My heart stuttered over a beat as I couldn’t look away from the mirror. I held my breath, waiting for the change in my reflection to happen again.
A hand touched my shoulder, startling me again. I turned my head, finding Rune dressed in his black leather armor, iridescent cape, black pants, and boots again. Though it was clean, not a drop of blood or dirt could be seen. The same as the outfit he got me back in the other realm with my cape, it was clean and looked brand new. Even the armor was back together and didn’t have dents or scratches in the metal.
“Ready?” he murmured, cooing at me like I was a baby bird. I noticed he did that a lot when I was upset. Treating me like I was a delicate animal, afraid if he touched me, he’d unintentionally hurt me because of his massive size. Normally, I wasn’t okay with being treated that way, but right now... I felt safe and taken care of. Like I could curl into myself and he’d be right here with me, carefully bringing me into his arms and protecting me from the outside world.
I hoped there would be a day—far in the future—I could do the same for him. That I could take care of him and keep him safe. Protect him as he protected me. I didn’t want us to be in a position for that to happen, but I didn’t want to lie to myself and say it wouldn’t.
I blinked and got to my feet as I pushed what happened to the side to reflect on later. I glanced around the room, remembering everything and storing it away. Maybe one day, when I was ready, I’d look back on this.
I memorized the flower quilt on the bed, the voodoo doll Aaliyah got one summer in New Orleans that sat on a shelf surrounded by different types of candles and witchy decorations. The string of fairy lights in a makeshift curtain over the window. It wasn’t plugged in, and staring at them hanging, they seemed so forlorn. A heaviness came from it, making my chest tighter.
I memorized everything in this room. In her home.
But there was one other thing I wanted to do before we left. I didn’t know when we’d return, and I wanted to talk to my family because I didn’t know how much time would pass before I came back to this realm.
“I need to call my mom,” I said as I turned to Rune. “She needs to know I’m okay.”
Why did I sound so far away? So detached?
His gentle eyes were steady on mine, but uncertainty crossed his face. I could only imagine what went through his head and all the reasons why I shouldn’t call her. With everything happening and my safety being important, I understood if he didn’t want me to reach out to my parents. I didn’t want to put anyone in danger because of my selfishness.
But he surprised me with his answer.
“Of course.” He pulled my cell phone from his pocket, which shocked me. I didn’t notice till now he had pockets. Holding my phone out to me, he warned me. “Take the time you need, but I won’t leave you alone while talking to her.”
Ah, he must’ve known about women wanting to be alone while talking on the phone. Or just people in general needing privacy. I was a private person, and while on the phone, no matter who it was, I didn’t want eavesdroppers.
Wait.
He had my phone... how did he get it?
I grabbed it from his outstretched hand, our fingers brushing. A sliver of his warmth broke through the numbing cold of my fingers, sending a shiver of delight through me. My breath shook on an exhale as I fought with whether or not I wanted to open the link so he could fill me again with his heat. Having his soul brush mine, his gentle touches through our bond, looked so good at the moment.
But I didn’t want him to suffer with me. I didn’t want him to hurt with me and know about the numbness that wasn’t going away. So I kept the link closed and swallowed hard, tightening my fingers on my phone as I broke eye contact with him.
“How long have you had my phone?” I asked as I unlocked it.
“I found it here. Your friend must have gone to your place and grabbed a few of your things.”
I raised my eyes to Rune’s, swallowing around the lump in my throat and the irritation that sent my heart racing. I didn’t like confrontation, but I didn’t like that he never said her name.
“Her name is Aaliyah,” I forced out, holding back the bite in my voice.
He stared at me with a calm expression, his eyes softening. “I’m sorry,elskan mín. Aaliyah got a few of your things. Your phone being one.”
Lowering my eyes, I stared at it in my trembling hand. The background on my phone was a picture of us when we went to an apple orchard last fall. We sat against the old willow tree off to the side of the orchard. It had called out to me, its vibrations and good intentions drawing me to it. I didn’t tell Aaliyah, but she must’ve felt the same because her shoulders relaxed, and she had taken in her first deep breath since that morning when she was ranting about her ex she couldn’t get over. I didn’t want to forget that moment as we sat under the shade of the willow, talking about our future.
I whispered a prayer under that tree. Wishing for my other half to come into my life because I was tired of waiting. Tired of searching but not knowing where to find him. It was something I’d always wished for since I was a kid. I knew someone was searching for me too, and under the shade with my best friend, I whispered a plea to him. Then I took a selfie with Aaliyah, not wanting to forget that moment. It’d been eating me for weeks afterward that I wanted to remember the tree and not her.
She really went to my place and risked getting attacked by Ca—hisgang. And what if she missed them by a few minutes because of some prevention of her fated death?
God, I couldn’t believe I thought this, but I was glad she hadn’t died from being assaulted and instead had her head damaged. No woman would want the prior. But I didn’t think dying a painful death while your head was slammed against a wall was any better. She suffered in the last moments of her life.
“Get the friend. She’s bleeding to death in there,”Rune’s demand echoed from the memory of when he came to me after I was stabbed.
My stomach twisted, and my heart sank to my feet.
Aaliyah was still barely alive and probably felt everything.
