Chapter 27
Standing in Dante’s hallway, Anne wrapped her arms around herself, focusing on what they needed to talk about.
“I didn’t think I was going to see you today, after what happened, but I’m glad you’re here. You’re right. There shouldn’t have been any expectations, and I’m sorry for how I acted.”
From the way Anne was choosing not to look at him Dante didn’t think she’d accept the apology.
“Honestly, I understand.” She breathed in deeply. “We’re here to talk about souls, mates, and bonds. This is Celeste Ember.”
Dante glanced at Celeste. She was attractive, her eyes different to Anne’s.
“Pleasure to meet you.”
“Celly, this is Dante. He’s the soulmate I talked to you about.”
With a nod Celeste looked between them, hands coming together as she did. “The bond between you is weaker than I expected.”
“It’s all very new.”
“Yes, but this… it might be the soulbond already weakening it.”
“The soulbond?” Dante sighed. “Of course it all comes back to Titus.”
Celeste studied him. He was a Seer, so it made sense he knew about the bond, but she had no way of telling how much information he’d gained through the dreams. Did he understand it might not be possible to break the connection?
Anne stayed silent. There was obviously some tension between the two of them, hence the apology, and Celeste focused on why she was there. Nothing else mattered, including how attractive Dante was. She’d seen attractive men before.
“Unfortunately, yes. He has been a problem for generations.”
“We should sit.” Dante led them through into the kitchen, taking the seat opposite Anne. “Is this something we even need to talk about?” Those words were easier to say not looking at her. “Last time we spoke I felt as though you were attempting to put some distance between us, so…”
“A decision does need to be made.”
Even though Anne was on the other side of the table she’d never felt further away, the very words she said another sign he was right, and it was all Dante could do to stay where he was.
“By both of us. You know what I want. I’ve already told you.”
“Even the fact we’re related doesn’t bother you?”
“Of course not. We’re soulmates. This isn’t about the bodies we’re in now.”
“He’s got a point, Anne.”
Anne looked at Celeste, who shrugged. “You were jealous of the relationship I had with Jonathan.”
“I could tell how you felt about him.”
“You have no idea how I felt.”
Celeste looked between the two of them once more. Being in the middle wasn’t the most enjoyable experience, but it helped her to see why Anne wanted her there. It wasn’t only about the soulbond. They were getting to know each other, at the most complicated time.
“The way you talked about it told me everything, and it’s why you were so affected by Cornelius.”
Dante should have stopped to think before he spoke. Instead the emotions in the room were getting the better of him, both his and Anne’s, her growing irritation fueling his.
“Really, Dante?”
“I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, you shouldn’t.” Anne breathed in deeply. “We are going to let Celeste speak, because now is not the time to be having this argument. Once you have a better understanding of the situation we can return to it.”
“Please, don’t. I am sorry.”
“Focus on the bond.”
Dante didn’t take his eyes off Anne, and hers were still on him. Was she truly that bothered about his family? It hadn’t seemed like it before, but maybe it was an issue, making her look for a way for the two of them to end things before they’d truly started. Or maybe it was Cornelius.
The way Dante stared wasn’t helping. Decisions needed to be made, and Anne couldn’t make them for him, so he had to understand the bond. He’d already known about it, the dreams enough for that, but there was more to it than he could have learnt, which meant focusing on something other than her.
“Some of this you’re probably already going to know, from the dreams, but I’ll start from the beginning.”
Celeste knew Dante wasn’t paying attention, yet she still thought it best to make a start. Anne was right. He needed to understand to make an informed decision, rather than an emotional one.
“Stop staring at me.”
Dante turned enough to seem as though he was focused on Celeste, when all he cared about was Anne.
“There are two bonds, one the soulmate bond, and the other a created soulbond, between Anne and Titus. We need to strengthen the soulmate bond before we do anything else.”
“Strengthening it is one possibility, yes, but there are others, which… from what I can see of the soulmate bond they may be the better option.”
“No.”
“What you’re feeling right now is understandable. Being close to Anne won’t be helping, due to the bond. However I need you to hear me out.”
“There is no better option, Celeste. We are meant to be together.”
Silence followed Dante’s words. Leonora warned them both how the soulmate bond could affect everything, especially for Dante. He was the one who would be more strongly affected, while Anne’s bond with Titus limited the effects.
“Even if that is the case it’s still best to have all the information.”
“None of it matters. What we need to do is focus on how to break the soulbond.”
“Mother said it probably can’t be broken.”
“Probably isn’t definitely. There will be a way, however complicated it might end up being.”
“The soulbond is lifetimes strong, Dante. It’s weakening the soulmate bond without Titus even doing anything, which might be part of the reason he isn’t worried. No one knows exactly how much he’s learnt about souls, soulmates, or soulbonding. All we can be certain of is that Anne is tied to him.”
Dante couldn’t be logical with Anne there. It was obvious. All he did was look at her, certain he knew exactly what he wanted, when the reality was he needed to hear Celeste out without being affected by the bond. She breathed in deeply, the decision made. For it to be real he needed to think.
“I should go.”
“No, Anne, stay.”
“You aren’t focusing, Dante, and right now you need to be making logical decisions. Not emotional ones. It’s easy to say we’ll do whatever we have to, but you need to understand what that means. How complicated it will be.”
“My priority is saving you from Titus.”
Anne stood, and Dante followed. Even if he couldn’t stop her from going he needed to try. Maybe the real mistake was telling Cornelius to speak to Anne, because since then it seemed as though their relationship had changed. Was one kiss from a man old enough to be her father enough to break them?
“This might not even change anything.”
“Leaving gives you the best chance of being able to focus on what Celeste is saying.”
“Be honest with me – do you want to walk away from this? From us?”
Anne didn’t look at him.
“Dante, there is no us. Not yet. What I want doesn’t matter right now.”
“Yes, it does. I need to know why you’re acting like this. When I dreamt of you…”
“However much you might want Dream Anne I’m not her. She’s someone else. This is the person you’re dealing with, not her.”
“Does this have something to do with Cornelius? Or Jonathan? I just… I need answers.”
Finally, Anne turned, eyes meeting with Dante. “In a way it probably does. Cornelius has been a part of my life for a long time. So was Jonathan, until he left, and, yes, he did ask me to go with him. He knew it couldn’t happen, but he wanted to save me too. The reality is I don’t want to be saved.”
“What do you want?”
“Listen to Celeste. Think about the future. You said you wanted any decision I made to be what I truly wanted. It’s the same for me. Everything you’ve done has been due to those dreams, and I don’t know if you actually want to be with me, or if you just want to save me.”