Page 144 of Prodigal Son

She shoved him in the chest. “When are you going to see yourself the way we do? You are not a consolation. You’re a male of honor and integrity. Any female would be lucky to have you. And when two people love each other, the setting doesn’t matter. They simply do anything not to be apart.”

He glanced away, preferring when she was short tempered with him and calling him toad. “I can’t leave Anna. I know she only needs me to stay safe and I can do that anywhere, but… I don’t want to leave the farm. She is my mate and, as such, we share a bond that makes it difficult to be apart from her.”

“So you choose to be away from the female you truly love.”

“I love them both.”

“But one can give you a life the other cannot, Cain. You’re not living here. You’re only passing time.”

His chest constricted as the truth of her words strangled him. “All my life, all I’ve dreamed of is finding that other half of my soul, but now…” He’d found her, but would only ever have half of her. That wasn’t even true. Each time she and Adam had a child, his half would divide again until he only owned a sliver of her soul. But he couldn’t walk away. “This is my home. Since the baby, Anna and I no longer share a dream link. Being away, without contact…” He shook his head. “It would kill me.”

“You’re stronger than that, Cain. It would be difficult at first, but over time you would adapt.”

“Someone has to watch over Cybil.”

“She has her brother.” The mention of Cybil caused Grace to drop her gaze. “But I fear she is lost to us. You’re too important to trade your life guarding someone else’s.”

He feared Gracie was right that Cybil was lost but forbade himself to say such things aloud.

She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, as if forcing away her emotions. “I think there’s something you should know.”

“What’s that?”

She swallowed and shook her head as if what she was about to say disturbed her. “I saw something I probably shouldn’t have. A personal detail I accidentally gathered from someone’s private thoughts.”

“Whose?”

“That’s not important. The point is, I’ve gleaned a similar vision from your thoughts, so I think you should know.”

His brow creased. “You’re going to have to be a little more clear.”

“The birthmark on Destiny’s neck…”

He stiffened at the mention of Destiny, his entire nervous system going on guard. “What about it?”

“Dane has a similar mark.”

“So? Mortals have all kinds of markings.”

“Not like this, Cain. This is a very specific mark at the base of his neck, just like Destiny’s. It has the same shape and wine tone with the same detail.”

“What are you saying?”

“Magdalene has one too.”

The feeling in his legs vanished and he needed to sit down. His hand gripped the counter and he wobbled. “You think it’s the marking of a half-breed?”

She nodded. “It’s a hunch. But I’ve seen Dane’s, and I’ve seen Magdalene’s. Show me Destiny’s.”

He shut his eyes and opened his mind, his memory going back to the evening when he held her in his arms and played with her hair. He could smell the sweet jasmine in the air and taste the salt on her skin. His thumb traced over the scarlet patch.

“How did you get this mark on the back of your neck?”

“It’s a stork bite.”

“A bird bit you?”

She laughed and he remembered how much he loved the melody of her joy and the comfort of their ease together. “No. That’s just what people call it. I was born with it. It’s a birthmark.”

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