Chapter 11
Dante’s house was close, and Anne stood on the path leading up to it, looking at the door. If she knocked she’d be making a choice, one Titus definitely wouldn’t agree with, and potentially leading to her brother either killing or cursing Dante. Or both. It depended on his mood.
If she didn’t knock it wasn’t going to change the fact there was something between her and Dante. Other lives she’d have walked away, but as Anne stood there she knew she wasn’t the same person. At home the weight of the darkness dragged her down, and away from it…
There was no changing the choices she’d made in the past. Her soul would forever be affected by them. It was possible to have a better future, one where she was able to be who she wanted to be, rather than Titus’ decisions leading her to live yet another life with those memories.
Whether it was Dante’s first life or not it was safer for him not to get entangled in Anne’s mess. She was about to turn away when the door opened, Dante stepping out, and he looked at her. Had he known she was there the whole time? It was possible.
“Come inside.”
“We both know I shouldn’t.”
“If I thought you didn’t want to I’d let you walk away, Anne, but I can see it in your eyes.”
“Dante…”
“You’re trying to protect me from something I don’t want to be protected from.” Dante smiled. “Accept that, and we can talk.”
The house was cosy, like it always had been, but that was the past, and Dante was the present.
“No one else lives here.”
“Only me.” His eyes met with hers. “I don’t have a family Titus can threaten.”
“I wish I could say he wouldn’t, but you know better.”
“You shared stories.”
“Why, after hearing those stories, would you make the journey to Glimmerbrook? That’s what I don’t understand, Dante.”
“Everything comes back to you.”
“Have you ever thought I might not want it to? It’s the same with Titus.”
“You’re my soulmate. Helping you is my priority.”
“Even though I might not want it.”
“Anne, I know you. You want to be free from this, and away from Titus, because you’re tired. You’ve lived so many lives focused on the same dream… one that wasn’t yours to begin with. From the beginning it was Titus.”
“I told you that?”
“All the stories you told me about your first life, and even some of those after, made it obvious how you felt. Titus viewed it as the most important gift he could give you. In order to do that he’s used the same ritual to kill in all those lives, taking the strongest.”
“Like he will this life, because he believes next time around it he’ll have the answer. I’ve heard him say the same words in other lives, and he’s never found it, so I have to admit I doubt the validity of his claim.”
“Would you stay for the ritual if you were certain?”
“Dante…”
“It’s not an easy question to answer, but it is a necessary one.”
“Leonora told me I should walk away too. She sees the person I am now isn’t the person I was before, but Titus won’t let me go. That’s how things are.”
“This isn’t about Titus. It’s about what you want.”
“You say that as though what I want matters.”
“It does.”
“Not when Titus Lockwood is my brother.” Anne sighed. “Titus finds out about any of this, and I wasn’t lying when I said he’d shred your soul.”
“Even if it meant damaging yours?”
“Due to the connection between us?”
“Had I not become part of your life everything would be the same as it always was, but we’ve met now. Every time we spent time together it strengthens the connection between us. Titus, if he looks into it, will see how much more complicated things are than they were before.”
“Unless he finds a way to break it.”
“Breaking it will probably still have a similar effect, Anne.”
“Can it affect our next life? That’s the question Titus will ask.”
“I don’t know.”
“When it comes to a problem like this one Titus will always look for the logical solution.”
“Logical?”
“For Titus. The rest of us might question it, but his focus, the way it’s always been, will be on us. Nothing else matters.”
“Have you never found that unusual?”
Anne looked down. “It’s the way things have always been.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’ve never known normal.”
“Whatever decisions he makes we need to focus on our own. Do you want a different future, Anne?”
“More than anything, but…”
“No buts. It’s far too easy to come up with reasons why it isn’t possible. What we have to do is try to find a way to make it happen, together.”
“Those are easy words to say.”
“I know it won’t be simple. Your brother isn’t going to let you go without a fight, but I’m willing to do anything I have to, if that’s truly what you want.”
“You came here because it’s the decision I made in the dreams you had, right?”
“She realised we didn’t have much time, with the full moon coming soon, and made the decision she wanted a chance to have the future she dreamed of.”
“How did it work out?”
“Anne…”
“Be honest with me, Dante.”
“I can’t See, probably due to Titus. What he’ll do is a mystery.”
“Not to me. There is only one end to this I can see, without having the same gift as you.”
“Are you saying this isn’t what you want?”
“I’m saying I need time. Titus might kill both of us, if he thinks if the right way to save me from you.”
“Save you?”
“Titus logic.”
“You’re the only one who can make the decision. I’m not going to force you into anything.”
“Dante, I know that. Give me some time to think.”
“We both have until the ritual.”
“Limited time, but enough.” Anne stood. “I should go.”
“Already?”
“Before Titus starts worrying.”
Even though it probably wasn’t the right thing to do Dante pulled Anne into his arms, breathing in the scent of her hair. For a second she was still, and then she wrapped her own arms around him, which was all he needed to know she did feel it. It was real for the first time.
“Our future is in your hands, Anne.”
“I still think you should leave.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Dante tightened his grip on her. “I love you too much to leave, even if it ends up leading to my death.”
“Do you truly believe we could have a future together.”
“Yes, Anne, I do.”
Titus stared at Anne. Cornelius was right. She did know Dante, well enough for her to be willing to hug him. Memories swirled. It wasn’t the first time Titus needed to keep someone from coming between them, but last time it wasn’t her soulmate, if Cornelius was to be believed.
“Anne.” Titus’ voice was loud enough to get her attention, and she lifted her head, the panic in her eyes enough to tell him she never wanted him to know about Dante. “It’s time to go home.”
Dante moved, but she placed a hand on his chest. “Go inside. Let me deal with Titus.”
Making his first smart choice Dante didn’t argue. He stepped into the house, as Anne walked over to Titus.
“What are you doing?”
“Living my life, brother.” Anne stared at him. “I think the more important question is what are you doing here?”
“Keeping you from making mistakes.”
“Making mistakes?”
“Dante’s new magic, Anne.”
“New magic you were planning on using for the ritual, because I think he might almost be as strong as you.”
“To protect all of us. You know how dangerous it can be.”
“He’s in control, and not a danger to any of us. Magically, anyway.”
“I’m not letting this happen.”
“Letting? You can’t stop me from doing what I want, Titus. After all the lifetimes I’ve spent by your side this is my chance to live for me.”
“One more ritual. That’s all we need.”
“Until the next one, because immortality is complicated.”