Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
Kallie
It’s colder than I remember, a frost in the air that wasn’t there before.
It could just be because of the changing seasons, but that’s just what I’ll tell myself to keep the other possibilities at arm’s length and away from my racing mind.
Donni must see me struggling, because she places a hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of whatever trance I found myself in.
She offers a gentle smile, and I think it’s the softest I’ve ever seen her features. “What’s so important you had to come all the way out here for?”
Wordlessly, I open my sheath, take out the dagger, and wrap my fingers around the amulet. Pulling it out, her eyes involuntarily move to it, but when I continue not to say anything, she looks puzzled. “That’s your necklace, is it not?”
“It is. But…” I trail off, looking around us to make sure there’s nobody listening in. But even when I see the land is empty, I still lean in to whisper in her ear. “It’s the amulet. The one the gods and goddesses gave to my mother.”
Donni jerks back, stunned speechless. “You’re sure?”
“Celene gave it to me herself,” I continue to whisper, shoving the amulet back in the sheath for safe keeping. “Well, gave it back to me, I should say.”
“You know, since the day we met, I knew there was something special about you.” Her comment is heartfelt, and I believe her words.
“Donni, Callum is in there. I know he is. I just have to figure out how to get him back. For good.”
“If anyone can get that boy to do anything, it’s you.” My gaze moves back toward the house, burning a hole in the front door. “Do you want me to go in with you?”
I offer her a tight-lipped smile, bowing my head for a moment, almost embarrassed that she has to see me like this.
“That’s alright. This is something I have to do alone.
” Donni nods her head in understanding. Truth of the matter is, I don’t want to go in there by myself, but I need to.
Especially because I don’t know what I’m going to find.
“Why don’t you just meet me back at my shop,” she suggests. “I’ll go tell Benny that he needs to close for the rest of the day, and we’ll go from there.”
“Only if he brings me some of his forest buns,” I demand, my stomach growling at the mention. Her eyes cast down toward my stomach and then back to me, and we both start laughing.
“I’m sure that can be arranged.” Almost instantly, she begins creating another portal, and even though I’m dreading having to walk in that door, I’m also thankful I don’t have to go into that vomit-inducing whirlpool.
Before she disappears behind green swirls and blooming flowers, I call out to her. “Donni, wait.” Her head swivels to me, and I almost don’t do it. Not because I don’t trust her, but because of everything we had to do to get it.
But if anything goes wrong, at least it will be safe.
I grab her hand and quickly shove the amulet into her palm, closing her fingers around it.
“Please take care of this. It’ll give me some peace of mind, knowing it’s in good hands.
” Her smile is warm, honored that I would trust her with something so valuable.
“I’ll guard it with my life.” She turns, stepping through the portal, and once it shuts behind her, it’s like a tether from my heart to hers gets pulled taut.
Blowing out a deep breath, I take hesitant steps up the cobblestone path, trying not to think about the anxiety growing inside as I reach for the doorknob.
With a final sharp exhale, my hand twists and pushes the door open.
The unoiled hinges creak as it swings, and despite the months of being away, there isn’t even a hint of stale air.
It actually smells the same way it did the last time I woke up here—brewed coffee and like there was nothing that was going to change.
Goosebumps scatter over my flesh with uncertainty.
I’m not sure if this was the best idea. Maybe I should get Donni.
Even Odeyssa at this point because, including all the events leading up to this, this one feels the most impossible.
Stepping over the threshold, I almost expect some sort of invisible trap to be waiting there, or even Callum to be on the couch, but then again, that would be almost the same thing.
Quickly closing the door behind me, I switch the deadbolt to lock—not that it would deter anyone from entering—just to give myself some peace of mind.
The home appears to be seemingly untouched, no signs of anyone being in here since the last time I was.
It’s a strange feeling, taking in the inanimate objects and having that pull a memory out that was long forgotten.
The couch, where I faceplanted after thinking I would die after my first training session with Donni, and also where Callum would sit, reading a book while I stuffed my face with whatever food was waiting for me.
That thought elicits another growl from my stomach.
I can’t wait to get my hands on those forest buns.
Unsurprisingly, the fridge and cabinets are all scarce of food—not even a box of crackers.
Slumping in defeat, I snag a glass and drink a few cups of water, noting that I am severely dehydrated and I need to say on top of that.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand before placing the glass in the sink.
My brows pull together curiously, noticing that the dishes from the last time we were here are no longer resting at the bottom of the basin.
So someone has been here.
Leaning up against the counter, my eyes wander around the small area, remembering the turning point—or rather breakthrough—that happened in this very room.
It was slow, steady, and unexpected but completely inevitable all at once.
His touch, his smell, the fear I felt when the power just took over—and how the terrifying thought of not being able to stop trickled in.
My attention deviates, nose scrunching when I catch the scent of something completely foul. Surely, it can’t be from rotting food—I just checked everywhere. But one more sniff leads me to finding the culprit.
I’m absolutely rank! I don’t know how I didn’t notice it before, but come to think of it, I haven’t showered since Vaiterra.
Moving toward the hallway, my eyes ping-pong between the forbidden door—the one that’s been enticing me since the moment I saw it—and the door at the end of the hall. But then the bedroom calls to me, knowing that’s where the shower I not only want but desperately need is.
The shower wins.
Nearly running down the hallway, I ignore the discreet calling of the door as I pass and stop toe to toe with the bedroom door, all the emotions I was feeling before entering the home flooding back in an instant.
This is all so stupid. It’s just a house, just a room. Of course they hold stupid memories that make me have all of these conflicting feelings, but still. I’m not sure how to navigate everything. It’s like my brain is divided, and each side is fighting for the other’s territory.
“Fuck!” I scream at the door, loving how the sound ricochets off the beautiful wall made of glass.
I twist the doorknob fast, like it is scorching hot and I don’t want to get burned, quick and painless.
Stepping in, my eyes track over every inch of the room, waves of the memories it holds coming back like a flash flood.
I nearly jump out of my skin when flames erupt in the fireplace, instantly warming the room.
Fire licks up my arms from the fright, anticipating an attack.
My shoulders slump with a breath of relief once it sinks in that I’m by myself.
Callum probably has some sort of magic charm on the place—which would explain a lot. But what do I know?
Turning my head to my left, I beeline for the bathroom. I’m not embarrassed to admit the whimper that escapes at the sight of the shower, from both longing for the scalding-hot water, but also from the few times Callum and I showered together, which causes my cheeks to heat.
Turning on the hot water, I strip off the clothes Aslan gave to me, throwing them haphazardly on the black tile.
I make sure to place my sheath in the cabinet beneath the sink—just in case—before stepping under the hot stream.
Instantly, all my muscles relax, and in here, it’s like my own little world.
Somewhere I can escape to, leaving all the other issues on the outside of the glass door once it’s shut.
All the problems, impending doom, unanswered questions, and lack of direction all melt away with the dirt and grime I scrub from my flesh. And then once I’m all clean, there’s no telling how much time passes, because if it were up to me, I’d never leave.
The water never got cold, and it was a luxury I took full advantage of.
Wrapping myself in a towel, my feet pad against the tile, and water drips from my unbound hair on my way to the closet.
It is still full of his clothes—his scent—but also, my dresser sits right up against the center wall, full of the clothes I had before this life, the ones I find comfort in and would love to wear.
However, I don’t think leggings and a graphic tee would be the best outfit choice for what’s to come.
Resting on top are the clothes Donni gave me, three sets of black leathers that are apparently the only thing in this realm that is considered reasonable attire for anybody other than the working class.
Drying myself off the best I can, I wrap my hair up in the towel while I fight for my life, trying to put the pants on.
It’s truly like magic, the way they mold to every curve of my body, the bodice fitting just the same once I finally get it over my head.
Exhaling a sigh of relief with hints of exhaustion, I pick up the pace, going back into the bathroom and braiding my hair once down the middle, not having the energy to do two. Finishing up in the bathroom, I grab my sheath from under the sink and secure it around my thigh, its weight comforting.
I stare at myself in the mirror, analyzing myself once again, like I did all those months ago.
How I’ve changed, how my perspective on everything has changed.
I should’ve known the second my feet hit the magical soil that nothing was ever going to be the same.
But I was naive to think that none of this was as serious as it’s become.
The point of my ears classifies me as a species I never knew existed, and by now, I should be used to it, and I am—with everyone else.
But I’ve never seen them with features other than this—aside from Callum—but for me, my human features were all I’ve ever known.
Anger begins to build, and it takes over, tossing all sense of reason out the window as I send my fist flying at my reflection. The glass splinters, webbing out from the center, and I don’t even feel the sting that the impact should bring. Instead, I’m just numb, not even a wave of satisfaction.
Voraxis? I could really use you right now.
My voice is soft with hints of pleading mixed in.
But the connection stays radio silent, and it’s soul hollowing.
My knuckles bleed, but I let it drip onto the bathroom floor, then into the bedroom and down the hall, knowing it will heal on its own soon enough.
My steps halt once I reach the only other door in the house—locked and holding secrets.
But that knowledge only feeds the rage brewing, and I hardly have to think, all the emotion coming to fruition as I blast the door down.
Wood splinters from the explosion, and I berate myself for not trying that earlier.
But then again, I didn’t want Callum to know I was snooping. Now, I have zero fucks to give.
Rogue jagged pieces fly in my direction, and I fling my arms up, attempting to shield my face, but instead, it surrounds my whole body.
A bubble encompasses my form as I stare down the staircase that was laying in wait behind the door.
A smirk plays on my lips. “Alright, Cal, let’s see what else you’ve been hiding. ”