Destiny Redeemed (32 page)

“How
did he find you?”

“I
found him. The night he killed the last woman, I found him next to her body
just as she vanished. He put up no fight and asked me to take him to our people
to be punished. Instead, I took him to the king we’re going to now and agreed
to be responsible for him until he’d earned his way home.”

They
continued to the castle in silence, and as he stopped to face the king and his
court, Thea knew Amon was preparing to say the words to explain Gethen’s death.
The Sidhe king stepped forward to meet them, his eyes firmly focused on his
fallen kinsman. Almost as tall as Amon, he wore his long, jet black hair over
his shoulders that seemed to hunch at the recognition of the man in Amon’s
arms.

“Who
brings this long exiled son home?”

Dropping
his head in respect, Amon answered, “The one who promised to return him.”

“What
is your name, Aeveren?”

“I
was known as Riordan Blake when I took him, but now I’m called Amon Kalins.”

“Welcome,
Amon Kalins. We thank you for bringing our son home,” the king said lifting his
gaze to Amon’s.

Amon
answered, his voice laced with guilt. “I don’t deserve thanks. It’s because of
my actions that he died, as if I killed him myself, King Nasire.”

The
Sidhe king studied Amon’s face for a long moment and shook his head. “Do not
blame yourself for Gethen’s death. I know your thoughts, Aeveren, but you are
mistaken. You saved him when he had nowhere to go and no friend in this world.
You gave him a life.”

The
king motioned to men who hurried to attend to him. “Take our fallen son’s body
to be prepared for his farewell.”

The
attendants reached for Gethen’s body but Amon refused to release him, stonily
staring at each to back away.  Thea’s heart felt heavy at the sight of the man
she loved consumed by grief.

“You
must let him go now, Aeveren. He must be readied to travel to the Summerlands.”

Reluctantly,
Amon nodded and carefully placed Gethen’s body into the waiting arms of one of
the men, who somberly took him away. His arms down at his sides, Amon squeezed Thea’s
hand as they watched them take his friend.

“Come,”
the king commanded to them and his court. “We will welcome our visitors.”

Thea
watched as Amon looked down toward the direction the men had taken with Gethen,
his blue eyes full of sorrow. Her heart broke seeing him so utterly devastated.

“Sweetie,
let’s go,” she said quietly as she began to follow the group after the king.

Amon
said nothing as he turned to walk with her into the castle. Thea stood in awe
of the great hall that welcomed them as they entered. An enormous ceiling
towered over their heads, and two massive wood chandeliers hung in the center
of the room, each one holding twelve candles flickering light. A twenty-five
foot long table sat underneath them and was hastily being filled with enough
food for the king and all the mourners.

“Please
sit and join us for the celebration,” the king offered as he guided Thea and
Amon to each take a seat.

Amon
sat quietly looking off in the distance, and Thea explained, “I’m sorry, King
Nasire. Amon’s not much for celebrating now.”

The
king took his seat at the end of the table near them as the rest of his court
milled about. “Aeveren, there is no reason for mourning. Gethen lived a full
life of many years. If you had not taken him all those years ago, he would have
faced judgment by your leaders, which would have meant a much harder life.
Whatever you believe you did, remember the gift you gave him.”

“If
I hadn’t kept him when I should have let him return...
he wouldn’t be
dead now.”

“Do
not do this to yourself. Your friend lived many years in your world. I believe
they were happy ones, if your grief is any indication of his life.”

Amon
hung his head. “My grief is only an indication of my regret.”

“I
am sorry for your loss, but it fills my heart that our son meant so much to
you. That itself is the tale of a life well-lived. May we all be missed as much
when we are called home.”

The
king patted Amon’s hand before joining his people in the celebration of
Gethen’s life. Thea watched as they feasted on delicacies and shared memories
of their time with him, but Amon remained quiet, unable to escape his thoughts.

A
woman older than most of the others approached them and stood silently looking
at Amon, the woman’s green eyes kind and sympathetic as they stared down at
him.

“Thank
you for bringing him home to his people.”

Amon
made a slight smile and nodded.

“My
son never found happiness in our world. Did he find it in yours?” she asked in
a voice full of hope.

Thea
realized this was Gethen’s mother asking if her son had been happy in exile.

 “I
believe he did,” Amon said, his face showing how unsure he was if his answer
was honest.

The
woman turned to Thea. “Did you know my son?”

Nodding,
she smiled. “I did. I only had the pleasure of knowing him for a short time,
but I know he loved Amon like a son.”

“Did
he have any children?” she asked him.

“No,”
he said slowly shaking his head.

“Then
I’m glad he had you.”

After
Gethen’s mother returned to the rest of the court, Amon and Thea sat quietly
watching the Sidhe show their respect. As he held her hand, he leaned over to
kiss her. “Thank you.”

Thea
smiled. “He really did see you as a son. I never knew him as anything but your
friend, but I think he loved you as a father would a son.”

*

As
those around him rejoiced in Gethen’s life, Amon thought about what the King
and Gethen’s mother had said. Gethen had always been more friend than servant,
but he’d forced him to do many things that made him complicit in his misdeeds.
Had he been happy doing as he commanded? With regret, he admitted to himself
that the thought had never crossed his mind.

And
what of the other parts of Gethen’s life? He’d never spent much time with one
woman, never married or settled down, never had any children. His life for
hundreds of years had been entirely devoted to Amon.

Guilt
overwhelmed Amon as the memory of his time with Gethen paraded through his
mind. If he had been a son to him, then Gethen had acted as parents often do,
overlooking their children’s faults out of love.  And what had he given Gethen
in return?

When
the feast was over, the king and his court, along with Amon and Thea, walked in
procession to the outside courtyard where Gethen lay on a funeral pyre. The
sight of him lifeless with his hands folded on his stomach made Amon’s breath
catch in his chest.

As
priestesses chanted and called on the gods of the Sidhe to safeguard Gethen on
his journey to the Summerlands, the mourners stood silently as his funeral pyre
was set aflame. A single drummer beat gently on his drum, rhythmically ushering
Gethen’s soul to its next home.

Amon
stood stiffly watching the flames leap higher, overtaking his friend’s body and
obscuring it from view. The sight made his chest tighten, and he leaned against
Thea as he said his final silent goodbye.

King
Nasire returned to once again thank him for taking care of one of his people
for so many years. “We owe you a debt of gratitude, Amon Kalins.”

Long
after the king, his court, and the throng of mourners filed out of the
courtyard, Amon stood facing the funeral pyre, staring straight ahead, his eyes
staring at the spot where Gethen had laid.

Thea
gently touched his arm. “Amon, he’s with his people now. He’s home.”

Amon
silently nodded, and as they left the Sidhe king’s castle and began their long
walk to their world, neither said a word, unable to move past their loss.

Hours
later, as Thea lay beside him, her head on his chest as she slept, Amon
promised himself that he’d be the man he should’ve been all along. Whatever
he’d thought life was supposed to be, he understood now what Gethen had been
trying to tell him.

His
past had hurt everyone around him. He had to make sure his present and future
were different.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Amon
woke after a mostly sleepless night and silently reached his mind toward
Gethen’s but sensed only emptiness. The realization he was gone—not like when
Amon was in Nil but truly gone from his life—squeezed his heart like a vice.

Next
to him, Thea slept facing him with her hands folded under her head. He was
struck by how innocent she looked and cringed at the thought of how guilty he
was for so many things. As a healer, she was good and kind, someone fellow
Aeveren looked to for help to make their lives better. How did he deserve her?

Gethen
had been right. Everyone had to deal with their past at some point. He’d been
foolish to believe it would stay in the past. Gethen had been right about
something else too. He’d been given another chance to fix the past instead of
using the opportunity to find more ways to live his life at the expense of
others. He owed it to those he loved to use that chance wisely.

As
he thought about what life had in store, he absentmindedly stroked Thea’s hair,
waking her. She began to stir, and he leaned his head down to meet hers.

“Good
morning, angel.”

Half
asleep, she snuggled close to his body and murmured, “Good morning. You okay?”

Amon
inhaled deeply and kissed the top of her head. “I’m okay.”

“Good,”
she cooed kissing the side of his neck.

“I
have a lot I want to do today, so it’s time to get your sleepy self out of
bed.”

She
rolled onto her back and smoothed the hair from her face to look at him. “Like
what?”

He’d
spent hours thinking about how he needed to turn his life around and what to do
as a first step. It had to be something big. Considering his decision, he
announced, “I want to sell two of my homes—this one and the one in Tuscany.”

“I
understand why you’d want to leave this house, but what’s wrong with the
Italian house?”

Amon
knew she silently questioned what the urgency was to sell the house in Tuscany. “That has nothing to do with Gethen. That house reminds me of a past I need to
leave behind.”

Sitting
up, she tapped his nose with her forefinger. “I don’t think I like it when you
read my thoughts. It’s like when someone finishes your sentences for you. It’s
irritating.”

Amon
loved that she was one of the few people he’d ever met who thought to chastise
him. And he knew she was right.

Leaning
toward her, he touched his forehead to hers and looked up into her eyes. “Point
taken, Althea. How about if I promise not to do it again? Will I be forgiven?”

Thea
turned her head and kissed him. “Of course. But I expect you’ll be breaking
that promise if I’m ever in danger?”

Amon
leaned back to rest his head on a pillow, folded his arms behind him, and
looked up at her. “That goes without saying, angel.”

“Just
how many houses do you own?”

“We.
We own,” he corrected.

“Okay.
How many houses do we own?”

“A
few,” he said with a sly smile. “But the one I want you to see the most is in Greece.”

“Greece! Just the thought of owning a house in Greece is a dream come true. I’ve always
wanted to visit Greece, and now I have a house there?”

Thea
climbed on top of him and straddled his hips. “How did I get so lucky as to
have a man like you?”

Amon
looked up into her innocent blue eyes and the history of their time together
caused guilt to surge in him. “Thea, in the time you’ve known me, you’ve been
kidnapped twice, held hostage by a sadistic bastard who kept women as slaves,
and been in more danger than I prefer to think about. I don’t think that’s
lucky.”

Bending
down to kiss him, she pressed her lips to his and then whispered, “Thank God
your destined one is tougher than she looks.”

The
body that pressed up against his felt anything but tough. Running his hands
down her sides, he reached her ass and squeezed as he pulled her into his body.
He felt her warm breath begin to come in short pants next to his ear, exciting
him more. The feel of the softness of her body made him want to possess her at
that moment and protect her forever, no matter how strong she claimed to be.

Flipping her
over, he pinned her wrists above her head and smiled devilishly down at her as
his eyes roamed over her body.

“This
is part of that lucky thing I was talking about,” she purred before she hooked
her legs behind him and around his waist and pulled his body into her warm and
waiting body.

Amon
felt the emotions of the past few days overwhelm him, and he plunged into her
needing the oneness that making love to her could give him. Slowly at first, he
thrust into her, desperate for the sensations her body gave him, needing to
know at least he could be sure his body could bring her happiness.

Pulling
him to her, she cradled his head in her hands. “I love you, Amon.”

With
her words the tension ebbed from his body, and what he’d been searching for in
her body’s response he found in her simple declaration of love. As they
finished, he whispered, “I love you. I can’t imagine life without you.”

Stroking
his back, she said, “You don’t ever have to.”

Later,
as they dressed, Amon watched her dry her hair and felt happy. Truly happy,
like he had all those lifetimes ago in Turkey.

“Marry
me.”

Thea
lifted the towel from over her head and peeked out at him. “What did you say?”

“Marry
me. I know you have no real need to since as Aeveren, destined ones don’t
require marriage to be truly committed, but...”