CALLIE
I jolt up in the bed when something brushes across my back. Looking behind me, I suck in a breath when I see him in my bed. Immediately, I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around him from behind. Slowly he turns in my arms, wrapping his around me. My head pillows on his bicep, and his other arm drapes across my waist.
“What… how… you’re really here?” I question. His answering smile makes my heart flop over in my chest for the first time in what feels like forever.
He brings his hand up to trail his fingers down my cheek before his palm rests on it and his fingers tangle in my hair. This time it’s not slow, it’s not sweet. There is no second-guessing, no waiting for the other to accept. Our lips crash together, tongues tangling.
We jerk apart, and he falls off my twin-sized bed at the sound of the door opening. “Auntie Calth, are you coming down for breakfath? Mommy thayth we can’t open prethenth until you eat,” Macie says. I roll over to look at her while she rubs her eyes. One jammy pant leg hiked up on her calf. Reaching a hand up, I feel my swollen lips, and for the first time in what feels like forever, a genuine smile adorns my face.
“I’ll be out in a few minutes, sweet girl. Save me some chocolate milk, will you?” She nods and leaves the door cracked as she turns around and heads back down the hall.
I hold my breath, pull myself to the side of the bed, and look over the edge.
“Good morning,” he says. “We do have a slight problem.”
“You’re all the way down there?” I guess, a smile spreading across my face.
He sits up and rubs his elbow. “Damn, that hurt. But no, that is not the problem. I seem to be lacking clothes.” He looks down at his old-timey undergarments, gesturing down his body with his hand, his brown hair falls forward as he does.
“That’s my favorite part,” I reply, giggling as he leaps onto the bed, tickling me. “Stop, stop, stop.” I laugh.
“Callie, who’s in there with you?” Andy demands from the doorway. The beast immediately pulls his hands away and I turn around, a guilty look on my face.
Quickly, I make my way to the door. “Hey, Andy, can you ask Jake for a set of clothes?” I ignore his question.
He rolls his eyes and makes his way down the hallway. “I knew there was something going on with you! All this time I’ve been questioning why you wouldn’t come back to me. How could you move on so quickly? Are you some sort of harlot?” the beast whisper-shouts as soon as Andy’s footsteps fade.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I growl as I get out of bed and push my door closed so I can change. I yank my pajama top over my head, pulling my bra on and securing it in place. Grabbing a shirt from my suitcase, I tug it over my head and then slide my pajama pants down my legs. I stand staring at my jeans, trying to decide on what pair to wear today while I wait for his response.
“Does your husband,” he hisses the word like it’s dirty before continuing, “know that you’ve been parading around with men in other worlds?”
A laugh bubbles out of me before I can stop it. I clutch my sides as I convulse in laughter I can’t get to stop. “You think… I’m married… and sleep in… that tiny bed?” I finish, gasping for breath.
He stands and looks down at the bed for the first time. My twin-sized childhood bed. “Then who is...” He trails off. I don’t have a chance to answer before there is another knock on my door.
Quickly, I pull my pants on and move to it, opening the door and quickly grabbing the clothes from Andy’s outstretched hand. “We’ll be out in a minute,” I snap, closing the door in his face.
“That”—I jerk my chin at the closed door—“is one of my brothers, you overbearing, idiotic, infuriating beast.”
Setting the clothes on the bed for him, I angrily make my way across the hall to the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair. By the time I make it back to my room, he’s dressed in Jake’s clothes.
I close the door behind me and stand leaning against my door, arms crossed, waiting for him to say something. He looks at the ground, eyebrows draw down. “You should really stop doing that,” I say and he looks up, multi-colored eyes meeting mine.
He takes one, two, three steps before stopping right in front of me. “I’m sorry, I’ve made an ass out of myself,” he states.
“Yes, you have.” I nod in agreement. Slowly, I bring my hand up to his face, his eyes close as I gently run my fingers over the scars. They’re fainter than I remember. His hands move to rest on my waist, and he pulls me into him gently.
He moves his hands to my face and runs his nose along mine as he breathes out his next words, “I truly am an ass, and I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ve truly breathed since you left.”
This time when our lips touch, it’s sweet, an apology. Gently, I push him back. “It’s Christmas, and if we don’t get out there to eat with the family, all the kids will break down my door.”
He steps back from me, letting go of my face and trailing one of his hands down my arm to entwine his fingers with mine. I step away from the door and open it, leading him out to meet the rest of my family.
My dad stands when we enter the kitchen, looking between me and the beast. “Callie, who’s this?” Dad asks.
Mom turns around from where she’s getting plates loaded and drops the utensil from her hand. It clatters across the floor. “Mom, Dad, this is—”
“Honey, we’ve already met Mason,” she says. “Though, and I hope you don’t think me rude for saying this, he didn’t have those scars the last time he was here. And his eyes were both brown, I think.”
My head spins to look at him and it’s then I see it, and how I missed it, I have no idea. If you take away the scars, the beard, cut his hair and his eyes were the same color, they would look like the same person.
He leans into me, wrapping his arm around my waist and breathes into my ear, “It’s important to remember looks can be deceiving.” I gasp, my hand coming up to my mouth as tears come to my eyes. Quickly, I make my way back to my room, ignoring everyone I see along the way. He follows close behind, blocking me from closing him out. “Callie, talk to me,” he coaxes gently.
Reluctantly, I let him into the room and close and lock the door behind him. “Explain,” is the only word that comes out of my mouth. Words have escaped me in the inner turmoil I’m feeling. How could I not have seen it?
He sits on the bed and it creaks softly beneath his weight. Running his fingers through his loose hair, he collects his thoughts while I stare down at him. He takes a deep breath before starting. “You already know I was sent to the prison world many, many years ago. You also know that we have no idea who’s been sending us there.” He looks at me for confirmation. I nod, acknowledging the information.
“When Zev first came to tell me you had entered the prison world. Something within him knew, I don’t know if it was your scent or just the magic of the place, but he knew that you were the one from the prophecy.
“When I entered the dining room on that first night you were in the castle, when I met you, or, more accurately, when I caught you before you hit the ground at our first meeting.” He holds back a laugh before continuing, “Holding you in my arms, seeing you, I knew then. I knew there was something different about you. It was like my heart started beating for the first time in my life.
“Every time we were together, I couldn’t help but watch you out of the corner of my eye. Those first few days, those days you thought that I couldn’t talk, I was afraid of scaring you away.” He takes several breaths while he gathers his thoughts again.
“But it wasn’t until the kiss, if that short brush of our lips can truly be called that. It wasn’t until the kiss that something happened, which I don’t quite know how to explain.” He pauses for a moment before continuing. “All these memories started rushing into my brain. From what I can figure, from the time I was banished to the prison world, I have lived many lives here, in your world. Almost three hundred years of being born, living, and dying suddenly flooded my mind at just that one brief touch.
“From that point on, you’ve been all I can think about. Kenna and Zev have been incredibly unpleased with my behavior these last months.” He looks down at his hands.
My chest rises and falls. I slide down the door to sit on the ground, keeping my eyes on him the entire time. “How can you be so sure?” I ask.
His eyes meet mine. “How can I be so sure of what?”
“That I am the one from the prophecy?”
“I can’t, not really. Not until you truly destroy the prison world. But deep down…” He presses his hand to his chest. I mirror him without realizing it. “Deep down, I know. You can’t tell me you don’t feel it, too.”
“Then why haven’t you been here?” My words are barely a whisper. I remember all the times Mason made promises he didn’t keep. All the times he didn’t call or text me back.
“Since our kiss, I have been trapped in the prison world. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get back to you.” He rises and moves to stand in front of me. He holds out his hand to help me up and I place mine in his.
“But I passed my days remembering when you came back to me and I was able to get better. My fever broke, and I was able to walk again. With my memories, I know that’s when I was here as Mason and spent the day with you and your parents.”
I let him pull me into him as he again pulls me into his arms. I rest my head against his chest and wrap my arms around him in return, and he kisses the top of my head. “As for this last year… I have no idea what’s been keeping us apart. But if I ever find out what or who it was, I’ll tear them apart with my bare hands.
“But something else happened with that kiss. It’s like two halves of myself finally merged back together. It’s like the person who banished me to the prison world just banished part of me. And now, I’m whole again. I suspect that’s why the scars are more faded than in the prison world, and why my eyes stayed two different colors. Both versions of me have now melded together to become one again.”
I run my fingers carefully over his scars. “Do you remember now how you got these?”
He shakes his head before squeezing me tighter and replying, “Now, how about we go back out there and I can meet the rest of the family?” I nod against his chest before pulling back. “But first…” He tugs me to him, kissing me briefly before releasing me.
* * *
“So you’re the boy-toy,” Jen says when we settle at the breakfast table.
“Jen!” I screech. She laughs before taking another bite of her cinnamon roll. “Don’t think just because you’re holding that baby that I won’t smack you,” I threaten.
“Can you believe how violent your Auntie Cals is? Someone should really teach her manners,” she tells baby Lily.
“I tried,” Mom responds. “These kids never listened to their mom.”
“Hey! What did we do?” Jake and Andy say at the same time.
Mom gives them her knowing look and they both shrink in their chairs. “That’s what I thought.”
I look over at Mason, and he shakes in suppressed laughter. Under the table, I pinch his thigh and he laughs harder.
“So, Mason, what are your intentions with our sister?” Jake asks.
I groan and rest my head on my crossed arms on the table. Mason reaches over and starts rubbing his fingertips up and down my back and goosebumps break out all over my body.
“I’m going to marry her,” he states, fully confident in what he says. I lift my head slightly to see my family’s reaction. Their traitorous nods tell me everything I need to know. He’s completely won them over.
I sit back up and take my first bite of cinnamon roll. The perfect roll melts in my mouth and I moan at how good it tastes. Mom could put Cinnabon out of business, I swear.
When the kids come and start stalking us in the dining room, we quickly finish the rest of our breakfast and throw away our plates before moving into the living room. I sit on the floor in front of Mason, who sits on the couch. He plays with my hair as we watch everyone around the room.
Dad passes out everyone’s presents and the kids’ faces light up while they open both things they’ve asked for, and the things they need, like new underwear and socks. Tucker groans when he opens up his undergarments and the adults all laugh at how over-the-top he is.
When Mason’s fingers drift to making small circles on my neck, I relax further into his legs. My head tilts to the side, leaning against his knee to give him better access. The kids run off to play with their presents. Adults clear away the trash and start organizing the presents the kids left to make leaving in the morning easier.
Reluctantly, I pull away from him, standing and extending my hand to him. “I want to show you something.” He places his hand in mine and stands. “Hey, Dad, can Mason borrow your coat?”
“Sure, sweetie, you know where it is.”
We bundle up, and he snags Jake’s boots for his feet and we make our way outside. I lead him through the trees. The snow crunches under our feet and we leave footprints in the snow. He takes my hand in his while we walk through the trees. I know just the spot I want to show him.
We stop at the base of a large tree, one we helped my father build a treehouse in when I was a kid. “I used to come up here when I was a kid and spend the day reading. It’s been years since I’ve climbed up there, but it will give us some privacy.”
I grasp the tallest ladder rung I can and start to climb. “Well, I’ve got a pretty fantastic view. I may just wait here for you to finish. For safety reasons, of course.”
Looking behind me, I see he’s staring directly at my ass as I climb. Rolling my eyes and laughing, I focus my eyes back on the climb so I don’t fall.
When I open the trapdoor, the dust flies around me. I lift myself the rest of the way in and wait for him to join me.
He makes it up, and I close the trapdoor behind us. Looking around, I try to picture everything as if I was seeing it for the first time. “It’s cozy up here,” he says before reaching out and pulling me to him.
His fingers tangle in my blonde hair as he brings my face to his and kisses me. I sigh when our lips touch and wrap my arms around him. He slowly unzips my coat and I shudder because the cold air is better able to reach me. I reach up and slide his coat zipper down, and wind my arms around him, slowly lifting the edge of his shirt so I can touch his bare skin.
Our lips stay connected, tongues dancing, breaths coming faster and harder. I start to move my fingers beneath the top of his pants and he pulls back. He holds me back with his hand and I take in deep breaths of cold air, waiting for him to speak.
“Callie… we… can’t. It… wouldn’t be… proper.”
I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up my throat. When I see his face doesn’t change, I realize he’s serious. “Wait, you’re joking, right?”
“I am most certainly not joking,” he replies, and I zip my coat back up. “Are things really so different in your time?” I glance up from my zipper, an incredulous look on my face. “I mean, I know they are. I have the memories. But in my time, it’s so ingrained in us to be married first.” He gives me one last lingering kiss before leaning down and opening the trapdoor, leading the way out.