Page 34 of Frederick
Dominic
It was quiet on Treasure Ridge. Then again, it was supposed to be. Master Edison had insured that there was no way Marco, or anyone else that had ill intent, could get to the council.
It had been determined that Malorie’s Marco was indeed the same Marco from my birth coven. Understandably her parents were immensely upset about everything that they learned about their possible new son-in-law. It was still unknown if Marco actually was Malorie’s mate or if he had used some sort of magical influence against her, leading her to believe they were mates. Either way, what we knew was Malorie was off with Marco somewhere in the local area. Which meant that he had somehow been able to track his cousin to the area, and that wasn’t a good thing.
Atticus and his pack had first patrolled Treasure Ridge, and then they set out to patrolling off of the mountain. The dragons had taken to night patrols in the sky, and it was both a reassuring feeling yet a concerning one. He was here, and we knew what he was capable of. Would he go on a killing spree down in Honey Creek or Timber Valley?
That was very much in the back of my mind, but had nothing to do with my current conundrum. Despite my own insistence that I would take things slow with regarding to anything having to do with me and Frederick, I was certain that I loved him. From that very first day, after that unpleasant conversation that he had with Master Arthur, Frederick had been nothing but kind, generous, and loving towards me. I could feel his own emotions, and I knew that his feelings towards me had also changed. When had that happened though?
Apparently, we were both teenagers with our first crushes and neither of us knew how to share what we were feeling with one another. I rolled my eyes at myself because I should be way beyond this. I had been mated to Frederick for six weeks, and yet neither of us had said those three words to one another. They were simple enough words. I love you. See? Simple. Sweet. Impactful. Did I just simply spout them out to him?
I shook my head at myself before I looked across the room at Frederick. For whatever reason, he was sitting in an overstuffed chair instead of on the sofa with me. Then again, he had already been sitting there when I joined him here in the back room.
Frederick had his tablet with him, and I wasn’t sure if he was working on something for the council or if he was searching for something pertaining to our still undecorated nursery. Either way, I couldn’t help my feelings for him in the moment.
Most likely sensing my feelings through our bond, Frederick looked up at me when I felt incredibly vulnerable. When our eyes met, I smiled at him, which caused Frederick to grin in return. Seconds later, he set the tablet down on his lap before tilting his head to the side.
“Are you feeling all right?”
“I am. I was just thinking about my feelings for you, and how they have changed since we first met.” I shook my head at the uneasiness that was suddenly in my stomach. What was thatall about? I was almost three-hundred years old. I shouldn’t be having issues with sharing my feelings for the person who was supposed to be perfect for me. Yet here I was, struggling to tell him how I felt.
Frederick moved his tablet from his lap to the small side table before he stood and crossed the room. I tracked him, my eyes following his approach. I couldn’t help it. Not only was I a captive audience, but I very much loved looking at my One. He was gorgeous.
Instead of sitting beside me as expected, Frederick knelt down on the floor in front of me before reaching for my hands. It felt as if it was the most natural thing to place mine in his. We had done this more times than I could count already. It was a small gesture, but one that spoke volumes. To me at least.
“I happen to not be any sort of expert on these things,” Frederick said. “But it is my understanding that feelings between those fated to be together will change over time. Therefore, it isn’t unexpected that yours toward me have changed.”
I nodded in agreement. Even my own parents for example. It was very obvious that their feelings for one another in their last few years together had changed from when I was a younger child. They loved each other to the end, but their interactions certainly had changed later in life.
Frederick was staring at me so intently I couldn’t help but begin to squirm a little. There was absolutely no reason for it, but I was still getting used to having so much attention focused solely on me. This man though, he knew absolutely everything about me. He had taken care of me during my fertile period. If that wasn’t the ultimate commitment, I wasn’t sure what was. And there was absolutely no reason whatsoever for me to suddenly feel uneasy or perhaps shy around him.
“What if I said I’m almost positive I love you?” I asked him.
Frederick smiled at me, but it was one of those extra smiles. The kind that completely lit up not only his face but his body. It simply radiated from him.
“Then I would have to say that it was probably a good thing that you thought you loved me since I know I love you. I have since the first time I woke up next to you. You did not have to forgive me nearly as quickly as you did. Yet you had, and not only that, but you chose to give yourself to me completely. When I woke up and saw you lying on the pillow beside me, I wondered what I had done to deserve you. You should have made me suffer for a bit longer at least.”
I wanted to snort at his words, but the feelings coursing through my body were more than I could handle at the moment. I would forever say that it was completely the pregnancy hormones that caused my eyes to water. In actuality, it was the confession that Frederick was sharing with me. Why hadn’t I realized his feelings for me? Now that I was looking for them, they were right there in our bond.
“I don’t deserve you, Dominic. I am thankful every day to have you in my life, but I feel as if you deserve so much more than me.”
“How can you say that?” I asked. “You are such a wonderful person. You worry about not only me but the others around us. You talk to your parents once a week, and you and the rest of your family are very much involved with one another here on the mountain. You, from day one have always shown me affection. Why would you think that you don’t deserve to have someone in your life?”
“It wasn’t intentional, but I hurt you that first morning. And something like that can never be taken back. For all of eternity, the words that I said will live between us. They don’t change the fact that I love you, but they hurt because I wasn’t thinking and I carelessly voiced them.”
I shook my head as I leaned forward. I pulled my right hand from Frederick’s grasp and reached up for his face. When I touched his cheek, he tilted his head toward my hand, applying just a little bit of pressure against my hand. I gently caressed him with my thumb while staring intently into his eyes. Would he be able to see what I was feeling in mine? Sense it through our bond?
“All is forgiven already,” I told him. “I have moved past those words because I know that you voiced them in a very stressful situation. I know that is not how you truly feel toward me, and I do not dwell on them.” I looked deeply into his eyes, hoping he would understand and accept what I was trying to say to him. “We are mated, and in a couple of months, we are going to be parents together. Let’s forget about it and move on. It is not healthy to live in the past and dwell on something so insignificant at this point. Can you forgive yourself?” I asked.
It took a moment, but Frederick finally nodded. “See? This is why I don’t deserve you,” he told me.
I rolled my eyes at my comment before I sat back against the sofa; my hand falling from his face when I did so. “You do. Just as I deserve you. You have looked past my birth coven, and have accepted me despite everything going on with them.”
“Yes, but they are not you, nor do they define who you are. You were part of them, but you were not involved in their activities. Why? Because you’re a good person.”
I shrugged. “True. I did know that they weren’t to be trusted though. Almost everyone did. I also knew that they had activities that were not seen as acceptable by anyone with any sort of decency. Yet I did nothing to try to alert the council or any other sort of authorities. You’ve forgiven me for that.”
Frederick raised an eyebrow at me while giving me a look. “How can you say such a thing?” He asked. “That’s exactly what you did.”
