to see it come to life, and it was all her doing, Maren, that perky little minnow with the bite of a shark.
