Caleb remained silent as he closed his eyes and strove not to fight the other presence as it rose up within, gaining in strength with each passing second. He felt the exact moment their auras were equal and then the feelings ebbed, as if he were falling asleep, sinking down into that moment of sweet oblivion.
“Ana…?”
“Callain.”
Opening his eyes, Callain stared down at the face that belonged to another woman. His heart was beating a tattoo in his chest as golden brown eyes connected with lavender. The soul glancing back at him was one he instantly recognised, and he had to swallow hard to fight down the tears that threatened to come.
“Ana.” He whispered her name again, a trembling hand coming to her cheek to frame it in the softest of caresses. “My Ana.”
For a long moment they sat perfectly still, the beat of their hearts in perfect rhythm. The crackle of flames from the fire pit was the only other sound in the cave as they drank each other in, luxuriating in their first moment of reconnection after so many years. Then his Queen moved slowly, sitting up straight, her eyes never leaving his as she echoed his gesture. His heart thudded wildly as Anakatrine stroked the side of his face in a caress he knew so well but hadn’t experience for millennia.
“So many long years have slipped by, my beloved; I didn’t know if I would ever see this moment. I must confess a bit of doubt had crept into my mind that the magic I was counting on that day would even work. The spells were ancient, even in comparison to us. I had to believe it would work, though a small part of me feared it wouldn’t.”
“You’ve learned a little humility since we last talked?” His tone was full of teasing; his smile so wide he thought his cheeks would crack from the strain.
His teasing softened her expression as he watched her lips tilt into a mischievous grin. “Very droll,” she laughed, as she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his, savouring the moment. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you, Callain. I wanted to but…”
Strong hands tightened on her upper arms, halting her words. “Don’t you ever apologise for doing what had to be done, Anakatrine. Not now. Not ever.” His hands softened and he framed her face once more, staring deeply into her eyes. “Events played out as they were destined. I know it and so does Gard. Our time together is far too precious to waste on useless recriminations, my love. This solitary moment to be with you again, to hear your sweet voice, to look in to those beautiful lavender eyes is worth every single sacrifice we’ve had to endure.”
He wanted to kiss her, to love her as they’d loved so passionately in the past… but they were ethereal now, spirits within other vessels. It felt wrong to desecrate Caleb’s trust, even as every part of his soul yearned to spend one more physical moment with his mate. “I’ve missed you, Ana, so very much.”
“As have I you, my beautiful warrior.” Anakatrine smiled, a shadow of sadness clouded her sparkling eyes. “You have been so very patient, Callain. Thank you for allowing Caleb enough time to find some balance to overcome his trust issues. I know it hasn’t been easy. He is rather fierce in his thinking, isn’t he?”
Her mate snorted and rolled his eyes. “He’s frustrating and pig-headed… but his love for our people is unparalleled.” He reached to pull her close and growled when she slipped agilely from his lap, turning in a circle as she surveyed the echo of her library.
“Sounds like someone else I know. He needed time, my love, and you gave him that. It would have been disastrous if you’d become impatient and pushed too early.” Her eyes were darting from book cover to book cover as she spoke, her expression changing as her thoughts drifted.
Callain’s smile was fond as he watched his mate. She had always been such an enigma. She could focus intently on one task for hours, then the next moment she would flit from subject to subject like a butterfly. All those memories began to surge up within and he found himself unable to bear being separated from her. It didn’t matter that the bodies they lived in weren’t the same as the past. The essence within was the same, and he had to hold his mate. Rising, he moved behind her, pulling his Ana back against his chest and wrapping strong arms around her slender frame.
There had been one question he’d waited twenty-five years to ask her, an answer to which he had to have before he would be content to relinquish control back to Caleb. “How many times, Ana?” In low, hushed tones, the query passed his lips; he knew there was no need to elaborate.
Her response was as quiet, her body stiffening as he commanded her full attention. “Too many, my heart,” she whispered back, sorrow clouding her tone. “The first time I saw you die was in the moment that we met. Do you remember that moment, when you marched into my audience chamber, so filthy and bedraggled? You looked as if you’d trekked through a thousand mud baths to reach me.”
His hold tightened, a hand brushing soothingly against her hip to ease her sorrow. “I do, my love. I had just encountered a dozen or more younglings that had been toying with some wolf cubs for pleasure. I was angered by their inhumanity and put them all down for their detestable actions. That didn’t sit well with some of the others in the royal guard; they thought it prudent to stop me from reporting to my Queen. I would not be disabused.” He felt a loosening of her tension and rested a cheek against the top of her head.
“I saw this beautiful creature kneeling before me with a spirit shining so brightly that my eyes were nearly blinded,” Ana whispered, her voice full of love. “I knew instantly you were mine, the other half of my soul. In that very moment that I acknowledged you, I saw your death for the first time as it would take place in that tunnel beneath the home we would build together.”
Callain’s heart ached for her, ached with the knowledge that she had spent their entire existence reliving his death. It made him feel helpless as he held her. “Why didn’t you spare yourself, Ana? You didn’t have to claim me.”
She turned in his arms, her gaze full of love and sadness, with not one hint of regret. “I knew loving you would both set me free and shatter my heart into a million pieces; however, there was never an alternative. You were mine, Callain. I couldn’t give you up, not even knowing that I would watch you die a thousand times over, or knowing I would cry a river of tears each time.”
Embracing him tightly, she leaned into him, resting her head against his wide chest. “I knew many things that day, my heart, but I also knew we would have centuries together, and that I would never be complete without you. Our people would have been doomed if we hadn’t walked the path that was meant for us. I have no regrets, Callain, not a single tear I shed nor any of the choices I felt compelled to make. So many others made sacrifices; some, like us, made the ultimate one and paid with their lives. It was only right that I should weep with them and for them.”
Tears welled up in his eyes and Callain let them fall. He wasn’t ashamed to weep for his exquisite mate. If he could have held her any tighter, he would have. “We didn’t deserve you, my Ana. We were given the most beautiful gift; it was placed right in front of our faces and yet we chose to abuse it. You were our heart, ripped from the chests of our people by our selfish actions and ignorance. We were all so blind in our arrogance. Sometimes, when I am weak, I wish you’d let us fall, my love. Any race that could be so cruel never deserved a second chance.”