Chapter 49

Sam stumbled until his back pressed against the side of the barn. His breaths came in bursts while his heart beat wildly against his ribs. He blinked several times as he tried to reconcile what he was seeing. A honking sound came from his left, and he saw that Brunie had burst into tears. Eldridge was hovering up and down excitedly on his wings while Nim the cat licked his paw. Queen Thema rested her hands on her hips, looking proud.

Sam's eyes raked over Selene hungrily.

It was her.

Not only was she alive, but she looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her. Healthy, whole, and vibrant. The smile she gave him was dazzling as she climbed out of the carriage. Was this truly real?

My mate.

"Hi, Sam," she said softly.

The sound of her voice made his body start to tremble. He feared he might collapse if it weren't for the barn supporting his back.

"You're alive," he breathed.

"Yes."

"How?"

She began walking towards him. "It's a long story."

"I can't… how is this… ?" Sam stammered.

She tugged at a cord encircling her neck. A shiny white stone was suspended from it. "The traveler's stone is mine now. Zaybris gifted it to me."

Sam's mind felt clouded, as if he couldn't absorb what he was seeing. His gaze snapped from the stone up to her face. "Where is Zaybris? Did he harm you?"

"He"s in the Underworld."

"Dead?"

"No. After he grabbed me in the cave, he used the stone to take me to the Underworld."

His eyes widened. "Why there?"

"He was in love with your mother. That"s why he kidnapped you. He did it just to hurt her, for revenge." She stopped to stand in front of him. Sam swayed as her familiar pomegranate scent washed over him. "Sam, your mother Lamia is actually Lilith, the Goblyn queen."

Sam's head jerked back at this information. Suddenly, he felt faint. He couldn't take in enough air. "What? How?"

"She fell in love with your father on Gaia and left Aurelia to become a demon. To be with him… and to give birth to you."

Queen Thema, seemingly unable to stop herself, called out, "That makes you my nephew!"

Sam swallowed. "Lilith is my mother?"

Selene nodded. "I met both of your parents while I was in the Underworld. They love you so much. And miss you. They tried so hard to find you but couldn't reach you in this realm."

Sam looked over at the queen's delighted face, then to Brunie's joyful tears and Eldridge's grin. He couldn't fully process what Selene had just told him; it was all too much at once. Sam's body tensed as Selene came closer. Suspicion began to claw at the elation he had felt upon seeing her.

"Is that why you"re here in Aurelia? To tell me this?" he asked.

"That's one reason. But there are things we need to discuss." Selene said.

"I waited for you," he whispered. His eyes searched hers. "At the Goblyn castle. We all searched for you, and when I realized you weren't coming back, I wanted to die."

Selene's expression was wistful. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I went home after I left the Underworld and Queen Thema told me I'd been away from Aurelia for nine months. For me, it was only nine days. The stone isn't enchanted to stop time as the portal did."

Sam rubbed his forehead, feeling confused. "You went home, yet you returned here?"

"Yes. I ended it with Kevin and told my family I was moving away. Then I used the stone to go to Queen Thema's castle. I wanted to see you."

"I was here. I didn't want to go back to that life."

"I know. The queen explained where you were and insisted on bringing me to you herself. We talked a lot on the way over here."

"Selene has forgiven me for using her as bait!" Queen Thema bellowed. "Haven't you, dear? And she's going to help me see my sister!"

Selene smiled and waved.

Eldridge cleared his throat. "Eh, Brunie, why don't we go inside to give Queen Thema a taste of your cloudberry muffins, shall we?"

Brunie wiped her shining eyes and nodded. "Yes, yes. Of course. Queen Thema, would you like to come in?"

"It would be my pleasure," Thema said loudly, then motioned for her carriage driver and cat to follow her. "Have you any milk?"

Sam watched them enter the cottage and then continued staring at Selene. It was difficult to believe she was real. His hands itched to touch her, but she seemed to be holding herself back from him.

"May I kiss you?" he breathed.

Her expression was tender, yet she said. "We need to talk first. Can we sit down somewhere?"

Feeling flustered, Sam ran a hand through his hair and motioned inside the barn. Selene took a seat at the small table near Rainsilver's stall, and Sam sat across from her. His frantic heart pounded faster as he wondered if he was about to lose her forever.

She placed both palms on the table. Her expression was serious as she inhaled and blew out a slow breath. "Sam, being back home gave me a lot of perspective on who I am. In the past, it's been hard for me to identify what I want. Growing up, I wasn't allowed to explore those feelings, and it's held me back in ways I didn't realize."

Rainsilver let out a short neigh, causing Selene to glance at the horse and then back at him. "I have a lot to work on, but I want—"

"I'll give you anything!" Sam cut in. "Anything you want, it's yours,"

"Please don't interrupt me," she said.

"I'm sorry."

She held his gaze then said, "I want to be with you. I want to be your partner, your lover, and your friend. I want to learn more about what I want. With you by my side. But Sam, I need you to hear this. I'm not your therapy."

"My what?"

She shook her head slightly. "I guess that's not a term used in this realm. It means I don't want to be responsible for your emotional stability. When we were in the cave before Zaybris came, you told me you needed me to balance your instincts."

Sam winced. "I regret every part of that conversation. The way I lied to you. How you found out about Queen Thema's plan. The truth about Zaybris… "

Selene held up her hand. "Hold on, I'm still mad about all that, but we can move beyond it. What we can't move past is that you don't ‘need' me to manage your instincts."

Sam's forehead creased. "You are my fated mate. It is natural for you to calm me."

"No. Ultimately, you have to learn to calm yourself."

Sam leaned back, trying to understand her meaning. He wanted to sing when she had said I want to be with you, but he knew he had to tread carefully at that moment. "My love, I have been trying to calm myself for over twenty years. Yet I've never felt more in control than when I'm with you."

"I'm glad you feel that way, but I'm not the solution you think I am."

"That first time at the Padu when I was about to lose control, it was your touch that brought me back. It was our bond."

"It may have played a part, but I believe the fated mate bond helps us develop new strengths from each other."

"How so?"

"I've been more in touch with my anger since being with you, and I feel like I'm not such a pushover anymore. You helped bring that out in me, and I'm grateful. Maybe I bring out the calm you already have inside of you."

He rubbed his chin, considering. Was it foolish of him to assume that claiming his fated mate would solve all of his problems? Once, it was unthinkable that he would release his burning desire for vengeance against Zaybris. Yet, he had made peace with his defeat. He had also assumed his demonic instincts would run wild without Selene, but he had kept control. Even when he believed she was dead.

He looked into her eyes and saw yearning there. She wanted to be with him. Yet she would not accept being anything less than an equal partner. In a flash, he understood her plea. She believed he only valued her for her calming presence, not for who she was.

"Selene, I didn't say I need you because I want you to balance my instincts," he said slowly. "I said I need you because I love being with you."

He stood up and came around the table toward her. Bending to one knee, he took her hands and said, "I need you because I'm in love with you. I need you because I don't ever want to leave your side."

Selene's face bloomed into a smile.

He kissed her knuckles. "You don't have to help me manage my instincts. You don't have to be anything to me but yourself. I'm sorry for lying to you and betraying your trust. I have spent countless nights thinking of what I should have done differently. I will never stop regretting how callous I was with your feelings in my plans for our future. It was agony to be without you."

Her eyes sparkled. "I missed you too. Everything in my life back home felt so meaningless. I saw how I've always tried to be what other people needed, but I've never done that for myself."

Sam reached out to stroke a lock of hair that had escaped her bun. "I want you to be the person you need for yourself. And I want to be the type of mate you want. The one you deserve."

She cupped his cheek and said, "Thank you, Sam."

"Please stay. Let me prove it to you," he said. "I love you."

Her smile widened. "I love you, too." Dropping her face close to his, she kissed him.

When her lips met his, it was as if lightning had struck them both. Instantly, his arms banded around her, pulling her off the chair. Tremors reverberated through his body, sending shock waves of feeling to every nerve. He palmed the back of her head, and she straddled his waist.

Without warning, the shadows came bounding toward them from every direction. They surrounded them both, cocooning them in tingly mist. He continued to kiss Selene, reveling in her taste. The feel of her tongue dancing against his. The warmth of her body pressed against him, and the scent of her hair and skin. The shadows grew and intensified until he realized it wasn't mist surrounding them… it was magic.

The mating bond.

Her words and kiss had made it shimmer over them both like the sparkle of starlight. He felt a pull in his chest as the connection snapped into place. The ache of loneliness that had followed him his entire life was replaced with a powerful sensation of belonging. Then as quickly as they came, the shadows dispersed.

Selene pulled back to look into his eyes. Her expression was awed and gratified. He stared at her for a moment, then closed his eyes, absorbing the magnitude of what had just happened.

"I think I just claimed my mate," Selene said, smiling.

He nodded and squeezed her to him tighter. Now that the mating bond was truly in place, he understood Selene's point about their strengths complementing each other. He brought fire and ferocity to her while she gave him peace and restfulness. The feelings of elation after he believed he had claimed her in the cave were nothing compared to what he felt at that moment. It was bliss. Joy. Peace. Satisfaction. Fulfillment.

They kissed again for several moments, and although Sam was grateful for the privacy Eldridge and Brunie had given them, he was anxious to get more private with her in his newly appointed room. Keeping her legs wrapped around him, he cupped her thighs and stood.

"I built a room for myself upstairs, but we don't have to live there," he said while climbing the stairs to the loft. "We can build a house of our own or go back to Queen Thema's. I want to go wherever you go."

"Sam, we don't have to stay in Aurelia."

Gently, he laid her on his bed then frowned. "What do you mean? Do you wish to go back home to Gaia?"

"No. I want to visit there, of course. But… " Selene began to twirl the traveler"s stone between her fingers. "We have a lot more options now."

His eyebrows rose. "I see."

"You know how I've always wanted to travel."

"I remember. Where would you like to go first?"

The way her blue eyes sparkled made Sam feel weightless. Complete. Smiling up at him, she said, "Let's go to the Underworld."

THE END