I didn't know there were shopping centers with Italian restaurants in Aevum, but I'm standing in front of one right now, wearing clothes that are certainly not warm enough for the snowy climate.
But the warm breeze alerts me that I'm not in Cane's territory anymore, and the Italian restaurant I'm standing in front of is one of my favorites in my hometown. And the edges of my vision are hazy and otherworldly.
This is a dream.
"Cordelia?" A familiar voice I've been dying to hear for weeks is so clear behind me that I am almost afraid to turn around, afraid that this dream will dissolve as soon as I do.
But I can't stand it; I have to see my dad's face.
I spin around and immediately fling myself into my father's arms. "Daddy! You came into my dream! I've been working so hard to learn how to bring you in on purpose, and it finally worked!" I glance around. "I guess all my daydreaming about Vito's lasagna set the scene for us."
He chuckles but it's through what sounds like a sob. "Baby girl, where are you? You were supposed to be home weeks ago and your phone is going straight to voicemail" he says, pulling me as close as he can and pressing a kiss to my forehead. I revel in his familiar scent—Old Spice and menthol shaving cream.
I shake my head, tears filling my eyes and spilling over onto his sweater. "I'm fine, physically, but no, Daddy. I don't know where I am. Somewhere in the supe realm and cold. Elias's brother, Cane took me on the last night of Wicked Encounters."
He pulls his lips into a tight smile and says, "I know. We have friends looking for you, but we've come up empty handed at every turn."
"What do you mean you know? How?"
Dad's gray eyes cloud with sadness. "Elias came to us and told us everything. He says his brother is dangerous, Cordelia. You have to keep your guard up."
My heart squeezes in my chest. "Elias came to you? He found you? But—but how? I never even told him where I lived, what town I was from or anything."
"He didn't say, and I didn't ask any questions beyond your wellbeing. He took full responsibility and promised to find you, but he didn't want your mother and I left with a missing daughter and no answers."
I chew my lip and debate telling my dad about the primal bond, but that's just too embarrassing. If Elias didn't mention being able to find me...Why would he go through the trouble of going to my parents if he could just snap his fingers and get to me? What is he playing at?
"How was he? Like, emotionally?" I ask, wringing the hem of my shirt in my hands.
He shrugs, and says, "I don't know him, but he appeared pretty distraught. He kept saying he would get you back, but I have to wonder, do you want to come back? His brother is your soul bonded too, is he not?"
I swallow and meet my dad's eyes. "I—I don't even know where to start with those feelings, Dad. Of course I want to come back. I miss you and Mom. And Elias, he...I love him. Or at least, I think I do. He lied to me, so I'm pretty pissed at him right now, but...I don't want to give up on us. And as far as Cane goes...yeah. They're twins, so I'm bonded to both of them. But I just don't think there is any way I could feel that way for Cane. He stole me."
"Why?"
My dad's question is so simple, yet so fucking complicated.
I hold up my hands. "I am still not 100% sure. He says it was because Elias hadn't told me the whole truth about our bond, and he wanted me to have a chance to choose for myself...to process everything."
"Why does he feel you need time with him to process?"
"Another good question I don't know the answer to."
The analytical accountant look sets firm on my dad's face. He loves me and my mom very much and he isn't afraid to express it, but he is also a rational thinker. Everything equates to something.
"Don't trust him, Cordelia." His image blurs at the edges and I know our connection is rapidly growing weak. "If you aren't getting straight answers from him, it is because he has something to hide. Play it smart until we can find you."
I bat away my tears with the back of my hand. "Okay. I will. I love you."
"I love you too, baby girl."
He fades out of my dream and I force myself away. I don't want to linger in the space I shared with him. It hurts too much when I don't know when I'll see him again.
***
After my dream with my father, I knew I had to leave sooner rather than later. Nothing good could come of me hanging around any longer. I was already coming to understand Cane better than I had before, and that was dangerous territory. Understanding led to friendship. And friendship could lead to who knows where.
It's time to go. He's let down his guard enough around me that I've been able to wander around the house and the grounds of the mansion, and that coupled with all the questions I've asked Ruth about the mountain and how far away the village is...I have a plan to at least get down there on my own and then...well, I'm going to just keep going until I find the first sign of civilization. According to Ruth, it isn't that far. Not as far as Cane made it out to be. I'm determined enough to get out of here and get back home to my parents; I'll do anything at this point.
I'm standing in front of my closet, trying to decide what to pack. I don't want to take much of the stuff I bought with Cane's money. First of all, I don't have space in my backpack. Second of all, it wouldn't be right. I bought all of that to get under his skin, not to take from under his nose. I will leave Ruth a note to let her know to take as much of it as she wants for herself and to share it with anyone in the village. And if it's possible to return anything, maybe they can do that too.
I only take what's necessary—a coat, hat, gloves, a couple changes of clothes, and a few books, including Cane's that could help me with my powers. I know they're probably antiques or something, but I need all the help I can get. I even leave my e-reader, packed with love stories about every imaginable type of creature, behind. No sense in taking it when I won't be able to charge it for who knows how long. I also pack my one inhaler that luckily still has enough medicine in it for a couple more doses.
I stow my bag under my bed until it's time to leave. I don't want to tip Cane off in case he wanders into my room as he's tended to do the past couple nights.
A soft knock sounds at my door and I nod once. Just like he's doing right now.
Kicking the bag all the way under the bed, I hop onto my mattress and grab my Kindle, propping my back against the headboard. "Come in," I call.
Cane eases open my door and props a shoulder on the frame. "You look cozy."
I wave the e-reader at him. "It's the best way to read—warm and cozy in bed."
He hums and steps over the threshold. With his hands in his pockets, he moseys around my room, studying all the things I've acquired. Taking a book from the shelf, he flips through the pages like he is actually interested in it.
This isn't the first time he has done this. I'm starting to think he is curious as to what types of things interest me. He's in for a big surprise if he ever figures it out.
"So, I was thinking that we should go on another adventure tomorrow," he says.
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever you want to do."
He closes the book and places it on the shelf just the way I had it. "There's a path behind the house that leads to the overlook. You can see the entire mountain range from there. What do you think?"
I think I'll be gone before you even realize it, but at the same time, I think that sounds really nice.
And therein lies the issue.
"Yeah, sounds good," I say, keeping my voice even and light. "Just not too early, okay? I need my beauty sleep."
"Of course." He walks to the door, knocks on the wall, and turns back to look at me. "It's been really nice having you here. This big house doesn't seem so lonely with you around." He doesn't give me a chance to respond before he closes the door behind him.
His words are like a ton of bricks dropped on my chest. I shouldn't care what he thinks. It shouldn't make the thought of staying an extra day flash through my head. He has held me here against my will. We're only curing each other's loneliness because there is no other choice. But the last couple of days have been nice... comfortable, just two beings co-existing together.
No.
Absolutely not, Cordelia.
You are getting out of here.
I wait for over an hour when the house turns dark and silent, and then I gather my things and tiptoe out of my room. I'm not surprised that Cane doesn't come out to see what's going on. I've taken the path from the stairs to the front door a few times in the middle of the night. I even stepped outside to see if he would follow. He checked on me the first two times I did it, making sure that I was all right. But when I explained that I was a midnight eater, he backed off and let me do my thing. I expect tonight will be the same.
I take a deep breath when I get to the front door and make sure my coat is zipped and my hat is pulled snug over my ears. I anticipate the cold as I step out and hold my breath against the wind and snow flurries that are flying around my head.
But it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I mean, it's cold. But it's not unbearable. It snows back home, so it's not like I'm completely inexperienced with it. And I'm bundled up. I'll be fine.
I walk along the path toward the gates, and I don't look back. There's no need. This house hasn't been anything to me except a prison.
Even though nothing horrific happened to me here, I was still here without my consent. And now I'm taking things into my own hands and I'm leaving.
I keep up my stride until I get to the edge of the mountain, where I need to start my descent. As I look down, the path is worn away. In fact, there's really no path at all. I see why Cane teleported us or whatever the hell it was to the village. This is treacherous at best.
And whatever I said about it not being that cold...fuck that. It's fucking frigid out here, and the snow is falling heavier and heavier by the second.
It's just so...dark. The moon is hardly even shining.
There's something I've always loved about snowy nights—that moment when the blanket of snow is so thick that any sounds in the air are muffled by that blanket and it's almost like...a cushion? And the quiet is so...calming and cozy.
It's like that out here. Except right now, it's not calming and it's not cozy. It's terrifying and isolated and I feel like I'm standing on the edge of the world.
But I have to keep going. With another deep breath, I begin my descent and once I start going, it isn't too bad. I slip and slide a couple times, but I manage to stay mostly upright.
About fifteen minutes later, I look down at my feet and seriously regret my choice in footwear. Why didn't I wear some sort of snowboots? Instead, I'm just wearing a pair of hiking boots. I mean, they're better than sneakers, but I don't know how waterproof these are. Didn't my dad once tell me that if your feet started to freeze, you were totally screwed?
Shit. My teeth chatter and I feel like my toes are numb, even parts of my feet are starting to lose feeling in them. I look back over my shoulder and I can't even see a few feet behind me. I can't go back now. Climbing up the mountain would be even harder than going down it. So I push forward.
I can hardly feel my feet at all at this point, and the backpack on my shoulders feels like it weighs literally a ton. What the fuck have I gotten myself into?
Pulling my glove off, I raise my hand to my cheek and gasp when I realize I can't feel my face. Or can I not feel my fingers? What temperature is it out here?
Fuck, it's getting harder to breathe. The air is so thin up here. I'd even started to notice it from inside the house. I reach around to the side pocket on my backpack, fumbling to grab the inhaler. I uncap it, nearly dropping it into the snow. I draw one long puff of air and hold it before releasing, and I immediately feel some relief. I want to do another puff right away, but I know I need to ration what's left in case I have an actual asthma attack. I shove the inhaler back into the side pocket.
My eyelids flutter and I shake my head, trying to focus on putting one numb foot in front of the other, but it's hard when I can't even seem to feel what they're doing.
"I just need to rest for a second," I mumble, my words slurring. "If I could just lay down, I'd feel better."
I'm exhausted and my entire body is shaking. My teeth are chattering so loudly, that it is all I can hear or think about. I'm cold...so cold. The warmth inside my jacket calls to me, and I curl my body into a ball that I try to stuff inside. If I can just get warm again, then I can continue my journey. Just my hands, and my feet, and my face...
"Cordelia! Where are you?"
I wrench my eyes open just the slightest bit. Snow is everywhere—on my lashes and clinging to my lips. I don't recall lying down, but maybe that's good. I'm not shaking anymore. I don't feel so cold.
I don't feel anything.
"I'm here," I say, but my voice doesn't sound like my own. I'm acutally not sure I made a sound at all.
A gloved hand brushes over my face, and I glance up to find Elias.
He came for me, felt how cold I was without him. The primal bond...he must have finally decided to acknowledge it.
"Fuck, you're freezing," he says, pulling me to his chest and rocking us back and forth. "What were you thinking?"
"I—I don't know. I'm sorry. It was stupid," I whisper, my voice hoarse, throat raw and burning despite being able to feel nothing else. "You—you came for me. How did you know where I was?"
He kisses my forehead and stands, cradling me like a child to his chest. "Your heart. It went so quiet, the beats too slow to be asleep."
"You know my heart," I whisper, my eyelids fluttering closed.
"I'm trying to."
***
Warmth envelops me as my eyelids flutter open, I can hear a crackling fire somewhere in front of me, and the best part? I'm encased in a pair of strong arms.
Is this heaven? Did I die and make it to whatever the afterlife actually is? Because this feels pretty damn good.
No. Elias came to rescue me from the frozen tundra I trapped myself in. He must've brought me to an inn or something to get me warm. I let my eyes open all the way and when I can focus on my surroundings, I'm immediately confused.
It looks like Cane's house. But why would Elias bring me here? Unless it was just the closest place and they put aside their differences for the nigh—
Tattoos. On the arms of the person who's holding me. But—Elias doesn't have any tattoos.
Oh, oh god.
It wasn't Elias who saved me.
I think back to what he said when I asked him how he found me.
"Your heart. It went so quiet, the beats too slow to be asleep."
"You know my heart."
"I'm trying to."
It was Cane. Cane saved my life.