Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

I watch from the doorway as Cora sweetly whispers a Greek lullaby to Kas before she leaves. She

kisses her forehead and brushes her sister’s cheek before she finally leaves the room.

“I will stay for now. I can say goodbye when she wakes up. Then I will make peace with my fate. I must

help my Agrios. If their wolves come here, please have kindness,” Cora requests in a soft tone as she

watches Kas from the doorway.

I hold my hand out to her, palm up, so she can place hers in mine, extending the courtesy of the more

primal interaction to make her comfortable. When the sensation of her ambient energy courses through

me, I feel Saint howling with happiness. As much as he tries to play it off, it's clear that she is special to

him, too.

“Thank you for helping me understand, Cora. I have another question,” I look her in the eye. She simply

nods with approval to ask, “My guard Marco told me you said you had to be named Persephone. Why

is that?”

“Because of the Waiting Room,” she looks to the ground. For a moment, I think she is going to pull her

hand away, but she keeps it on top of mine, “ The Waiting Room was a gift from Mespyrian. Goddess

of, ahhh... vasanistirio?”

I pull out my phone and finda translator site. hold the phone between us, “Can you say it again?”

She repeats herself tentatively, leaning her face toward the phone, like she’s not sure how it works. I

realize when she backs away, she probably doesn’t know how it works. I look at the translation on the

screen and my eyes go wide.

“The Goddess of Torture?” I feel my voice crack.

“Yes. Goddess Persephone’s daughter. Gift to our Mother in return for honor to her Mother,” Cora

explains.

“So your name was different before Goddess Mespyrian created the Waiting Room?” I ask cautiously. I

can’t imagine having your name taken away from you because someone wants to honor their mother.

“It is no matter, Bronx. A dead name,” she looks at me blankly.

“I know two people who it matters to, Cora,” I point into the room where Kas is sleeping, then at myself.

The indecision on her face looks uncomfortable. She looks in the room again, then back at me.

“Maya,” she says in a whisper, looking to the ground again as if she has said something forbidden.

“Maya, I look forward to raising you. Please, may I?” I gently pull her hand towards me. When I feel her

take a step closer, I wrap her in a hug. She tenses up for a moment, then relaxes in my arms with a

deep sigh.

“Always a good father,” she pats me on the back before she pulls away, “Send for me and I will come to

say my goodbye.” '

I nod and watch as she walks silently down the hall. When she is around the corner, I go back into the

room. I sit in the chair and lean against the side of the bed, letting my arm drape across Kas’s waist.

The ticking of the second hand on the wall clock lulls me into a sense of calm as I admire my beautiful

mate.

What has my life turned into? A world of Greek gods and goddesses? Reincarnated hundreds of

times? My mate gives birth to her sister and vice versa, over and over? It’s all so unbelievable.

My eyes snap open when I feel fingers running through my hair. I sit up witha deep breath and look

around on high alert. Kas is smiling sleepily at me from her spot on the bed. I look up at the clock,

eleven-fifteen a.m.

“Good morning, Sweetheart,” Kas’s voice sounds dry.

“Good morning, Baby. Let me get you some water,” I rub the sleep out of my eyes and grab a cup from

the side table. I push the button on the side of the bed so she can sit up comfortably.

She drinks the water deeply and hands the cup back, clearing her throat, “I didn’t have a premonition,

Bronx. I was somehow able to stop it from happening.”

“Yeah, we figured. I was able to feel your mate bond the whole time you were out. The doctors think it

was a delayed reaction from healing me, then slowing down the entire ballroom, then the news about

you and Cora. You just overdid it,” I sit on the bed facing her, “ Speaking of which, Cora came to see

you. When you're ready, she would like to come say goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” Kas looks startled.

“Yeah, she basically said she needs to get her affairs in order before, well, you know," I purse my lips,

trying to avoid using a more morbid description, “but she wants to see you first.”

“Okay,” her expression on her face drops. She looks out the window fora minute. I sit silently and watch

her. I can see in her face she wants to speak candidly about what's on her mind, but Kas won't talk until

she’s ready. She finally takes a deep breath and looks me square in the eyes. Something seems off.

Somewhere in the depths of her mind, something is brewing. I can sense it.

“Wow. It really is going to take some getting used to,” she smiles, her cheeks flush as she looks at me,

pulling me away from the uneasy sensation.

“What?” I shake my head, smiling back.

“You're even more handsome with two eyes, Bronx. Lex will never shut up now,” she breaks into a

giggle. My heart beat faster hearing my favorite sound.

“Well, maybe later today, we should let her and Saint spend some time together. Then she can see him

with two eyes as well. How does that sound?”

Kas turns her sparkling violet eyes up to the ceiling for a moment, then nods at me with a wink. I watch

as her face goes from happy back to distant. She looks back out the window as if she is searching for

an answer out there and speaks.

“Bronx, I need a little time away. From everything. Just for a few days. I had already spoken to Carly

about

arrangements to go to Paris before we go to Greece for Katherine’s charity event. Maybe Delilah and I

can spenda few extra days on our own before you join us? Just meditation, baking, eating at delicious

restaurants, you know, not thinking about...well...anything really,” she’s still looking out the window with

a distant look on her face, “ Accompanied by guards of course because who knows where that lunatic,

Leticia, could be.”

She pauses and twists her hands against themselves in her lap, “Delilah and I just need a couple days

to make sure the staff at the bakery is good with schedules and responsibilities. And you and I have the

Elder Council trial for Randall to attend. After that, I-I just need some time to think about all of this.

Iknow I can’t change any of it. I just-I need time to absorb it. Does that

make sense?”

“Of course, Kas. Whatever you need, Baby. It makes complete sense. Especially after yesterday. I will

talk to Carly. I will have her arrange for the jet to take you, Delilah, and the guards after the trial. You

take care of what you need to do at the bakery. Don’t worry about a thing. I'll even ask Henri if he can

provide a driver for you in Paris until I get there,” I reassure her as she takes my hand and holds my

palm against the side of her face, smelling my scent from my wrist. It is the most reasonable request I

have heard anyone ask from me in days. It is probably the most reasonable thing Kas has ever asked

me for.

We spend the next half an hour catching up with each other before the doctor comes in. I tell her about

the shadow and the cup changing during the meeting with her sisters.

Understandably, she wants to see the video footage. She tells me more about Tessa and Valor and her

concerns about Tessa’'s wolf. She is serious about Tessa staying at Blood River for treatment. After

everything, she is still worried about others, even if they don’t like her. We agree on a tentative

arrangement for Tessa to stay for treatment, as long as she agrees to it. I let Kas know I will speak with

Tessa and Katherine about it. She says she will speak to Cora and Amari in the meantime. She still

wants to press Amari about the ‘energy vampire’ statement.

When the doctor finally clears her, I help her out of the bed. She stands in front of the mirror, smoothing

her hair before we leave. For an instant ofa moment, I get the sense that she’s standing in a shadow.

Her face seems like it’s in the shadows as I look at her through the mirror. The second I notice it, it’s

gone and the lights are glowing on her again.

“What?” she looks at me through the mirror, running her fingers through her hair.

“I, uh, no, nevermind. I thought, no, it was a trick of the light. Everything’s fine,” I smile and guide her

back to the apartment with my hand comfortably on the small of her back.