Everlasting

Chapter 12

Wulfric

It was late when everyone went home. Glenna, Safiya, and Roderick didn't waste much time before heading to their rooms for the night. Arlo was already tucked away in his guest room, having retired early. I thought he was just trying to avoid my father, who didn't seem to know how to interact with him. Arlo needn't have bothered, as my father left to find a hotel as soon as night fell.

Edmund and I had already gone out for a hunt at the local bar and returned already, sated and content. Today went better than I ever could have imagined. Or... I looked at the clock, and my eyes widened when I saw the time. It was nearly dawn already.

Yesterday went better than I could have imagined, I corrected myself.

"What are you smiling at?" Edmund asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing much. I think I'm just relieved."

He shifted in his seat so he was more directly facing me, his eyes wide with eagerness and curiosity. "About Griffin?" he pried.

I shrugged, though of course the obvious answer was yes.

"I can't wait to meet him," Edmund said.

I frowned at him. "Who says you're going to meet him?"

"Aren't I?" he asked smugly, teasingly.

"Yes." Then I hesitated. "Actually, he'll be here sometime today." I had hoped to sweep him out and find some kind of privacy, but unless he came very early or very late, that was unlikely to be feasible. Sunlight wouldn't kill me, but it would cause a lot of pain and inconvenience, especially since I was still a little shaky from Glenna's blood magic.

Maybe I should have had him meet me somewhere after dark.

That would probably have been better for me. But after taking away so much of his choice and causing him untold pain, I didn't feel that I was in a position to make demands. Better to let Griffin have a say. People were always more forgiving when they had some control over a situation. Besides, if being separated from me really was hurting him, I imagined he wouldn't want to wait for nightfall.

"You don't know when?" Edmund asked. I shook my head, and he laughed delightedly. "If what I've heard about werewolves is right, he'll be over bright and early."

I grimaced, since Edmund was enjoying this far too much. He laughed again when he saw my pained expression. Then his laughter faded out and he studied me curiously. "Hey, Wulf?"

"Yes?"

"I'm really happy for you," he said simply, in that way he has. Edmund was always so truthful and earnest, so guileless, that he could tell you anything and you would know him to be perfectly sincere. It made times like this all the sweeter.

I nodded solemnly in response despite the warmth in my chest and wondered whether Edmund might be happier about Griffin entering my life than I was. It was hard to know how to feel about it, myself. After centuries spent resenting the prospect of meeting my soulmate, it was hard to pivot and feel excitement. Instead, I was trying to approach this without any feelings at all. So far, it was working. I would spend time with Griffin because he needed me to. For myself... well, I could at least admit to being curious about him.

My brother and I spent the rest of the early morning hours in companionable silence, reading books we borrowed from Glenna and Safiya's collection. After so many years alive, it was unusual to find such a wealth of information we'd never been able to access. The contents of these books were in no library I'd ever seen, and could certainly not be found on the internet. At least, not from reliable sources. So, while Edmund learned about potion theory, I delved back into the thick tome I had started last night, yet another volume about the kinds of supernatural who lived among us. There were more than I ever realized, and it was fascinating learning about them.