Carlo’s cheeks burned hot with shame and embarrassment. By walking away from her, he’d made her feel like his home wasn’therstoo. “I meant Encantado when I said that.”
“Oh.” She looked up at him and blinked, more tears spilling from her eyes. “But you know I can't stay there forever.”
He nodded. “I know, but we'll worry about that when the time comes. Let me take care of you right now.”
Nanshe tucked her head into his chest. She had never looked more fragile than she did in that moment. She appeared more like a woman rather than a Norn with great power and even greater responsibility. Right now, she was simply his mate, Nanshe, a woman he loved from his past, from a land he couldn’t remember. She needed him—he could sense it. His wolf went wild with the need to protect his mate.
We will have her, Carlo promised his wolf.She's here, she's safe.
Carlo directed them through the Chaos, pulling them toward Encantado as he’d practiced. He firmly held the current timeline in his head to make sure he landed where he meant to. The portal opened and dropped them directly onto his bed, and they bounced on the surface.
Her silent tears and shaking shoulders broke his heart.
“Tell me.” He traced his fingers up and down her spine.
“Skuld is my sister, my twin.”
“I figured as much after seeing some of the elements of the past. Continue,” he whispered.
“For so many years we were close, but I didn't see the darkness in her. I couldn't see she was hurt by the responsibility that was forced upon us. We were like goddesses, acolytes of the gods. We were commissioned to hold the flow of time. It was a great honor, one we thought we would never turn away from. But slowly, things changed, and we realized the gods had lied to us. They didn't tell the whole truth of what we were meant to go through. And because of that, my sister suffered. She struggled against her bonds. And it became more and more painful for her to be locked inside the walls we were put in. Enough so that when I met you from the past ... Well, you've seen it now.”
Carlo nodded and gently motioned for her to continue.
“When I met you in the past, I wanted you immediately. We were drawn to each other, physically unable to stay apart. You were the only thing that made me believe that maybe, just maybe, I didn't want to be ignored. But my responsibility was too great, and you seemed to be accepting of my place. Because of my fear, I did not tell you about Skuld. I wanted to keep you to myself.”
Carlo shifted, remembering some of the past he had seen. “I thoughtyoubetrayedme. Did it have something to do with her?”
Nanshe nodded. “She slept with you, but you didn't realize it wasn't me. At that time, we had the same coloring. It was before we took on our positions. Then she also slept with other men. I never knew about that when I came to you. I just found out, but it was enough to anger you. Your rage was something I couldn't quell, and I couldn't explain. How could I after I had lied to you after I hadn't told you the truth of who I was and what she was to me.
“The lies between us were enough for you to strike out. And so our past was etched. The moment you killed me, my Norn powers activated and the past we’d created occurred over and over again. Always at odds. Always a rival for my sister. Always against her. That was what we created, all because I didn't tell the truth. It is all my fault. And the reason Skuld turned out to be who she is today is because of me as well.”
Carlo pulled her tighter to his chest. “It isn’t your fault. Nanshe. Don't believe that. Things happen. We were only human at the time. We didn't know anything. We made wrong choices and mistakes. That, in itself, is being human. You have suffered that fate so many times, and I did the same no matter how many lifetimes I went through with you. I didn't learn from my own mistake that we shoulder some of that burden together. Don't take it all alone.”
“But don't you see, Carlo? If I had simply told you the truth, we never would have been here, and perhaps many people in Encantado wouldn’t have died because of it.”
Carlo lifted her face and looked down at her. “That is not your fault. You made a mistake. It’s that simple. We can’t always control which roads we must take in life. I know this because I thought leaving you would be better than killing you. Because of what I saw in the past, I nearly made the same mistake and didn't give you a chance to explain to me why. I didn't give life achanceto happen. And because of that, you were taken and Skuld hurt you.”
“At least I found out the truth. Something good came of it.”
Carlo sighed and pulled her even tighter into his chest. “But I will not leave your side again, that I can promise. It doesn't matter what Skuld wants to do. We will fight her, and we will win.”
“She is so powerful, Carlo.”
“So are you, my mate, and you are not alone. All of Encantado is behind you. And you came to us with this danger, despite knowing I could have killed you. I will never forget that.”
“But–”
He crashed his mouth to hers, cutting her off.
This selfless woman was hurting, silent sobs racking her body as he held her. But when she walked, she held her head high, her shoulders back, and her spine stiff as steel. She was so strong yet so fragile. When was the last time she’d relied on someone else? When was the last time someone had promised to take care of her instead of letting her face the world alone? Carlo wasn't sure, but he knew he would never leave her again.
Carlo would always be by her side. And tonight, he would prove it. He would show her just how important she had become to him.
He ate at her mouth, sucking on her bottom lip to open for his seeking tongue. Their tongues dueled with each other, wet and hot. Her body pressed against his, but her dress was in the way, blocking him from her heated skin. He wanted to feel her flesh, expose her to him and see her as she truly was with nothing between them. The past was all out; everything they needed to know was clear. They no longer had to hide anything from each other. And it was wondrous. He rolled them to place her on her back and slowly kissed his way down her neck. She arched her back, giving him more access.
Carlo removed her dress, every bit of her exposed skin available for his tongue, his teeth, his lips. He studied her, learned her, paid attention to every gasp, every moan. He loved the way she clenched the covers when he nipped at the underside of her breast. He was entranced by how she bit her lip when he traced his tongue across her nipples. Even more so, he was taken by the way she sucked in her breath when he kissed her navel before trailing his tongue over her stomach and nipping at her pelvic bone.
Nanshe was a goddess, and he would worship her. He continued his path down her body, across one of her legs, pausing only long enough to snake his tongue under the curve of her knee. Before continuing, he massaged her insole, kissed her heel, tongued the ball of her feet, and even kissed his way along her toes.
