Mother understands, and she will not speak of the future only she can see,” Astrid answered.
“Well, I can assure it’s not me,” Julius said, and his tone indicated he was becoming bored.
“It’s a fascinating story, Astrid, but wouldn’t one of us remember half of our soul being taken?” Marcus asked skeptically.
Liam nodded his head in agreement and said, “I would certainly remember that, and besides, I’m already involved in a relationship.”
“Oh, Liam, when are you not involved in a relationship?” Astrid asked sarcastically.
Lucas laughed at his being chastised and then said, “I’m sorry, Astrid, but it’s pretty unbelievable, and I’m going to have to pass.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to mislead any of you into thinking I was giving you a choice in the matter,” she said, and they stared at her in shock for a moment before she continued.
“I’m powerful enough to enforce my will on all of you. I prefer that you all come along willingly, but make no mistake, you will come either way,” she said bluntly.
“Come where?” asked Liam, still shocked by the turn of her tone.
“We have raised Sawyer in a home in this realm. Mother says she is meant for this realm, although I’m still unsure what that really means. You will all come and live there until her birthday and her soul sing. Mother wants her to have the opportunity to get to know you all, she doesn’t want her to go blindly into her soul sing. She wants each of you to know one another and form a friendship,” she answered.
“Impossible,” Julius said.
“I agree. I can’t just drop everything to come meet some fairy soul mate. Do you know how ridiculous this all sounds? We can’t be expected to stop our lives and follow you,” Liam said.
“Liam, you have always been the most impulsive among this group, so I’m surprised to hear you protest. You have nothing that can’t be dropped on a whim. You may bring your sister or your girlfriend or whoever else you want. I’m not here to hold you hostage. Your every need will be met, and you have all lived for endless centuries, so two months will not interrupt things that much. You have nothing to lose, and one of you has everything to gain. I will remind you all though that this is nonnegotiable, and refusal won’t be an option,” she said.
No one spoke as she finished. Each man contemplated his answer, although it seemed their refusal would fall on deaf ears. They continued the discussion for a few more hours. Arrangements were made, and certain stipulations were agreed upon. In the end they all agreed to come, because they understood the reality was they really had no choice in the matter. Astrid had saved all their lives, so they could give her two months.
When they left the bar, night had fallen, and they noticed that no one was in the bar any longer. The customers had left, and it seemed even the bartender had disappeared.
Chapter 4
They arrived at the house the next day in two limousines in the late afternoon. They drove up a long, paved drive that was at least three miles long, trees lined the road on both sides. As Marcus looked out the window, he thought to himself that Astrid had left out a huge part of their destination. They were near a city about an hour away, but the house itself was secluded.
When they pulled out of the tree line, they saw a huge mansion. It was six stories high and must have housed hundreds of rooms. The enormous circular driveway had a big fountain in the middle, and it was dwarfed by the house. The land surrounding the house stretched for miles, and on the right side of the house was the biggest garden any of them had ever seen. It stretched past where the eye could see. Filled with flowers and bushes in full bloom, even though it was late in the season. The fountain, they noticed as they drove around it, was made of marble, and it had mermaids in poses all around it.
When her soul mate looked out the window at the house, he felt drawn to it. He mistook his feeling for nervousness, though.
Marcus and Julius’s car stopped first, and Marcus held out his hand to help Cassia from the car. They had only brought their sister as she was truly the only company they kept besides one another. Both brothers were convinced that they were not the soul mate of anyone but had decided a break from New York would be welcome. Double doors to the entrance of the house were opened, and servants came to stand on both sides of the stairs leading up to the house.
Liam and Lucas’s car stopped right behind theirs, and Liam waited as his current girlfriend, Hunter, and her friend Brexley stepped out of the car. Liam had no manners when it came to women, so he didn’t offer a hand to either of them. Hunter had been changed for only a few short months, and she had changed her best friend without telling Liam. They hadn’t been together long, and although she was beautiful, she was becoming a handful for Liam. She had insisted on coming with him and bringing Brexley. She didn’t want to be bored, but she had to keep an eye on Liam. Liam had assured her he felt like it could only be Lucas, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Some of her confidence was shaken though when she saw the house. She wasn’t sure Liam would give up this kind of life if he had to choose. She wouldn’t let him see her shaken, though.
“Looks like one of you guys is about to get a very rich woman, let’s hope she’s not ugly,” Hunter said brazenly.
They all stood and waited until a young woman appeared at the doorway and stared at them all for a moment. Sawyer stood before them all, and she took their breath away. She was stunning. She had long dark auburn hair that cascaded down her back in waves. She wore a knee-length dress with billowy sleeves, and the emerald green color of her eyes could be seen from where they stood.
She had expected to be nervous when they finally arrived, but she was excited instead. Before her stood the man she had been created for, and she looked at their faces to see if she would recognize him. She had known about him her whole life, and the waiting had been excruciating sometimes. She thought he was lucky not to know, so he didn’t have to suffer with the curiosity. She looked at each man for a moment, but no one sparked recognition in her.
“Welcome,” she said to them all and then instructed the servants to start bringing in their luggage.
They all started up the stairs and into the house. The entryway was spectacular. Directly in front of them was a large wide staircase leading up. To the left was a ballroom that could easily fit three hundred guests, and along the back wall of it was red velvet curtain from ceiling to floor. They all wondered what lay behind it. To the right was a large open hallway leading off into rooms yet to be explored. Sawyer stopped in front of the large staircase and turned toward her guests.
“The servants will show you all to your rooms so you can unpack and relax after your long journey. The house and everything in it are at your disposal. If you need something, please feel free to ask anyone on staff. We will meet in the dining room at 8:00 p.m. for dinner. I know your diets are not the same as mine, but we will use that time to answer questions for each other. Until then, please treat this as if it is your own home,” she said and smiled at them all.
She turned to go down the long hallway, and they all watched her walk away. She had a grace about her, and even though her dress seemed to be old-fashioned, she made it look like a common style. She was waif thin, and they finally noticed she was barefoot. They would come to find out in the coming days she was more often than not barefoot. She was already intriguing each of the men.
She thought of them as she walked and explored what her first impression of them was. Julius was the first she had spotted as he stood tallest amongst the four men. She thought he had stood with confidence and an ease. She could tell he was full of confidence and maybe some conceit. When she had looked into his eyes, he had given her a small side smile and a quick nod. Marcus had stood next to him, and he stood formally with his hands clasped behind his back, almost like he was standing at attention. She thought he must be a very formal man, and she would have to keep that in mind in their future dealings. He neither smiled nor nodded; he simply stared back when their gazes met. Next to Marcus stood his sister, Cassia.