Raine leaned forward and gave him a gentle hug, absorbing his words. Safe. They were safe now.
A healer approached. “I apologize, but it’s getting quite crowded in here. I must ask you all to leave and give them space to rest.”
Raine squeezed his sister’s and father’s hands one last time and stood. Then to Pax, he said, “Take care of her.”
The orc nodded. “Always.”
Ava waited for him at the doorway. With one last glance at a sleeping Maeryn, Raine reluctantly left the medical wing.
“I’m sorry for what Jareth said earlier,” Ava said as they wandered the hall.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
She sighed. “Jareth is…”
“A complete and total bastard.”
They rounded a corner, heading toward her room she shared with Casimir. “He is, but we learned something about him in Caelestia. His father killed his soulbond…because she wasn’t from his kingdom…she was from here.”
“What?” Raine was horrified.
“I know. It’s awful. Come in and eat something.”
They entered, and after Ava asked her attendant to bring them food, they took their seats at the table. Titus immediately zoomed in with a chirp and landed on Ava’s shoulder. Raine couldn’t help but smile at the firefinch as he listened closely to Ava’s story about what she saw in Orion’s journal.
“I’d never wish that heartbreak on anyone,” he said after she finished. “But it doesn’t mean I like him now. Especially since he attacked you. I could kill him for that.”
“Cas almost did.” Ava scratched under Titus’ chin.
“Good. Where is he anyway?” he asked.
“Helping with clean up.”
His thoughts wandered back to all that occurred today. Jareth bringing up memories of Finnick, the way he’d touched Maeryn’s face in the gardens. How his father and sister could have been killed so easily. The loss of his home.
“Are you alright?” Ava asked. “You’re never this quiet. Or this serious.”
He tapped his fingers on the table. “I’ve just been thinking.”
“Worried about your family?”
“Yes.” Raine leaned forward on his elbows, hands clasped on the table. “But also about other things…”
“About Finnick?”
“Yes. I miss him.”
And what he didn’t want to say out loud was that he felt as though he was betraying Finnick. Because he was falling in love with someone else. It didn’t matter if she was his destined one. That fate had brought them together. He never thought he’d be able to love anyone the way he’d loved that man. It waswhy he’d thrown himself into trysts with whoever enticed in the moment. It was easier to focus on having fun than getting emotionally attached. Because his heart would always be Finnick’s.
Or so he thought.
And though he’d admitted to Ava months ago he would settle down again if he found the right person, now that he had, he felt fucking guilty about it.
“He was the love of your life,” Ava whispered, reaching across the table and squeezing his hand.
Raine quickly wiped away a tear. “He was.”
“And Maeryn is your soulbond.”
