Page 7 of His Stolen Queen
But when she asked to refer me for further testing, I declined. Something about being dissected, prodded, and questioned turned my stomach.
As the graduating students started to shuffle forward, I slowly moved with them, grasping my cap to steady it before shaking out my anxious energy.
Suddenly, I felt a tug on the tassel of my ceremonial cap, and I quickly snatched at it, whirling around with a glare to confront the culprit.
"Hey, Al."
My mouth dropped open in shock before a big grin broke across my face. My heavy heart lightened as I lunged at David. He laughed, lifting me for a twirl.
"Watch out for your flowers," he warned.
I accepted the bouquet of colorful mixed flowers with a soft blush. He was always gifting me things whenever he visited. It made me feel special. Wanted.
"What are you doing here?" He told me he couldn't attend my graduation, which had left me a little disappointed. He was the only person I cared about: whose opinion mattered.
He smiled tenderly as he reached out to push a strand of hair away from my face. "I wanted to surprise you. You think I'm going to miss my best friend's graduation?" His dimple popped as he pulled me back in for a hug.
I didn't show much emotion, but David being here meant the world to me. I sank into his warm, familiar embrace, and for the first time in a long time, I felt safe.
***
Acheron
Her slender hand adjusted the mortarboard that lay perfectly on her silky head. Her nervous energy tugged on our cord, wishing I could reach out to soothe her anxiety. She shook her fingers out before wringing them in front of her. Suddenly, a masculine hand reached out to tug at the tassel on her cap.
Alarm.
Surprise.
Shock.
Elation.
Comfort.
Love.
She reached out to tug the faceless blond male figure toward her, his profile obscuring her face as she buried it into his chest.
The scene swirled and faded to black.
I stood and threw the heavy table I was sitting at clear across the room. It broke apart in an almighty crash, wooden pieces flying to the floor. Murderous, jealous rage shot through me, causing my hands to clench with the need to rip something apart. Anything. But mainly,him.
I replayed the scene in my head, knowing that I wouldn't be able to see her face clearly. The most I could catch was the slope of her neck as she turned her head.
Never toward me. The vision faded whenever I felt her gaze pivot to my view.
The pride I felt at seeing a critical juncture in her life quickly disappeared when the unknown man had arrived.
I hadn't seen him before. I hadn't seen anyone near her in my visions. Yet suddenly, this…asshole appeared out of nowhere. He wasn't just a random college friend either. I could feel her emotions through our bond. He was a close friend, or…I swallowed hard, gritting my teeth as I considered the other possibility. I didn't want to think about it in case I thought it into existence.
Von cautiously stepped forward as I paced my chambers. My mood was dark, seething with blazing red anger.
"You had another vision," he stated.
I continued storming about, gripping my hair in desperation at the multitude of emotions coursing through me.
"This one was different," I growled before quickly relaying it to my bond-servant. "He's not a family figure. I-I can feel the closeness between them." I swallowed down the acrid feeling of heartache. "It must mean something that he is suddenly in my visions."
