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Willem nodded. “I agree.”
Davido addressed Willem once more. “And what’s your biggest concern, my friend?”
Willem scrubbed his hand through his hair. “That I would be taking advantage of an innocent young woman by continuing down this path. I know what I am. And the job I do in our world keeps me mired in the worst part of our culture. How can I ask Charlotte, or any worthy woman, to be connected to so much evil?”
David leaned forward slightly. His light blue eyes shone as he spoke. “Because the evil isn’t in you, Willem. It’s outside of you. But I must warn you to take care right now. You’ve reached a critical crossroad in your life and if you take the wrong path, you will be depriving yourself and therefore your world of many good, noble, and extraordinary things.”
Willem’s nostrils flared as he stared at Davido. “You’re delusional about what I truly have to offer.”
“I could say the same about you for not seeing who you really are.”
Davido held Willem’s gaze mercilessly, refusing to give ground. Willem could count on one hand the men who wouldn’t have backed down right now because of Willem’s size and level of rage. He’d been a good soldier and an excellent RIU agent because of his military mind and his ability to meet the enemy head on.
But the short troll was not in the least cowed and so he stared back, challenging Willem silently.
Finally, Willem drew a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. “We will never agree on this subject.”
Davido levitated suddenly, leaving his seat and lifting into the air in such a way that he could meet Willem eye-to-eye as he drew close. “Release your past and do it quick, or your future will turn to mud.”
The words rankled. “A bit melodramatic, Davido, even for you.”
But Davido merely lifted a brow. “I repeat, mud!” The air vibrated from the strength and tone of his voice.
Willem took a step back, shaken by Davido’s conviction.
After a moment, Davido slowly lowered himself to the carpet and moved to stand beside his wife, taking hold of her hand. He glanced up at her, affection as always shining in his eyes. The couple had been married a long time, and even though Willem had not seen them in years, their relationship remained the same mutually adoring partnership he remembered.
Davido lifted their joined hands to his lips, kissing the backs of her fingers. “Bernice will be needing us now. We should return home soon.”
Vojalie turned and though she had to lean down to reach him, she cupped his face and kissed him on the lips. “You are so right my love. Let me perform the chants and shift the bond for these dear people.”
To Willem, Davido pathed, And that is what you will be missing – the love of a good woman – if you don’t figure this out. I’m serious, my lad. And if you don’t see it, my dear idiot friend, Charlotte is ready to give her heart to you. So don’t be a fool!
Willem held the troll’s gaze once more. He wanted to rail at the man, but Davido would have just glared at him. Willem understood Charlotte’s value; he just didn’t believe in his own. But he felt in his bones that Davido was right, that this time with Charlotte was a crossroad for him.
Taking a deep breath, he pathed, I’ll try.
Vojalie gestured for Charlotte to join her and once Willem and Charlotte stood side-by-side, Vojalie’s eyes turned silver again, just as they had when she’d enthralled Charlotte earlier. She put a hand on top of each head and closed her eyes.
Her lips moved but the words were inaudible. Even if she’d spoken them aloud, they were probably in the ancient language, which Willem had never learned.
A warmth flowed through his mind and a moment later he reached the bond deep within his body that he now shared with Charlotte, the strange mingling of their mating vibrations. Little by little, the bond began to ease back to a different, less intense sensation.
Suddenly Willem didn’t want to lose this connection to Charlotte, and in response, his mating vibration reached for her. But nothing happened. The slight distance Vojalie had created, a space that seemed to hurt Willem as nothing else could have, also couldn’t be breached.
The chanting stopped and Vojalie opened her eyes, which had returned to the usual lustrous brown. But it was to Willem that she spoke. “Charlotte is at peace, but you are not. My husband is right. You must overcome your resistance, Willem, or you will lose everything you’ve gained this night. And now we must be away. But we will return tomorrow evening, and I will restore the bond if it’s what you both wish. Peace be upon you.”
Vojalie kissed Charlotte on the cheek, then once more took her husband’s hand. “We can leave now.”
Davido bid them farewell, then just like that, the pair vanished. Only Davido had that kind of power. Everyone else levitated and flew, but Davido simply disappeared.
Willem turned to Charlotte, uncertain what to say.
Charlotte put her hand on his arm. “Willem, I want you to know that the bond we share has made something very clear to me about your blood-starvation. And I want you to know that no matter what happens between us, even if we decide not to embrace the bond, I will happily donate whenever you need me to.”
He was overwhelmed by her generosity, but not surprised. He’d talked to a lot of people about Charlotte, including several of her professors. This one quality had come through time and again, that she always helped out her friends, no matter what.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that you’ve offered, but I’m afraid it won’t be that simple.”
