Page 73 of Secrets & Curses of Fate

Penelope brought out a plate of small pastries that had some sort of berry inside of them. They looked and smelled good. How bad could they taste? Penelope plated one for each of us before they all looked at Della. She grabbed it and bit into it, chewing slowly.?

“This might be the best one so far,” Della said.?

I smiled when Holden’s eyes bugged out of his head. She said it was good. I grabbed mine and took a big bite. Immediately the tartness hit my mouth. Oh shit, this was not good at all. I tried not to show it on my face. Everyone at the table ate their dessert without complaint, and I wondered if this is what true love was.?Holden began choking on the bitterness of the pastry and took a drink of water. Della smirked as she finished hers.?

“Excuse me,” she said softly. Henry gave her a small smile. I watched her disappear up the stairs. Where was she going? The table fell into conversations, and I waited for Della to come back.?

“You can check on her if you are worried,” Henry called over to me. “Up the stairs, first door on the left.”?

I nodded and headed up, feeling all of their eyes on my back as I went. There was something oddly familiar about the walkup the stairs—like I had made the trip before. When I got to the room, Della was standing at a wall of hand-drawn pictures.?

Chapter 20

Haden

Ipushed the door open and walked in. Della glanced over her shoulder, noticing it was me, and looked back at the wall.

“Are you okay?” I asked.?

“Yes, just admiring the artwork.” She turned and held out her hand for me. The gesture seemed natural to her, like she had asked me to hold her hand before. I took her hand in mine, and she gripped it tightly. My gaze drifted over the sketches of homes on the wall.?

“He was talented.”?

“Very.” She nodded.?

Gods, I was feeling jealous over a dead man. She obviously cared for him, but to what extent??

“Was he just a friend?” I asked.?

She hesitated and opened her mouth but shut it and nodded. Something sad passed through her eyes.?

“Thank you for coming tonight,” she whispered.?

“Are you kidding? I didn’t know families could be like this. It makes me feel even shittier about my parents but also hopeful that maybe I can achieve all of this one day.”?

I heard a small sniffle from Della.?

“This is the ultimate dream.” She agreed. “We should get going, though.” She turned away.?

Suddenly, I could feel the void coming up out of nowhere. Before I had a chance to stop it, it slipped over my consciousness and took control. I closed my eyes as the shiver ran down my spine. When my eyes opened, Della was still walking away.

I could feel the overwhelming emotions I had as I realized she was here. My Storm still came to see my family. She still came to my room and admired my artwork. Something possessive and full of grief slammed into me. I had missed her so damn much that it was taking my breath away.

Gods, I wanted to tell her that I remembered us, that I knew why her eyes had become haunted when I was mentioned downstairs. I wanted to wrap her up in my arms and tell her that I was sorry for what happened. Memories of her curled against my dead body slammed into my mind and made me close my eyes, but I swallowed down the emotions that were strangling me. Della was watching me oddly when I looked up, her pretty eyes filled with grief for a man that was still here; she just didn’t know it.

I couldn’t tell her that I remembered us when I was void. She would ask too many questions about my previous death, and I couldn’t explain to her what happened without her leaving me for good. So, I would pretend that I didn’t know how wonderful our short time together was and just be content with what we had now. ?

“Della, you feel it too, right? These overwhelming feelings between us?”?

She stared at me, and I wondered how the other side of me was handling this woman so well. I understood that the nice side of me didn’t think we were worthy of her, but I knew better. Della was everything we deserved. Our mating bond was glowing warmly between us, and I felt relief when I saw it. But I also felt dread because I didn’t know why the stars would let her be mated to me when they knew who I was. She stepped forward and pulled me down to her mouth, giving me a hard, lingering kiss. Fuck, I had missed this. I had missed her. ?

She pulled back, looking me in the eyes. “Yes, I feel it too.” She slipped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. “You’re perfect,” she whispered. “The heavens went above and beyond when they created you. Both sides of you are perfect to me.”

I gripped her tightly and glanced around the room. Fuck, I did not think she would still come home to my family every week. This made me realize just how much she wanted to still be close to me. After 300 years, she was still missing me. Guilt clawed at my chest. She could have had this with Holden if I hadn’t messed with her fate.

I closed my eyes and felt her chest moving with soft breaths. She smelled the same—like night and flowers. I pulled Della back and reached up to hold her face gently. After looking into her eyes for a moment, I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers softly. She hummed against me, and I knew that this was right. Della was mine, and the guilt I had for making sure she wouldn’t belong to anyone else dissipated as she deepened the kiss.

Her hands came up and ran through the hair at my neck, pulling me to her so I couldn’t leave. Fuck, she felt so good pressed against me.

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