The Telmarine Wife

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

London, 1951

Edmund knew the other agents must think him mad, pacing the floor like he was, but they couldn't understand. That was his wife, his Bondmate they were listening to, and she was being fondled by someone who wanted them both dead. He listened for a while himself, until he couldn't and he passed the earphones off to someone else, only to take them back several times before he was banned from listening altogether.

Banned. Him. A King of Narnia. Banned from listening to his Bondmate.

He may not have been able to listen, but he could read facial expressions and—to a degree—lips. So he knew when Lena finally managed to make Daniels squeal. He hovered over the transcriber's shoulders reading as he furiously wrote down everything that was said. Eventually the agent turned the headphones so that they both had an ear to listen to.

Edmund's knuckles turned white with fury before he'd finally heard enough. He made a mad dash for the door, forcing the other agents to scramble after him. He kicked in the door to Daniels' flat and was fully prepared to tackle him to the floor as he had with the Polkovnik, but Ileana was a step ahead of him. The instant the door opened she pushed Daniels back with enough force to make him stumble and trip over his own trousers.

Ileana's eyes then instantly found him and she became his only concern. He threw his jacket over her shoulders and escorted her quickly back across the hall to the safe room. He was in and out so fast, he doubted Daniels even registered that he was there, or alive for that matter.

"Please... tell me we got what we needed," Lena asked, head hanging over a bin and body shaking.

Edmund paused; how did he tell her? She looked up at him.

"We got what we needed," he said at last. "And so much more." He handed her a glass of water and sat down beside her as she cried. When he tried to wrap his arm around her and hold her close, she flinched and pulled away from his touch.

Edmund wished he could have taken Ileana back to the hotel, but their night was far from over. After Daniels was taken to a maximum security facility that even Edmund wouldn't be able to get into, he and Ileana made their way back to Broadway. There they faced hours of debriefing where Ileana was forced to recount her evening with Daniels and the Polkovnik again. Edmund was then kicked out of the room while Ileana underwent a confidential severance disclosure.

She was done with spy work. She had agreed to nab Daniels, as she believed she was the only one who could and she was probably right. Now that he was in lock up, she was being locked out. Edmund couldn't help but wonder where that left him. How would he see her again once she walked out the front door? How did he get her to marry him? Or had he failed her, failed them with the Polkovnik and Daniels ordeal? What would he do if he was forced to live the rest of his life without her and their daughters to fulfill it?

He was so caught up in this whirlwind of thoughts that he nearly missed her walking right by him and out the door. He hurried after her.

"Lena! Lena!" he called, jogging to catch up to her. "Lena!"

She stopped and turned around slowly, pulling at the sleeves of the oversized jumper that covered her dress. Edmund wanted to think it was just an accident, that she simply hadn't seen him sitting there or heard him calling her name. When she turned around and met his gaze, he saw the truth in her red-rimmed eyes.

He felt a sharp pain in his chest.

"So..." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "That's it then? You've signed the release contact and now you...you were just going to leave? Without saying goodbye?"