Mates in Life and Death (14 page)

day after their arrival at the Hart compound, they’d received word that

in the ruins of what had been Timber Lake, Wolfram found Willow’s

remains, most likely in the spot corresponding to her bed—where

she’d died.

The Harts arranged a beautiful ceremony for her. She would be

the first human ever to be entombed on spirit wolf land. It was an

honor Linden appreciated greatly, and he knew his mother did as well.

It didn’t hurt him to watch her remains disappear in the black

ground. If anything, it made him happy because he knew she’d have

liked for her final resting place to be like this, surrounded by the

beauty of nature. But more importantly, he knew her soul no longer

inhabited this space.

Sometimes, he still felt her lingering presence, like a breath of a

warm spring breeze. He couldn’t see her, not like before, but in his

heart, he had the certainty she watched over him still. Even now, he

felt the rich scent of ginseng and roses invading his nostrils,

enveloping him in an almost tactile embrace.

Linden knelt by her grave and kissed the white rose in his hand.

He threw it down over the casket and whispered, “It’s okay now. You

can go rest.”

For so long, she’d lingered in this world, just to watch over him. It

was time for her to be free. “We’ll see each other again. I promise.”

Mates in Life and Death

95

Linden felt both her hesitation and affection deep in his heart. At

last, phantom arms engulfed him in a surprisingly tight embrace. “I

love you, Linden,” she whispered.

After that one last spiritual effort, the soothing flowery scent

began to dissipate, until at last, it disappeared altogether.

Linden got up and watched the ongoing process almost absently.

She truly was gone now. He felt odd, bereft, but also, to a certain

extent, relieved. Above all else, he wanted his mother to be happy.

Strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him against a hard

chest.”You all right, beautiful?” Ash murmured in his ear.

Linden nodded. He appreciated his two mates giving him a

moment of privacy, but now, their presence meant more to him than

anything in the world.

Dan took his hand and kissed it. “She’ll find her way back to us.

I’m sure of it.”

Of course she would. It made sense. After all, Linden and Dan

met again in this life, and they’d encountered their third as well. The

future lay open in front of them, a wide realm of possibilities, and

right now, Linden had plenty of time to wait, love, and live.

According to Drew, the claiming changed his DNA structure, so

Linden would essentially live longer and stop aging altogether. Drew

couldn’t be certain, but Linden’s abilities might even grow further, in

time. But even if that happened, his mates would be by his side and

aid him through it.

The funeral ended, and the three of them headed back. Their

extended family waited a few feet away, having joined Linden for the

ceremony. Even the Magistrate had come, something that surprised

Linden greatly.

“Thank you for being here,” he told everyone. “And my thanks to

you, My Lord, for honoring us with your presence.”

Wolfram shook his head. “Thank you for allowing me to witness

something private. I’m afraid I can’t stay longer, but I will be visiting

again soon.”

96

Scarlet Hyacinth

Wolfram extended his hand to say good-bye in a warrior salute.

Linden wasn’t exactly a warrior, but he went with it, regardless. As he

touched Wolfram’s palm, a flash went in front of his eyes, and a sense

of terrible loneliness invaded him, not his own, but belonging to the

man in front of him. And he sensed something else, something he

couldn’t quite grasp. A light loomed ahead, shrouded by a dark cloud.

Wolfram let go of his hand before Linden could figure out what it

was. He narrowed his eyes at Linden. “You should learn to control

your abilities,” he said. He didn’t sound angry, but he clearly wasn’t

happy about having his mind burst into.

Linden nodded wordlessly and watched as Wolfram said his good-

byes to everyone else. As Wolfram walked away, Paulie, Andrew

Blunt’s son, appeared by Linden’s side. “Don’t worry,” he whispered.

“I don’t think he’s upset with you.”

Linden offered Paulie a small smile. He got along great with the

young human. They were closest in age and shared similar interests.

Just like Linden, Paulie was shy and new in the world of the spirit

wolves.

“I beg to differ,” Clay Hart offered. “You never know where to go

and what to do when the Magistrate is around.”

Linden didn’t know what to say to that. In his mind, premonitions

emerged once again. What would their future really hold?

THE END

HTTP://SCARLETHYACINTH.WEBS.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native Romanian, Scarlet was born in 1986 and grew up an avid

fan of Karl May and Jules Verne, reading fantasy stories and

adventure. Later, when she was out of fantasy stories to read, she

delved into her mother’s collection of book and, of course, stumbled

onto romance.

As a writer though, Scarlet Hyacinth was born one sunny summer

day, when a dear friend of hers—the same friend who introduced her

to GLBT fiction—proposed they start writing a story of their own. As

it turns out, the two friends never did finish that particular story, but

Scarlet discovered she had a knack for writing and ended up starting

to write individually. And so, between working on her dissertation,

studying for exams, and reading yaoi manga, she started writing the

Kaldor Saga. Along the way, Scarlet met a lot of wonderful people

who supported her, and in the end, she found her story a home and, in

the process, fulfilled a beautiful dream.

Also by Scarlet Hyacinth

Siren Classic ManLove: Kaldor Saga 1:
Enraptured

Siren Classic ManLove: Kaldor Saga 2:
Over the Edge

Siren Classic ManLove: Kaldor Saga 3:
Destinies in Darkness, Part 1

Siren Classic ManLove: Kaldor Saga 3:
Destinies in Darkness, Part 2

Siren Classic ManLove: Kaldor Saga 4:
Mending Shattered Souls

Siren Classic ManLove: Deadly Mates 1:
Moon’s Sweet Poison

Siren Classic ManLove: Deadly Mates 2:
Wings of Moonlight

Ménage Amour ManLove: Deadly Mates 3:
Spell of the Predator’s

Moon

Ménage Amour ManLove: Deadly Mates 4:
Dragon’s Bloodmoon

Ménage Amour ManLove: Spirit Wolves 1:
A Mate Beyond Their

Reach

Ménage Amour ManLove:
The Three Horsemen of the Black Forest

Siren Allure ManLove:
Truth and Deception

Siren Classic ManLove: Sequel to
Truth and Deception
:
Reborn

Ménage Amour ManLove:
Fire of the Four Seasons

Available at

BOOKSTRAND.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

• MATES IN LIFE AND DEATH
  
• THE END