When I approach the spot where I last saw Saban, my heart starts thumping against the inside of my chest so hard, I can see my shirt moving. He’s sitting on a park bench with his elbows on his knees, staring at the ground between his feet. My heart leaps into my throat. Even if my head still argues against this move, my heart knows what it wants.
I walk straight up to him, stopping when my feet are in his line of sight. He suddenly jerks to sit up straight, and his eyes lift to meet mine. Shock and disbelief are quickly replaced by relief and gratefulness. He jumps to his feet and wraps his arms around my waist, lifting me off the ground with his embrace. My arms slink around his neck, my face fits in the crook of his neck, and I inhale a lungful of his unique scent.
Despite the unspoken words, I feel whole again. Laurelai’s insight was unequivocally correct. If I’d tried to have a link this strong removed, I’d walk around with a significant piece of myself missing for the rest of my life.
He turns his head to kiss the side of mine. “I’ve been dying without you, Sara. Literally dying. I never knew I was capable of loving anyone so fucking much. Now I know I’d rather die than try to live the rest of my life without you by my side. Promise me we’ll never separate like that again for any reason.”
“I don’t want to be without you again either.” I can’t bring myself to make that promise. Not yet anyway.
“Are you ready to come back home?”
I hesitate to answer because I don’t know what to expect from his family. The old adage to keep friends close and enemies closer comes to mind, and I decide that’s not a bad strategy. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Having you back where you belong is the only way I’ll have it. Anyone who doesn’t like it can move out. The palace is our home. Everyone else is only a guest there.”
I use his phone to contact one of the girls from the Veil, Kate, who helped get me the job and ask her to meet me with my belongings. Her smile is evident in her voice when she assures me it’s no problem. She also emphasizes I always have a home there if I ever need to return. I thank her, hoping it doesn’t come to that again, but I keep the offer in the back of my mind anyway. Saban and I sit on the bench, chatting about my job and my temporary home with my friends when Kate approaches us with my backpack stuffed with clothes and shoes.
“Don’t be a stranger. We still expect to see you every chance you get.” She hugs me goodbye, and I thank her again for everything.
Saban waves goodbye to her then turns to me, love shining in his eyes, and throws my pack over his shoulder. “The first thing we’re doing is getting you a phone of your own. Not being able to contact or find you for the past week has been a living hell.
“The second thing we’re doing is barricading ourselves in the bedroom so we can talk without any interruptions. I don’t want you to doubt my love or my loyalty to you, so I’ll tell you everything and answer all your questions. After those two steps are finished, we’ll do whatever you want. Is that all right with you, princess?”
“Yes, that’s all right with me. Let’s get it over with now so we don’t have it hanging over our heads all night.”
With his arm around my shoulders and his lips nearly glued to my head, we stroll down the street to pick out the phone before driving back to the palace in his vehicle. A stray thought occurs to me…I really should learn to drive. Maybe Saban can teach me in a few weeks if everything is still calm.
When we walk into the palace, I half expect a full-scale revolution over my presence. But everyone moves about as usual, barely taking notice of my reappearance. Giselli and Isla emerge from the large dining hall, having just finished supper, and greet me with such fake excitement, I can barely hold my tongue.
“Sara, it’s so good to see you again. We’ve missed you around here.” Giselli embraces me but quickly releases me when I don’t return the gesture. “This probably isn’t the appropriate time or place to say this, but I want to apologize for my part in this fiasco. I didn’t fully realize the bond between such resilient soul mates. In all my years, I can’t remember another couple who was so perfectly matched for each other. After you left, it was quite evident that Saban couldn’t go through with an arranged marriage, so I explained the situation to the other family. They were very gracious about it all, so everything is back to normal now.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” I’m civil. That’s almost more than I can muster at the moment.
“Mom, Sara and I haven’t had an opportunity to talk about all the intimate details of what happened yet. You were right when you said this isn’t the appropriate time or place. In the future, I’ll be the one who shares information with her so there’s no misunderstanding later.”
“Whatever you say, son. I’ll take my leave now. Good night, you two.”
“Good night, Mother.”
I don’t bother returning the sentiment.
Saban starts walking in the opposite direction, heading toward his wing of the palace, and motions with a slight jerk of his head for me to follow him. When we’re behind the closed double doors of his living quarters, I feel as though I can breathe easier. Just being near Giselli and Isla is so much harder now than I could’ve imagined.
We sit facing each other on the large, overstuffed couch, our knees touching and our fingers linked. Maintaining the physical connection to him helps keep me grounded and clears my cluttered mind. When I’m able to tell him the entire truth, I’ll make sure he understands why I couldn’t share the details earlier. Anyone who doesn’t have the power to shield their mind poses a threat to the entire magical community, across all the kingdoms.
“For the record, I was bringing you up here so we could discuss everything my mom just blurted out in private. I’m not sure where to start now or what to say, but I’ll answer any questions you have. Or I’ll start from the beginning and share every detail with you. It’s completely your call.” His earnest expression and open body language show me he’s ready to take all the responsibility. I don’t need to read his mind to know his intentions.
“I don’t want to talk about what happened before. I want to talk about what will happen in the future. If your mom were to do something terrible in the future, as bad as forcing you to marry someone you don’t love, how do I know you wouldn’t go along with her? I mean, she’s your mother. How could you not choose her over me again?”
“You made me realize something about myself during the past week we’ve been apart. Yes, that is a short time to have this great epiphany, but that’s also what makes it so profound. The truth has been staring me straight in the face for years, but I managed to avoid facing it. When you confronted me about her plans, you faced it head on and with no fear. When you were hurt by my actions and had nowhere to live, you packed your things and walked out of here anyway. You do what’s right, regardless of how hard it is or what the personal cost to you may be.
“I’ve never been that strong before, but then, I’ve never had to be. I was barely able to keep myself from begging you to take me back every single day. When I finally did, you stood firm and refused to back down from what you believed to be right. Your strong convictions put me to shame. That’s when I realized I had to make a fundamental change because the man I’d been wasn’t the man I wanted to be.
“I also realized I’d been seeking my family’s approval my entire life, and I’d always fallen short in their eyes. But I don’t need their approval. I don’t need their input. I don’t need their permission. All I need is you. As long as you’re with me, I can conquer the world.”
I want to believe him. I also want an ironclad guarantee he won’t flip-flop on me again in the future. But his love for me radiates from deep inside him, reaching out and wrapping around me like a warm hug. There’s no denying the way our souls instantly recognize each other or the stronghold we can’t seem to break free from.
He is my refuge when the storm swirls inside my mind, leaving me lost and confused.
He’s the o
nly one who can make me soar to all-new heights or come tumbling down with a terrible crash and burn.
No one else can hurt me the way he can…or love me the way he does.
“I believe everyone should be given a second chance. No one is perfect. There’s no way around it—we all have to ask for forgiveness. Everything isn’t always so cut-and-dried. Sometimes we hurt the ones we love, even when that’s the last thing we’d ever want to do.” I reach up and stroke the stubble along his jaw.
The spark of desire in his eyes ignites the flame deep inside me, and we’re instantly caught in a raging inferno. It’s more than just the days we spent apart. It’s an overwhelming need to reestablish the bond that was broken and repair the damage to both of us. Our movements are synchronized without conscious thought. When he reaches for me, I’m already moving into his embrace.
My legs straddle his, and our mouths clash in a frenzied flurry of kisses. The silky-smooth sensation of his tongue gliding across mine sends goose bumps fanning out across the skin on my arms. I’m close to going up in flames from the level of heat building inside my body. Our lips barely separate as we remove our clothes with a hurried tempo.
Feeling bold, I reach between us and grasp him, gently stroking up and down the length of his hardness. During our first time, I let him take the lead since I wasn’t sure what he expected. But this time, I’m taking a more active part. He drops his head back against the couch but keeps his hungry eyes fixed on mine. Then he wraps his big hand around mine, squeezes harder, and increases the speed. His hips buck involuntarily underneath me, and he grits his teeth, the muscles in his cheeks jumping from the force.
With his chest still heaving with heavy breathing, he loosens his grip and slows down again. I feel his muscles relax when he brings himself under control again. When he releases his hold on my hand, he slides his hand between my legs. I watch him with rapt attention and hooded eyes, then his finger disappears deep inside me. A needful whimper escapes from my lips at the sudden intrusion. When he adds a second finger, I nearly come undone.
I grip his shoulder. My fingernails dig into his skin as I hold my breath, the wave of heat starting deep in my abdomen and spreading quickly outward through my whole body. Then he presses his thumb against my clit, rubbing in small circles, and waves of pleasure radiate in pulsing beats outward until I scream his name.
“You are so sexy. I love it when you scream my name.”
He sits up and pulls me closer to him until my core is aligned directly over him. With a measured pace, I lower myself onto him, letting my body adjust and stretch to take him until he’s completely filled me. He grabs my hips and shows me how to move, then my body naturally takes control. The promise between us can never be broken, and we both know it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The time we spent apart melts away with each passing minute. Our love seals us. Our bodies melding into one completes us and shows us how we should face every problem in the future. Together and as one person, one mind, one accord. This is precisely how I feel when we’re together—that we can do anything we set our minds and hearts to do.
I know we can overcome any obstacle put in front of us because I love him with all I have. With all of me. This is a bond we’ll never break. Without realizing what I’m doing, I start pouring out the thoughts and feelings I’ve kept bottled up for so long to him. With him deep inside me, giving me love in ways I’ve never experienced, the dam inside me overflows with the sincerest declarations I’ve wanted him to hear but was afraid to say or even to admit to myself.
I listed all the things about him I love and stressed how he completes the part of me that’s been missing my entire life.
Then I confessed how much I need him and that I can’t handle everything on my own. Maybe I’m not as strong as I once thought I was. Perhaps I need his strength to carry me through the hard times.
I finished my revelation with the fact that I will never let him go again. I can’t do it, because being without him made me a different person, one I didn’t like. One I don’t want to be. He and I bring out the best in each other, and the only way to grow is to understand myself better.
The fact is, I can live without him, but I don’t want to. Why put us through the misery when we’re so perfectly matched?
Face-to-face and our eyes locked in sensory overload, we tumble over the edge of bliss together.
He wraps his arms around me, and I lay my head on his shoulder. We’re both breathing as though we sprinted through an entire marathon. But after the intimacy we just shared, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter 24
Saban and I spent my first week back in the palace separated from his family for the most part. Every night, our bond grew tighter with our intimate moments. The way he worshiped every inch of my body hours at a time left me exhausted and elated, fully satiated yet longing for more, and deeper in love with him than the previous night. We fell asleep wrapped securely in each other’s arms and woke each morning in the same position. He was desperate to fully restore our relationship, and I was anxious to put my fears to rest.
I managed to get in a little one-on-one time with Addi during the day when Saban was at work, even though my official position in the castle has changed. I opted to start my new role after the big wedding, while Isla and Gerard are off somewhere on their honeymoon, so I’ll only have one of the Strydor women around to stab me in the back.
“Are you ready for the big day?” Addi grins, only a hint of facetiousness in her tone.
“You know, I actually am ready for it. I wish Giselli were getting married too so she’d leave on a whirlwind honeymoon to anywhere else in the cosmos. When the universe pairs two people, why can’t it also make the family a match? His mom and sister are pains in my ass.”
Addi laughs, but she knows what I’m saying is valid after the betrothal fiasco. “Well, I can tell you there was almost a war here after you left. Saban kind of lost his mind without you. Giselli pressured him to go meet the other woman, see how he felt about her after he’d seen her, but he wouldn’t. They got into such a heated argument over it, he told his mother to pack her shit and leave. When she realized he was deadly serious, she changed her tune. She didn’t want to lose her place here.”
That insight makes me feel better about believing he’ll choose me over his mother when the time comes. “Addi, I feel so bad about keeping all these secrets from him. I wish I could tell him every single detail about who and what I am. I’m afraid when it’s finally time to share it with him, he’ll be so mad at me, he’ll never want to see me again.”
“This has been bothering you for a while, hasn’t it? I can tell because you don’t usually talk about anything too personal when it comes to him. You know I can’t tell the future, but you do know someone who has a glimpse into it.” Addi raises her brows and gives me a sly sideways glance.
“Talia.”
She nods. “But you should know it’s not as if she can see every detail of what’s to come. Merpeople get visions, but sometimes they only get feelings. They sense if something good or bad is coming. She won’t sit down with a crystal ball and give you a play-by-play of what’s going to happen.”
Her phrasing surprises me. “You’ve been to the other world.”
Panic replaces her usually calm demeanor, registering on her face before she can turn away from me. From her rigid stance, I can tell she’s mentally kicking herself. With a resigned sigh, she nods her head. “Yes, I’ve spent time in the other world. Sometimes we need a break from everything in this realm, so we venture into the other world for a while. We have limited powers there, so most of us don’t stay for long. As I’d told you before, that’s how a lot of the tall tales and urban legends about witches, wizards, mermaids, and vampires got started.”
“How do I get back there?”
She draws her eyebrows down and narrows her eyes at me before answering. “It’s not exactly the best time for you to leave the realm right now. But it’s no
t the right time of year for the portals to open anyway. It happens every sixteen weeks, so the next one isn’t due for another four weeks.”
“Wait…the last one was three months ago?”
“Yes, give or take a couple of days. Why?”
“Then how did I get here two and a half months ago if it wasn’t time for the portal to open?”
“I don’t know, Sara. That’s a good question for you to ask Ginevra on your way back from Elderwater Basin. There’s no way you’re not going there to have a talk with Talia.”
“I’m going there right now, as a matter of fact. Is there a way to get there that doesn’t involve driving? I have no idea how to operate the vehicles here.”
“Come on, I’ll take you. With all the people here preparing the palace for the wedding, no one will notice I’m gone for a few hours.”
Addi and I escape out the side door and drive away in her vehicle. She’s right about the flurry of activities happening around the palace today. Tomorrow is Isla and Gerard’s wedding, so I have to be back in time to dress for the rehearsal dinner tonight.
I’m lucky I arrived here when I did. The wedding party is already set, and there’s no sense in adding me as an additional bridesmaid. Giselli, in a wholly disingenuous attempt to make me feel part of the family, suggested Isla should ask me to be one of the bridesmaids since I’m linked to Saban now. I quickly hit the brakes on that terrible idea, and Isla didn’t argue.
Our chat on the drive to find Talia covers a broad range of topics from advice on leveling up my power to questions about how finding a real soul mate feels. A common thread between the two worlds can be summed up by one universal question. “How did you know he was the one?” Love baffles everyone, without regard to place or time.
When we arrive at Elderwater Basin, I can’t tear my eyes off the beautiful scenery all around me. The road dead-ends in front of an enormous waterfall with tropical foliage hanging off the rock wall behind it. The mountainside stretches for miles, with water cascading down the curves of the jagged rocks and collecting in the vast river below, creating a mammoth natural basin. The white sand beaches stretch along the riverside as far as the eye can see. On top of the waterfall, sitting astride the river, is an enormous castle adorned with statues of every sea creature imaginable, and a few I question because they’re new to me. Trees dot the landscape on either side of the castle where it reaches the solid ground.
Cloaked: Easthaven Crest, Book One Page 18