Page 122 of Summoned
He holds my gaze for a long while before answering, “No. Because I don’t know if, under different circumstances, I ever would’ve met you.”
My pulse races, but no words escape my lips.
The scene before us dissolves into shadows. They clear, revealing a new image. We’re standing on a doorstep. Gaetano’s mother is crouching over a wooden basin filled with soapy water. Her hands move with practiced rhythm asshe scrubs the fabric.
“Gaetano! Still quiet, like your father. Listen carefully, because your mother won’t be around forever. No, I’m not dying! I just know that one day I’ll get fed up with you stubborn men, and pack my bags.”
His lips twitch into a faint smile.
“You’re my firstborn, so I’ll be honest. Your ambition outweighs your wisdom, and I worry it’llleadyou into trouble.” She plunges her arms into the basin, shaking her head. “So get this through that thick skull of yours: only a soulmate will settle you down. Some good-hearted girl…”
I gasp when I hear the term “soulmate.” And immediately flinch, because… well, ‘good-hearted girl.’
She shoots us a look and frowns. “Don’t you dare smirk! These things are real, and we witchers believe in them. Don’t let all my yelling at your father fool you. Finding your soulmate is a blessing. A true soulmate sees you beneath the power and the mistakes. That’s what anchors us, in case we ever stray too far—even into dark magic. Not that I believe you’d lose yourself like that…I just want you happy, amore mio.”
The sharpness fades from her face, replaced by warmth. “It’s obvious your magic is powerful. You’re my son, after all. Just make sure you grow your heart, too. For there’s nothing more dangerous than strong magic paired with an empty heart.”
She flicks her hand, scattering droplets into the air. “Not that it’s a concern for you. You were born with a good heart. Let the neighbor worry. Her boy’s had something wicked in his eyes since he was a child…”
With her final word, the space around us shimmers. The sun dims like a blown-out candle. Colors fade, and the scent of soap and clean laundry vanishes into nothing.
We’re alone again, standing inside the cave.
“I didn’t listen to my mother either,” Gaetano whispers in the dark. “That’s the story of my life. I had a family that supported me in everything, but the hunger for power blinded me. I left them behind to chase greatness.”
He abandoned his family. How could this be worse than me,conformingto mine, just to gain the means to reach heights I never truly desired?
“Was it worth it?” I ask.
“It was,” he says, eyes piercing mine. “Until now.”
Our fingers are still intertwined, and my heart pounds in my chest, as if counting down the moments we have left. The image of the Black Joker fades from my mind, leaving only Gaetano in front of me. An entire universe of experience and feeling I long to discover.
“I want more time with you,” I say. “I want to know more about your past, what you like, why they summon you with sweets and blood, why that woman cursed you, and what this whole soulmate thing is all about…”
His hands twitch faintly. “I’ll tell you andshowyou everything you want to know. Every moment I have left is yours.” His smile doesn’t quite take away the sadness in his eyes.
My chest swells with a surge of resolve. “I don’t want three days. I want you to stay.”
41
Gaetano
Her words strike deeper than Madeline’s curse.
She… wants me to stay?
I shove the thought aside before it takes root. I am the worst thing that could ever happen to her. The anger that surfaces isn’t at her. It’s for the impossibility that keeps us trapped in separate universes. My fists tighten, the runes on my skin burn with a searing ache.
I can’t give her what she wants.
“I’m not the kind of man you should be with, Nicole.”
She crosses her arms, meeting my gaze without flinching. “As far as I get it, youaremy soulmate. So, how exactly does that make you the wrong man?”
That draws a bitter laugh from me. She’s right. The whole point of soulmates is to find the one who fills what you’ve always been missing. For me and Nicol, it’s more of a curse. I can only hope that my baroness—being human—won’t feel our parting the way a witcher would. Because for me, it’ll be akin to suffocating on carbon dioxide—air all around, yet none of it supplying life.
I pull her into an embrace.
