Chapter 13
Lyall
I could stay in the past forever and relive those precious childhood years, but the future calls. My future in my time, and Soren has responsibilities in his time as well. The longer I stay away, the more suspicious my brothers will be.
Once we return to Soren’s present, I accompany him home. Soren’s quiet beside me, eyes staring miles ahead. I bump his shoulder with mine. “Don’t think too hard. You’ll get a headache.”
A smile brightens his face. “Speaking from experience?”
“Thinking only hurts after one too many cups of mead.”
When he laughs, I feel the way Thor must have felt when he felled the great World Serpent itself. Of the two of us, Soren was always a touch moodier. He gets in his head, analyzes all possible outcomes. He’s amazing in that way, but he needs someone to ground him.
“Are you well?”
Soren hums, the sound light and easy. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
He shrugs, averting his gaze with a small smile. “How glad I am that we were friends. I have friends in this time. They’re great. But you and me, we go way back. It makes sense why you’re so easy to talk to. Why you know what I’m thinking or how I’m feeling just by looking at me.”
I feel a burst of pride at his words. “I do know you! Better than anyone, I’d wager.”
He snorts. “That so?”
“Aye. I can prove it.”
“Okay then. Let’s do this.” Soren suddenly takes a detour. Usually, we leave from Chelsea Piers and walk straight to his home along the Hudson River. Instead, he leads me down a stretch of pier until we’ve found a bench to sit on.
Soren plops down with a big sigh, eyes closing. I settle in beside him. At this late hour, the world is quiet. It’s just us, the seagulls, and the water. “What’s my favorite color?”
“Easy. Green, like my eyes. You told me so long ago.”
“My favorite food?”
“My Aunt Helga’s beef stew.”
Soren frowns thoughtfully. “Huh. I did ask Fergus for beef stew for dinner a lot. Okay. Favorite hobby?”
“A hobby?”
“That’s something you like to do.”
“Oh. I see. You always enjoyed fishing.”
He gawks at me. “Fishing?”
“Aye. You loved being out on the water. You didn’t often keep what you caught but that wasn’t what it was about. You enjoyed the experience. And I enjoyed seeing you happy. So I often went with you.”
“Fishing…” Soren looks out over the water with newfound intrigue. “It’s something I thought about, but I never committed to actually doing it.”
“Why not?”
“Just didn’t sound like a ton of fun being out on the water by myself. Hey, we should do that sometime. You and me.”
I smile so hard it hurts. “I’d love that.”
Soren returns my smile, kicking my foot. “It’s not fair, you know. You know all this stuff about me, but I’m drawing blanks over here. Come on. Spill.”
“Spill what?”
He huffs in amusement. “Tell me something about you! Otherwise I’m just gonna sit here guessing that you, I don’t know, wrestle bears in your spare time.”
A bark of laughter bucks my chest. “Is that something people do in this time?”
Soren snorts. “Honestly? Probably.”
He wants to know more about me, but I’m not sure what else there is to know.
“Well… I enjoy a good hunt. A mug or two of mead—after, not before. I learned that the hard way. I once tried to ride a reindeer in my wolf form rather than hunt it. Not my smartest decision.” Soren laughs beside me, making me smile.
“And… well. Mayhap this is unmanly but I enjoy the smell of flowers.”
Soren bites his lip. “That’s cute as hell.”
I rub the back of my neck, feeling it warm under my palm. “My mother… she loved flowers.” A lump sticks in my throat. I clear it, blinking back the sting in my eyes. After all these years, her loss is a wound that has never quite healed.
“Yeah?” Soren’s voice is soft as he scoots closer. Our thighs touch, and his shoulder brushes mine.
I cough. “Aye. So, anytime we lads were out training or doing our chores, I’d slip away and bring her back some. She’d sniff them and smile like they were the best thing she ever smelled.” I swallow with some difficulty. “I haven’t picked any in years since we lost her.”
“I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to upset you.”
I thumb away the dampness in my eyes. “You did not. I chose to tell you, Soren. Of all the souls in this world, you knew mine like I was simply an extension of yours. Losing you was like losing a part of myself but finding you again after all this time… it’s as if my heart has finally come home.”
Soren blinks rapidly and looks out over the water. “That’s, uh… Wow. It’s weird but I know what you mean.” He rubs his chest. “For the longest time, I felt like something was missing. There was this absence nothing could ever fill, no matter how happy I was.”
It hurts my heart to imagine the loneliness he’s experienced for so long. I lean in closer, needing to know the answer when I ask, “Have you found what your soul was seeking?”
Soren looks over, eyes widening when he realizes how close we are. His breath gusts over my mouth, so warm against my skin it makes me feel dizzy. Soren drags his tongue along his bottom lip, and I ache with how badly I need to kiss him, to take him in my arms after all these years.
“I think so,” Soren says, his voice low and barely audible over the chilly winter wind and the cry of the gulls. “God. I hope so.” His voice shakes, the scent of his fear and longing palpable.
Lifting my hand, I settle my palm against his cheek. Stubble rasps against my skin; the sensation is so familiar it takes my breath away. I can’t believe he’s really here. So close to me. “You have. I promise you, Soren. You are not alone anymore, nor will you ever be from here on out.”
I don’t know when he closes the space between us. All I know is that when his lips find mine, the world around me disappears.
He’s kissing me.
Soren’s kissing me.
Closing my eyes, I fall into the kiss. The softness of his lips, the scratch of his stubble. He pulls back, and I realize I’ve closed my eyes when I open them and find him flushed and looking at me with both awe and fear.
“Was that okay?” Soren asks.
I gently bump my nose against his. “I don’t know. Kiss me again, and mayhap I’ll make up my mind.”
He laughs, breath warm on my damp lips, then leans back in.
This time he grabs my shirt and hauls me in. Our lips crash together the way a wave breaks upon the shore. Closing my eyes tight, I drink in every little detail.
The hitch in his breath when I lean into him, pleading for more. His hair between my fingers, shorter than I remember. Soren cups the nape of my neck, pulling me closer, kissing me deeper. A sob kicks in my chest.
I can’t believe it. Oh gods, I hoped and prayed and wished so desperately for this moment, but a part of me, one that had grown larger over the years the way a bear cub grows into a fearsome predator, had feared this moment would never happen.
Soren’s in my arms, kissing me the way I’ve yearned to kiss him.
I’ve dreamed of this moment almost every night for years, but nothing compares to the reality of having my mate’s lips on mine.
Finally, we part for air, breath mingling.
“That was… very, very good,” I say, making him chuckle.
“I can tell.” At some point, his leg ended up straddling my hips. There’s no hiding just how good that kiss was, how good it felt to have him so close after so long. It pleases me to no end that I’ve affected him, too.
“Do you, uh…” Soren rocks his hips, making us both gasp.
I push him back against the bench, kissing his warm, swollen lips. “There is nothing I want more, but I will not rush this. The longer the hunt, the sweeter the reward.”
Soren smirks up at me, arching a brow. “You saying I’m your prey?”
“As much as I am yours.” With one final kiss, I take his hands and pull him to his feet. “Are you willing to wait for me?” I can’t stop the hint of fear, that mayhap I have disappointed him.
Soren squeezes my hands. “Yeah. Of course. Whatever you want. I’ll be here.”
I smile, relieved.
“But, uh, just so we’re clear… we’ve done that before, right? Sex?”
“Oh, aye. We were very good at it.”
Soren laughs, cheeks reddening. “Were you with anyone else since?”
I shake my head. “I was not. It would have felt like a betrayal to you.”
Soren’s fingers grip mine tighter, eyes widening. “Oh. Uh…”
The scent of his worry makes me slip my arm over his shoulders, pulling him near to kiss his temple. “Tell me.”
“I’ve been with other guys, Lyall.”
That makes sense. He had no clue about our past. “It does not bother me. You were unaware of our history.” But are there any now?
He smells like lots of people, but the only scent that lingers is that of his grandfather’s magic.
“Are you with someone now?” I find myself holding my breath while I await his answer.
“No. But I was with someone for a while,” he admits.
“Did you care for them?”
“Yeah, but also… not really? No one I’ve been with has ever stuck around.” Soren lowers his gaze, shoulders slumping. “My relationships never last. They either leave me, or I leave them because there’s something they were always missing.”
My poor Soren. While my heart was breaking, his was being broken time and again. His soul was seeking mine, but he didn’t know it.
I stop and make him turn toward me. Leaning in, I touch my forehead to his. “I am sorry.”
“For what?”
My eyes sting, so I close them tight. “If I’d only known how to find you, I would have. I could have spared you so much heartache.”
“You think so?”
I open my eyes, rubbing my thumb along his jawline. “I know so. Your heart knew those people weren’t who you were meant to be with. Your soul was crying out for mine.”
Soren blinks fast. “You think that’s why none of my relationships have worked? Because they weren’t you? But how does that even work?”
How do I explain what we are to each other? He’s already learned so much so quickly. I fear this will overwhelm him. “You were made for me, Soren, and I for you. I will explain more. I promise. For now, let’s get you home, get you rested. Aye?”