Danny -

It was a mistake to go to the Oracle. It was a mistake to seek out the future when my past so clearly indicates my destiny. All I know now is that my fate is planning a big surprise. The rest has just served to add to my anxiety.

Tammy is in some godforsaken place, slaving out her days. She is bitten. That blood trickling from her neck cannot be anything but from a bite. She did not look in pain, yet the blood flow seeping into her white scruffy shift looked fresh enough.

Was it Damien who gave her that bite? If yes, was Tammy in vampire land? And who was she spying on in that slimy dungeon?

Knowing Tammy, she is unlikely to take anything lying down. Her fierce wolf-spirit would rebel. Whatever her circumstances, she would try to survive and rise above them, but from what I saw, she is undoubtedly in some danger, and I do not like it.

Olly and Gabe’s conversation makes rounds in my mind. John is dead and possibly Phyllis too. Adam has fallen into despair, leaving poor Tina alone to fend for herself. Gabe has deserted his family as easily as he deserted me. I have not stopped to give it any thought. I have already forgiven him for rescinding his promise. The way I have come to understand fated mates, it was a foregone conclusion. It was naïve of us to promise each other what was out of our remit. I bear him no grudge.

I have made my peace with Olly, too. It was my mistake; I was wrong to keep her mate from her. She must have felt it as acutely as I am feeling Adam’s rejection. I’ll apologise to her when I see her, that is, if ever I see her again.

And I want to. With all my heart. I want to go back to the place where my memories of this world begin. John had been an almost father and Phyllis, a reluctant mother. The rest had become my friends, family, siblings. I wish I could see them all at least one last time.

My heart goes out to Tina. She is so young. Seventeen is no age to lose your family. Billy was the closest to her. Why was he not there at Tina’s side? And Adam…From the looks of it, he too has his own ghosts to put to rest.

My emotions make an about-turn the moment I reach that graveyard. A frosty chill enters my bones, yet my heart burns with despair. I do not know what I was hoping. The man has rejected me long back and a month ago, on that cliff, I accepted his decision. Yet my mind withers at the very thought of him. The way he took the woman in his arms tears my heart asunder.

Is this what the Oracle meant when she said the real pain is yet to come? It must be, because that hug in the graveyard has sealed something. A truth as bright as daylight that I failed to acknowledge so far.

It is over. It was long over. In truth, my story never began. I was living in a suspended reality that started the moment grandma’s curse went wrong. I walked through it all blindly, never really knowing the truth of my situation. I never knew who I was, what I could be. Where I belonged. My powers were suppressed. My heart was sealed. The mate bond–I only ever felt it as a human would. A deep longing, a burning desire. All I could do was to pine for him like the wretched human I was. I was a sheep being herded from point A to point B without choosing to make this journey, my eyes blindfolded and ears stuffed with wool. My brain worked, trying to link the dots of whatever trinkets of information I was given, by Gabe, John, Tammy, or even by Adam. It was as if I was unworthy of his truth. As if I am unworthy of my own self.

And grandma. Her betrayal is the icing on the cake. It’s the one thing I need to survive above all. If I am to make anything of my life, she is the one enemy I must defeat.

I pace my room, a miserable creature in its rusty old cage. Every ten steps, I stop and turn back. That’s the story of my life.

There is a knock on the door. I open it to find a young woman waiting.

“The master would like to know if you could join him for dinner. That is, if you are free tonight.”

*****

Gerhart’s quarters are at the top of the honeycomb. The woman leads me up through winding stairs, golden rays of the setting sun peeping through half-open windows. The same windows also bring in icy draught, making my skin prickle. It seems like the warm magic of Khlem Torrat has finally stopped working for me.

We reach an entrance with sturdy iron double-doors and the woman leaves, gently shutting the door behind me. I enter a large foyer with a thick rug and smooth polished walls. The black rock of the mountain gleams in flickering torch lights. The air is thick with Gerhart’s sweet fragrance.

“Diane. I am glad you came.” Gerhart appears in the foyer to welcome me. Taking my hand, he leads me into his spacious drawing room. On one side is a table set with a transparent wall open to the snow-clad desert beyond.

“Is it glass?” I inquire curiously.

“Sort of. It’s a composite made of silica and limestone from this mountain’s bowels. Just as elegant as usual glass, but much sturdier and more beautiful.”

I take a seat in a comfortable sofa chair with teak wood and dark velvet. Gerhart hands me a drink and takes the opposite seat. The decor of the room is beautiful in a subdued, classic way. There is no luxurious opulence I had expected from a mighty wizard of his kind.

I have not told him about my visit to the Oracle. I am not sure if I need to. He must know it already. After all, he is the proverbial god here. And if he doesn’t, I’d prefer to keep it that way.

“You have been away. I didn’t see you in the past week.”

“Yes, it’s just work.” He shrugs, revealing a tiredness in his eyes. “Khlem Torrat maybe a respite, but not for me. I have my work cut out.”

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“Namely, finding more troubled souls to bring them here?”

“You guessed it right.” He smiles, his silver eyes coating with warmth. “So tell me Diane. What were you up to while I was away? Did you do anything interesting?”

I shrug, eyes twinkling. “I set up a stall in the town centre and earned some money. I also made a friend who I like very much.”

His face lights up. “Excellent. I am glad you are settling. It’s a marvellous place if you give it a chance. As safe as it could be, and I’ll make sure you will not want for anything.”

I am gratified by his assurance, but I must burst his bubble. I am not settling here; I do not like the word.

“It’s a marvellous place indeed, but it’s not for me, Gerhart. I do not think I can make my life here.”

He stays quiet, ruminating on my words. I have now two options–fight or flight–as they say in tricky situations. I have thought of this long and hard. What I should do next and what my options are. Gerhart is my only way forward.

This meeting is of his making, but I have waited for this long. Ever since my visit to the Oracle.

“I know what you mean, but I cannot let you leave, Diane. I cannot let Adele down. It would be the least she would expect of me.”

So flight is ruled out. Fight I must.

“You talk as if you were…more than friends.”

He purses his lips, casting his eyes to the roaring fireplace warming the entire room.

“I wanted to. But she was too young.”

Or he was too old for her. What, she must be fifteen and he must be a hundred?

“You mean you already had a mate before you met her?” I ask, tilting my head.

“You are perceptive. I give you that.” He laughs. “Yes, my fated mate was already dead when I met Adellyne. I was employed to train her. We became friends and…at one point, I thought we could be more. But I was wrong.”

His eyes meet mine and for the first time I recognise a longing. My face flushes when his gaze thankfully moves to something beyond me. I turn to see what it was and frown. It’s my portrait, only it’s not me. I have never looked like this. It’s an olive-skinned girl with sparkling, mischievous eyes and an abundance of lush, dark curls cascading over her shoulders. The colouring and facial features resemble me so much I am in no doubt who it is.

Her luscious lips curl into a smirk as she stares into the onlooker’s soul. It reminds me of her dead face as she lay in her coffin all those months ago.

It seems Gerhart sees his Adellyne in me. Well, I am not even a shadow of her. Even her picture oozes with a silent dominion while I am a whimper of a wet lamb.

“She refused to be your chosen mate.” I state as if I was there when it happened.

“She did.” Gerhart answers truthfully. “It was my age, and her youth. Anyway, it was for the best. I would never have been able to keep her.”

“Why so?”

“She was too lively for me. A witch-spirit through and through. Only a true mate had any chance of taming her and it seems he too failed miserably.”

I swallow, staring into the fire. Yes, Grandpa Rey failed. Or rather, she failed him. Women like her should never be allowed to take any mates.

“Regardless,” Gerhart continues. “We remained friends. And hence, it’s my duty to guard you. I cannot put you in harm’s way. Khlem Torrat is the only place for you.”

I shake my head, knowing it would come to this. So be it. It is time to lay my cards open.

“You are forcing me to stay here, despite knowing I may not find my mate here. And you know very well how important it is for me to find him.”

He sighs. “Yes, I know Diane. And I understand it’s unfair, but if you just trust me…”

“I trust you, Gerhart,” I cut him off, eager to say my piece. “You saved me from a certain death, and now you are protecting me out of loyalty to my grandmother. I trust you to do right by me. I’ll stay in Khlem Torrat, but on one condition.”

His brow shoots upwards, crinkling his broad forehead. I straighten in my chair.

“You must help me undo grandma’s curse.”

He looks confused.

“I told you only your mate can help you, Diane.”

“Yes, And I heard you. That is why I am propositioning a solution. You wanted grandma as your mate, but she refused. I now ask you to be my mate. Free me from her shackles. Help me regain my powers and, in return, you will achieve your dream.”

*****

I had not thought of it in those terms. The idea was at the back of my mind, unformed, a mere seedling my brain had not even acknowledged. Sitting in that library for hundreds of hours, I have sifted through mate-lore. It is deep and works differently for each supernatural species. But one thing is common- fated mate only happen once and once you lose them, there is no going back. Life must move forward, and you must move with it.

The thought had taken words after my visit to the Oracle when I saw my fated mate with another woman. He was sad and must have found his refuge in her. Good for him.

“You must be out of your mind.” Gerhart pushes to his feet, his face red as if the idea is abhorrent. I can understand. I am taking advantage of his feelings for grandma.

“I have given it a lot of thought, Gerhart. I have no patience to find my fated mate. I would rather choose one and get on with it. I must heal myself and the best option available is you. I will not pretend to love you, or even like you, but I respect you enough to give it a chance. I have heard that is what makes chosen mates work. For you, it will be a like-for-like deal. You will get your sweet Adellyine, just a more reliable and less selfish version.”

I pause for effect, licking my parched lips. Gerhart grits his teeth, his eyebrows nearly vanishing into the sleek hairline of his forehead.

“I have never heard anyone utter such gibberish with such conviction, but go on.”

“I speak with conviction because I am convinced.” I give him a sweet smile. “You said the person must match grandma in skill. I see no one more skilled than you.”

“You are forgetting I also spoke of intent. I cannot go against Adele’s wishes.” Gerhart snaps in outrage, his silver eyes turning into muddied dark pools. “That kind of forfeits this gem of an idea, don’t you think?”

“Once we are mates, your loyalties would be towards me. Surely a fifty-year-old friendship with an arrogant teenager should mean lesser than your mate’s wellbeing.”

He stays quiet. I know I have got him thinking. I smile, standing up.

“Think about it, Gerhart. This is a deal that will benefit us both. I am a better version of grandma and will only improve once you heal me. I will regain my powers. You can teach me to be my true self. In time, we will be equals, true chosen mates. And we both would be free from her shackles.”

“What makes you think I want to be free of her?”

“Because I am here.” I smile, watching him go pale. “I, her granddaughter, her image in flesh and blood. She was never supposed to be yours, while I can be your fated chosen mate. I will give you what she did not, and in turn, you will give me what I yearn for.”

We do not talk much after that. The dinner is a quiet affair. It’s a simple yet tasty fare and I make sure to enjoy every dish. It’s so nice to have said my piece. From here, the ball is in Gerhart’s court.

“And if I refuse?” He asks, taking a sip of his wine, watching me over the rim of his glass. I shrug.

“Then you lose me as you lost your Adellyne. I will not stay here. And if you force me, I must remind you how you found me the last time. There are cliffs here, and if not a cliff, a really high level of your city will serve me just as well.”

“That’s below the belt.”

“It is. And I intend to go as low as possible to achieve what I want.”

“You know, you are more like Adellyne than I thought you to be earlier.” He tells me later, after we have finished the desert, and are retired to the parlour to enjoy a cup of coffee. The tension has simmered down and I can even see a glint of a smile in his steely eyes. “I never thought I’d meet anyone like her, but you proved me wrong.”

“You may still be wrong.” I smile, my face flushing in the flickering firelight. “I would love to prove myself. All I need is a chance.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you. It is all I ask.”

***** *****