Word Count: 1927

~Everin

Aesira sits opposite me in the carriage, wringing her hands on her lap.

She looks sick, ill. Her eyes keep flashing at me periodically, before quickly shifting back to the view out the window.

A deep solemness lingers in the pit of my stomach. It has done for weeks.

I have no idea what to do with her. All of my advisors recommend sending her away—I'm sure they silently wish I would put her to death, but none dare say it aloud.

I don't want to kill her, and I don't want to send her away. She is my mate, and I'm in love with her. I hardly care that she tried to kill me, that she has been conspiring against me since she arrived here.

I want her to want me, to want to be here with me. I want her to want it more than whatever else motivates her.

She has yet to prove to me that I am what she wants.

She straightens, visibly steeling herself. "Thank you for inviting me to this."

Something cold like solid ice softens inside of me.

"You're welcome," I murmur.

How truthful is she being? Is she trying to appease me, or does she genuinely appreciating the olive branch I am extending in her direction?

If only I could dig into her brain. I want her to make sense to me, to feel comfortable enough to open up to me completely. Especially now that her biggest secret has been revealed to me in the worst way possible.

"You didn't have to." She shifts uneasily. "Why did you?"
 
"You're my mate and this is important moment in my life. It felt...right, for you to be with me," I admit.

She pulls her lower lip between her teeth. It makes my fingers curl into my palm, restraint trembling in my muscles.

This is all made so much harder by my aching desire for her. Now that I've had her, I want her at every moment—I want her soul laid bare to me again, as it was when I cradled her in my arms.

She is so beautiful, too. Looking at her hurts, knowing I can't close the gap between us, that I cannot touch her uninhibited. My body aches with the effort of keeping still.

"I haven't seen you much these past couple weeks," she notes cautiously.

"I wanted to give you space."

That, and being around her isn't easy when I have conflicting thoughts. I am in a constant battle of giving her the power to decide how we proceed, and throwing caution to the wind and bearing myself to her completely.

Even if the thought of being so vulnerable with her again makes me feel a little ill.

"Give me space?" She shakes her head in bewilderment. "You're the one who deserves space from me."

"I don't want space from you," I admit suddenly, unable to help myself.

She blinks, taken aback. As am I.

The carriage comes to a sudden halt. One glance out the window and I see we've arrived at Marko and Anna's quaint cottage situated on the edge of town.

"We're here," I announce, popping the door open.

Aesira walks a few steps behind me as we approach the front door. The whole front garden is laden with flowers, bushes and trees, all arranaged in precise positions, displaying Anna's love for tending to her garden.

I watch Aesira take it all in with gentle, awed eyes before I knock on the door.

Marko answers and I embrace him, congratulating him. He looks exhausted, yet deeply satisfied and content.

He leads Aesira and I into their small living room, where Anna sits on the couch with their baby in her arms. She looks up at us warmly, pushing the gauzy blanket baby is wrapped in down further so we can see her face.

My heart stutters as I sit next to her quietly.

All Marko and Anna have ever wanted since finding out they are mates is to have a child together. Now, they've fulfilled their dreams, and I couldn't be happier for them.

"Congratulations, Anna. You've done amazing," I murmur.

She beams at me tiredly, so proud of her precious baby. Motherhood suits her perfectly.

"This is Amelia," she says, running her fingers across Amelia's head delicately. Absolute adoration glows in her eyes.

I lean closer. "Amelia. You are utterly perfect."

She slumbers, unaware of our presence. Still, seeing her brings me a joy I haven't felt since I touched Aesira and found out she was my mate.

"She is, isn't she?" Anna gushes, gazing lovingly down at her little baby, then back up at her husband, who lingers close.

Aesira stands at the entrance of the living room, not wanting to impose by getting too close. She suspects Anna and Marko despise her after her attempt at taking my life.
 
"How are you feeling, Anna?" I ask.

"I am well. The birth was quick and simple," she tells me. "Here, why don't you hold her."

Leaning forward, she gently passes Amelia into my arms, ensuring I cradle her head in the right way.

Something stirs in my stomach as I look down at her. She's so small, so perfect. The result of so much love between Anna and Marko.

I glance up Aesira, who watches me warily.

"She is precious," I whisper, throat tightening.

Anna shifts over, patting the space on the couch where she was just sitting. "Aesira, come sit."

Aesira pauses, glancing at Marko, who smiles encouragingly. I knew my friends wouldn't hold a grudge against her, even if she nearly took my life. They have been incredibly understanding about the way she was brought up, about why she has felt the need to do what she's done.

"Are you sure?" She asks.
 
"Of course I'm sure." Anna grins at her, unbothered by Aesira's scepticism.

Instead of coming over, like I suspected she would, she takes a single step backward. The small muscles around her mouth quiver, her eyes filling with tears.

My heart leaps into my throat as a single tear spills down her cheek.

"Why are you crying?" Anna asks softly.

"I'm so sorry...I don't know." She swipes the tear away, looking between me and Amelia. "I need some air."

She turns, rushing out the room.

I move to stand, but Amelia puts her hand out, shaking her head at me. "Wait, Everin...I will go."

I watch her go. Even though I'm concerned about Aesira's reaction, it's good Anna wants to talk to her. She tends to make everything better, and she's impossible to dislike. If Aesira feels comfortable opening up to anyone, it will be her.

Marko wanders over, sitting next to me.

"How have you been, after everything that has happened?" He asks, kicking his feet up onto the small table in front of the couch.

"I'm fine...as much as I can be, anyway." I shake my head. "Please don't hold anything against Aesira."

I know he won't, but she's so fragile right now, I can't risk anything. Even a single joke might set her off, and I can't trust Marko not to try be funny at every avaliable moment.

Simply seeing me with a baby in my arms upset her...if only I could know why.

"I wouldn't. We wouldn't." He looks down at his baby. "Anna has decided she adores Aesira, and her mind cannot be so easily changed. Neither of us blame the girl...frankly, you probably deserved it."

I roll my eyes, even if I don't disagree.

"I did. I acted terribly."

I should never have threatened to send her away. I forced her into a corner, and she acted in the only way she knew how.

The only reason I considered sending her away was because I couldn't physically bear being around her any longer. Not when I knew I loved her, and knew I couldn't trust her. I always suspected she might turn against me, I just didn't know it would be like that...

"What are you going to do now?" He asks.

"I don't know. It depends on what Aesira wants," I admit.

"Assuming Aesira wants you, what do you want?"

I glare at him. He knows exactly what to ask.

"I want to be with her, of course. She is my mate and I love her." I lean back into the cushions of the couch, feeling a familiar stabbing pain under my ribs. It's been like that since I Aesira tried to poison me.

Marko's brows rise. "You love her?"

I sigh. Love doesn't seem like the right word. It's not all encompassing enough, and doesn't describe how addictive she is. I crave every part of her, and if I could choose to have her by my side for every waking moment, I would.

"I've been in love with her for quite a while now." I look down at my Amelia, grimacing.

What if she never accepts our mate bond? What if I'm not what she wants?

"But you're upset?"

"I mean, of course I am. How could I not?" I shake my head. "But I don't blame her."

Even though I understand why she did it, her betrayal still hurts. She carried such a significant secret with her for so many months, and went through with it, tricking me into thinking I'm her mate despite knowing how much the mate bond means to me.

Forgiving her will take time.

"Coming from someone who has a mate, I would say you need to talk to her. Make your feelings for her known," Marko insists. "Of course, it will take time until things feel natural between you. But soon enough, it will."

I nod, rocking Amelia gently. "You're right."

Anna and Aesira appear at the door, the former with her arm wrapped around the latter. Aesira's tears are gone and she looks fortified.

"Didn't drop my baby while I was gone, did you?" Anna teases, wandering over.

"Oh please, have some faith in me will you." I smile up at her, although my attention continually drifts to Aesira.

"Aesira and I were just having an incredibly interesting conversation," Anna states, glancing back over her shoulder.

"You were?"

Did Anna get through to her? Did she coax Aesira's true feelings out?

"First, I think she should hold sweet Amelia," Anna suggests. "Why don't you hand her to her, Everin?"

I feel Anna pulling strings, but I entertain her, taking a few cautious steps toward Aesira.

I expect her to walk away, but she remains rooted to her spot, gaze pinned on Amelia. She holds her arms out while I gently set Amelia into them.

Her face softens, awe transforming her features as she holds Amelia close.

Our eyes meet for the briefest second, and just like that, nothing seems wrong anymore. Her betrayal and our almost deaths seem stuck far back in our past.

"I have decided how I will make this all up to you," she breathes.

I frown. "Aesira...you don't have to make anything up—"

"I'll do it." She raises her chin, a fierce understanding in her eyes.

"Do what?"

"I'll return home, and I'll kill Silas," she announces.

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