Touched

"If I could go back and say goodbye,

I wouldn't.

Because Goodbyes imply forever and

Somewhere inside myself,

I knew that I would find my way back to you."

**

One last look.

And she was gone.

'No.'

Her beautiful yellow-gold eyes, blazed and all at once she was out of his reach. He didn't hear the last words the Matrone spoke or his brother's comments. He didn't hear the spectators roar in approval and enjoyment at the conclusion of their ritual. All he saw was the Matrone stepping through the portal which then fell in on itself, lit up like a supernova and faded away.

'No.'

He didn't notice when the council spoke, when the families were commemorated and the Morvant's received their compensation. He didn't care that the Coliseum was emptying as people moved out swiftly back to the following celebrations. He watched the families of the Maidens, stand just as numb as he felt.

'No.'

Luciano sat in self-imposed numbness. He felt as if his mind, his soul and his heart had passed through the veil with her, never to return. His body exploded and rearranged and he found himself standing in the arena floor. He stared in the direction of the portal. His gaze moved over every inch, hoping she'd pop back. Hoping it was a cruel joke.

'This can't—'

He looked down to find the dragon stone, it was beautiful. One of a kind. Even more beautiful was the emerald green and sparks of gold that moved within it, as if alive. His eyes watered. His fist clenched. '

This- This thing is the only thing left of her...'

"Luciano."

He gazed back, finding Katrina's mother, Jennifer. Her face savaged by grief. Her mate stood behind her, staring down at the large jewel. Katrok and Joshua stood beside their father, their eyes empty. A tugging pushed Luciano's chest and he stumbled to one knee before her. He looked up at her beautiful blue eyes, they looked too large for her thin face. Jennifer pressed a palm to his cheek, her hands trembling.

"We tried to convince her to tell you. To give you time to adjust." Her soft whispered barely registered in his numb brain. "This must all seem very sudden to you... She's had this burden since she was born but nothing- nothing stopped her from living her life the way she wanted to. Our beautiful

Kella,

She's made us proud. So proud as she stood there and fought for herself. She was stunning wasn't she?" Her mother spoke with a far away tone. Luciano pressed his face into her palm, as if being close to Lady Morvant could somehow bring back the daughter she birthed. His own words from last night echoed through his mind. '

You are stunning.'

"You meant the world to her, Luciano... When you need to talk. We'll be here to listen. We'll hold this beautiful rock of hers and maybe a little piece of our little star will come back." Jennifer Morvant's voice shook. She didn't cry but her voice betrayed her. Jennifer hands trembled as they moved away and she leaned back against her mate, drained.

"Take me home, mate. Our little Kella is gone." Rubio Morvant held his mate tightly. His gaze drifting to the spot where the portal had been and thought numbly, '

Kella.'

Katrok and Joshua picked up the large stone. They vanished without saying a word. Rubios wrapped an arm around his mate, her face pressed tightly to his chest, her body trembled in his arms and they were gone.

**

Raven approached his brother, several hours after the Morvant family had departed. He watched his brother's numb expression, could only imagine the turmoil inside him.

"You knew."

Luciano's accusing words rang out. The unaffected Raven stared at him, unwilling to answer what they both knew to be true. He let out a sigh at Luciano's narrowed gaze.

"It was not my place to say but yes, I suspected. Didn't you ever wonder why our parents brought you two together? Or insisted she accompany you while she was still so young... She always knew... She understood what they expected and the consequences of keeping it from you. Even so, she was very brave. Refused to guilt you into a sense of responsibility you did not possess."

Luciano stood quiet, unlike the roaring fire that spread through his soul.

Life, or what was left of it, seeming colorless. What once was bright and enticing, filled with wonder and adventure, that which had called out to him like a siren was now grey. As she walked through that portal what he'd considered his heart, his soul which he didn't know he had, had followed after her to some unknown, unreachable dimension. Unknown to his consciousness something dark shifted inside him, unlocked slightly as it fed on his fury and agony.

Without her...

Where did that leave him...

In chaos.

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