*Eliza*
A comfortable silence settled over us. My heart raced in my chest; my skin humd in the warmth of Jared’s coat. Just being close to him, I felt so alive and awake.
He tightened his arm around , squeezing a little closer.
I smiled and felt my cheeks warm. I didn’t know what he was doing there or why he’d co after , but I was just glad he had.
“It is nice to sit here with you and just... be still, for once,” I muttered.
Jared chuckled and nodded. “Without everything else getting in the way.”
“Yeah.” Sighing, I glanced down.
Jared cupped my chin and tilted my head up. “What’s wrong?”
I felt my lower lip quiver. There were a few questions I needed answered before I could relax fully and let myself enjoy his presence.
“Jared... why did you accept the rejection so quickly?”
Jared’s eyes slid to the side. He sighed and released my chin.
“What would you have done if I hadn’t accepted?”
I creased my brow. I wasn’t expecting him to ask a question back.
Shaking my head, I looked down. “It would have made angrier. I would have felt like you were trying to stop from leaving.”
“Yes, you would have. I realized that.”
“And you just went along with it, then?”
Jared nodded slowly. “If I hadn’t accepted, it would have pushed you away more. You were already scared and upset. If I didn’t go along, I knew there’d never be a chance for us to talk like this.”
I smiled lightly and took Jared’s hand. Threading our fingers together, I gave his hand a little squeeze.
“I’m glad you know so well,” I whispered.
Jared smirked. “Besides, you were the one who reminded our bond existed just as strongly without the mate bond.”
“But I know how important the mate bond is to you.”
“Eliza,” Jared sighed and shook his head. “You are more important to than the mate bond. Not pushing you away is more important.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, confused by his response.
“But... you were so intent on getting our mate bond back the last ti.”
Jared nodded. “Because it was my mistake to fix.” He pressed his palm to his chest. “I was the one who acted hastily, and I didn’t want you to suffer for that.”
“Jared, what are you talking about? You didn’t make a mistake. I always understood why you did it. Even before you told , I had my suspicions, and they were true.”
Jared bowed his head. “You shouldn’t have had to feel that, and you shouldn’t have had to make all those guesses and rationalities. It really wasn’t fair to you.”
I creased my brow and leaned against him a little more.
“I should have had faith in you. Right from the start, I should have trusted that you’d co through.”
“How could you have known that I was right there?”
Jared shrugged. “I should have. You always pull through and from now on, I’m going to rember that and I’m going to trust it.”
“Jared....”
“No.” He shook his head.
My protest died on my lips.
“Ciana told sothing that Mila told her, about not letting you go to the Stone Circle because you’d get hurt. But I didn’t share that information with you. I thought I was protecting you.”
“She... what...?”
My mind raced with a million questions, but Jared seed to be trying to tell sothing important. I wanted to let him say what he needed to.
“If I’d shared the information back then, we could have worked together to co up with a plan ahead of ti. We could have avoided your injury and the pain you went through when I said all those... horrible things.”
My heart ached a little. I’d always known that Jared had a reason for turning away when we went to Aries’s mansion, but he’d never told . Thinking back, it would have been nice to have the chance to work on the problem together.
“And when I rejected you, that was also pain you didn’t need to feel. I should have trusted that you’d pull through and had a plan.”
I didn’t even know what to say. Jared had never been this open and self-reflective before. He was completely different from the man I’d left behind.
“From now on, I want to trust you and have faith in you. I want to be the kind of guy who isn’t going to run off and try to solve all the problems on my own, not when I have soone as capable, smart, and strong as you around.”
My heart lted and tears stung my eyes. Everything he said was so deep and heartwarming. He really had changed so much in the ti we’d been apart.
“Eliza....”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He slowly brought his arms around my waist.
“Thank you.” I buried my face in his neck and hugged him.
Jared didn’t say anything. He held close and kissed my hair.
Finally, I pulled back and looked into his eyes.
“So, what does that an for us? What do you want to do now?”
Jared took my hands in his, clasping them together. He lifted my hands and kissed the backs of them. Then he moved his hand to my stomach.
My heart raced and I held my breath, waiting for him to tell what he wanted.
Whatever he said, all I wanted was to be with him and to build our future together.
“I want us to be together and I want us to be a family. It doesn’t matter to where that is. If it is in the Light Realm, so be it. If it is in the Dark Realm, we’ll make it work there. I don’t care where we are. It is wherever you want to be.”
Sighing, I leaned my head on his shoulder and he put his arm around .
“Jared, I want to go ho....”
“Ho?”
“The one place in both realms where I have ever truly felt at ho.”
I felt Jared nod. He’d know what I ant.
The village where Jared and I had officially beco a couple, where I’d fallen in love with him, where I’d invested my ti and efforts to create sothing beautiful–that was ho to .
“I’m more than happy to take you ho. However, the doctors have said to take it easy for now. This ti, I’m going to make sure that you listen.”
I groaned but didn’t protest. I couldn’t argue with his point. It was the sa one my mother had made, too.
I’d promised my mother that I’d take better care of myself for the sake of the baby. I couldn’t break that promise now.
“Don’t worry, I’ll stay here with you until you get the all-clear to travel. We can spend so ti with your family until the doctors say you can travel.”
“With my family?” I lifted my head and arched an eyebrow.
Had Jared been planning this? Had he already talked to my family? Suddenly, my father’s odd behavior from before the party ca back to . He’d brought to the limo but wouldn’t say anything about it.
“Were you the one who sent the limo for ?”
Jared smiled sheepishly and nodded. “I might have made so arrangents beforehand.
“Why?” I creased my brow.
Jared shrugged. “I knew tonight would be special, and I wanted to make sure that you had the best ti. Besides, I needed to talk to your parents and they had certain expectations.”
My cheeks turned red and I shook my head. I didn’t know if I was embarrassed or furious at them.
“What do you an by expectations!?”
Jared chuckled and patted my shoulder. I relaxed slightly but I still didn’t like what he was implying.
“As you can imagine, your parents weren’t too keen on stepping in again. I explained the situation but they wanted to show them that I was committed, so I did.”
“So, they are okay with you being at their house with until I can travel again?”
Jared shook his head. “Not quite, but trust , I am working on that.”
I giggled and nudged him slightly.
“Oh, I know.”
Jared reached out and tugged one of my wayward curls, making it bounce. He grinned and wound the hair around his finger.
“You know too well.”
My cheeks ward and I glanced down. Being around him made feel so light and giddy. I didn’t even need the mate bond to feel that way.
“Jared, do you want the mate bond back?”
Jared pursed his lips and cupped my cheeks in his hands. He ran his thumbs along my cheeks and stared deeply into my eyes.
My insides trembled and I bit my lower lip. All I wanted to do was fall into his arms and stay there forever, mate bond or no mate bond. Did he feel the sa way?
“Eliza, that last ti I wanted to restore the mate bond because I couldn’t stand that I’d hurt you. Even though it was to protect you and our child from absorbing the curse, I know how much it hurt you. I couldn’t live knowing that I’d caused that.”
I nodded. “That doesn’t answer my question.”
“I’ll leave it up to you, then. You said once that we don’t need the mate bond to know we love each other. But if you want to restore it, we already know how to do it.”
“You want to make the choice?” I gasped.
Jared nodded. “All you have to do is tell you want to restore the bond and I’ll make it happen. Whether it’s tomorrow or twenty years from now, I’ll do it whenever you ask.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll never ask. This is your decision, Eliza. I don’t need the mate bond as long as I have you and our child. That’s more than what I ever hoped for in life.”
I leaned on Jared. How was it possible that I’d found such an incredible man to spend the rest of my life with?
I hadn’t thought about whether or not I wanted to restore the mate bond. It seed like my doctors wouldn’t let do much until after the baby was born, and the flower Jared needed was all the way in the Dark Realm.
I didn’t have to make a decision today. Jared was with again, and that was all that mattered. He’d support whatever I decided.
“Is there anything you do want?”
Jared chuckled. “I want to know who the Royal Guard escort was who asked you for a dance.”
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