Page 61 of Eternally Bound

Without apology.

She wanted to go back home. To her family. To her safety and a world without me.

Could I blame her?

No.

Did I mind it?

Fuck, yes!

But more than anything, I wanted to see her happy.

So here I was taking her back to her old life. I’d take her to my castle in Scotland, then leave her to rest, surrounded by her family. As far as I was concerned, without Ainslee, that place meant nothing to me. So she might as well stay there forever. Arthur would keep an eye on them until she decided what her next steps would be.

Maybe it was for the best.

She hardly looked at me since we left the warehouse. She finally realized who I truly was, and I disgusted her. Not that I could blame her.

The need to wrap her in my arms was strong, but I took my cue from her and kept my distance.

The sound of my private jet vibrated as we slowly started descending, the end of our journey approaching with a hole in my heart. I could force her to stay with me, blackmail her… I wasn’t beyond that, but I wanted her willingness more than anything.

She was too good for the likes of me.

The car ride to the castle was just as eerie, her graceful pale neck the only view I had. Her eyes, those blue pools of the Adriatic Sea, were turned away from me, staring into the white covered landscape of her home country.

We got to the castle too soon. Way too soon. Years wouldn’t be enough. But this would have to do.

As I helped her from the car, she ran into the house in search of Bram and her mother, without a backward glance. I couldn’t peel my eyes from her, the cold Scotland sun reflected dancing amber shades in her hair. I stared after her long after she was gone, and suddenly the world seemed darker than ever before.

But my Nightingale was safe. She was better off without me.

I got back into my car.

“Back to London,” I told my driver and hardened my heart and my gaze.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Ainslee

The city of London was gloomy and dreadfully grey in winter. It has been barely twenty-four hours since I’d seen Daniel after his heroic rescue, and I missed him like the desert missed the rain.

After what had happened with Daniel’s uncle, I asked him to take me home. Well, to his castle where my mother and Bram still were. The shock of the events and knowing I was so close to never seeing my son again… I couldn’t explain it in words. It shook me to my core.

But I made a mistake in how I handled it. It took me less than a day to realize I handled it poorly. I should have used words and explained to Daniel why I needed to rush to my son.

Daniel took it as my rejection. It wasn’t meant as one. I thought he’d stay but after he dropped me off, Arthur informed me Daniel left. No wonder he was so cold and distant during our plane ride. I should have sought out comfort from him, but I sat there like a statue, the events playing on repeat in my mind and twisting them into all the horriblewhatifscenarios that would have cost me my life.

I was in a state of shock. It was all I could think of.

Unsurprisingly, Mum was the one to point out to me I had made a mistake. I finally broke down and told her everything that had happened. From the moment I met Daniel twelve years ago until he rescued me from his uncle. Including what happened to Callen. She was sad to hear about Callen’s death. He didn’t deserve to die like that. Nobody deserved to die like that. I felt better afterwards, like a heavy rock had been lifted off my chest. I also explained to Bram his dad was in heaven watching over him, and we wouldn’t be seeing him anymore. Though I wasn’t sure how much he understood at his age.

I leaned back against the leather seats. Arthur was swinging in and out of traffic as he drove us to Daniel’s penthouse. I had to see him. End this year on a good note and have a wonderful start to a New Year.

New beginning. A wonderful start.

My heart thundered. My nerves were so tight I was ready to start chewing on my nails. The closer we got to his penthouse, the more nervous I was. I hurt him and was scared of his rejection, of losing him forever.

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