The End

Dragana POV

Lady Asma had a gift for storytelling. The stories she shared played like moving pictures on the silver screen, showing the dialogue and emotions of them as if you were there, as if it was happening in real time. When I asked her to tell me about my father, nothing prepared me for what I was about to see. I remembered my father, but those memories were sporadic at best, not colorful and somehow a detached memory. Yet, as I was listening to her and watching the pictures become fluid, the memories became reality, and reality became emotion. I saw my mother, a beautiful young woman with the same silver eyes as mine, features as mine beam up at the young man, standing tall at around 6.7 feet, broad shoulders and tanned skin with eyes as dark as night, a smile as beaming as the sun as he looked at her. In his hands he had a rose, a singular white rose, my mother’s favorite flower. Their bond, their love, their instant mate connection electrified the memory and spread it to me, all the feelings contained within it. Memories continued.

I had seen them on dates, their first kisses. I saw my father kiss my mother’s belly when she was pregnant with me. I could see that I was a very loved, wanted child even before I was born. I could see they were happy. For a moment. And then something happened, something which upset my mother, scared her, scared my father. The Coven, led at the time by my grandfather, Dark Lord Khor, or a Elder Kor as he was known back then, was not accepting him. However, this was something bigger, something more important. Something that caused them to flee and hide. And live in exile and on the run for many years.

At one point in the memories, my father’s image disappeared, and I do recall that later in my childhood he was not there. Mother always had some type of an excuse for it, something to do with business and serious matters. He would appear sometimes, but usually to communicate via representation spell, Mother would call him and he would tell us what he was doing, how he would be back very soon. Very soon that never came. A promise that was made, yet never realized. However, learning that he was the one to murder my mother made all this harder, made those memories confusing and heartbreaking at the same time. It was good to know that they were in love and happy once thought.

A knock on my door broke me from my thoughts. I was sitting in my old bedroom, noticing nothing had changed. The room was kept clean and refreshed, a lot of my things were still there. It felt like I never left in a way, although in many other ways it felt as if I had been gone a lifetime. I knew it was Roman, I could sense him and scent him. I was not sure if I was ready for the conversation he had in mind, especially after my heart was ripped open by the memories of my parents, their love, demise and my happy childhood. I was vulnerable and I did not want to meet him, yet I knew I could not escape him. They needed to leave for the Yamuna River. Jasmine’s life depended on it. Whatever my issues, they could wait.

I opened the door to Roman, standing there in a simple white t-shirt and jeans, plate of food in one hand and spring flowers from the garden in the other. Somehow, he picked my favorites, including the carnations and lilies, mixed in with fresh greens and baby breath. “I heard you did not eat, so I brought you dinner”, he smiled one of his signature beamers while handing me the plate. I nodded, embarrassed that he had spoken to the kitchens about me. “And also, Dragana, hope you can accept my apology for …well….”, he shifted nervously, trying to smile in the process. “Truth be told I have a lot to apologize for, but perhaps we start with my most recent indiscretions?”, he said handing over the fresh flowers that smelled divine.

“Did you eat??”, I inquired, and he seemed thrown off. “Well, no not really.. I mean… I had too much to work on, but I am not hungry either just now… errr… I usually.. I mean I will eat later”, he mumbled. I laughed at his obvious ditzy explanation. He used the dinner as an excuse to come in, fully knowing I would be too courteous enough to invite him, even if I did not really want to see him. So, he made sure that, no matter what, he was walking into my room. “How about I get you a plate of food too and perhaps we can share some wine. It is obvious you wanted to be here and wanted to talk Roman. We could as well make it a date”, I joked. His jaw clenched and he just nodded at that point, fully realizing I was onto him. I also realized he was trying to have a conversation, a conversation we were long overdue.

However, was I brave enough to handle this? What does he want to tell me?? Perhaps he is simply going to share his happiness with Alice, or his marriage plans, a part of me said, resentful of every word I thought. I knew I still loved him, but I also knew that I also loved Art. And part of me realized long ago, based on Roman’s behavior, that there was never going to be any real chance. Yes, perhaps he needed me as a breeder. But he did not care for me, he did not love me, his heart did not beat for me, we had no mate bond, even if he were my mate according to Aisha. There was nothing there for him, and for me… for me who loved him from the day he saved me at that lake.. for me, who would never have admitted to loving him… for me.. well for me afraid of him telling me he did not love me.. and for me.. that would be the end.