I contemplate what he said about it, and find myself at a loss on how a vine is supposed to offer me protection. He said before that it’s supposed to act like a weapon, but how? “Do you think this is why the vine keeps popping up in places? Like with the wolves when they didn’t know we weren’t a threat?” Klaus asks.
“I’d imagine so. Sorry, Precious. I know you wanted some kind of answer on how to harness this weapon, but all I know is the vine is what’s supposed to defeat your foe for good. Which would obviously be Silas. Maybe just try to practice using it, like you have with your magic.” Derrick has one thing right; I am disappointed he doesn’t have a simple answer for me.
Chapter 4
William
From the moment I knew she was on her way to me, I started practicing what I would say to her. I didn’t want to come off as a bumbling mess of nerves... I think I was able to pull it off. The whole moment of greeting her is all fuzzy in my mind with being worried she would just spit at me and turn away without listening to anything I had to say.
Sure, I sent her the memory of what really happened the night Silas betrayed us, but I wasn’t confident she would choose to believe it. Thank the Fates she did, because I’m not sure what I would’ve done if she didn’t. I never should have doubted things so much. As I reminded her of the bond we share, it reminded me I should have followed the same instincts. Somewhere inside, I knew she wanted to believe I wasn’t capable of doing something so unforgivable.
One thing I wasn’t prepared for was finding out I have a twin. I had myself so convinced there was an imposter in my place, that Silas had somehow found out about her and sent someone to trick her into another betrayal. I’m not only relieved to have been wrong, but somehow, I feel more complete than I ever have in my life. Cecily’s arrival in my life was the first time a missing puzzle piece fit into the empty void within myself, and now my brother has filled another.
When I heard the name William, it was the final piece clicking into place, providing a completed picture. My fractured soul gained all of its missing parts to become whole once again. I felt more like my true self, like being called Marcellus all this time was just a dream and I’ve always answered to the name William. The moment I learned Silas was the one who gave me the name, it felt like I’d been wearing someone else’s shoes. Worn in all the wrong places to be truly comfortable. I felt numb, hearing he not only gave me my brother’s name, but practically stole me out of my mother’s womb.
I’ve been through so much with Silas, never being able to have my own identity under his rule. Since Cecily’s consciousness became attached to her soul form as she calls it, I’ve worked hard at trying to learn my own path through this life, but it always felt like wading through sludge without having my mate by my side.
Deciding to be called William gives me the fresh start that I was desperately seeking. I now have my mate back, and she’s accepted the truth of me not being responsible for her betrayal. The next step in our lives is to build a solid foundation for our people, to repair the damages that have been caused by Cecily being gone for so long. We’re also starting a family. She has five mates, which means I have four brothers to get to know.
I’m man enough to admit I was jealous up until I found out she wasn’t being played and they really are her mates. I never envisioned having to share my Cecily, but the moment things calmed down, it felt like I’ve known them my whole life. There’s some kind of connection with my twin, something there on the edge of my memory. I’m almost wanting to say we’ve shared a mental link of sorts all this time.
Things have been relaxed since we shared information and exchanged experiences. Cecily seems to be lost in her thoughts, staring out into space. There’s still the bond pulling us together, compelling us to ease the strain of having been apart for so long. I can’t stop touching her.
Leaning over to her, I whisper, “Want to go on an adventure?” Her eyes refocus and land on me with a huge smile on her face. I really missed seeing her smile, it makes my heart warm and cozy. I just want to bask in the glow of it.
“What did you have in mind?” she inquires. Not quite an acceptance of my invitation, but knowing her, she won’t turn down the appeal of escaping the weight of her thoughts.
My lips curl up at the corner. “I know it’s been five hundred years, Darling, but I haven’t changedthatmuch. I’m still not going to give away my surprises.”
Her smile widens as she glances down to her lap before peering back up through her eyelashes. Ah yes, here’s my coy, flirtatious girl. “I suppose I’m game, seeing as how you took away all of my adventure planning privileges. So, are we sneaking away from the others, or do you have a plan for getting them to let us go off?”
Well, shit. She makes a good point there. I’m not used to there being others around who would want to stop me from having alone time with her. Considering how protective they are, I don’t think sneaking off will be the best idea. Plus, I don’t want to start things off on an even worse foot where her other mates are concerned. I’m already coming into things at a disadvantage. They’ve known each other for centuries, they have a solid bond between each other, and here I am, coming in as the odd man out.
She must see the thoughts playing out on my face, because she pats my leg a few times and says, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” I watch as she gets up and crawls over to Klaus and straddles his lap before nuzzling her face into his neck. She pulls back and gives him a gentle kiss before resting her forehead on his. Something about the way they’re looking at each other tells me they’re talking between their minds.
The only jealousy I feel watching them is over the way they can talk mind to mind, and it’s only because I want the same connection with her. I never should’ve held myself back from completing the bond with her. So many regrets fill me, but thankfully, I have a second chance to right them.
Klaus wraps his arms around her back and pulls her in for a few more kisses before she gets up and offers her hand to help pull me up. The motion draws the attention of every eye in the room, before turning to Klaus. The actions confirm a theory of mine of the guys also sharing a mind link. I wonder if someday I can be included in their bond.
Cecily takes a hold of my hand, and gives me a smile when I look down at her with a head nod toward the exit, a subtle gesture for us to get the hell out of here while we can. When we reach the other side of the mountain rock, I can’t hold back my question any longer. “What did you say to him to get his help?”
“I just asked him sweetly,” she says while batting her eyelashes. With my disbelieving look, she laughs and gives a more honest answer. “I told him our bond is still haywire and I wanted some alone time with you, without the others watching over our shoulders.”
“Why did you ask him and not one of the others? You seemed pretty confident he would step in and get the rest to leave us alone.” My hand trails down her spine to settle at the base of her back as we stroll along the rock face.
She turns into my side slightly, and I can’t help the sense of relief coming over me again at not receiving her rejection. I watched how she acted with my brother when she thought he was me, and I felt the pain of the rejection, just as he did. I caress her hand with my thumb as she answers my question, “I knew he would feel the truth of it in my soul, how much I need to close the gap between us which was there even before that night.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. There’s so much I need to make up for, and I know just how to start. “So about that adventure... care to have a friendly game of chase with me in your favorite form?”
A look of glee passes over her face before she’s shifting into her fox form. I follow suit and we take turns chasing each other. I make sure we continue toward our destination anytime she’s chasing me. We roll and tumble together from time to time and offer playful nips. We finally reach the field where our tree is. I know it could be dangerous to be this close to the castle, but I also know this park stays deserted and no one would give a couple of foxes a second look. Silas believes the only type of true shifter out there is a wolf.
We keep up our game in the field in front of the tree until I finally pin her down. We’re both panting with the exercise and I gently rub my nose into the side of her face and give a couple of licks before shifting into my human form again. She follows my lead and we lay on the ground, trying to catch our breath.
Her hand reaches for mine, and my heart soars. We just lay here under the midday sun shining down on us. “Thank you for trying to protect as many people as you could from Silas, since I couldn’t.” Her voice sounds a bit strained with emotions. “I know you could have just left him to wait for me, instead you chose to endure torture sessions. You chose to play his game to find out more about his plans. You did it not just for me, but for our people. Even though you had no assurances I would forgive you when I came back.”
She rolls onto her side to face me, and I do the same. “You don’t need to thank me for doing what was right by our people. I helped him for far too long before knowing the truth. I’ll never be able to make up for all the wrongs I’ve done.”
My hand goes to her waist and hers cups my face. “No, Will, I do. You accomplished so much when I couldn’t. I can’t thank you enough for sticking by me when you had every right to believe I would never forgive you. And there’s nothing for me to forgive, you had no control over any of it, but I think you deserve to hear it. I forgive you, for everything. For every moment you harbor a shred of guilt over. I don’t want you holding on to any of it, starting right this second.”
