Chapter 3
Alice
Ilet out a weary sigh as I shifted from foot to foot, trying to ease the ache in my heels.
We had just finished our ceremonial walk down the hill, a University of Kansas tradition, and were now waiting to take our seats on the stadium's lawn.
The graduation ceremony had barely begun, but I was already over it.
I was ready to be done with this phase of my life, eager to move on to the next chapter. I'd always been searching for that elusive feeling of knowing what I wanted in this world. Who I really was. I thought I would "find myself" at college—that's what they always said would happen.
Unfortunately, I was no closer to finding the answer to quench the gnawing feeling in my gut than before I left Nevada for college.
I stifled a yawn as my shoulder jerked forward, almost tripping me. An overly excited graduate rushed past me in her haste to join her friends. I watched as she embraced her clique, and I turned away at the rush of melancholy. It made me think of David.
I missed him.
After high school, David wanted to stay local and accepted a place at the University of Nevada, Reno. He begged me to apply, but I refused, much to his disappointment.
I needed to find myself, find who I was outside of our friendship. He was a crutch I leaned on, and I wanted to step outside my comfort zone, make new friends, and have new experiences with a change of scenery. Maybe then I could find who I was in this world and where I belonged.
So, I applied to a few out-of-state colleges, intending to study interior design—something I was good at and knew I could be satisfied doing as a career.
I chose Kansas due to my obsession with watching The Wizard of Oz as a kid. Something about Dorothy being blown away to a magical land resonated with me, even at a young age. The only difference was that I would change the ending and not return home.
I’d made a few friends here, although I already knew we would lose touch after graduation. I'd worked a part-time job and interned at a bespoke furniture store; I even accepted a permanent position there once I graduated. I was content, and I suppose happy.
And yet…I couldn't help but feel even more adrift than when I'd left Nevada.
My body ached.
I tried to fill the deep chasm in my gut with work and studies.
I hoped that if I stayed busy enough, I wouldn't end up collapsing under the weight of my fucked-up frame of mind.
I didn't feel a connection to anyone. All my friendships were superficial.
I didn't feel an attraction to any of the guys or girls here, even though I'd experimented with a few.
Nothing.
There was a brief moment when I wondered if I was on the ace spectrum, and I would've seriously considered it a possibility—if it weren't for the vivid dreams.
I didn't have them every night. At times, I went months without a single episode.
But the nights when I did dream…I would wake up hot and sweating.
My pussy would tingle, my nipples would be hard, and my panties would always be wet.
I would spend a few minutes frowning in concentration, remnants of something floating on my mind's edge…
dangling a few feet away. There, but out of reach.
Until nothing.
The mirage would fade, and I was left behind, feeling bereft.
Then, there were the moments of déjà vu. A sort of infuriating madness that triggered a flash of delusion that I could almost recognize. As if I experienced them in a past life.
Anything could set it off…a couple cuddling or making out sparked a familiar feeling deep in my groin. Last week, I stared so hard at a blood donor poster that I swore I saw the 2D drawing of blood start to drip down the glossy paper.
In desperation, I went to see my doctor, explaining my insomnia and hallucinations. She went through a checklist of questions to determine whether I was suffering from depression, especially when she learned of my childhood.
But when she asked to refer me for further testing, I declined. Something about being dissected, prodded, and questioned turned my stomach.
As the graduating students started to shuffle forward, I slowly moved with them, grasping my cap to steady it before shaking out my anxious energy.
Suddenly, I felt a tug on the tassel of my ceremonial cap, and I quickly snatched at it, whirling around with a glare to confront the culprit.
"Hey, Al."
My mouth dropped open in shock before a big grin broke across my face. My heavy heart lightened as I lunged at David. He laughed, lifting me for a twirl.
"Watch out for your flowers," he warned.
I accepted the bouquet of colorful mixed flowers with a soft blush. He was always gifting me things whenever he visited. It made me feel special. Wanted.
"What are you doing here?" He told me he couldn't attend my graduation, which had left me a little disappointed. He was the only person I cared about: whose opinion mattered.
He smiled tenderly as he reached out to push a strand of hair away from my face. "I wanted to surprise you. You think I'm going to miss my best friend's graduation?" His dimple popped as he pulled me back in for a hug.
I didn't show much emotion, but David being here meant the world to me. I sank into his warm, familiar embrace, and for the first time in a long time, I felt safe.
***
Acheron
Her slender hand adjusted the mortarboard that lay perfectly on her silky head.
Her nervous energy tugged on our cord, wishing I could reach out to soothe her anxiety.
She shook her fingers out before wringing them in front of her.
Suddenly, a masculine hand reached out to tug at the tassel on her cap.
Alarm.
Surprise.
Shock.
Elation.
Comfort.
Love.
She reached out to tug the faceless blond male figure toward her, his profile obscuring her face as she buried it into his chest.
The scene swirled and faded to black.
I stood and threw the heavy table I was sitting at clear across the room. It broke apart in an almighty crash, wooden pieces flying to the floor. Murderous, jealous rage shot through me, causing my hands to clench with the need to rip something apart. Anything. But mainly, him.
I replayed the scene in my head, knowing that I wouldn't be able to see her face clearly. The most I could catch was the slope of her neck as she turned her head.
Never toward me. The vision faded whenever I felt her gaze pivot to my view.
The pride I felt at seeing a critical juncture in her life quickly disappeared when the unknown man had arrived.
I hadn't seen him before. I hadn't seen anyone near her in my visions.
Yet suddenly, this…asshole appeared out of nowhere.
He wasn't just a random college friend either.
I could feel her emotions through our bond.
He was a close friend, or…I swallowed hard, gritting my teeth as I considered the other possibility.
I didn't want to think about it in case I thought it into existence.
Von cautiously stepped forward as I paced my chambers. My mood was dark, seething with blazing red anger.
"You had another vision," he stated.
I continued storming about, gripping my hair in desperation at the multitude of emotions coursing through me.
"This one was different," I growled before quickly relaying it to my bond-servant. "He's not a family figure. I-I can feel the closeness between them." I swallowed down the acrid feeling of heartache. "It must mean something that he is suddenly in my visions."
"Sir," Von cautiously started. "Perhaps you should take more thought into Hammon's suggestion."
I fixed him with a furious glare, but he carried on, used to my volatile moods.
"That she is human."
"Impossible!" I slashed my hand in the air. "How can I—a King—have a human as a bond-mate?" I spat out in disgust. "It is an insult."
Von, ever the diplomat, spread his hands in a calming gesture. "It is the only explanation for why we cannot locate her, why she cannot locate you. Why your visions of her are not clear. And now this man—"
"He could just be a friend." I turned my back on my bond-servant, not wanting him to see the ashen look on my face.
I could feel the deep level of closeness between them. He wasn't a brother. He wasn't just a friend. He was more. If she was my bonded mate, she would not be able to feel a connection with another man. Unless…I swallowed thickly, breathing in deeply.
Unless she was a human.
"Forgive me, my King," Von interrupted, his voice had taken on an urgent tone.
I whirled to face him. "What is it?"
"Colbert linked. Vladimir has been spotted in our Territory."