The Shadows of a Supernova

by N P Hector

  But he knew that Gideon was fate-bound to not lie. As much as he hated it, the man was telling the truth. He clenched his fist and slammed it into the water.

  He wanted Selene, but he couldn’t betray Sorcha. Even if he could stay with Selene, there was always the risk that they could live together and then Sorcha could arrive. At that point he’d be forced to choose, and Selene deserved better than that.

  He made a vow hundreds of years ago when he tied himself to Sorcha. He stood by that promise. However, he couldn’t stop thinking about Selene, and the broken look on her face when they learned that she was not Sorcha. Could it be possible that a person could have two fated? That he could be so lucky? How would he know that Sorcha’s soul had made it through Gideon’s hasty binding of their souls as Sorcha had taken her dying breath? Was it possible that the binding had not worked and that her soul had passed, and that Selene was his second chance fated?

  There had never been any recorded instances of a second chance fated. But then again, there was also no record of the last-minute binding that Gideon had performed when he had held Sorcha in his arms as she passed.

  He shook his head. He knew that Sorcha’s soul lived on. He would have felt it in the very essence of his being if her soul had returned to the stars. But just as he knew that their soul pair was still complete, he knew that what he felt for Selene was just as intense, if not more, than the fated link he remembered with Sorcha. So how was he going to handle this? He couldn’t lose Selene, but he couldn’t betray Sorcha.

  He could try to explain it to Selene and hope that she would wait for him. But he knew in his heart that she wouldn’t accept that. Aside from being a proud woman, she also didn’t understand his dilemma. She wasn’t raised in a world where fated couples were literally written in the death of the stars. In his world, couples were tied together by the very stardust that split their souls.

  It wasn’t just about the fact that he would be more powerful tied to his mate. He could care less about that. It was about honoring his fated and honoring the promise he had made.

  Running a hand over his face roughly, he committed to searching the library for a solution.

  This cannot be how things end between us.

  Chapter Eighteen

  What’s the difference?” I asked him. “Between the love of your life, and your soulmate?” “One is a choice, and one is not.

  – Tarryn Fisher

  Selene awoke to someone nudging her shoulder. For one blissful moment all she thought about was sleep and burying her face in the pillow. But the nudging continued, and with it, her awareness and memory of last night.

  Ugh, I wish I could think of something else.

  She groaned and cracked an eye open. Joan sat at the edge of the bed snacking on toast and periodically nudging Selene. She was already dressed and had done her hair and makeup. She looked like an angel come to torture Selene for the mistakes she’d made.

  Looking at Joan reminded her of the embarassment she’d endured the night before. Shame coiled in her belly when she thought about how her friend had needed to flash her back to the bedroom. “Joan. What are you doing?”

  Joan continued to nudge her and took a big bite of the toast. “Waking you up.” That was it. No further explanation.

  “I don’t want to wake up. Let me sleep.” She rolled over and hugged a pillow to her chest. Suddenly, the blankets were pulled off her legs. She curled up in a ball at the rush of cold air. “Joan!”

  “I will not…”, Joan pulled at the pillow with a grunt, “…let you wallow over this.”

  “The love of my life doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore. I’m allowed to wallow.”

  SMACK!

  The pillow hit between her shoulder blades. It was followed by what felt like a pair of jeans and a loose silk top.

  “You are not allowed to wallow. You’re the lead regional negotiator. You survived Kem’s minions.” Selene heard a bag hit the floor and Joan’s heels stomp across the hardwood floor. “AND” she added, “you have a FRICKIN PhD. So, GET UP DR. ASHFORD!”

  Damn, Joan’s right.

  Rolling over, Selene stretched and pulled on the jeans and blue shirt Joan had lobbed her way. Making her way to the bathroom, she shook out her hair. Joan moved around the room as she washed her face and brushed her hair. When she went into the main bedroom to get her bag, Joan shook her head and pointed back at the bathroom. “Go put on some of that makeup you love.”

  Selene wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to look pretty for him. I could care less.”

  Joan threw a towel at her. “I don’t want you to look pretty for him, either. I want you to look pretty for yourself. You’ll feel more put together. So, trust me on this ok? I’ve actually been through this before.”

  “Cullum?”

  Joan nodded. “I thought I was going to die, too. My whole world flipped upside down. But just because they’re our soulmates doesn’t mean we can’t live without them. They may be great, but we still have half the soul. Ok?”

  Selene sighed and moved back to the bathroom. When she looked back, Joan was pulling shoes out of the bedroom’s closet. She was meticulously discarding flats for heels.

  “Joan?”

  “Hm?”

  “Thanks for this.”

  Half an hour later Joan flashed them to a park near the lake. They sat at a bench and watched people strolling through the park and the ducks tipping up and down in the water. Selene cringed under the bright light of the sun. She was furious that on a day where she felt like her world was falling apart the sun will still shining and the breeze was light. It should be raining and windy. Damn nature.

  “Um, Joan?”

  “Yup.”

  “Why are we here?”

  Joan took out a second pair of sunglasses and handed them to Selene. “Here, your eyes are still puffy.” Selene took the glasses gratefully and slipped them on. “Well, I wanted to take you out and get positively smashed. But Abby has the kids with her while her husband is away, so we needed a family friendly environment.”

  “Abby?”

  “Ya, I invited Abby and Jamie.” Turning around, Joan scouted the area. She waved and pointed towards the busy downtown market. “Oh look, there they are now. And they brought Starbucks! Man, I can see why you’re friends with them.”

  Selene’s eyes watered again and she stiffened her resolve not to cry in front of her friends. She was so thankful that they were rallying around her when she needed them. Jamie was toting a carrier of tall drinks and Abby was pushing a stroller with her daughter walking alongside it.

  Abby’s daughter ran towards them with her beautiful red gold hair, her cheeks flushed with excitement and her arms full of toy cars. “Aunt Sel! Mom said we can play today.”

  Selene felt her heart melt at Ruby’s excitement. Abby pushed the stroller to the bench and explained, “she wanted to be a doctor last week. But we got the van’s light fixed yesterday so now she wants to be a mechanic.”

  Selene scooped the girl up and hugged her close. “Ruby, you’re getting so big!”

  The girl smiled wildly and then squirmed off the bench and towards the sandbox in the playground. Jamie handed them all drinks and plopped down beside them. Abby parked the stroller and took Ethan out, swaying back and forth to soothe him as he babbled.

  “So, this isn’t the bar, but it’s something.” Jamie took a swig of her drink and Selene briefly wondered whether that was just a latte.

  Abby defended the choice to meet in the park instead of a bar. “People watching is an art.”

  “Abby, you just like to guess at who’s on a first date.” Jamie nudged her.

  “I’m surrounded by two kids under five! Let me live!”

  Jamie leaned towards her friend and asked gently, “so spill, Selene. Whose ass do I need to kick?”

  Abby covered her son’s ears and shot Jamie a warning. Joan snorted through her nose and clapped Jamie’s knee. “That’s exactly what I said!”
<
br />   “You don’t need to kick anyone’s…” she looked at baby Ethan “… butt for me.” At their expecting look, she figured that she would feel better if she told her friends what had happened. “He didn’t...it’s just…” She sent a pleading look at Joan.

  How do we explain this to my friends without sounding like we’re crazy?

  Joan cleared her throat and explained to the others. “So, let me put it this way. Rom’s...wife. Yes, wife, went missing a long time ago.” Selene raised her eyebrows. What Joan was saying was still technically true.

  Selene explained. “And he felt all these intense feelings for his wife. So, when she went missing, he spent years searching for her. He was really determined to find her.”

  Jamie leaned back and tilted her head up to face the sun. “Wow, that’s actually pretty romantic.”

  Selene hummed in response. “I thought so too. Anyways, we met and just fell in love. The ‘head over heels’ messy tumbling into love. And he told me that I was everything he’d ever need. That his wife was missing, and he loved me here and now.”

  We’ll just keep out the part where he was convinced that I was Sorcha.

  “So anyways, I needed that assurance that he loved me for me. Not just because I was convenient. I didn’t want to be a placeholder for his wife.”

  Abby soothed Ethan as he gurgled and then she moved to check on Ruby. Satisfied that her daughter was still playing comfortably, she turned to her friends, “so what did you do?”

  Selene looked at Joan, unsure how to explain that they had figured out that Selene was not in fact Sorcha. She couldn’t just say well, we hired a powerful Fae to see if I was his reincarnated soul mate and the guy said that I wasn’t, so he left me.

  Joan stepped in and measured her words carefully. “Well, we hired a very good investigator who uncovered proof that Rom’s ex-wife could very well come back.” Which was still technically true.

  “Wow, so what did he do?”

  God, it was so embarassing to say outloud. To admit that she had been shoved aside for the ghost of another woman. “He left me. He said that he had to be faithful to his missing wife.”

  “But he made you a promise, too! And what would happen if his wife did come back?” Abby had a point.

  Jamie shifted on the bench and put a hand on Selene’s knee. “Ah, shit Selene. I’m sorry to hear that.” She grabbed Selene’s coffee cup and switched it with her own. “Here, take mine. You need this more than I do.”

  Selene looked warily at the drink and placed it gently on the ground. “Oh my gosh, Selene. It’s a Saturday morning and so it’s a triple shot of espresso! It’s not vodka!”

  Selene took a tepid sip and apologized to her friend. “Sorry, Jamie. It’s been a long day.” Jamie refrained from commenting that it was only noon.

  “So, what are you going to do now?” Jamie asked.

  Selene rubbed her temple. “I just feel so betrayed right now. I wanted him to choose me. To love me. But at the same time, he wouldn’t be the man I love if he didn’t stick to his word and do the right thing.”

  “That’s very big of you, Selene. I don’t know how I’d manage if Jonathon had been in the same position. I don’t know how Ethan and Ruby would’ve reacted.”

  Jamie, ever the lawyer, asked, “well, if she’s been missing for so long why hasn’t she been declared legally dead?”

  “Because he’s been looking for her. He’s relentless.”

  Jamie whistled lowly. “It’s a crappy situation, Sel. I have to admit that I think it speaks to his character that he’d keep a marriage vow like that and take his marriage so seriously. We don’t see that a lot these days.” Abby nodded in agreement. “But at the same time, he has to decide if he wants to live in the past or if he wants to live in the present, in love with you. If he can’t live in the present and love you for who you are, then he has to let you go.”

  “I can’t be a replacement until his fate---until his wife comes back. I want him to love me madly. I want to be the first choice.”

  “As you should. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” Joan scooped up Ruby as the little one ran up to them. Selene’s phone rang and she dug through her purse. She answered the call and listened briefly before hanging up.

  “Sorry, I just got called in for work. I swear, there have been more hostage situations in the last week than I’ve had in three months.”

  “When it rains it pours.” Abby hefted Ruby onto her hip and gave them all hugs.

  Jamie hip checked her playfully. “You get em, Dr. Ashford.”

  Romulus had called the council to order as soon as it was a decent hour. He hadn’t slept since returning from the pool and had spent the twilight hours prowling the library trying to find an explanation. He wasn’t calling the Order together to ask their permission or advice. He was calling the top Order members to instruct them to find an explanation.

  Standing at the table, he watched members file in and take their seats. They sat in a circle, silent as they waited for him to speak. He looked around and realized that two members were missing. He addressed Joan, “where are Grace and Katrina?”

  “Katrina took a personal day to re-stock the personal items she lost in the fire. Grace is helping her.”

  Romulus asked Roger to convey the information to the two women when they returned. “I received news last night that Dr. Selene Ashford is not Sorcha and cannot be my fated. What I feel for Selene is that of a fated connection, and yet Gideon stated that she is not Sorcha. So, I need all of you to travel to other Order nodes in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Represent me and meet with scholars to determine how this is possible.”

  Murmurs erupted around the table. He let them talk amongst themselves, and then held up his hand for silence. The room quieted. He pointed to Lenore, a woman from a prestigious family within the Order. Lenore was known for being shrewd, so he was not surprised by her question, “Romulus, is it possible that in your eagerness to find Sorcha again you are confusing those emotions with these...feelings for Ms. Ashford.”

  Joan looked ready to leap across the table and tackle Lenore. Others, such as Roger and Cullum, were simply shocked that she would say something so disrespectful. His jaw clenched and his voice was deadly quiet when he said, “You will address her as Dr. Ashford, Lenore. And I know that there is a piece missing here. One that we need to resolve.” Before Lenore could open her mouth, he reminded the table, “if you will not assist out of loyalty to me, then do it for the order. We all know that once bonded with my true mate this Order node’s power will double. We can quell those attacks in the East.” He practically growled. A few people around the round table nodded their agreement. “So, if you are not interested in supporting this investigation, then leave now.” His eyes flashed silver. Lenore was the only one to stand from the table and walk to the door, her grey hair swaying above her shoulders. Of a traditional, older Order family, she wasn’t likely to agree with something so counterintuitive to what they knew about soulmates. “You have doomed this Order with your lust for your mistress.”

  She slammed the door. He merely raised an eyebrow and addressed the table, “anyone else?” When no one else moved he sat down. “Then let’s begin.”

  “Let’s start with what we know.” Roger, the ever logical, spread his hands on the table. “We know that Selene and Romulus have paired fated marks.” The table nodded. “And they exhibited fated behavior.”

  “I took her to the pool. She was able to relate to the images of our past life.”

  “But she didn’t relate to Sorcha’s image. And Gideon said that she is not Sorcha’s soul.” Romulus was shocked that Roger would speak so boldly against the fated bond.

  Romulus responded by slamming his fist on the table. “Yes, but Sorcha was not raised within the Order. She’s not accustomed to images or traditions of the fated.”

  A petite woman with dark hair on the other side of the table spoke up. Romulus respected her as their top European liaison. She wa
s a powerful senior member of the Order and had represented several Order nodes. The table was silent as she spoke in firm tones, “I can reach out to my contacts in Romania, Greece, and the UK. Perhaps they’ve seen cases where a soul has been divided into multiple pieces.”

  Roger spoke up, “or perhaps they’ve heard of one soulmate, in this case Sorcha, being lost in death and a second soulmate appearing?”

  Some of the senior members of the Order recoiled at that thought. Their Fae sect had never seen anything like that before. Once an Order member lost their fated, they dressed in black and did not take another, as Katrina had done.

  Michael, the man who originally protested any kind of interaction after Selene had been attacked, shifted in his chair. Romulus thought that this man would use this moment to capitalize on his son’s bid for leadership of the order. An Order Sect Leader confused about his fated? What an opportunity.

  Screw him, his son can have the throne. I just want Selene.

  But they were all shocked when he spoke, “Romulus, I can speak with some of the elders and see if they’ve seen anything about this in the ancient texts.”

  Romulus inclined his head in thanks. “Look into it, report back to me by the end of the evening.”

  “But--”

  “I want this solved. Now.”

  The Order members inclined their heads and rose from the table. Romulus remained. Cullum approached him and leaned against the table. “Rom, I’ve known you for decades. May I speak my mind freely?”

  “Brother, you know that I value your opinion.” He clapped him on the shoulder and directed him to the smaller seat. Cullum had been with him for a long time. He had come to him from a training camp in Bulgaria. He had been sent to his sect after matching with the sect’s need. Romulus needed a demolitions expert, and Cullum had been the only one willing to move across the world to fulfill that role.

  When they first met, Romulus had been impressed by the man’s bulldog attitude and stout stature. The man had a rough exterior, ham sized hams, and liked to drink with the best of them. He was a real “down in the dirt” fighter unbothered by mud and rain. Romulus liked that about him. Following the successful completion of his training camp and indoctrination to his sect, Cullum had established himself as one of the fastest rising stars in the region.