IRIS
When the excitement and emotions had calmed down a little, Aidan guided us into one of the big mansions. It wasnât anything like the one in Antaris, but it was still really beautiful.
Considering that these were actually the houses in which the soldiers and trainers lived, I had to admit that they lived in sheer luxury. Aidan seemed to be respected here; he was greeted by so many people on the way to one of the mansions.
Everyone who stopped him briefly greeted me too, celebrating my arrival in Antaris. As soon as someone approached me, Aidan looked at Avery every single time.
It was as if he was asking for his permission. And Avery himself didnât seem particularly enthusiastic about all the men paying attention to me.
It wasnât just me who noticed his behavior; Ava did too, and she was laughing her head off.
When we were finally alone and Aidan closed the door behind us, I sat down on one of the comfortable couches in the lounge, which reeked of pure elegance. Avery sat next to me, not letting go of my hand, while the others sat around us in a circle.
The girl who fought with my brother introduced herself as Inna. I was immediately aware that she was the girl from my memory, the one who threw water at us.
She formed exactly the same circles of water as I had seen her forming earlier. Even as a child she was beautiful, and now as a grown woman she was even more beautiful.
Her matted blue hair and extremely azure eyes stood out even more because of her beautiful sun-kissed skin. She was beautiful and clearly controlled the water.
~I wonder if she was a Mermaid?~ Her skin became slightly scaly when it came into contact with water.
But not like fish; it was delicate and barely visible.
âYes, she is a Mermaid... and not just any Mermaid. She is Princess Inna, the only descendant of the royal family of sea creatures,â Jade replied.
I gave Jade a glance, and she immediately realized that her mind reading was quite irritating. But Ava just laughed out loud.
âSheâs not doing this on purpose,â she said, giggling.
I knew that, and my amused look at Jade made her laugh out loud as well.
âMy dear Iris, we were very good friends when we were kids. Your leaving shook us all... Aidan was devastated and until today he was waiting for your return,â said Inna, smiling warmly.
My brother didnât take his gaze off me. It was as if he couldnât believe his eyes that I was sitting in the same room with him.
His gaze revealed many things... pain and suffering, hope... joy... happiness, all because of me.
I was so happy that I was able to remember something again. And now, with this new feeling inside me, it was as if I had known about Aidan my whole life.
It was like a missing piece of the jigsaw had been put into my brain. I smiled lovingly at Aidan, and he returned the same smile.
âI have so much to tell you...â Aidanâs voice was quiet, but everyone in the room fell silent as soon as he began to speak.
âMe too,â I answered him.
His gaze became sad, almost hurt, as he glanced at me. So many years had passed and my little brother wasnât so little anymore.
He had grown into a real man, and a handsome one too. I wondered what Father and Mother would say.
Father would be proud, I was sure.
Jade let out a sad sigh, and I turned to her. Of course she knew what I was thinking about; she could feel the pain in me and the questions that were piling up.
But her eyes also told me that I was right and that our parents would definitely be happy.
âWhat did you mean a moment ago when you asked Avery if he told me? Tell me what?â I asked my brother.
The glances between Aidan and Avery were both funny and worrying. It was as if they were making an agreement with their glances, deciding who would tell me what it was about.
âMaybe I could explain to her?â Ava asked as she sat down next to me.
Noah released a big sigh. âDo you really think you should explain that?â he asked with a laugh.
âOh come on... I promise Iâm taking this very seriously,â she replied.
Aidan and Avery both nodded, obviously leaving it to Ava to explain.
âWe mystical beings have always been connected to our amicus⦠a deep, spiritual connection that has been with us from birth. However, our bond is not limited to animals. Each of us has a soulmate⦠one true love. We can only love once in our livesâand thatâs our fated mate,â Ava spoke in a soft voice as her eyes drifted between Avery and me.
I was trying to understand what she was talking about. Soulmates.
We could only fall in love once. Is that why Iâd never had a boyfriend in my life?
I couldnât fall in love with someone because I hadnât found my soulmate? If that was the case, maybe Iâd still be a virgin when I was thirty.
Jade spat out her drink with a violent coughing fit; it almost flew through the air like mist. I put my hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter.
The poor thing would have a heart attack from my thoughts. She was bright red, and so was I as everyone looked back and forth between her and me.
âIâm sorry,â I told her.
Jade shook her head with a laugh, without telling anyone what it was about. The amusement in her eyes told me how funny she thought it was.
Ava cleared her throat to get everyoneâs attention again. While she looked from me to Jade, she continued, âWhen we turn eighteen, our subconscious sends us dreams in which we see who is destined for us. And until we find our love, we will feel incomplete, as if a part of us is missing⦠This happened to Avery three years ago⦠when he dreamed of you on his eighteenth birthday, Iris.
âHe searched for you for three years. And he never gave up! And the day your grandmother used her power, he sensed that you were in danger⦠thatâs how we found you. With a little help from Jade,â Ava added, as she smiled in Jadeâs direction.
I tried to understand what Ava was telling me. She said that we only fell in love once in a lifetime, and that this love was forever⦠and that I was the love of Avery? ~Me?~
I was the love of the most perfect man I had ever seen in my life? My eyes flitted from Ava to Jade, who was rubbing the bridge of her nose to keep from bursting out laughing again.
She was trying so hard that her ears turned bright red. My thoughts must have been unbearable to her, and I certainly didnât blame her for considering it all so funny.
I looked at the faces of everyone present and saw only agreement. I also looked at the hands of Jade and Noah and then at the intertwined fingers of me and Avery.
I looked up at Averyâs eyes and saw the purple glow.
He was looking at me as he waited for my reaction. All I could manage was to open my mouth a few times, and close it again.
âWhen you saw Avery⦠did it seem to you that everything around you became silent? As if your meeting was happening in slow motion? While you were looking at the perfect man, who seemed to you like a prince from a fairy tale?â Ava asked me.
I nodded shyly as Avery held my hand even tighter.
âBut at that time I didnât even know that Antaris existed. And now I was hearing this happened because our souls recognized each other.
âThe feeling of closeness and security that you feel when you are with me is a soulmate connection. My desire to hold your hand is the only way to be close to you. Since you donât remember everything yet, your powers are limited and therefore you do not feel the full strength of our connection.
âI donât want to scare youâ¦I donât want you to be under pressureâ¦thatâs why Iâll wait for the day when you remember everything, and feel the Love for meâ¦â Avery said quietly.
I could hear Jade exhaling deeply. She knew I already had very strong feelings for Avery.
âAnd until then, let me comfort myself while holding your handâ¦whenever I have the chance,â he added as he lifted my hand to his mouth.
His tender lips touched the surface of my hand, only for a secondâ¦without breaking his gaze as he looked deep into my eyes.
The feeling I had when we first met, the warmth I feltâ¦the intimacy and trust I felt for Avery, it all made sense now.
âMy soulmate is Inna,â Aidan said while holding the blue-haired girl on his lap.
âNoah found his soulmate in Jade⦠And Elian found him in Alvar,â he added.
I raised my eyebrows when I realized everyone around me was obviously a couple.
âIâm the only one forever aloneâ¦â Ava declared, falling dramatically onto the couch cushion.
Ohâ¦so not everyone found their soulmate.
âOh yes, I dreamed⦠I have dreamt about him every night for two years already. But I never see his face. All these years, itâs like heâs been hiding from me. The only thing I know is his voiceâ¦â Ava replied sadly.
So I couldnât even dream about Avery because of the mental block in my head. I felt bad about it; he was searching for me for so long, and I didnât even know he existed.
I looked at my new friends⦠friends⦠my first real friends and the only ones I ever had.
I felt sad because I didnât remember everything, and it seemed to me that Avery might be disappointed because our relationship wasnât like theirs.
Jade smiled at me. âBut you will remember, Iris. And then everything will be as it should be. You just need a little time,â she told me.
And for the first time, I was happy that she calmed me down by reading my thoughts.
âOur parents were mates⦠if the bond is accepted, then itâs the perfect fulfillment of our souls,â Aidan explained.
I blinked a couple of times. It made sense now. Father left the dark side because of the mate bond.
âBut⦠I want to remember,â I whispered.
Avery reached for my hand. âI can see it, Iris⦠youâre not fighting us. Youâre fighting back to us, and Iâd endure any second of waiting for that,â he said tenderly.
But did I really fight enough?