She heard the sadness in his thoughts and tears wet her cheeks. She wouldn’t recriminate or ask for an explanation. He’d had his reasons to abandon her, but she hadn’t cared about them in a long time. She had promised herself that if they would ever meet again, she would take him back, no questions asked, and she meant to follow through with her decision. I love you, she said.
A longer, more painful silence followed her declaration. Sharp pain pierced her heart, as if a spear had passed through the organ from side to side. Gasping, she brought both hands to her chest, but when she pressed her palms down, her heartbeat was stable. The ache was still there though and growing stronger.
Camelia— Constantine’s voice was feeble, pained.
She realized he was the one hurting. My love, what’s happening to you?
Nothing. I’m almost there.
Despite his reassurance, he sounded worse than a moment before. A moment later, she experienced the stabbing pain to her chest once again, and this time, he cried out. Constantine! She flew down Harrison Street, then stopped before the stocky pyramid-like structure of Key Arena. I’m here, where are you? Her gaze roamed up and down the street. A few cars drove by.
I’m but a light away, he said. I think I can smell you.
His voice was a whisper so low she thought she had imagined it, then she heard the roar of a bike’s engine coming from her right and turned. A bulky Harley-Davidson zigzagged between lanes, as if the rider was drunk. Amidst a cacophony of honking, several vehicles swerved to avoid hitting the Harley.
The moment her heart was squeezed by the strongest pang yet, Constantine screamed in agony, and the bike veered sharply to the left, facing the incoming traffic. At the last moment, a bus merged onto First Avenue. With a loud screech, a Volkswagen veered right, and Constantine found himself in front of the bus.
I’ve never stopped loving you, he said.
Time stood still for a moment, then the bike hit the bus.
Constantine! She screamed, but his mind had disconnected from hers, and she could only sense a black void in his stead. She ran to his still body before anyone else had time to get out of their vehicles.
He lay on the asphalt, beside his bike that had skidded under the front of the bus. His long black hair fanned around his head and his eyes were closed. Camelia couldn’t see any blood, but he hadn’t been wearing a helmet and his chest wasn’t moving. A strong alpha like Constantine would have regained consciousness seconds after an accident.
Her brows furrowed and she crumbled to the ground, panic taking hold of her. “It can’t be—” she whispered to herself. Hesitantly, she reached her hand to his, but before her fingers could touch his skin she was interrupted.
“Is he okay?” someone asked from behind her.
Several voices repeated the same question. Camelia peered over her shoulder and found a crowd watching over her and Constantine.
“Did he hit his head?”
“Was he drunk?”
“Is he breathing?”
“I’ve called 911.”
“Don’t touch him.”
“He doesn’t look like he’s breathing.”
“He looks dead.”
“He can’t be dead!” Camelia cried. She lowered her hand to his wrist, and a jolt passed from his skin to her fingers, startling her.
He had a pulse. It was feeble and erratic, but it was there.
Happiness mixed with relief flooded her, and she closed her eyes to focus on Constantine’s aura. Her shifter senses were overwhelmed by too much noise and too many smells, and she needed peace and quiet to reach the astral plane and summon Constantine’s wolf, but she retreated into her aura and plunged into his.
Travelling through the astral plane always drained Camelia’s energies, but navigating through the viscous darkness permeating Constantine’s aura exhausted her right away. Her progression toward the core of his emotions was impeded by barriers made of murky and painful memories. When she brushed these impenetrable walls, she discovered she was an integral part of Constantine’s reminiscences. Moreover, she was the cause of his suffering.
The finding paralyzed her for a moment, but his aura turned opaque, and fear of losing him urged her into action. Rushing from memory to memory, she absorbed them, acting like a sieve, separating the most painful parts from the rest. In doing so, she relived his past and shared its burden. Then she released his memories back to him, cleansed from the poisonous hurt.
At each stop, her aura grew heavier, but she didn’t slow down. With increasing sorrow, she found out about the extent of her sister’s betrayal, and the destruction she had caused. Her heart broke anew at the realization that Iris’s hate had been rooted so deep in the past, and she never saw through her twisted nature. Then she found the memory of Constantine’s visit to the warlock and the spell he had invoked for him. Sheer terror possessed her.
Her soulmate was dying.
Acting out of desperation, she expanded her aura, filling his with the most beautiful memories she had, all the times they had spent together. She kept hitting him with sweet and passionate remembrances, until the heavy walls were pushed aside by the onslaught of her love. She passed through then, heading for his core, and once she reached it, she wrapped herself around it, cocooning him with the white radiance of her affection that had never wavered. His core divided in two swirls, one was pure white, the other black. They chased each other for a while, fighting for dominance, then settled. Nested in a never-ending pattern resembling the yin and yang figures, the two cores finally rested.
Meanwhile, her white wolf had run for kilometers, chasing Constantine’s. The black wolf kept hiding behind large bushes full of thorns, and she cut herself, but didn’t relent. When she finally caught up with him, she licked his fur, sharing her vital essence with him to alleviate his grief. Then she fell beside him, weakened by the healing.
On the physical plane, Constantine’s heart beat once, and Camelia’s answered with a twin beat, then she was thrown back into her body. The insistent wailing of an ambulance echoed in her skull, and she fainted.
****
Quintilius’s familiar scent tickled Camelia’s nose, and she peeled her eyes open. “Quin?” The smells of antiseptic and industrial cleaners reached her nostrils, and she knew she lay in a hospital bed.
“My love—” Her friend’s worried face appeared before her. “How do you feel?”
“I’m not sure…” She shored herself on her elbow, and saw the IV line dangling from her right arm. “Where am I?”
“Harborview Medical Center—”
“Where’s Constantine?” Looking around, she saw the fabric curtain separating her space from the next patient, typical of ER stalls.
“Constantine?” Quintilius gave her a puzzled stare.
“He was in an accident—”
“What are you talking about?”
“I found him,” she whispered, laughing and crying at the same time. “I found him, Quin. After all these years, I found Constantine here in Seattle.”
“That’s… incredible.” Quintilius leaned forward to hug her. “The police called us saying that you were in the hospital, but when I reached the ER, no one could tell us what had happened to you.”
She hugged him back. “Constantine almost died—” She could barely talk of the ordeal her soulmate had gone through. “I’ll tell you the whole story another time. But what matters is that I was there, and I healed his aura.” She leaned away from Quintilius. “How long was I unconscious?”
“Several hours. It never took you so long to wake after a healing session.” He gave his Rolex a glance. “It’s almost dinnertime.”
“The damage done to Constantine’s aura was extensive, and I also had to counteract a spell.” She sat, then pushed her legs to the side with the intention to stand. “I need to find him.”
“Don’t task yourself needlessly.” Quintilius placed a hand on her arm. “I’ll ask around.”
Quintilius was about
to leave when the curtain opened, and a doctor entered the small space.
The man offered his hand to Camelia and said, “Hi, my name is Doctor Ross. I’m glad to see you are awake. You had us all worried, but I see that you are recovering quite fast now.” He checked her vitals and his eyes widened in surprise. “Very remarkable.” Raising his reading glasses, he perused her chart for a few minutes, then said, “I’ve treated you for dehydration and general fatigue. As I have already explained to your husband, the rally pack I’ve administered to you is filled with nutrients, and it seems you’re feeling much better already. I honestly don’t see any reason to keep you here on Christmas. You’ll be free to go home as soon as the IV bag is empty.” He paused, then asked, “Any questions?”
She nodded. “There was a man with me. He had a motorcycle accident. Do you know what happened to him?”
“No, I’m sorry, but depending on his injuries, he could be in intensive care. I’ll make sure to let you know if I find out where he is.” He turned his eyes to the IV bag, then smiled at her. “I’ll send a nurse to check on you in half an hour.” He shook her hand again. “Nice meeting you, and remember, just rest and cuddles by the fireplace for the next few days.” He patted Quintilius’s arm and left.
Camelia waited a moment, then gave Quintilius a raised eyebrow. “Husband?”
He winked at her. “They wouldn’t have told me anything if we weren’t related.”
“Good thinking.” She turned and looked over her shoulder at the saline bag. “I can’t wait thirty minutes without doing anything—”
“I’ll go look for him, but I can’t be his husband too, so don’t expect too much of me.” Quintilius leaned to give her a small peck on her forehead. “Dear wife—”
The curtain was jerked aside and a loud growl stopped Quintilius in mid-act.
“Don’t touch her.” Constantine stood before them, looking like the devil himself, but his eyes were on Quintilius, and his challenge couldn’t have been clearer.
“Constantine, I suppose.” Quintilius sounded amused. “I’m Quintilius, Camelia’s—”
Constantine didn’t let him finish, but with his chest inflated and his fangs lowered, he walked to Quintilius. “Let’s solve this like wolves.”
“Constantine—” she pleaded.
Without listening, Constantine talked over her. “I won’t let you go this time.” Despite his bravado, he was pale, and his movements were slow. “I’ll fight for you to the death.”
“I never married him,” she said, before he could do or say anything else. “Constantine, meet my best friend Quintilius. Quintilius, meet my soulmate, Constantine.”
Quintilius reached out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. We’ve been looking for you forever.”
Seemingly speechless, Constantine stared at the proffered hand without moving.
“I’ve never stopped waiting for you,” Camelia added.
A nurse appeared from behind Constantine. “Is everything all right here?”
“Yes, I apologize for the commotion,” Quintilius said with an ingratiating smile that appeased the woman enough to reciprocate the motion, while she ignored the rest of the room.
“Keep it quiet, and one of you must go. Three is a crowd even per hospital regulation.” She gave Quintilius one final appraising gaze, then turned her back to them and walked away.
Quintilius smiled at Camelia. “She’s right. I’ll leave you two alone. If you need anything, call me, okay?”
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Ignoring Constantine’s low growl, she opened her arms for Quintilius to embrace her.
Quintilius chuckled. “I know you will.” He kissed her cheeks, causing Constantine to step forward. “She loves nobody else but you,” he told him, then gave a bewildered Constantine a one-armed hug. “Bye, my love. Let me know your plans when you have things figured out,” he finally said to her.
When they were alone, Camelia patted the edge of her bed. “Are you feeling better?”
“I’m confused.” Constantine lowered himself to the mattress.
“I know.” She then added, “I had a stroll through your memories.” The experience would be forever etched on her soul.
“You never married—” he whispered, his hazel eyes locked on hers.
“I promised myself to you.” She caressed his hand.
“The letter—” The pain behind his half-said question was tangible.
“I didn’t write it. Iris did.”
“But it was your longhand, and your scent was all over it.”
“Iris learned how to forge the handwriting of every member of the family when she was a teenager. And she used my stationary, so—” She waved her hand to dismiss the topic.
“When I came to your house, you didn’t even look at me.”
“Iris drugged me. The first of many times. I never knew you came to talk to me—” Her sister’s cruelty and betrayal still pained her. “But I’ve never stopped loving you or waiting for you.” She brought his hand to her lips. “There was never another man.”
His eyes widened. “You never—?”
“You are the only one.” She had seen in his memories the parade of countless lovers, but even though she would have rather had him celibate, she knew nobody had ever meant anything to him.
“I thought you had married.” He directed her hand to his heart.
“I know.” She pressed her hand to his chest.
Constantine leaned down and gently brushed her lips. “I’m sorry.”
“We’re together now.” She closed her eyes and lost herself in his kiss.
He leaned away, a blank expression on his face, but she could feel his heartbeat faltering. “Are you going to stay?” he asked.
She worried she hadn’t been able to counteract the warlock’s spell. “I can’t live without you a moment longer—”
The nurse stepped in as Camelia was about to pull Constantine down on the mattress. With a cough, the woman said, “Ready to go home and celebrate Christmas?”
“I can’t wait,” Camelia answered, and Constantine’s lips turned up in a smile that took her back to a century and a half ago and made her blush.
“Sign the release form as I fetch a wheelchair for you.” The nurse handed her a few papers, then turned, but Constantine stopped her.
“She won’t need it,” he said.
You know I can’t show I’m perfectly fine already, she sent her distressed thought to him.
I haven’t forgotten we must hide our nature at all cost, he answered.
The nurse gave him a perplexed stare. “It’s hospital—”
“I understand. But she won’t need it,” he repeated, then hopped off the bed, removed the blanket from Camelia’s legs and cradled her in his arms, taking both the nurse and Camelia by surprise.
As he stepped out of the stall and walked through the ER’s hallway, nurses and doctors paused what they were doing to gawk at them.
Her wolf ears caught a few of the whispered comments, and Camelia hid her face against his chest. “We are making a scene.”
“No, we are avoiding a scene.” His hands pressed her to him. “Before the nurse interrupted us, I was about to tear your clothes apart and pin you to the bed.”
She shivered. “I wouldn’t have stopped you—”
“I know.” He kissed her head. “I was always the more sensible of the two.”
Outside of the hospital’s entrance, he hailed a cab, and they were on their way to his place a moment later.
Once they were seated, she noticed that Constantine seemed to have a hard time breathing. “Are you okay?”
“I only need a minute.” He closed his eyes, then reopened them and asked, “What happened to you?”
“Do we need to talk about it now?” Telling her story wasn’t something she wanted to do at the moment.
He took her hands and brought them to his lips. “To build our future we have to make peace with our past.”
He
was right. “What do you want to know?” she asked, resigned.
“How did you manage to put off your wedding?”
“I made myself ineligible.”
“How?” He stroked her wrist, and she melted inside.
“I took a poison that crippled both my wolf and myself.” She sensed his shock, but before he could interrupt her she continued, “The elders released Quintilius from his promise the same day. Instead of repudiating me, as it was his right, Quintilius took care of me. I was sick for a long time, and he stood by my side—”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he’s a great guy—” At his low growl, she batted at his chest. “We are like brother and sister. There never was any attraction between us.”
“I can barely believe that he could resist you—”
“He’s been in love with his husband since the Roman times.”
“Really?” Constantine let out a chuckle. “And you knew of it?”
“I’ve always known. As he knew that I was in love with you.”
“But why did you stay with him?” he asked.
“Because I had nowhere else to go. My family disowned me when they were informed of what I had done, and you had disappeared into thin air. So, while Quintilius hired private investigators to find you, I waited for you to come for me as you had promised—”
“I should’ve never listened to your sister.” Slowly, he kissed her knuckles.
“Iris was evil. She was jealous of me and kept me poisoned for a long time before I discovered why I couldn’t heal. I remained on a wheelchair unable to shift for so long, I lost hope I would ever be whole again. But miracles happen.” She tilted her chin up to kiss him.
“I’ve never believed in miracles before.” He brushed her mouth, then touched the point of her nose with his. “We’ve arrived.” He sounded tired, but his smile was radiant.
The cab slowed, looking for the right civic number, and Constantine instructed him to drive up the steep and into a lateral alley.
“Where are we?” Camelia asked.
“Around the corner from Pike Place Market.”
“I was supposed to visit the market tomorrow morning.” She laughed. “I’ve been running around all over the city, and I would’ve probably found you in a few hours anyway.”
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