Page 280 of Gift from the Source
“Growing up, Willow never knew if she wanted children. That choice varied greatly when she met all of you, but her deepest and darkest fear always remained the same. The thought of a daughter. I swore I’d not make that fear a reality. The line would end with her.”
My entire face pales as she calls me out on a secret I’ve always kept to myself. Part of me has always felt so guilty for feeling that, but the thought of having a girl who could ever possibly experience a fraction of what I went through scared the hell out of me.
The day Corentin died, I pictured both. A daughter and a son.
Children we’d never have because he was gone.
“Prima unumwon’t have the ability to open portals with her blood. That part of her design did stick with the pieces of me that she holds, but her soul can do so much more.”
My gaze follows the long expanse that she scans.
The answer clicks in my mind and my heart seizes in my chest. My words fall out of me in a breathy whisper.
“She can travel to the beyond. She pulled us here.”
“That she did. After we’ve discussed it numerous times that she was not allowed to do that. She’s asked me countlessly to let her try. I should’ve known eventually she’d do it anyway.”
“I should’ve brought GG too.”
My little girl pops up in front of us suddenly. The little giggling ray of sunshine pulls a smile to my face and I tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear.
“No.” Elementra says as I ask, “Who?”
“Grandpa Gaster. Duh. Grandpa CC would’ve loved it.”
My realm quakes.
My mouth pops open as everything within me freezes.
“Come on, Mommy.” She latches onto my hand and tugs me forward. I can’t get my feet to move, but a gentle shove from Elementra has me stumbling.
“A short visit will be okay. The damage is already done.”
The scene before me changes completely with every step we take. My men scurry to surround me, and it isn’t until their hands rest on me do I fill my lungs with air.
What just now was only a grassy stretch that we never seemed to cover any distance in becomes a glorious paradise.
My little girl releases me and runs off somewhere, but I’m stuck where I stand, looking at the creation in front of me.
“Where have you been, little missy? You’ve been impossible to keep up with today.”
The voice has my neck whipping to the side so fast I’m surprised I don’t break it. My eyes fill with tears and a sob gets stuck in my throat.
“Look who’s here, Grandpa.”
CC’s smiling face turns and eyes the color of the sky collide with mine. For a fleeting second, they fill with joy before they crumble to bits.
“No,” he breathes, his gaze searching beside me as they well with tears.
“Calm yourself, Seer. It’s only a visit,” Elementra says.
“Dad,” I breathe.
He gives my daughter a kiss on her forehead before setting her down. In the blink of an eye, I’m thrown back in time as his arms wrap around me. I’m a little girl seeking comfort and love from her daddy.
My chest rattles as I cry into his chest.
I knew for sure I’d never feel this again.
