Page 84 of Dark Destiny: The Turning Of The Loom

"You are correct, and I do not fully understand why, but I have a hypothesis."

They had reached the front door, and he turned the walker and started back. "Care to share it with me?"

She laughed. "Of course. I am just collecting my thoughts. For many centuries, there were no immortal partners for my descendants. My female descendants followed in my footsteps and took human lovers to produce children. My male descendants did not have that option because only female immortals transfer the godly gene to their offspring. They were all lonely, doomed to fleeting sexual encounters with mortals, but at least the females had the solace of children who could turn immortal. Then, about six years ago, Amanda found Syssi, and Dormants started showing up one after the other. It was as if the Fates had been keeping a ledger all that time, and my clan members had collected enough good deeds and suffering to qualify for the boon of truelove mates."

"So, a truelove mate is a reward for good deeds and suffering?"

"More or less. Sacrifice for others and personal suffering are considered prerequisites."

He was in the third round. His thighs pulsed with pain, but he set his jaw and kept going.

"Did we sacrifice and suffer before finding each other?"

She did not answer at once. "We did not before our marriage, but we certainly did after it. The Fates demanded a balloon payment for the loan they had granted us."

He did not know what balloons had to do with loans, but it was not important enough to stop and ask about.

"You thought I died."

"I did."

"Marriages end at death, even if the mate bond lives on. Are we still married in the eyes of your clan?"

"Of course." There was no hesitation in her tone. "We were wed before the whole city, and miraculously, some of those who witnessed our joining are still with us today. Wonder and Tula, Esag, Davuh and Roven. Your guards, if they ever regain their memories. I might not have the contract because it remained with my parents, but I remember every moment of our wedding, and these witnesses can attest that every memory is true."

He stopped because his legs refused to take another step.

"I watched it," he said. "From the crowd."

"Yes, you did. Because of my stories. I described it to you in minute detail while you slept, hoping it would help you surface."

"It did."

She had told him the story while he was unconscious, and he had seen it in his dreams as if he were watching a movie on the screen. He watched the wedding from the edge of the crowd and envied the groom. Then he woke up and realized the groom had been him.

"I need to sit down," he said.

He barely made it to the couch, and as he dropped onto the seat, Annani sat beside him and took his hand. "Would you like me to tell you about our wedding again?"

"That would be lovely."

30

KHIANN

"Hello, my love," Annani said as Khiann joined her for lunch after showering and taking an hour-long nap. "Are you feeling rested?"

He unfurled the napkin and draped it over his knees. "I am rested but not restored. I pushed myself a little too hard this morning."

"Yes, you did." She reached across the table and patted his hand. "I am so proud of you."

He snorted. "Please do not say that. It makes me feel bad."

"Why?"

"I do not want you to be proud of me for merely walking. I want to achieve something worth being proud of."

Annani leaned back in her chair with a knowing smile. "Then you will love what I am about to tell you. Kian called while you were resting. He spoke with Vrog, who is in charge of education in the village, and asked him to design a special expedited program for you and your guards. He is coming later this afternoon."