Chapter 19 - Annika
Staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, it’s nearly impossible to recognize myself after what happened in that cave.
Though the abduction was brief, and thankfully, Heinrich found me before it could have been worse, that demon and those humans stripped me of my powers enough to leave the trauma buried deep in my being.
It’s probably why I can barely recognize myself, but I’m slowly beginning to heal and regain the parts of me that were lost in the cave.
I look down at my hands, feeling tingling sensations in my fingertips and smiling wistfully, because it’s the first time in four days that I’ve felt the awareness of my powers.
I look up again and meet my reflection with hope sparkling in my eyes.
I hear Heinrich come into the bedroom, and then he knocks gently on the bathroom door.
“Annika…? You in there…?” he calls out gently, and I pull the door open and offer him the first smile I’ve been able to manage since he found me in the cave.
“Hi,” I greet gently as I step out, lifting my hand toward him. He picks up my hand and lifts it to his lips, pressing a chaste, lingering kiss on the top of my knuckles.
My heart does a little flip, butterflies erupting in flight in the pit of my belly at his gentle nature. He’s been showing me this softer side of himself ever since he found me in the cave and rescued me, and he’s been nursing me back to health like a doting partner would.
Seeing this side of him—this side that’s the opposite of the version of him I met at the office—has allowed me to understand what Sophie meant when she spoke of the mate bond, and the inevitable feelings that come with it.
It’s impossible to ignore them now, especially when he’s like this—when he’s being the man of my dreams, the man I imagined in my literal dream when I fantasized about what it would be like for him to be gentle with me.
“How are you feeling this morning?” he asks, kissing my knuckles again.
“Better,” I sigh, wiggling my fingers in his hand. “I think my powers are coming back.”
Heinrich’s eyes widen with curiosity, brows raised as a smile warms his lips. “I’m happy to hear that. But you still need to rest.”
“No,” I shake my head, and his brows furrow. “I would like to see how much of my power I’ve regained,” I continue confidently. “No more resting, when they could strike again.”
“While I admire your eagerness, you must understand that I worry about you—”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Heinrich,” I assure him with a heartfelt smile. “I know what needs to be done, and I want us to train together.”
Heinrich appears surprised, but in a pleasant way, as he lifts my hand back to his lips.
“I wanted to ask you if I could train with you, so we can combine our magic, before everything happened…” he admits, and I smile softly at him.
“Well, I do think it’s time we trained together. And now that my powers feel like they’re coming back, I think we should.”
“Let’s have breakfast first?” he asks, and I nod warmly.
“Yes, please.”
As I follow him into the kitchen, and he doesn’t let go of my hand, all I can think about is what Sophie told me about the fated mate bond, about this right here, and how safe I should feel with my mate. That’s exactly how I feel with Heinrich.
Safe.
***
I feel safe enough to shed the weight of trauma from the other day, and open up my heart again to the fated mate bond, which allows me to find the center of my powers and control them enough to let them spread through my fingertips.
The power of fire whispers from my palms and lights up the air in front of my face, warm embers of flickering orange and scarlet flames remaining controlled in my hand.
“That’s good, Annika,” Heinrich praises, stepping beside me and holding his hand out toward the boulder placed in front of us in his backyard. “I’m gonna lift the boulder, and you’ll set fire to it.”
I nod once, holding the fire steadily in my palm as he uses telekinesis to lift the boulder. It rises into the air as steadily as if he picked it up with his strong arms, and I control the fire in a way that pushes it from my palm outward toward the large rock.
Flames spread around the rock without disconnecting Heinrich’s control of it through his power, lighting up the boulder with crimson magic that turns it into a ball of hot, licking fire.
He flicks his wrist and sends the fire flying through the air into the ravine, where it sizzles on the surface of the water.
“Neat!” he chirps as he turns toward me, then captures me in his arms as if it’s the most natural thing. Though my hands still tingle with the heat of fire magic, I’m not afraid of its power anymore. I’m able to control it this time and fold my arms around his neck.
Somehow, our lips meet through the little celebration of using our powers together, the kiss melting me further into his arms, and I feel closer to him than ever. The man whose lips are on mine right now is the furthest from the man I met at the company, and heat spreads rapidly through my body.
But with that heat comes an influx of intense emotion that grips my chest with a tightening pull, and I break the kiss when that wave of emotion hits my eyes and springs tears behind my eyelids.
I draw back, and Heinrich stares at my face with worry, knitting his brows while he holds me firmly in his arms.
“What’s wrong, Anni?” he asks as he brushes my hair back and wipes away the tear rolling down my cheek.
“N-nothing,” I sniff, touching my feet to the ground but clinging to his arms as I place my head against his cheek. “I’m just…sad…” I say, naming the emotion that suddenly came out of nowhere.
I shouldn’t be sad like this, because Heinrich and I just succeeded in combining our magic, and I should be happy, but I can’t help it. It’s like my mind is trying to pull me in one direction, but my heart is crippled by the emotions weighing heavily on my chest.
“Talk to me, Anni…” he urges as he strokes his hand against my arm. “I know what you went through isn’t easy, but I promise to keep you safe. It’ll never happen again. I will never let them take you again.”
My chest swells as I look up and meet his eyes, my heart filling with the warmth of his protection, because I believe every word he says. Over these past few days, I’ve seen a side of Heinrich that allows me to trust him fully.
But that’s not why I’m sad right now.
There’s one person on my mind, and one name on my lips.
“It’s not that, Henry…” I whisper. “It’s Lila…I really miss her.”
Heinrich’s brows furrow with worry. “Oh, Anni…I am terribly sorry.” He sighs as he pulls me closer and tightens his arms around me, pressing a kiss at the top of my head. “I know how much you miss your sister, but you know—”
“I know,” I cut in through a sob. “I know it isn’t safe, and I wouldn’t want to put her in danger. But it’s been weeks, and now I’m living this whole other life, and she has no idea about it. I can’t even tell her about it.”
“We’ll figure out a way for you to see her again,” he assures me. “Soon, I promise. Let us first trace the source of those weapons, and take care of that problem, and I promise that you can see your sister again.”
As I stare into Heinrich’s eyes, I see the certainty in them, in the promise that he just spoke, and I know that I can believe him, trust him.
Because he is my fated mate. And because I’ve developed real feelings for the real man behind all the masks he’d been wearing to keep himself and his people safe from the world.
Heinrich Rudolph is the man I’m falling for, and the man who promises to keep me safe, and I fully believe him.