Chapter 38: Chapter 38
The warmth of my mate against my chest causes so many feelings for me that I am overwhelmed. My eyes water in happiness at having her back. I close my eyes against them not wanting them to fall.
“You were right man. It feels so much better to have her here knowing everything” I tell Martell. I frown when he doesn’t respond. Blinking my eyes open I start to search for him when I realize that I am no longer in my room. Sitting up I look around the room entirely of white in confusion. What the hell.
Then it hits me. Magma said that her and Igneous had to do a walk through the past or some shit. What else did she say? I should have paid more attention. Rising to stand I brush off the pants someone had the decency to give me as I take a look around. All I can see is white in every direction.
I take a step in a direction of my choosing before the voice of a woman stops me. “Now, you are a hard one to find. Always to be see only when he wants to be seen. We can skip the formalities as I already know of the hatred you have for what I was don’t. Follow me so that we can see if you deserve to go back to your mate” She says and then promptly turns on her feet as a door now appears.
I watch her form disappear as my feet go to follow her. We walk into what I would call a viewing room as a large screen takes up an entire side. She sits in one of the two chairs and gestures for me to take a seat in the other. I grab the chair and move it a few feet away from her before turning my eyes to the screen as scenes start to play out.
I see my mate as a baby as her parents fight. I watch as her dad leaves as her mother holds her crying. I see her as a young child as she tries to always get her mothers attention only to be told to play on her own. I feel her happiness as she shared her sandwich with me. I watch as she blossoms out of her shell the more days we spend together. I see her intense sadness on the two days I didn’t show up.
I sit forward in my seat as the scenes start to slow. I growl when I see Imone’s men throw a bag over her head as she takes out the trash. My chest pings with pain as they transport her to the familiar alley. I get angry as they drag her to his tent. I can feel her tears and her fear as she sees the monster of my story for the first time. As they start to talk I frown not remembering this part of the conversation.
He threatens her mother for answers. She gives them freely when she believes that this asshole is in relation to me. She tells him everything. I thought that when he took me he saw what I was up to. He saw me with her. From the looks of it he only had someone see us together once. Their conversation disappears and then the scene of another takes place.
He talks to one of his many henchmen. He tells them about how I act with the girl. How I talk and play with her. Imone is shocked when he hears that I smile and laugh with her. I see as he gets the evil look in his eye as he explains his plan. Suddenly the scene goes black.
I rise from my chair with a roar as it goes flying some where behind me. Walking up the bitch Kawa I lean over her form as she sits there calmly. “What the fuck are you playing at? Why would you show me those lies?” I scream into her face.
“I have shown you the truth. If you are able to look beyond your anger then you should be able to find the error in your ways. The only thing holding you back from a future with your mate is you” She yells back. A ball of rainbow light flies from her hand hitting my chest as she knocks me away for her. I rise to my feet as she does turning on her heel once more. With a hard huff I dust myself off as I follow her through another door I didn’t see before.
As she disappears through the door I am right behind her. The light from this room is so dark that I can barely see in front of me. I search the room for her form but cant seem to see her anywhere. I am already so sick of this magical bullshit. What does she expect me to do here in the dark. Pushing forward I start to walk through the darkness when a cry meets my ears.
I whirl toward the sound as I see a little boy running towards me. Turning to see where he is going I freeze as I see the man that raised me waiting with open arms. The boy runs right through as the memory plays before my eyes and I jump into his arms with a smile. The boy was me and he talks to Howard rapidly as he moves his hand.
He puts the boy down and once more he runs to me. This time he grabs my hand and tugs me to Howard. I grip the little boys hand tighter as he holds mine afraid of this moment. I steel myself for the lecture and ridicule that I know he is to give me. But instead of talking to me he leans down to the little boy whose hand holds mine. Placing a hand on his chest I gasp when I also feel it on mine.
“You my boy bring so much light to life. That is your gift above all else. What is your name?” he ask as he stares into the boys eyes.
“Maximus” I answer automatically. It was a question he had often asked me.
“And what does Maximus mean?” he implores.
“Greatest. It means greatest” I say as tears fill my eyes.
“That right son. It means greatest. We may not come from much but you must remember. To be the greatest means you have the ability. There is nothing that you can not do. It means that you have the quality. You are all that you will ever need. But most of all it means that you are above normal. You were born to be more. So, be more my young Maximus. Everything will come to you in time” As he finishes his words the image of him vanishes.
I look down to the young boy as he smiles up at me. Unable to form words I answer him with a nod as he slowly vanishes too. I wipe the tears from my eyes as my mind races with determination. When I look up another door appears before me and I walk through it. I enter into the living room of my cabin as Kawa makes herself comfortable on my couch.
The cabin is missing one of its walls and I can easily see outside to the forest. This time as she offers me a seat I take the one next to her. A hot cup of coffee magically appears in my hand and I sip it. I raise an eyebrow in her direction when it is made perfectly just as I like it. “Witches have their tricks too you know?” she says in answer.
“What now?” I ask her. I watch her closely as she appears to think about it. When I first arrived int his space I was so angry to see her. I can honestly say that now I feel a bit differently as she has given me something I have always needed. She gave me back who I was.
“That is up to you Maximus. I have shown you your past. You have seen what you missed but you also know what you have had the chance to gain. After what you have seen, do you still want to be with your mate? Can you forgive her?” she ask.
“I already have. She was a child at the time and she was afraid. She couldn’t have known what a monster Imone was when she answered those questions. If anything I am even more to blame for not allowing her to know about the tragedies of my life at the time. She could have helped me more if I had of opened up to her” I tell her sadly.
So, much of what I went through is still on my shoulders. Until I saw things today I was never able to see the mistakes that I made. Seeing my life through her eyes and the impact I had on her makes me feel like I really know my mate. If anything because of what I have seen it has made me love her even more.
“I am glad to see that you have seen what I have always known. Now we just have two more things to do and then you can return since you have realized your love for her. Before we get to the last item I believe that there is someone else you need to speak to” she says as she gestures toward the trees.
Turning my gaze I watch as the child version of my dragon breaks through the trees. I give her a smile in appreciation as I rise to go to him. When my steps get close I watch as he immediately cowers away from me.
“please don’t make me hide again. I promise I will do better. I will” he says as he ducks his head under one of his black wings.
Kneeling down to his eye level I reach out and grab his snout turning his long face in my direction. “You will never have to hide again. I was wrong for putting you away all this time. You protected what was most important to us when I didn’t recognize it. For that I owe you my life which I will gladly share with you for the rest of our days” I promise to him as I hold his slitted gaze.
He looks at me in hesitation before a reptilian smile graces his face. His little body vibrates and he jumps into my harms knocking me over as he licks my face. I laugh at the antics of the young dragon as he starts to glow. Under the glow his form grows smaller as he changes into the dragon I know he is now. When he is just about the size of my palm he jumps to my chest and I watch as the glow from him disappears into me.
His form reappears in my hand as he prances around making me laugh once more. “Now that we got that sappy shit out the way, lets go get our mate. We have little ones to make” he declares. I quickly rise from the floor as I make my way back to my cabin. As I enter the door the inside has changed and the brightness of the room nearly blinds me with its luminescent shade of baby blue. Instead of being plain walls this room is made up of cubes and Kawa stands in the middle.
“Now that she has made you whole, there is but one thing left. You must complete your bond for now by accepting a piece of her soul as a part of yours. It will tie you together in all things for as long as you both shall live” she says.
Without a thought I step toward the closest wall. “You ready for this Martell. Once I do it, we can never get rid of her. Our bachelor life will be officially over” I warn him with a smile.
“Don’t be an asshole. Just shut up and do it already” he grumbles as he comes forward. I slide the cube out of place and watch as it brightens in my hands. Love swims through all of me as it starts to dissolve. When I feel us fading I look back to see Kawa with tears in her eyes.
“I forgive you. You have more than made up for what you did. Thank you” I say to her as the brightness takes us. I land back into my body and my arms are still around our mate. Grasping her into my arms tighter I lay a kiss on her hair as I wait for her to come back to me.