by Lola Gabriel
“I’m glad you think so,” he purred, locking his arm around her waist again. She didn’t even like the way he held her. It felt possessive, like the reason his arm was around her wasn’t out of wanting her close but rather to keep her from getting away from him. Thankfully, the boat began to move, taking his attention off of her. Eden’s eyes scanned the horizon, trying to take in the beautiful day before her.
Darian led her into the cabin and presented her with clothing appropriate for a yacht. Swimsuit, a thin, long kimono, flip flops, and a sunhat. Eden stepped into the bathroom and changed into the attired, but she kept her denim shorts on to feel more conservative. When he rejoined him, Darian was also in swimwear and an unbuttoned shirt, holding out a pair of matching sunglasses for Eden.
They went to the deck, and Eden’s eyes gleamed at the sight of the pool. She yearned to dip into the water and meditate, desperately needing it. It had been nearly two weeks since she had successfully meditated, and it had Eden feeling all out of whack. However, she fought off the urge and sat down in the lounge chair next to Darian. Her skinny legs folded at the knee as they extended down to the footrest, her hands folding against her sternum. It had been a while since Eden had sunbathed, and it was far more relaxing than she remembered.
“Well done,” she called over to Darian. “I actually really like this.”
“I’m glad,” he called back. Eden didn’t have to open her eyes to know that false grin was dominating his face. It was as if it were a nervous tick of his. “You know, once we’re married, we could do this all the time. As often as you like.”
“Do…” Eden took a deep breath. “Do you mind if we don’t talk about getting married? I think we will get along better if we just act like it isn’t happening and we are just spending the day together.” Her eyes were on him for his reaction. Only, he was unreadable, since he wore such dark sunglasses.
Darian nodded. “Sure thing. Whatever you need.”
They relaxed there for more than an hour, making minimal conversation. Eden began to wonder if asking not to talk about the wedding had taken away most of his conversational points, or if he was being polite and letting her relax. It was only when she stood from the chair that Darian perked up.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m going to take a dip.”
“Are you going to meditate?”
“I am.”
“Could you try and teach me?”
Eden was hesitant, not sure why he would want to know how to meditate. He was a warrior, not a healer. However, she did not protest.
“Yeah, sure.” Walking over to the pool together, they disrobed before lowering themselves into the lukewarm water. “So, what you’ll want to do is fully submerge yourself in the water, head and all. Level your body with the water, and you’ll eventually bob to the surface. Focus on your five senses and nothing else. Any time thoughts come to you, redirect your focus to your body. Sometimes, I go back underneath the water to really focus.”
“That’s it?” Darian questioned.
“You’ll be surprised how much practice it takes.”
He looked at her skeptically but didn’t say anything. Simultaneously, they dipped back into the water. As soon as she was fully submerged, Eden felt her body relax, bubbles escaping her mouth as she let out a sigh of relief. She focused on the heat of the sun, the feeling of the water, and the gentle wave that was created by Darian being in the water as well.
Remarkably fast, Eden found her center. Her thoughts melted away under the sun, and she was so at peace that she could have dozed off. It surprised her that she could relax like that with Darian so close to her. Usually she couldn’t meditate with anyone else in her immediate area. Yet she floated there, one with the world. It was so immensely blissful after the weeks she had been having that tears could have beaded from her eyes if she wasn’t already covered by water. Time seemed to stop, her only knowledge of its passing coming from the intensity of the heat. For the first time in a long, long time, Eden completed a full meditation session.
When she came out of it and flipped up in the water with a sleepy smile on her face, she found Darian perched on the edge of the pool, watching her with kind eyes.
“Hungry?” he asked. His hair was almost completely dry. He had been out of the water for quite some time. Eden nodded and headed to the edge. Darian extended an arm to help her out of the water and then wrapped a large towel around her. “You were right. That was hard—too hard. I gave up out of frustration after about fifteen minutes.”
“How long was I in there?” Eden asked curiously.
“Two hours.”
“Wow,” she breathed. A genuine, beaming smile conquered her face. “That’s exactly what I needed.”
“Well…” Darian grinned. “I think that’s worth a celebratory drink.”
They headed for a dining table set up on the deck on top of the cabin. A glorious spread of fruit, vegetables, salads, crackers, and various snacks was before Eden. Darian plucked the champagne from the ice bucket and popped the cork in the direction opposite of Eden. Pouring them each a flute, he raised a glass.
“To achievements.”
When Eden found herself clinking glasses with him and giggling, she was taken aback. Darian had been very accommodating and respectful all day long. While she still found him incredibly two-faced, she began to think that he wasn’t as bad as she had originally thought. What if she had only needed a full meditation to set her right and accept her fate? The thought caused her stomach to return to its tight knot. She knew that, no matter what she felt about Levi, she would marry Darian if she felt comfortable with him… if for no other reason than to appease her father and avoid his ensuing wrath, in case she invoked it.
Every time Eden began to feel like she starting to make up her mind, something else changed it. It was utterly unsettling. Trying to save face, Eden drained the champagne flute of its contents and tilted her glass toward Darian for a refill.
10
Levi couldn’t stop pacing about. He had sat in his truck at the meet-up stop he and Eden had agreed upon for three hours. Continuously, he told himself that she was caught up in something and would arrive any minute. But as morning turned to afternoon, and afternoon drew near to evening, worry began to settle in. What if Carlyle had somehow found out about the two of them, and he had imprisoned her as she’d feared? What if that Darian guy had hurt her?
Levi’s mind ran through every possible scenario imaginable, bringing him to the brink of his own sanity. Time dragged on, the day seeming to take weeks to tick by. Levi’s hands stayed clasped behind his back as he walked the length of his cabin again and again. Wracking his brain for an explanation for Eden’s disappearance and radio silence, he came up short. Soon enough, he was trying to figure out how he could reach her to make sure she was okay. By phone was risky, knowing that if she had just gotten tied up with family matters, it was dangerous for them to speak. Taking a phone call could spark questions, ones that Eden didn’t have answers for.
Realistically, there was only one other way, and that was to go in person. That was abhorrently reckless, though, and Levi knew Eden’s fury would be imminent. But he couldn’t calm himself. Every time he began to assure himself that she was fine and merely busy, ten new dangerous scenarios would pop into his head. The worry was so all-consuming that he hadn’t even noticed he had yet to eat or drink anything.
Reaching a boiling point come night time, Levi cursed aloud and moved outside with a backpack. With only just a split second of hesitance, he leaped into the sky and began the flight to the Tallant estate. He was a risk-taker, always doing what was needed of him, no matter what. This, however, was hands-down the most insane thing he had ever done. Levi felt like a kamikaze as he soared through the air like a bullet. This very well could be a suicide mission, and the only pay off would be knowing whether or not his mate was safe. The urge to check in on her had become unbearable, and he needed to do something productive.<
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When he drew near to the royal estate, Levi slowed his paced and kept his eyes peeled. He circled the estate, taking a survey of how many people were there and how he could land without being seen. Thankfully, the security of the estate was almost entirely at the gate down the driveway, with only one guard standing immediately outside the house. He was by the front door, and Eden’s room was on the back side of the mansion, so as long as Levi was silent in his descent, he could potentially get in relatively easily.
Once he was confident in his plan, Levi swooped downward, opening his wings high above the house so that the sound was deafened in the space between himself and the lone guard at the estate. It surprised him how light security was, but then again, most of the top dragons resided inside, and everyone in the Kingdom knew better than to infiltrate the estate. They would be swiftly put to death before being shamed in some way postmortem. That thought weighed heavily on Levi as he silently tried to glide down to Eden’s balcony while trying to keep himself as small as possible so that he was less likely to draw attention.
Levi only eased once his feet touched the cool metal of the railing. His claws dropped his backpack cautiously to the ground before he began his transformation back to his human state; once again, he was thankful he had grown numb to the pain of sudden shifts. Dressing quickly, Levi stepped toward the door and cupped his hands to the glass. Curtains mostly blocked his view, but he could see just a sliver of the dark room inside. A worrisome doubt bubbled in his stomach, wondering if he had the wrong room. However, as he scanned about, he noticed the chaise lounge where he and Eden had sat together and had felt their bond fully for the first time. That was Eden’s room, but where was she?
Anxiety spiked through Levi. It was nearly ten o’clock. Where could Eden be at that hour? He had already learned from their conversations that she was almost always at home. She found comfort in the familiar and didn’t see the point of trying to keep up with the ever-changing human world. It was unlikely she had been called away from a rare business meeting so late. Levi’s heart thumped painfully in his chest.
Eventually, he sat in one of the patio chairs, keeping out of sight of the yard. Levi’s fingers quietly drummed against the arms of the chair, unsure what to do with himself as he waited. His heartbeat was in his ears in a woeful rhythm. The only comfort he had at that point was that he wasn’t in any physical pain. From what he had gathered from stories shared about soulmates, one would be in immense pain if their mate was dying—one would literally feel a part of their own soul dying. Besides the all-consuming anxiety, Levi felt fine.
At some point, one thin beam of light appeared on the floor of the balcony. His head jerked in the direction of the door. Standing up, he peered through the crack in the curtains. Eden was there, slouched against her bedroom door with her hand to her forehead. By the looks of it, she was emotionally defeated. Her hair was damp, and she wore only a bathing suit top and shorts with a cardigan. Had she spent the day in the lake? Why couldn’t she have sent him a message to let him know that she needed to meditate? Levi was an understanding man, and they had seen one another every day. He wouldn’t have had any problem.
As Eden started to remove her cardigan, Levi rapped on the door. He didn’t want her to get indecent. They needed to talk. Eden jumped like a frightened deer before reluctantly making her way toward the balcony. Levi stood back so that she didn’t get startled again. One of her eyes appeared in the glass as she peeked behind the curtain to see who it was. The door then flew open, and Eden reached an arm out to pull him inside with one heave. Once the door was shut behind them, Eden was face to face with him, her eyes on fire.
“What in the hell are you doing here?! Are you actually insane?” Her hands thumped against his chest in an attempt to shove him, but Levi didn’t budge.
“You didn’t show, and I didn’t hear from you. I had the right to be concerned,” he defensively remarked.
“So you show up here? Are you trying to get us caught?” Her hands thumped his chest again.
“No, I’m not. I had to know you were okay! I was as careful as I could have been. Did I get caught? No.”
“Not yet, maybe! What about when you leave?” Eden questioned. “This place is way too dangerous for you to be here! I was going to message you when I was finally home; I’m sorry I got swept away.”
“For twelve hours?” Levi accused, folding his hands over his chest.
“Yes, I was. I couldn’t get out of it.”
“With who?”
“That is none of your business.” Subconsciously, Levi broadened his chest.
“Who were you with, Eden?” Levi flinched when Eden broke out into a bitter, hoarse cackle.
“I’m so impossibly tired of men thinking they are entitled to know my every move!” She ran her hands frantically through her hair. “I mean, really! Is every little decision going to be made for me, my every day planned for me, and my every task monitored and reported?”
“I’m not them, and you know that,” Levi growled. His eyes closed as he tried to cool his temper. Then, he felt the slightest movement of her feet and a sharp inhale. His hands flew to his chest, catching Eden’s wrists before she could strike him. He stared into her eyes. Violence wasn’t exactly uncommon in their culture; however, it was out of character for Eden, despite her attempt to strike him a week ago. She was suffering immensely and was cracking from all the pressure on her shoulders. Levi could tell this wasn’t her. “I am not your brother. You do not strike me just because you’re angry.”
Though Eden seemed to regret what she had thought of doing, her eyes remained furious. Snapping her hands back from him, she rubbed her wrists.
“You’re right, I… I shouldn’t have tried to slap you. I’m sorry…” Her resolved cracked even more, tears stinging her enchanting blue eyes. It was clear she hadn’t been aware of what she was doing. Levi reached out a hand and stroked her bicep attentively to show he wasn’t upset, that it was okay. Her eyes were anywhere but on him. “I still stand by my point, though. I’m not going to tell you or anyone all that I do. I deserve to have some control over my life.”
“I didn’t mean to make it sound like that. I’m sorry,” Levi apologized, caressing both of her arms. Eden didn’t shrug his touch away but didn’t lean into it, either. “You’re right, I don’t have the right to know who you spent your day with. That question was out of line. I’m sorry. I was just worried. My mind went wild when you didn’t show up.”
Eden stared down at the ground. “I’m sorry… I thought you would… I really didn’t have a way to tell you. I-I was with Darian, and it felt too risky to try and use my phone, in case he saw me. Then we were on a yacht, and I had no signal at all.”
Jealousy brew in Levi, but he kept his face calm. He hated that the man who was in line to marry Eden had spent the entire day with her instead of him. He was aware that she hadn’t had any other option than to go with Darian, though that didn’t make it any easier to picture her having a romantic outing on a yacht with another man.
“It’s okay, don’t worry,” Levi assured her. “I understand. I know I let my anxiety get the best of me. Just the thought of you being hurt…” His hand went to stroke her cheek. Eden turned her face away from his approaching touch.
“While that’s sweet, this… this…” She searched for her words but fell short. She covered her face with her hand for a few seconds before dropping it and clasping both of her palms together. “This is not okay. This is… too much for me. You were willing to risk your life, not to mention getting us caught, because you didn’t hear from me in less than twenty-four hours. Do you know how that sounds?”
“You make it sound as though I was irrational to be worried—” he began.
“It wasn’t irrational to worry, Levi,” Eden interjected. “What was irrational was your decision-making that led you to show up at my home! Which is filled with people who want to see your head on a spike.”
Suddenly, Levi was the one fee
ling defeated. “I know that. It felt worth it just to know you were okay.”
“See? That is not okay,” Eden insisted. “I know we’re mates, but you’ve just given yourself to it. While it’s… flattering, it’s too fast. How am I supposed to know how much of it is you having true feelings for me, and how much is you being in love with having a mate?”
“You don’t know how I feel,” Levi answered. “I will give you that. You clearly don’t, or else you would know that nothing I feel is anything less than genuine. Why can’t you trust me or your own intuition? You don’t believe I’m genuine in expressing my feelings, and you don’t seem to believe the simple fact that we’re soulmates, either.”
Eden shook her head side to side as her bitter laughter returned. “I am brought back to wondering why I’m even discussing this. My god, what have I been doing this past week and a half? I’m betrothed, with absolutely no way out of it. I have no idea why I agreed to give you a chance, let alone until the wedding. This is utterly ludicrous.”
“What are you trying to say?” Levi asked firmly.
“What do you think?” she cried. “This is over. There is no way there can be anything between us, and I might as well save myself the stress of trying to find some magical way to make this work.”
“You do not mean that,” he said—pleaded, almost.
“Don’t try and act as if you know what I think or feel!” Eden snapped. “You hardly know me.”
Levi stepped toward her. “I think I know you better than you think I do. We’ve spent a lot of time together, Eden. We’ve talked a lot, and I think I know some things about you that even those closest to you don’t.”
“Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“Stop acting like you know me! You just don’t!” she cried out.
Levi closed the distance between them, lifting her from the waist. Before he could kiss her, Eden’s lips were on his, hungry and urgent. Levi groaned, kissing her back passionately and eagerly. One hand traveled up her spine and into the hair on the back of her head, keeping her close to him as he deepened the kiss. His other hand greedily traveled down to her bottom, groping it liberally. Before Levi realized what he was doing, he had Eden pinned against a wall. Her fingers were nimbly unbuttoning his flannel. Ripping away from Eden’s lips, he attacked her neck in kisses and licks. When he bit down sensually, Eden shuddered and moaned as she pressed into him.
