Chapter 86 Soulmate
Alessia’s POV
The knock sounds again, this time louder and more urgent. I sit up quickly, leaning on the headboard, my heart sinking in my chest. Who could it be? Alex is still bathing, the faint sound of running water from the bathroom can be heard. Whoever is there seems to know we are still awake and needs to talk to one of us urgently. Maybe it’s Luca or Angelica. I get out of the bed slowly. I pick my robe and tie it around my frame before heading towards the door.
“Who is there?” I call softly. There is a brief pause.
“It is I, Frederic” the reply, low and soft.“Can I talk to you alone?”
My heart sinks in my chest.
My stomach clenches.
Sigh. Why him?
Why now?
Alex will not like this.
Frederic’s green eyes flash through my mind as I remember how he watched me during dinner. It wasn’t like the looks the other witches gave me, full of respect or curiosity, just affection and recognition.
I hesitate, looking towards the shut bathroom door. The water is still running. He is not done.
“Give me one second,” I murmur to myself.
I open the door a bit, peeping at him.
Frederic stands in the corridor, still wearing his tunic from dinner, his hood down, long black hair falling down his back, and sharp green eyes fixed on mine. Once again something stirs in my chest, be it a distant memory or a flash of emotion. I don’t know, and I don’t care to find out right now. There are no council members or other coven members standing in the way now. It’s just me and him.
His eyes soften as they land on me. “Alessia, thank you for coming out,” he says quietly.
I scoff, rolling my eyes at him. “Who says I will come out?”
The corner of his mouth tilts into a small smile. “Alessia, you have not changed one bit.”
I let out a deep breath hear we go again, opening the door wider and stepping out of the room, dragging the door shut behind me.
“Frederic, I do not know you.”
“You do,” he whispers softly, “but you can’t remember.”
I don’t respond as we take a few steps towards the empty corridor in silence until we reach a small hidden alcove with low benches. It looks like a spot created for lovers.
I sit. “You can say whatever you want to say here.”
He lets out a deep breath. “You don’t like bacon.”
I gasp. “How did you-?”He smirks. “You never have. You always gave me the bacon strips on your plate.” He begins talking again. “But you love your lemon cakes. We used to steal them from the kitchen.”
My pulse picks up. “Stop talking.”
“You are allergic to blueberries,” he says gently. “It makes you instantly develop hives and your throat itches.” I lean back on the bench in disbelief. He does not stop there.
“You hate the sound of bells when you are tired. You said your ears never stopped ringing.” Curling my fingers into my sides, I stand up.
“All of these can just be good guesses,” I say, even though my voice is shaky and doubtful.
He moves closer. “You like to sleep on your right side, curled into a ball.” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “You blink a lot when you are nervous.” His gaze drops briefly to my eyes, and sure enough I am blinking furiously before he looks away quickly.
I take in a sharp breath, my heart racing. “Who told you all of these things about me?”
“I learned them myself,” he says. “I knew you before your mother took you,” he replies bitterly.
His words are filled with anger and disappointment.
“My mother took me,” I repeat. “Why are you making it sound like she committed a crime?”
Tightening his jaw, “Because it was a crime.”
I shake my head in my mother’s defence. “Mother saved me from all this madness.”
He sighs. “I guess to her she did,” he agrees. “She did love you though, fiercely. No one can deny that fact.”
“Then don’t talk about her as if she made a mistake.”
“Your mother did what she thought was right,” he interrupts softly. “Let’s not argue on whether it was best or not.”
I let out a short laugh. “That’s fine.”
He looks at me for a moment. “But she never told you the truth.”
I turn away from him for a moment.
“You all feel very comfortable saying that, but to her what she did was right.”
I can feel his eyes on me, and I turn around. Something raw and painful flashes in their depths. “You are destined to be with someone here, Alessia.”
My name on his lips sounds different, reverent.
“Who was I promised to?” I whisper in shock.
“To me.” He whispers confidently
Silence settles between us. I don’t even know what to say again. Like, what the hell? How could Mom allow such a Neanderthal practice?
“That does not make any sense,” I finally say. “I am with someone.”
“I am aware,” he replies. “Alex, Mafia lord. He seems to be a good man.”
I turn to him again, wanting to see if he is being sarcastic, but I see nothing but truth in his eyes.
“Have you been watching him as well?”
“No. I met him for the first time when you arrived, but I notice how protective of you he is.”
A shiver slides down my back. “Yes, he is good to me.”
“You are not supposed to be with anyone else,” he says, words laced with pain.
“You are my soulmate. We were bound by the covenant long before you could talk.”
My chest hurts, a sort of hollow ache, and I can’t understand why his pain is feeling like my pain.
“I don’t feel like I have a bond with you,” I say, even though my voice is shaky.
“You feel it,” he answers quietly, “but you are not ready to accept it yet.”
I shake my head.
“I have heard enough ,I need to get back to Alex.”
Stepping back, I face him once more. “All of this is too much.”
“I am not going to force you,” he says. “I will never. I just wanted you to know the whole truth. You are loved here deeply.”
I swallow hard. “So what do you want me to do with the information?”
“Nothing,” he says.
“Tonight I just wanted to look into your eyes again, to know if you are okay.”
“Look, Frederic, I-”
I don’t get to finish as the door to our room is swung wide open and Alex steps into the corridor, a towel hanging low on his hips.
“What the hell is going on here?”