Page 24

Haden

I rolled over in bed and felt blindly for Della so I could pull her toward me.

My eyes shot open when her side of the bed was cold.

I sat up and glanced around the room listening for her movements in the house.

There was no noise, and I instantly feared the worst. I shook my head and ran my hands down my face.

She was probably working or outside, but even as I said it, it didn’t feel right.

There was something missing in our home, and it was Della.

She would have told me she was leaving if it was for work.

I stood and slipped on my trousers before heading downstairs.

“Storm?” I called out.

I headed outside and walked the length of the porch, scanning every inch of our property to see if she was out there. But I could feel that she was not close to me. In fact, I couldn’t feel her presence at all. Panicking, I began walking back inside.

“Storm, please come out,” I called into the empty house.

She must have snuck out while I was sleeping, and something about that seemed strange. I hurried through the house, desperate to find her.

“Storm, come home!” I yelled so that she would come. Standing in the kitchen, I waited for what seemed like an eternity, but she still did not show her face. Something was wrong. I knew it deep in my soul.

“Ardella, please come here, and tell me you are okay.” My chest was tight with panic. I could feel my lungs being squeezed because I fucking knew she had been acting odd. All I could think about was going to Thea and Cassius. I raced up the stairs to get dressed but stopped when I saw it.

On my drawing desk was a vase of orange flowers and a note. I walked to it slowly, as if it would kill me with its words. If she leaves me, I will die. I will not survive her loss. The one word on the envelope made me let out a shaky breath. Husband.

I opened the letter and sat down on the bed. I did not want to collapse if I was about to die of a broken heart.

Haden please forgive me.

There is something I have to do, and I could not tell you.

You would've tried to stop me, and this is a fate written by the heavens.

This is my destiny, and I could not let you interfere with it.

This must be done to right my wrongs and set the realm right again—to break the curse I put on myself to save you.

I will be back as soon as I can, but you must not look for me. Do not come find me. This is one fate I do not want to change. I am not in danger. I am not going to die. I will be alright, but this is something I had to do on my own.

I will return to you as soon as I can. I love you more, husband.

Love your wife.

Storm

Damn it, Storm.

?★★★?★★★?

Weeks later, after another failed search for Della, Cassius and Thea met me in my room one evening.

She had been gone for weeks, and I could not find her anywhere.

Even Thea had called to her, and she ignored her.

Cassius was determined that we would find her too, so he searched all day with me for any leads, but she was gone.

There wasn’t a trace of her anywhere. No one knew where she would go.

When I went to tell Mikel, I figured he wouldn’t care, but he immediately began searching for her too.

Mikel had been asking around with the gods he knew, but they also had no idea where she was.

Della had not talked to anyone that we could find.

“We’ll find her.” Thea frowned when I stood in our home, feeling her loss suffocating me. Every time I left and came back, I expected to see her waiting there. Maybe one of these times she would come home and be cooking dinner for us. This was a nightmare, and I hoped I would wake up any minute.

Everywhere I looked in this space was haunted by a memory of her. I rubbed my eyes to keep the tears in check. Why didn’t she trust me enough to tell me what she was doing? I could have helped her. I wouldn’t have interfered. Gods, even as I said it, I knew I would have if it were dangerous.

“How are we supposed to find her? We looked everywhere and asked everyone we could. What if she is gone forever?” I swallowed hard to stop the tears from coming.

“We will circle back to all the places we checked first,” Cassius suggested.

“Her letter said she would be back, Haden. She said she wasn’t in danger.” Thea frowned.

I gave her a pointed look.

“We both know that she just said that to make me feel better. If it wasn’t dangerous, she would have let me know about it.” I rubbed my chest. “I feel like I am dying.”

“It will get worse the longer she is away,” Cassius said from his own experience. Thea frowned at him before grabbing his hand tightly in hers.

“Shouldn’t I be able to find her with this damn bond?” I asked.

“Yes, but she must have made it impossible,” Thea sighed.

I started pacing back and forth, running my hands through my hair. Was there anywhere that she talked about that I could check? My mind raced, but all that I could focus on was her asking me if I would want to know if our time was limited. She would be fine, I tried to convince myself.

“What if she really is in danger? What if she didn’t write that fucking note?”

“It’s her writing.” Thea frowned at me as I fell apart.

“I swear if she completed the mating bond with me just to go and die, I will destroy this godsforsaken realm.”

No, I wouldn’t. She would not like that.

“I can see why you are the God of Wrath.” Cassius raised his brow at me. “Della will come back.”

I closed my eyes tightly and leaned my forehead against the wall. Then I prayed to the heavens to give her back to me. I would give up anything for her to just come home. Even if she yelled at me or refused to speak, as long as I could see her, I knew everything would be okay.

I was going mad.

“What can we do, Haden?” Thea whispered, but I could hear the emotions straining her voice.

“Nothing. I’m going to go to sleep so I can look for her in the morning.”

“We will come over when we wake up. Don’t go without us.” Cassius frowned when I looked at him. He hesitated before he stepped forward and pulled me into a tight hug. “Try to actually sleep. We will get her back.”

I nodded as he let go, and they disappeared.

I glanced around the living space, hoping to see any sign that Della had been here spying on me. Maybe she left something behind that would help me find her. I tore apart my belongings looking for any sign that she had been here checking on me.

When I walked into our bedroom, my eyes immediately landed on the note I left for her on the bed just in case she showed up when I was gone. I picked it up and scanned the words.

Storm,

If you’re reading this, I am out looking for you. Please, please, please stay here until I come back so I can help you. I love you, and I don’t want to be without you. I promise to not interfere, but I need to know you are alright.

Love, Haden

I set the letter on the side table and sat on the edge of the bed. I was exhausted, but I could not sleep without her. I lay back and stared at the ceiling, listening for any sign that Della was lurking out of sight.

?★★★?★★★?

I was startled awake. Fuck, I had fallen asleep. Sitting up, I listened closely for whatever noise had woken me up. At first I heard nothing, but then a soft creak from the floorboards in the kitchen had me jumping out of bed and running out of the room.

“Della?” I called out, but I was met with nothing.

I was convinced she was here watching me. So, I glanced around the room looking for where she might be hiding.

“Please, stop hiding from me,” I begged. “Please come home.”

I swallowed hard as I waited for her to appear, but after a minute I realized that she wasn’t here.

I fell to my knees and cried out for her.

But Della did not come when I called for her.

So, I lay on the floor of my kitchen because my bed felt too cold and empty without her—I felt too empty without her.

“Come home.” I repeated it over and over again until my voice was raspy, and I could not speak.

?★★★?★★★?

“Haden?” I opened my eyes and stared at Cassius. “Why are you lying on the kitchen floor?”

Thea was frowning at me.

“I thought Della was here last night, and when I realized she wasn’t, I didn’t want to sleep in our bed without her.”

“For fuck's sake, Haden, did you even sleep?” He sighed.

“A little.”

“Maybe you should stay here and rest while we look for her,” Thea suggested.

“No, I want to be there as soon as we find her.” I stood up, exhausted, but I could rest when Della was home.

Thea and Cassius looked at each other but didn’t argue with me. They knew I would not be talked out of this. We were about to leave when starlight filled the room.

“Della.” I breathed as my heart pounded violently.

After a moment, it dissipated, and Mikel stood in my home. My anger immediately surfaced, and I stepped toward him. He looked terrified of me and held up his hands.

“Wait!” he begged. “I have a lead on where Ardella is.”

I stopped moving.

“Well, fucking tell me,” I demanded.

“A witch coven said that she stopped by last week.”

A witch coven? Thea looked oddly at him too. Why the fuck would she be going to a witch coven?

“And?” Cassius gestured with his hand that Mikel better keep fucking talking.

“She asked if it was possible to bring a soul back from the dead.” He hesitated before he looked me in the eyes. “Della is asking for the Book of the Dead . It has been missing for hundreds of years. Apparently, she is convinced that a witch coven has it. I have no idea why she would think that.”

None of us knew where this conversation was going, but that was probably the last thing I thought he would say. All of us stared at Mikel as if we didn’t hear him correctly. He frowned.