Chapter Twenty-Three
THE NEXT DAY, my nerves were bunched up and on edge, ready to lash out on some poor, unsuspecting soul. I hadn’t sparred in several days, and I could have used the distraction and release. I didn’t want to tell Elaine and the others that I had let the cat out of the bag and lied to them, but I didn’t want to deal with the aftermath of them finding out through the grapevine, either. If nothing else, the preternaturals and I could use the resources and contacts that Cerberus would be able to offer. The light lunch I’d eaten soured in my stomach at the thought of seeing Aldwin after our last encounter.
Travis was pacing in front of Howell Home when I arrived. “We got your note; I hope everything went well last night.” His eyes searched my face for some clue as to why I’d called a meeting.
“I think it went well, but there are some things I need to discuss with everyone.” I walked up the steps, and he swung the door open for me. We walked to the library together, and I couldn’t shake the feeling he wanted to shake me to get some answers quicker. But his hands stayed clenched at his sides, and I almost felt bad for making him fret longer.
When we entered the library, Elaine and Phoebe greeted me, and Aldwin kissed my hand without meeting my gaze. I quickly buried the deep disappointment I felt. Everyone took their places around the room and turned questioning eyes to me. I swallowed several times and nervously twirled my cuff bracelet around my wrist. I wasn’t used to addressing this group—my only friends—and I hated the thought of disappointing them again.
“I’m just going to say what I came to say,” I stated as I looked around the room, pleading silently for them to understand. I cleared my throat and blurted it all out. “Soren knows I’m a warper. The meeting last night consisted of several preternatural leaders, and I was in a position in which I felt it best to reveal myself to them.”
I cringed at Phoebe’s gasp, and I’m pretty sure I heard Aldwin swear under his breath. I looked up at Elaine, who only seemed stunned speechless, and Travis, who looked incredulous.
“Before you all jump to conclusions about how horribly I’ve handled this, let me tell you what I learned last night.”
I told them about the merpeople, shifter, and vampire killings throughout the city over the last three months. Even Aldwin seemed genuinely startled that the issue was more widespread than anyone had realized. Elaine sucked in a breath when I mentioned the merleaders making the trip to be present at the meeting. I told them my theory about all the killings leading up to something larger, a grand finale. No one argued with me.
Everyone seemed subdued when we discussed our next course of action. It seemed the logical thing to do was to join the preternaturals and try to find a link that would lead us to whoever was the mastermind behind the killings. Aldwin came over to me and asked if I would mind his company back to the townhouse. I smiled tiredly up at him, grateful for a chance to talk. He left to tell Elaine that we were leaving, and I caught a glimpse of a pale Phoebe staring at Travis. He seemed angry and withdrawn into himself. I wondered if it was because all our planning had been for nothing, or if it was because they had been unaware of how large the problem really was. Before I could mull it over any more, Aldwin returned, and we left to go back to the townhouse.
After riding in an awkward silence for what seemed like forever, I realized we had passed the street the townhouse was on. I looked over at Aldwin, and he smiled at me shyly, looking like an adorably naughty boy.
“I wanted to take you somewhere today so you could just enjoy yourself and not have to worry about everything that is going on. I hope you don’t mind.”
I shook my head, unable to speak for fear of turning into a blubbering mess.
“Sage, if you don’t want to go with me, I can take you back. I wouldn’t force you,” he said after a moment.
“No, I want to go. I just didn’t expect you to do anything so sweet for me after the other night.” I felt embarrassingly emotional that he had been thoughtful enough to plan a short little getaway.
“That was my fault. I overreacted, and I had no right to put my hands on you as I did; I don’t know what came over me. ‘I’m sorry’ seems ridiculously inadequate.”
I reached over and tenderly caressed the scarred side of his face. This man had no idea the hold he had over my heart. “Let’s forget it ever happened and start fresh, okay?” My heart skipped a beat when he placed a gentle kiss into my palm.
I napped on Aldwin’s shoulder, which completely embarrassed me, but he just tucked me closer to his side and told me to relax until we arrived. When the carriage finally came to a stop, I stepped out and gasped in pleasure. We were on one of the loveliest beaches I had ever seen. It was absolutely secluded; I could smell the salt water and hear the waves splashing onto the beautiful sandy shore. I turned and nearly knocked Aldwin over when I hugged him tightly around his neck. “Thank you,” I whispered into his ear, my voice thick.
He grinned at my enthusiasm. “The look on your face is all the thanks I need.”
Zachary handed a large basket and blanket down to Aldwin from the top of the carriage and clicked his tongue at the horses.
“He’ll be back later to pick us up,” Aldwin teased, waggling his brows.
I laughed out loud and felt amazingly free from the watchful eyes of the world. I only made it a few steps before I took off my shoes and stockings and unpinned my hair.
We ate lunch on a blanket in the sand and threw crumbs to the birds. Aldwin rolled his pant legs up, and we ran hand-in-hand along the beach, laughing like carefree children. He threw me over his shoulder and threatened to toss me into the ocean, laughing the whole time when I squealed and attempted to wiggle free.
At the end of the most wonderful day of my life, we lay in each other’s arms, kissing tenderly and trying our best to ignore the fact that we needed to return to town. I glanced over at the gorgeous man on the blanket next to me, whose eyes were closed and expression was relaxed. I reached over to caress his face. When my hand feathered over the scar on his cheek, he grabbed my hand and leaned his face into my palm.
“Aldwin, what happened to your eye?” I asked softly.
He immediately stiffened.
“I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.” I looked down at the blanket, away from his stare.
His hand cupped my chin as he turned my face back toward him. I looked into his eyes and smiled, hoping he would notice just a fraction of the forbidden love I’d allow to seep past my defenses.
“It happened a long time ago, Sage. It’s not really important anymore.”
He smiled, but I could tell it was a sensitive subject for him.
“The scars don’t disgust you, do they?”
His voice was quiet, his demeanor nonchalant, but I could feel the intensity of his gaze. My answer was important to him. I reached over and ran my hand through the thick, black hair at his temple; my fingers traced the scar running from his eyebrow down to his cheek. I leaned over and kissed his temple gently.
“There is nothing about you that could ever disgust me, Aldwin. You are absolutely perfect.” A strong arm grabbed me, pulling me flush against his chest. His kisses were urgent and passionate, and I reveled in the rightness of it.
“Sage, the only thing I regret is not having two perfect eyes to see your beauty even more clearly. If I had a choice to have my eye working again or to be with you… I’d choose you every single time. I have never felt more whole than the day you came into my life; you complete me like no other could.”
I felt a tear trail down my cheek. I didn’t feel like I deserved such beautiful words. Aldwin wiped the tear away gently just as we heard the clop of horse hooves close by.
Aldwin helped me pin my wild hair in a loose bun at the base of my neck. I shoved my stockings into my pocket and put my boots back on. We held hands as we walked slowly back to the carriage, and both of us refused to acknowledge the fact that we would not be enjoying another day like that for a very long tim
e, if ever. I didn’t want to dwell on the negative, so I tucked away every single, beautiful memory we had made that day into a corner of my heart—a corner that had never been touched.
Little did I know, I would need those memories to keep me sane during the chaos in the following days.
Time Warper: Fated, A Sage Hannigan Novel Page 24