Chapter 67: A Bond Beyond Reason

“The whole perimeter is secure,” Guinevere said confidently as she led Audrey up to the third floor. “I’ll be on watch all night. Even if five vampires tried to ambush us, I’d take them all down before they even made it close enough to breathe on a window.”

Audrey followed closely behind, grateful that Stone wasn’t in sight. She wasn’t emotionally ready to face him yet. Her thoughts were too tangled—too raw. What would she even say? Part of her wished she could undo everything—rewind her life back to the simple days before fate had brought Stone and the others into her world. But if he really was her soulmate, wasn’t it inevitable that their paths would cross one way or another?

“Guinevere?” Audrey called softly as they reached the landing.

Guinevere paused mid-step, turning slightly with a raised brow.

“What were the odds that I’d run into you that day at the coffee shop? I mean… what if we’d never met there?”

Guinevere tilted her head thoughtfully. “Well, that depends. If we hadn’t caught your scent the night you moved in, it might have taken us a little longer to find you. But eventually? Yes. The matebond has a way of pulling people together.”

Audrey blinked at her, a strange memory tugging at the edges of her mind. “That night… when I nearly hit something on the road—was that… were you there?”

Guinevere stopped walking, her expression sobering. “You nearly ran into Carina. The vampire we think is behind the threat on your life.”

Audrey’s blood went cold. “So, it started back then. Right when I moved in with Dan.”

Guinevere nodded. “But Carina didn’t know who you were—didn’t recognize your connection to Stone. She vanished before she could track your scent. We were hidden in the trees nearby. Even though your scent was faint through the car, we caught it.”

“So, even if I hadn’t gone to that coffee shop, you’d still have found me eventually?” Audrey asked, heart pounding.

“Most likely,” Guinevere replied with a quiet smile. “The matebond is… persistent.”

Audrey let out a breath, pressing her palm to her aching temple. “Matebond?”

Guinevere chuckled lightly. “Yeah, think of it as supernatural chemistry. That magnetic pull toward your soulmate. No matter how much you try to resist it, it only gets stronger with time.”

That explained so much. The way Stone had affected her from the moment they met—the way he seemed to see into her soul and push her away all at once.

“So, there’s no real way to fight it?” Audrey murmured.

“Not really. Resistance is rare. But you, my dear, are a rare case,” Guinevere said with a wink as she stopped in front of a door and opened it. “You’re human. And engaged.”

“Fiancé,” Audrey corrected automatically, though the word sounded hollow on her tongue. It didn’t feel right anymore.

Guinevere’s mouth tightened slightly but she nodded. “Exactly. That complicates things. That’s why Stone held back. He didn’t want to overwhelm you with everything all at once. And our world doesn’t exactly encourage… cross-species relationships.”

Audrey flinched. “Let’s not even go there. I’m already overwhelmed.”

Guinevere pushed the door open, revealing a room that radiated calm and quiet strength. The large king-sized bed sat centered against one wall, flanked by matching dark wooden furniture that looked hand-crafted. A tall bookshelf, a worn leather reading chair, and a heavy oak chest at the foot of the bed completed the space. The room was masculine but comforting.

Stone’s scent lingered in the air, faint but deeply familiar. It wrapped around her like a memory and stirred emotions she didn’t know how to name. Without his intense gaze and overwhelming presence, she found herself breathing easier, though her heart ached with confusion.

Her stomach chose that moment to let out a loud growl, betraying her hunger.

Guinevere grinned. “I’ll find something for you to eat. I figured this room might ground you a bit. Take a moment to rest—I won’t be long.”

She disappeared down the hall, her footsteps fading, leaving Audrey alone in the stillness.

Audrey wandered further into the room, running her fingers along the edge of the bed’s duvet. The crisp white bedding with bold black trim looked too perfect to disturb, but her body yearned for rest. Still, something drew her toward the bookshelf.

It was lined with antique hardcovers, yellowed with age, but it was the photographs that stole her attention.

The first frame held a snapshot of Guinevere in the 1950s—leaning against the sea-green hood of a vintage Chevy, dressed in a pink poodle skirt and white blouse. Her hair was styled in soft ringlets, her smile radiant and carefree.

Audrey’s lips curved at the edges. Guinevere hadn’t aged a day. Only her fashion sense had shifted with the decades.

The next photo showed her in the late 1980s, dressed in high-waisted denim shorts and a knotted crop top, laughing with the Grand Canyon as a backdrop. Her hair was wild and voluminous, the epitome of the era.

The third was black and white. A glamour portrait from the 1920s. Guinevere’s hair was cut in a sleek bob, a pearl necklace gracing her neck—the very same one Audrey now realized she wore even today. Her pose was elegant, but her eyes… her eyes held a sorrow that reached across time.

Next to those were three photos of Gawain.

In the first, he sat in the passenger seat of the same 1950s Chevy, burger in hand and a crooked smile on his face. The second had him squinting into the sun, the Grand Canyon sprawling behind him. And the third—an old black-and-white portrait—mirrored Guinevere’s. Gawain’s expression was serious, almost haunted, as if he too bore the weight of years gone by.

Audrey was still staring when she heard footsteps again.

“I hope spam will do for now,” Guinevere said as she entered the room, a small plate in hand.

Audrey turned, fingers instinctively reaching up to the pearls at her neck. “You haven’t aged a day,” she said softly, eyes flicking to the old photos. “Not one.”

Guinevere offered a wistful smile. “There’s a lot time can’t touch. But there’s also a lot it changes.”

Audrey accepted the plate, heart heavier than ever. She stood between two worlds—one she’d always known and one she was only just beginning to understand. And in the center of it all, stood a choice that could tear hearts apart—hers most of all.