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If not for him and his greed, she might've looked forward to finding her fated lord. She wouldn't think of herself as soiled, or dirty, or unworthy of the simple joy of having love and being loved in return.
But as people had made clear over the years, she didn't deserve any of those things. She'd debased herself as a forced breeder and then had kept one of her children from a male who’d used her as a broodmare. Who would want to take her on and accept not only her past, but all her faults?
No one, that's who. Eventually any male would run once he discovered all her scars, or how she'd been abused, or a million other things that could be thrown back at her if she didn't live up to someone's expectations.
In the end, only her family and a few close friends loved her. Somehow, that would have to be enough.
And yet, as the couple smiled at each other across the street, she wished she could have more.
But she never would. Fated lords were supposed to be a good fit, true. However, her case was special. River healed others for his living; he wouldn't want a full-time patient as his wife.
Not that she wanted to be a wife. She would never dare hope for that.
Tears sprang to her eyes, surprising her, and as they rolled down her cheeks, she gave herself one second to give in to her grief. For all those things she wished she could have, but never would.
Then one person looked up at her from below. As soon as their eyes met, she turned and raced back inside.
Nora knew she was broken, and had been for a long time. But for some reason, since meeting River, she wished it wasn't true.
ChapterSix
River had no idea how long he'd been out, but he awoke to his sister sleeping in the chair next to his bed, her neck at an awkward angle that couldn't be comfortable.
At first, disappointment hit him that Nora was gone. It made no fucking sense, but something about her just made him want to talk with her, ask for her secrets, and find out what she kept buried deep inside.
Almost as if she were the ultimate patient he needed to heal, the one he'd been born to help.
Which was fucking ridiculous. Fae witches didn't have fated ones, to start. And it was far too poetic for him to think he existed for one person and one person alone. He'd just been isolated for so long with those fucking vampire bastards that he missed being around a pretty female. Yes, that had to be it.
Not wanting to think more about Nora, River decided to test out his injuries and determine how long it'd take to recover. He lifted a hand, noticed how there was almost no pain, just a very slight twinge. A good sign.
A few more movements and he could tell he was well on his way to getting better. It'd take time still to build back his muscle mass, or maybe even some physical therapy to walk on his own. But at least he didn't fucking hurt with every breath or movement.
He should think about how best to harness his magic to heal certain areas for the best results. And yet, his mind wouldn't focus like normal. No, it was as if something bugged him, something he was ignoring, and his brain wanted him to figure some shit out.
With a sigh, he ran a hand over his head. The short strands felt odd, given how he'd had shoulder-length hair for years. But it barely registered as he ran his hand back and forth, the gesture one that usually helped him think and figure out a puzzle bothering him.
Yesenia's sleepy voice garnered his attention. "Yay, you're awake again, River."
His sister smiled at him, and it helped lift his mood. Yesenia and Meadow were his family, the only ones he cared about. Only they and Dave had ever truly meant anything to him. "Yeah. I'm feeling a shitton better too. Although I'm not going to let my ego get in the way of admitting I'll probably need a wheelchair for a little while. They have them here, right? If it's really 1890, like you mentioned. I was still out of it a little, so who the fuck knows if I heard you right."
Yesenia sat up, leaned over, and took his hand in hers. "Yes, this is 1890. Late April, to be exact. And it should be a hell of a lot easier for you to accept and adjust to being in the past than it was for me. Seriously, I thought I was crazy at first, until I realized my magic brought me here to Leo."
He searched his sister's brown eyes. "Are you going to tell me that story now? I'm probably at about 85 percent recovered, as long as we don't count being able to walk on my own yet, and won't pass out any time soon."
Yesenia moved to sit beside him on the bed. "It's a long story, so we may as well get comfortable."
She went on to explain how she'd shown up inside Leo's gaming hell unconscious. One touch had blooded him, and they'd made a bargain—she'd allow the claiming as long as he got all the things she needed to try and help her siblings in the future.
When she paused, he asked, "And then?"
She swallowed. "A fae witch tracker told me I had magic." Her eyes teared up. "It was both amazing and fucking awful at the same time, River. Apart from you and Meadow, pretty much everyone else had shunned me. And to find out it'd all been because of a mistake, a lie? It destroyed me."
He slowly pulled Yesenia into his arms and laid his cheek on the top of her head. "I'm sorry they fucked up, Senia. I hope you know Meadow and I never thought, even for a second, to abandon you."
His sister leaned back and gave him a watery smile. "I know. It hurt like hell when I had to send you both away not long after, though. But I couldn't let our father sell your powers and force you to use them in ways you never wanted."
He sighed. "I could've eventually found a way out. But sweet Meadow…he would've destroyed her."
