was right. “Yeah.” Shifting his gaze toward Thea, he said, “Thea
wants to stay in another bedroom. Can you get one ready for her?”
Gethen
nodded and turned to walk across the hall. “It will take just a few minutes.”
“That’s
okay. I can help,” she said quickly following him.
As
Amon watched the door close, his heart felt like something was squeezing it in
his chest. He hadn’t meant to hurt her. The idea of having a kind heart like
hers wanting him was almost more than he could ever wish for, but that didn’t
change the fact that nature had already given him the gift of a destined one.
That she refused to be with him didn’t matter. As long as she existed and
hadn’t moved on, he’d have to accept that another destined one wasn’t something
he could have.
No
matter how much he wanted her.
*
Gethen
made quick work of readying the other bedroom and when he left, Thea was happy
to be alone. Kicking her shoes off, she lay on the bed. As she fought back the
tears, the reality of her situation came clearly into focus.
I
have no idea where I am. I’m being held hostage at an escaped prisoner’s home,
an escaped prisoner the Council expressly forbade me to help.
Then,
as the tears began to fall, she thought about what was probably the most
frightening part of everything that had happened.
My
destined one doesn’t want me.
“No,
no...” she mumbled to herself as she wiped her eyes. “No, I’m mistaken. If I
were ever to be given a destined one, it would be just like everyone has always
said it would be. He’d want me even if he didn’t want to.”
Lifetimes
of helping others had been punctuated by many brief dalliances, but the end result
had always been the same—each lifetime she could only look forward in sadness
to the next in which she’d be ultimately alone. And now that she truly believed
she’d been released from her lonely prison, the man she knew was her destined
one didn’t want her, and worse yet, pitied her.
But
didn’t he have to want her? Isn’t that how destined ones worked? Thea had
listened with eager ears any time someone had spoken about the topic, desperate
to know, even vicariously, the thrill of having someone meant just for her.
She’d never heard anything about choice. In fact, it had always seemed to her
that the defining feature of destined ones was the distinct lack of choice.
She’d heard many an Aeveren bemoan nature’s choice of a mate for them,
convinced that a mistake had been made, so how did she feel the draw of a
destined one if he didn’t or wouldn’t feel it?
Thea
thought about the scent of his skin, a manly smell that appealed to her.
Everything about him seemed to call her to him. Was she mistaken? It was true
she had no real knowledge about what it would feel like to finally have a
destined one. Maybe this was just another facet of being a healer—another way
to torture her for being born with her gift.
Unsure
of so much, she sat up on the bed to examine her new room. Very similar to the
one she’d just left, it had dark wood floors, but the walls were a deep
burgundy color and her king size bed was a four poster.
Very
comfortable for a prison .
Looking
around, she saw a window covered with heavy burgundy and gold draperies.
Curious to see if there was a trellis or anything she could use to help her
escape, she padded across the dark red carpet and then the floor to the window.
When she pulled back the fabric, she was surprised to see daylight. She’d been so
disoriented after being snatched from her home in the dark that she hadn’t been
sure what time it was.
After
realizing with disappointment that there was no safe way down from her second
floor room, she scanned the countryside she could view from her window. She saw
nothing in the nearby distance. Wherever she was, she was far away from anyone
who could help her.
Thea
stood staring into the rolling hills and valleys and thought about how
different her life had been just one
wants to stay in another bedroom. Can you get one ready for her?”
Gethen
nodded and turned to walk across the hall. “It will take just a few minutes.”
“That’s
okay. I can help,” she said quickly following him.
As
Amon watched the door close, his heart felt like something was squeezing it in
his chest. He hadn’t meant to hurt her. The idea of having a kind heart like
hers wanting him was almost more than he could ever wish for, but that didn’t
change the fact that nature had already given him the gift of a destined one.
That she refused to be with him didn’t matter. As long as she existed and
hadn’t moved on, he’d have to accept that another destined one wasn’t something
he could have.
No
matter how much he wanted her.
*
Gethen
made quick work of readying the other bedroom and when he left, Thea was happy
to be alone. Kicking her shoes off, she lay on the bed. As she fought back the
tears, the reality of her situation came clearly into focus.
I
have no idea where I am. I’m being held hostage at an escaped prisoner’s home,
an escaped prisoner the Council expressly forbade me to help.
Then,
as the tears began to fall, she thought about what was probably the most
frightening part of everything that had happened.
My
destined one doesn’t want me.
“No,
no...” she mumbled to herself as she wiped her eyes. “No, I’m mistaken. If I
were ever to be given a destined one, it would be just like everyone has always
said it would be. He’d want me even if he didn’t want to.”
Lifetimes
of helping others had been punctuated by many brief dalliances, but the end result
had always been the same—each lifetime she could only look forward in sadness
to the next in which she’d be ultimately alone. And now that she truly believed
she’d been released from her lonely prison, the man she knew was her destined
one didn’t want her, and worse yet, pitied her.
But
didn’t he have to want her? Isn’t that how destined ones worked? Thea had
listened with eager ears any time someone had spoken about the topic, desperate
to know, even vicariously, the thrill of having someone meant just for her.
She’d never heard anything about choice. In fact, it had always seemed to her
that the defining feature of destined ones was the distinct lack of choice.
She’d heard many an Aeveren bemoan nature’s choice of a mate for them,
convinced that a mistake had been made, so how did she feel the draw of a
destined one if he didn’t or wouldn’t feel it?
Thea
thought about the scent of his skin, a manly smell that appealed to her.
Everything about him seemed to call her to him. Was she mistaken? It was true
she had no real knowledge about what it would feel like to finally have a
destined one. Maybe this was just another facet of being a healer—another way
to torture her for being born with her gift.
Unsure
of so much, she sat up on the bed to examine her new room. Very similar to the
one she’d just left, it had dark wood floors, but the walls were a deep
burgundy color and her king size bed was a four poster.
Very
comfortable for a prison .
Looking
around, she saw a window covered with heavy burgundy and gold draperies.
Curious to see if there was a trellis or anything she could use to help her
escape, she padded across the dark red carpet and then the floor to the window.
When she pulled back the fabric, she was surprised to see daylight. She’d been so
disoriented after being snatched from her home in the dark that she hadn’t been
sure what time it was.
After
realizing with disappointment that there was no safe way down from her second
floor room, she scanned the countryside she could view from her window. She saw
nothing in the nearby distance. Wherever she was, she was far away from anyone
who could help her.
Thea
stood staring into the rolling hills and valleys and thought about how
different her life had been just one
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