Page 66 of Loving Amari

I start droning on about my day, the cute little love triangle between Nala, Torin, and Aaron over the 3D printer. How interesting it was to see Aaron covet Nala when he knows she’s fated to Torin.

“It’s fascinating, really. The boy has no shame. He was literally conjuring magic wolves trying to impress her while Torin looked ready to shift and bite him.”

Boys,Carla says with amusement in her mental voice.

“I’ve been keeping myself busy breaking more code at Brookstone and Blackburn to try and see what Henry is up to.”

Did you find anything out?

“Henry fell off the radar again, completely disappeared. One thing he’s good at is hiding.”

Don’t worry about that. I’ll find him. And I’ll help Damon find the Blackwood spell book he doesn’t want to hand over. I can’t physically intervene, but I can be guidance, offer help when needed.

I stop for a moment, sucking in a breath as emotions of missing her flood through me. My knees start to buckle, but I place my hand on the counter to hold myself up. The ground beef sizzles in the pan, forgotten.

Oh, Amari. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

My eyes darken. “You better not fucking leave me.”

I’m not going anywhere.

Carla giggles in my head.

“Let me finish telling you about my day and you’ll fake eat this burger with me.” I flip the patty with more force than necessary.

I start forming the burger properly, adding cheese, the bun, condiments.

I know it smells good.

“You can’t even smell it.”

Nope. But I don’t care. I choose you, this date, and whatever you come up with during our nightly meetings. You and our children are what matters to me the most.

“You mean everything to me,” I whisper, emotion thick in my voice.

Carla goes quiet for a moment, and I go back to talking her head off. I tell her about everything that’s happened over the past month. About how Bobby’s been keeping the coven running smoothly. About how Tofi and Noki finally started bonding again. About the small victories and the daily struggles.

I conveniently leave out that I starved myself and didn’t sleep for the first week. That Damon had to force-feed me blood to keep me from going into torpor. That I spent three straight days sitting in our bedroom, holding her pillow, breathing in what remained of her scent.

But she probably knows that anyway.

“The children miss you terribly,” I say, placing the burger on a plate. “Moria keeps leaving me images of you. Kemnebi guards your side of the bed like you’re still there.”

Tell them I love them. Tell them I’m working on coming home.

“I will.”

I sit at the kitchen table with my burger and blood, imagining Carla across from me like she used to be. Tofi settles near my feet, content now that she knows her mother can communicate.

“Bobby asked about you today,” I continue. “He wanted to know if the mate bond was still intact.”

Is it?

“Yes. I can feel you. Different than before, but you’re there. Like a constant hum in the back of my mind.”

Good. I was worried it might have severed with the ascension.

“Nothing could sever our bond, Carla. Not distance. Not realms. Not even Mother Fate herself.”