Chapter 21 ~ Soulmate Part 1
About halfway through the flight, Iris put on her headphones, blaring the heavy rock music on full blast. She wants to talk to Duarte without interruption for a little while since they haven't had a propper conversation in days. She misses him, as strange as it might seem.
Hey Duarte, she says in her mind. She feels something shift.
Good evening, Iris, the creature replies a moment later. She hears something that sounds like a yawn, and she assumes she just woke him up.
A while ago, you said that we'll meet your soulmate one day. Do you have any idea when that will happen? She asks curiously. She remembers him talking about his soulmate and he sounded so happy then. She wants him to be happy since he's done so much for her.
We will meet her soon. Her and her human have made their trip to America. It's only a matter of time now, he answers. He always sounds so calm, so detached, but Iris can sense excitement in his voice for once.
You seem excited. Do you miss her? She asks, leaning back in her seat. She glances sideways at Mr Kingsley, but he's staring out of the window again, clearly deep in thought.
It has been thousands of years. I don't even think I can entirely remember what she looks like, but I really do miss her. It's been too long, he tells her. She can feel his love for his soulmate spread through her entire body. Suddenly, she feels sad.
I wish I'd meet my soulmate. You seem to love her very much, and as happy as that makes me for you, I can't help but feel a little jealous, she admits honestly.
A soulmate is a wonderful thing very few people get to experience. You're lucky to have one. He's closer than you think, Iris. You'll find that out soon, he says comfortingly. She smiles, trusting the wolf's words.
She'll meet her soulmate soon. She honestly can't wait.
***
"Wake up," Mr Kingsley pulls away Iris' headphones to make her hear him. She sits up suddenly, nearly hitting Mr Kingsley in the head. Startled, her body moves on instinct, landing a solid punch to Mr Kingsley's chest before he grabs her hand and she realises where she is.
"Don't scare me like that!" She squeaks, slightly embarrassed by her reaction. As a child in a country at war, she had to learn to defend herself. Usually, the only reason you were ever woken up so abruptly was when the base was under attack. It's normal for her, but Mr Kingsley won't understand that.
"Did you just punch me?" To Iris' relief, he seems more surprised than angry. She nods slowly, waiting tensely for him to explode like he did that night at the gala.
"Well, that's odd," he shrugs, getting up from his seat. Without another word, he leaves, leaving Iris confused and pleasantly surprised.
"Come on, Iris. We need to get home," Kanan comes up next to her chair. She looks up at him, noticing how tired he looks. With a start, she realises the plane has stopped and everyone is getting off.
Kanan helps her out of her seat and they walk out together. It's around eleven o'clock at night right now, which means it's pitch black outside. Iris clings to Kanan, who seems to be able to see in the darkness. She, on the other hand, can't see a thing.
It's warmer here than in London, but not by much. Iris is still freezing when they step into the airport building.
"Iris, are you driving back with me?" Noah asks, coming up beside her. She looks at Kanan for his response, but he merely nods, giving her the go-ahead. She grins, first at him and then at Noah.
"If you don't mind," she answers. He smiles back at her and the two of them set off towards the car. Already knowing the answer, Iris decides to ask, "Can I drive this time?"
"No," is Noah's immediate response. She laughs at the disgusted glare he shoots her way.
***
As usual, Noah speeds the entire way back home. Him and Iris talk and laugh a lot, mostly about things that happened in London.
Now, it's nearly one in the morning and Iris can't seem to fall asleep. She's restless but tired at the same time. Frustrated, she finally gets out of bed and goes to the balcony. It's become her regular escape route by now, she realises.
She's here, Duarte whispers in her head. She's not sure if it was aimed at her, or if he was merely talking to himself, but his words grabs her attention.
Who's here, Duarte? She asks him curiously. He's silent for a moment before replying.
Her. My soulmate. She's here.
Iris' heart skips a beat. Excitement radiates from inside her head, and it's contagious. She finds herself feeling just as excited, if not more, than Duarte. They will finally be able to see her.
Can we go to the woods? She's there, waiting for us, he requests anxiously. He wants to get to her as soon as possible. Two thousand years is a long time to miss someone, and he doesn't think he can handle it any longer.
Without having to be asked twice, Iris makes her way down, taking her usual route. Even before her feet touch the soft grass, a bright flash appears and Duarte is next to her. His eyes sparkle brightly and he looks more lively than usual.
"Come on, we need to go. She's waiting," he says impatiently, lowering himself to the ground to allow her to get onto his back. She doesn't hesitate, swinging her leg over his broad back.
He gets up and sets off even faster than he had the previous time they ventured into the woods like this. Iris is very nearly unseated, but she holds onto his thick fur desperately. After a few lightning fast bounds, she has her seat back and they're running through the trees faster than Iris had ever gone.
After a few minutes, Duarte slows down to a jog. He sniffs the air before letting out a small bark of excitement. In the distance, Iris sees a white figure.
As they draw closer, she notices that the figure is, in fact, a very large wolf, maybe two or three inches shorter than Duarte. On top of the wolf's back seems to be a person, sitting in a similar position to Iris'.
The white wolf, clearly female, let's out a similar bark and jogs closer. The two wolves come to a stop right in front of each other. They stare at one another with sheer disbelief.
Iris swings her leg over Duarte's back, expertly dismounting and landing on the ground. The person on the white wolf does the same, and from up close, Iris realises that the person is a girl.
The girl is probably around Iris' age. She's very short, probably around 5'1, at least eight inches shorter than Iris. She's also a lot more petite with fair skin, pin straight platinum blonde hair and dark eyes.
"ÎαÏÎ¹Î»Î¹Î¬Ï ÏÏν ÎαÏÏν," the white wolf says Duarte's full name almost breathlessly. Her voice is smooth like honey, a big contrast to Duarte's own voice. They share the same abnormal blue eyes, though.
"Σελήνη ÎαÏίλιÏÏα," Duarte says back. The female wolf immediately steps towards him and they nuzzle each other affectionately. They stay like that for a moment before pulling away and turning to the two human girls.
"Iris, this is my soulmate, Σελήνη ÎαÏίλιÏÏα (SelÃni vasÃlissa)," Duarte introduces the white wolf next to him. She smiles, similar to Duarte.
"You can call me Selene, dear. That's what Penelope here insist on calling me, anyways. It's very nice to meet you," Selene says, smiling down at Iris.
"It's nice to meet you, Selene," Iris smiles back. She can feel Duarte's happiness. It's practically radiating from him. Him and his soulmate are finally reunited.
***
While Iris is out in the woods, Xavier can't seem to fall asleep either. Something is bothering him, and while he's frying not to think about it, it eats away at his sanity.
He likes Iris. He has feelings, no matter how small, for a human.
Gerrard's words resurfaces in his mind. He knows they can't be mates, yet he can't explain why he's feeling this way. He's not used to feeling anything except rage and grief, really. The warm feeling that spreads through his body whenever he thinks about her doesn't sit well with him.
He doesn't know when he developed these feelings for her. Maybe he's always felt this way and mistook it as curiosity in the beginning. Maybe it happened that night at the new year's party, when she so openly told him about her parents. He's been watching her more carefully than he'd like to admit, and he noticed how she shied away from the topic of her parents as much as possible.
Maybe it's the fact that they share something, have something in common that Xavier hasn't been able to find in anyone else. Both of their parents have suffered unfair deaths, and both of them had never been the same since.
He knows he shouldn't like her in that way. He ends up ruining everything he cares about, so why would she be any different? He would hurt her and she would hate him after that. Still, he thinks he can live with that. He's always been selfish like that.
Not willing to ponder over it any longer, Xavier decides to go talk to her. It must only be four in the morning right now, but he needs to see her. To see if she feels the same. To ruin her, just like he ruined everything else.
In his haste, Xavier completely forgets to take his gloves once he's dressed. The vital piece of clothing sits on his dresser, untouched. He has no protection against finding his mate, but he's too tired to notice.
*ð±*