“Where are we going?” Caleb shot a quizzical glance at his mate as she veered away from their mansion and continued to the rear of the property. His blood was heated and his thoughts consumed by matters of a more carnal nature than continuing their discussions from the pond. They’d been apart far too long. He wanted to be with her, to reconnect with her on the sweet intimate level they so readily shared.
“I told you I had things I needed to do before I could come home. As it turned out they were closer to home than I imagined.” Stopping, she grinned at him before turning to stare at some trees.
Caleb’s jaw dropped as he watched the trees vanished after a series of whispered words and Rhianna stepped up to the rock face and incanted once more. The doorway retracted before he’d managed to close his mouth and suddenly they were walking into a room, or portion of one, that he had seen so recently in his dreams. “How?”
Rhianna laughed, tossing her curls over her shoulder with a flick of her wrist. “That’s what I said when Gard revealed it. This is what he worked on when he first arrived and we were away so much. He transported Anakatrine’s books here so that we’d have easy access when we were ready to go through them.”
“It looks just like the images from my dream.” Caleb’s voice was hushed as he walked over to the closest bookcase and ran his fingertips over the books. He had no idea he was unconsciously echoing the other male’s gesture and that was the reason for the fond smile on his mate’s face as she watched him.
“Have you looked through them?”
Rhianna shook her head. “Gard showed it to me, but I didn’t want to tackle them without you. I know the Queen selected each one for a reason. I was afraid I would miss something important if I reviewed them on my own.”
Caleb saw a flash of uncertainty on her face and stifled down a curse. Before the incident up at the Praetorian compound, his Annie had been full of confidence. She had never doubted herself; it was clear that she now did. He should have let Demetri kick the shit out of him. His beautiful mate’s uncertain expression weighed heavily on his heart. Had he irrevocably harmed her self-belief?
“You wouldn’t miss a thing, love. Don’t ever second guess yourself, especially not because I was an ass. You’ve guided us this far. After what happened up at the Praetorian compound… well that just proves how much faith everyone has in you. I may have been blind for a little while, but my eyes are fully open now and I have that same faith in you. It will never waver again.”
The doubt cleared a little and she smiled at him, that beautiful smile that always managed to make his heart flutter. He would find some way to make this up to her, if it was the last thing he ever did.
“I don’t know where to start,” she admitted, turning away to run her gaze over the books. “There are so many of them. How do we know which ones to choose, which ones are the most important?”
“How about starting at the beginning?”
Her quizzical glance made him grin as he crossed to her side and took her in his arms. Staying away from her now that she was home was quite impossible. He couldn’t stop touching her, breathing in her fragrant scent. He wanted her with an ache that was so fierce it was a physical pain, but he wanted her to come to him, to feel comfortable about allowing him back into her arms.
“Callain pointed out something that I hadn’t considered. I’ve been repressing him for so long he’s never had the opportunity to be with his mate.”
Rhianna’s eyes widened and her expression turned sad. “Oh, Caleb, that must be so awful for him. It didn’t cross my mind either; Anakatrine never once mentioned anything about it. Being apart from you these past few days has been an unbearable. What must it be like for them, both knowing the other half of their soul is so close, and yet never being able to speak to each other?”
He hugged her tightly, running a hand down her back as he brushed his cheek against her curls. “I’ve been busy trying to amend all of my mistakes and short comings. I want to fix this one too, Annie… I need to fix this. I made Callain a promise and who better to know which book to look at first than the people who were there at the time?”
His mate smiled at him, a smile so beatific that he had to kiss her; he had to taste the sweetness of lips too long denied him. It was hard to maintain control, to just sip from her mouth when he wanted to plunder it and ravish her until she was breathless from her cries of pleasure. When he raised his head, lavender eyes glowed with a love so bright he knew he would never lose sight of what was truly important in his life ever again.
“Let’s not keep them apart any longer, Caleb. They’ve crossed millennia to be together yet spent the last quarter century apart. They deserve this time.”
Although the idea had been his, he would have agreed to anything to see that expression on his Annie’s face again; the one so full of love and compassion it was the open reflection of just who she was. Moving to one of the chairs, he sat down, gathering her onto his lap and cradling her close. “See you soon, love.”
There was a hint of trepidation in his voice, but he fought it down. He’d seen Annie cede control to Anakatrine before. She did it effortlessly and always came back to him. “I’m keeping my word, Callain. You can have your time with Ana. Just help me give my Annie what she needs. Help us find the way forward.”
“Thank you, Caleb. You have nothing to fear from me.”