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“Fine.” Caz sits taller, but it doesn’t stop his jaw from ticking. “You were going to tell me about Warren.”
I clear my throat. “Yeah. So, um…he used to travel a lot, my brother. He visited so many countries. All he ever talked about was marking countries off his bucket list, and he used to have this stupid scratch off map that he’d use whenever he came back home.” I laugh at the reminder. I still have that map, folded up and buried deep in a shoe box in my closet. “We shared an apartment when we turned twenty-five, right after we graduated college. We felt it would be better to split the bills, plus our dad was a piece of shit who didn’t want us living with him anymore when we turned eighteen, so we had each other. But that was the year my brother didn’t come back.” I glance at Caz. His eyes are still on me, clearly invested and waiting to hear what comes next.
“At first, I figured his phone was dead, or that he lost it or something. He called me every single day to update me, or just to bother me about something—you know, the annoying sibling thing. But after a week passed and I still hadn’t heard from him, I got worried. The last place he visited was a small country called New Zealand, so I got ahold of authorities there, and they looked into him, went to the Airbnb he was staying in, and all of his stuff was there…buthewasn’t.” I squeeze my eyes shut and bring my hands up, pressing my fingers into my face and dragging them downward. I can’t believe I’m talking about this.
Caz rubs my upper thigh, bringing me back to the present, and I drop my hands to look at him.
“This clearly pains you to talk about. You don’t have to go on.”
I shake my head. “No. It’s fine. Surprisingly, I…want to.” I draw in a deep breath, then exhale. “Anyway, the police told me they’d look into it. Long story short, they never found him, and his disappearance never made sense to me. I know my brother and he’dneverjust disappear on me unless something terrible happened to him, and if he was in some kind of trouble, he would have told me first before going off the grid. He knew whatit was like to be abandoned and we promised each other we’d always keep in touch.Always. No matter what.” My voice cracks with the last sentence and I clear my throat again. “He’s been gone for almost two years now, and if I haven’t heard from him yet, I’m assuming he’s dead. Probably got kidnapped and killed or something.”
Silence swims around us. Fortunately, the crickets are louder, and all the sounds of the night, so it’s not so awkward.
“Wow.” Caz’s voice is full of sorrow. “I’m sorry, Willow. I didn’t realize…”
“Yeah. Now you can see why it’s something I don’t like talking about much.”
“I do see.” He pauses and the silence lingers between us a bit. When I look at him, he appears to be thinking. His eyes have narrowed, his lips twisting a bit. “You know, when we were in Whisper Grove, I went to the library while you were sleeping to find out more about how the Tether originated. Apparently, the original Tethered people had babies, and Selah created a spell for them to be constantly recreated if they die.” Another pause. “If Warren is your twin…it is possible that he’s not dead—that he may be in Vakeeli somewhere.”
I swing my eyes to his. “Are you serious? And you’re just now telling me?”
“I didn’t know your brother had gone missing. I mean, I heard you thinking about him, but I figured maybe he’d just left you alone or walked out of your life. And it’s just a possibility that he’s in Vakeeli. I’m not sure. But if you have a mate, I’m certain he does too.”
I don’t even know how to take this news, and for a moment I have to sit there, absorbing the possibilities. If Warren is still alive—if he’s here, in Vakeeli like I am…
“If I had a portal come here, that means he did too! Maybe he went through one in New Zealand just like I did but never cameback.” I jump to a stand. “Caz, do you realize what this means? We have to find him! He could be here somewhere!”
“I’ll put my best people on it when we get to Blackwater.”
“That would explain so much,” I murmur. “Why a body was never found, how he randomly disappeared. Oh my God, it all makes sense now!”
I look up at him, and he’s watching me, clearly delighted with my reaction, but also apprehensive.
“Sorry—I’m jumping the gun. I just… it’s been so long. He could still be alive and if he is…” I swallow down my emotions before they get the best of me.
“Look, I don’t want you getting your hopes up, Willow,” he says when I sit again. “It’s a possibility that he’s here, yes, but he could be anywhere. And there were only four babies. You and I make two of them. If another Tethered couple is out there, he could be with his mate in The Trench. And if so, he may as well be dead. Or, for all we know, he found his mate, fell in love with her, and Mournwrath got to them. I’m not sure what to make of it, or why they could possibly be there.”
“I know, I know. You’re right.” Silence descends, and as badly as I want to take my mind off warren being alive, I can’t. “I’d give anything to see his face again—to hug him, laugh with him, crack a joke on him. Please, for all the love in Vakeeli, or however you guys say it, let my brother be alive.”
Caz laughs at that, a deep, warming timbre that makes me warm inside.
To take my mind off Warren, I say, “How about you tell me about your mother.”
He lowers his gaze a bit, his smile slipping away. “I will…but not tonight. It’s heavy enough hearing you talk about your brother’s disappearance. Telling you about my mother will tip us over the edge.”
I press my lips and nod as he places a kiss on my forehead. It must be bad, plus I don’t want to force him to talk about her. On another note, Faye would be proud to know I finally talked tosomeoneelse about Warren. I’ve only ever told her, and even with her I was vague with the details because I wanted to spare myself the pity, and she’s my best friend. What I’ve just told Caz, I’ve never told anyone before.
“I’ll be right back.” Caz’s words snap me out of my thoughts, and I watch him jog toward a line of trees, to return moments later with something shining in his hand. When he’s closer, I see it’s a flower he’s holding—and not just any flower, agoldone. It’s shaped similar to a rose, with thorns and all, and I gasp when I spot blood on his fingers.
“You grabbed it by the thorns?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I’ll be fine.” He digs into his pocket, pulling out a pocketknife. When he flings it open, the silver blade catching the moonlight, he sits next to me again and starts slicing off the thorns. “It’s a Vanorian Blossom. I used to steal them from Vanora when me and my mum would visit the markets, and I’d come back and plant them around the cabin. It wasn’t legal then to take plants from other lands. Each territory had a rule about their flowers and herbs being sacred, for trading purposes, but that’s all changed since my generation of monarchs. Anyway, my mum would find the flowers around this cabin when we returned and she’d scold me about taking them, always telling me I could get in trouble. She loved them, though. Always admired them. She used to tell me often how she wanted a bouquet of them just to place on the table and look at, but they were quite expensive.” He takes a long pause, focused on removing the thorns. “All I ever wanted was for her to be happy, so I’d steal them. And sure, she’d scold me, but she’d never deny them. She’d water them and keep them alive, let them flourish. She loved them. They grow on their own now, which is nice.” Hecuts off the final thorn, chops half of the stem, and then turns to me with it, tucking it behind my left ear. Dropping his hand, his eyes light up as he smiles at what he’s done, then says, “It looks nice with your hair. What do you call this style by the way?”
I can’t help the smile that takes over my whole face, or the bombardment of heat swimming through me. “Thank you,” I say, voice soft. “For the flower…and the story. As for my hair, they’re called locs. Lots of Black women have them.”
“They look great on you.” He lowers his gaze, a small smile on his lips. “You’re right about my family, though.” His head lifts back up. “We should get going before they get concerned for both of us.”
“Yeah.”
