For Lunaris Dies.
Inspired by IMPRINTING by Lunaris Dies.
THE STORY IS NOT MINE!
This is a translation of the Italian story "Imprinting" by Lunaris Dies
You can find the original work on the website 'efpfanfic'
CHAPTER 21 OF 28
.
"Are you ready, Merlin?"
"I'm ready, Cenred. Let me get my bag" The Omega said, sorting himself out. Stonewashed jeans wrapping his legs, blackConverse All Stars, a not too tight white T-shirt and a light jacket. Long disheveled hair fell over his eyes.
"Gana has told me that she is outside with Arthur. He came to pick you up, probably to declare his love. Gana has offered to give him a ride (but in truth, she has followed him to give him the courage to take this step). So this is the final chapter of our play..."
Merlin took a deep breath.
"I'm scared, Cenred." He whispered finally, "There are moments in life when you're willing to fight, to sacrifice, to live every breath to pursue an idea, a person, a moment of infinity. And, as you struggle desperately for what you want, you turn around and you realize that it's right there, one step from you, what you've always wanted, so much that if you stretch your hand you can reach it... Yet, there is a leap to make to reach the other side. A defining moment of what could be the rest of your life. And if at one hand, you cannot wait to make that leap, on the other hand you have a tremendous fear because you know that everything will change. That the price has been paid. And you hope that everything for which you have fought and suffered would be beautiful and perfect, as you think. That it was worth it..."
The brown haired man cupped his face in his hands, affectionate, losing his hazel eyes in Merlin's ones. He gave him a sweet smile, his Alpha pheromones reassuring him.
"Merlin, have I ever told you that you are a wonderful person? I envy Arthur because he has your love. If I wanted an Omega by my side, it would be you. Thank heaven I met you again. You will always have my support, if you ever need it. Remember it!"
The brunet embraced him tenderly, whispering a faint "Thank you"
"And now let's go making that Dollop-Head jealous for the last time! Have you put the ring on? Good! I will do a thing... and I need you to go along with it. Do you trust me?"
Merlin smiled.
"I do! But be careful! He has promised to fight for me!"
"That's what I hope, Merl! I have a promise to keep and a prize to collect by someone who is close to my heart. I am also about to sacrifice myself..."
"Now you are scaring me, Cenred..."
"Please! I am glad to do it! Besides, I have always wanted to kiss you!"
Merlin's eyes widened suddenly, stopping in his tracks.
"kis...WHAT? Are you crazy?! Arthur will kill you..."
"I'm counting on it! I recommend you to reciprocate with passion! Now, let's go, my dear! It's showtime..." Cenred finished, smiling, taking his hand and walking fast toward the hospital door, dragging Merlin behind.
oOo
It was eight o'clock in the evening as they left from the sliding door, hand in hand. The leaden and dark sky above them, in which the first shadows of the evening extended themselves, did not bode well. Merlin's eyes instinctively went to look for the ones of the blond, finding them right in front of him.
Involuntarily, he tightened Cenred's hands more.
His Alpha had never looked so beautiful. His blonde hair, slightly ruffled on his forehead, captured the streetlights wonderfully. His hands were hidden in the pockets of the jeans. His black shirt was open at the front, showing off his perfect body, his wonderfully designed muscles, his biceps and forearms, in evidence, tense. In his strong and majestic neck soared the Adam's apple, moving relentlessly. His jaw rigid. His full lips, smiling before, were forming a hard line, while his blue eyes changed into storm at the sight of Cenred.
Morgana put a hand on Arthur's shoulder, in an apparent attempt to calm him down.
A thunder. Then another one.
A few drops of summer rain began to make themselves known.
Cenred had stopped just outside the doors, holding Merlin's hands firmly, as if to show it to his rival, while supporting the look of the blond, waiting for his move.
The wakes of the two Alphas suddenly became acidic; the pheromones that had exploded around the two shouted their tension, as they moved slowly towards each other. Cenred trailed Merlin behind him, deeply uneasy about the situation.
"But look who we have here! Arthur Pendragon, with his beautiful sister babysitting him."
Arthur came closer, roaring lowly again. He looked at Merlin. The Omega was in obvious discomfort. He was keeping his eyes planted on the ground, feeling the gaze of the Alpha on him. His pheromones wrapped him, trying to reclaim him.
"Stop it, Arthur. Merlin is mine. I know what you're trying to do. I can feel your wake. Unfortunately, as you can see, Merlin and I are engaged..." Cenred hissed angrily, raising his hand, intertwined with that of Merlin, to make Arthur see the thin silver ring that was displayed on their fingers better. "You had your chance Mr. I- will- never- be- with- an- Omega. Merlin is mine now. Stop coming near him. Stop hurting yourself just to have an excuse to be treated by him. Stop trying TO TAKE WHAT DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU!"
"Merlin is not yours! I don't see the bite of the Bond on his neck! This means that you are not yet Mated. If he had really loved you, he would have already allowed you to claim him!"
"Ah yes? You think so? Or maybe he just needed time to be able to forget about you, after you... yes, I seem to recall distinctly that YOU BROKE HIS HEART! Of course, it was difficult to make him give me a chance, after the fact that AN ASSHOLE HAD LEFT HIM, BLAMING HIM FOR BEING AN OMEGA! But you know what? I succeeded. And he has seen the difference between you and me."
"Cenred, I will tell you only once: TAKE. YOUR. HANDS. OFF. MY. OMEGA."
"YOUR WHAT? YOU MUST HAVE A BRAIN THAT DOES NOT WORK, PENDRAGON. HE IS MINE." Cenred finished, clutching Merlin to him, never stopping watching Arthur in the eyes, in defiance "HE. IS. MINE!"
A moment later, the lips of brown haired man pressed on Merlin's, softly but decided. The Omega closed his eyes, knowing that he had to pay the price. The kiss was not welcome, as well as the too intrusive touch of the Alpha. However, he did his best to close his eyes and make sure that moment would end soon. A dark and deeply Omega part of his was shouting, calling for Arthur to save him, to claim him, to punish the wrong that was happening to him.
And Arthur felt him.
He read the deep and sudden stress in the pheromones emitted by Merlin. His normally amber and round smell was suddenly bittersweet, while Cenred imposed himself on him.
Seeing his Omega in a so intimate attitude with another was too much. Arthur stood helpless, as a blind fury overshadowed his mind, changing his blood into pure lava, throwing him in his purest Alpha essence, made of sheer instinct and shreds of soul.
It was a moment slowed in time.
.
Morgana shouted her brother's name, as the Alpha snapped forward.
Arthur's hands went on Merlin's jacket, while he literally TORE him away from Cenred's embrace, lifting him with his right hand and pressing him to his chest, while his left hand took the Alpha by the scruff, squeezing his neck in a murderous grasp.
As soon as Merlin buried his face in Arthur's neck, smelling his strong, musky, dominating scent, his heart immediately calmed down and his smell returned as sweet as always. He instinctively recognized his Alpha, accepting him, feeling protected and safe after too much time.
Arthur took a moment to smell Merlin's neck, roaring lowly in satisfaction, perceiving the state of acquiescence and happiness in the smell of his Omega, feeling him again in his arms, again close to him, once more HIS, before returning to devote his attentions to the another Alpha.
Cenred shook his left wrist, turning it, forcing Arthur to give up his grip on his neck, roaring lowly and trying to get closer to Merlin. However, the blond stepped sharply between the two, pushing the Omega behind him, protecting him.
"STAY AWAY FROM MY OMEGA!" Cenred hissed, rushing on the blond, who stepped back to cushion the push with the shoulder that the brown haired man gave to his stomach. The blond Alpha bended in two for a moment, but got up again almost immediately.
"FUCK OFF, CENRED" Arthur growled. Then, he prepared his right, which straightly hit his rival. As it had happen at the lake, Cenred agonized on the floor, holding his nose.
"YOU FUCK OFF, PENDRAGON" The brown haired man cried, getting up and punching him in the stomach.
Arthur leaned forward and took the opportunity to punch his assailant's side with his left.
Cenred bent sideways, stepping back; Arthur was still lower at the front.
"JESUS, WHY DON'T YOU GIVE UP? HE IS MINE NOW! FIND YOURSELF ANOTHER ONE TO FUCK IF YOU NEED TO!" Cenred muttered, angrily.
"HE IS MINE. I LOVE HIM. AND I WILL NEVER LEAVE HIM TO YOU! NEVER!" Arthur shouted in his face. On his face, a mask of rage, ready to start fighting again.
The both of them recovered and went back to face each other when Morgana stepped between them.
"Gana, step back..." Arthur hissed. A note so dark in his voice to send a shiver in the spine of the girl.
However, Morgana stood still; in fact, she stepped forward to face her brother, eye-to-eye, chin high and proud, a hard look, like the dominatrix she had always been.
"Stop it, Arthur! You have established your domination. Stop it, now!"
"DOMINATION, MY ASS!" Cenred roared from behind Morgana, causing a grunt in response from his rival.
"You too, Cenred, STOP IT!" she hissed darkly. Her pheromones wrapped the brown haired man in an attempt to calm him down, trying to restore the balance in that fog of testosterone, where the two men had lost themselves.
But the blond seemed not to hear her. His blue eyes were so dilated to seem black; his wake was sour and dark; his pheromones shouted anger and tension; his muscles were ready to snap at the slightest touch.
For the first time in her life, Morgana was afraid of her brother.
The situation was getting quickly out of hand.
"MERLIN" The girl cried, asking the Omega for help in calming the blond down.
The sky rumbled heavily above them, showing its dissent, while heavy drops of rain began to fall. The cool wind tried unsuccessfully to dampen the spirits.
.
A moment later, two white thin hands encircled Arthur's waists from behind. Then, they settled on his chest, while Merlin's face sank in his Alpha's back, hugging him from behind, getting lost in the heat of his body, feeling the blonde's heart pounding in his chest.
"Arthur, I'm here. I'm yours. Stop it now." Merlin spoke softly, hugging him.
Those words, combined with his Omega's touch, his sweet and heartening smell were enough to make his mate regain control of himself, to calm his beating, to relax his muscles, making him exhale more controlled deep breaths, while his anger subsided into an uncontrollable instinct to protect the one person he loved.
Arthur squeezed Merlin's hands on his chest, closing his eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply Merlin's smell: honey, lavender and rain, whispering to his heart, 'Calm down. I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere. I'm yours. Calm down...'
The blond calmed down and focused on the beautiful green eyes of his sister; her red lips parted and softly pouting; her long black hair, wet due to the rain, while her whole body protected Cenred, keeping him away from him.
"Let's go, Arthur." Merlin whispered behind him, pulling him back firmly.
For his part, the blond took his Omega's right hand, quickly pulling the engagement ring off and throwing it at Cenred's feet, without a word. The bloodshot look that he sent at the brown haired man was enough as a warning ... then, he turned, dragged away by Merlin.
Morgana turned toward Cenred, obviously worried, to check the status of his nose and in general that the Alpha was not too hurt, feeling directly responsible for his condition.
Cenred smiled weakly. He put his warm and strong hand on Morgana's shoulder, before opening his face in a satisfied smile.
"Jesus, Gana... Your brother hits like a blacksmith, OUUUCH!" He uttered, holding his side, where Arthur had punched him.
"Hey hey, slow down..." She answered, running her cold and white fingers in his hair, clear gesture of appreciation "You have been amazing, my champion ... I don't know what I would have done without you..."
"Your smile is all I need, my lady." He said gallantly, tilting his head toward her touch, taking her right hand and placing it on his heart, "And now, we'd better go inside or you'll catch a cold, Gana. It is raining cats and dogs..."
"Well, it seems like I owe you something for your sacrifice ..." she said mischievously, beautiful in the rain.
"Indeed" The brown haired man began, pretending to think hard, losing his hazel eyes and in those alive and emerald of hers, "I seem to recall that someone had promised me a kiss if I did a certain thing..."
The girl smiled and a moment later, her lips rushed to seal Cenred's...
oOo
…Rain…
…Warm…
The twilight of the leaden sky enveloped the reality around them.
Smell of a summer storm: a musky smell coming from the trees and the undergrowth around them.
Merlin pulling him under the rain, right in front of him.
But it did not matter.
The touch of his white hand, still on his wrist.
That mattered.
His soft, sweet, enveloping smell.
That mattered.
One step after another. Towards a rebirth. Towards a whispered hope from the heart, that his lips did not dare utter.
He had declared his love to his Omega.
He had fought for his Omega.
That mattered.
When their footsteps stopped, they were under a huge oak tree in the park, not far from the hospital. The rain cut through the silence, heartening pattering on the leaves above them and the grass all around them.
Merlin dropped his hand, and immediately Arthur's whole body made a gesture of distress at the loss of that touch.
"Let's talk," He uttered, solemn, but his voice betrayed an ocean of barely suppressed emotions.
Arthur nodded, clenching his jaw.
"I have read your letter," Merlin began, looking in the blonde's blue eyes, who was worshiping him with his eyes. And for a moment, Merlin did the same.
Arthur was everything he had ever dreamed of, finally one step away from him. His strong body wrapped by that black shirt, now even tighter to his body because it was wet. His golden hair flattened on his forehead. Everything about him shouted man, power, domination. His purely Omega instinct was absolutely pleased that his Alpha had fought for him.
Merlin closed his eyes, trying to pick up the logical thread of his speech.
But he could not find the words.
Those damn words that he wanted to say and could not pull out from his heart.
Words of love and light.
Words of anger and shadows.
He was on the brink of the precipice and he had to jump. Arthur was waiting for him on the other side, beyond the doubts, beyond the uncertainties, beyond themselves and those unspoken words, holding out his hands. He had already jumped.
Now, it was Merlin's turn.
The brunet took a deep breath.
He took off his shoes and socks.
He turned without a word and started walking on the green grass, leaving the protection of the branches of the oak tree above them. He dived into the warm summer rain in the twilight of the evening, feeling the damp earth, black and odorous, under his feet. The smell of the plants calmed him, reminding him of his mortality, helping him to find himself.
He opened his hands and looked up. The rain worshiped his thin and white body.
Then, he turned toward his Alpha and simply said, "Take off your shoes and come here".
The blond didn't ask questions, mesmerized by his Omega's beauty and with the only desire to please him.
He took off his socks and shoes and joined him in the rain, stopping at one meter from him, watching the drops drawing the outlines of that sinuous thin body, that he felt so his. The body that he had so meticulously explored in his mind a thousand times, so full of life, strength and wonder.
This was Merlin in his essence.
A mystical creature made of magic, moon and dreams; so beautiful and rare that he was forced to cry, while his heart was overwhelmed by his purely Alpha instinct to protect his Omega, to love him, to take care of him, impressing himself in his veins, roaring his desire in his blood.
"Why barefoot?" Arthur asked, approaching Merlin without even noticing it.
The brunet looked at him, smiling faintly.
"Because someone once told me that by being barefoot you can feel the life of the earth flowing. Because there is no other way to really feel the strength of what is around you. Becoming part of it with every part of yourself."
They looked at each other, the sea eyes lost in the sky blue once, just waiting for him, and the world around them stopped spinning.
As always, when they were one near the other.
A step…
Then another one.
Merlin's thin hands were on Arthur's forearms, leading his strong and hot body on his, while their smells joined like their breaths in a moment of grace that only the rain and the ground would witness.
An instant later, their lips touched, in a sweet, warm, lightweight, long coveted contact, fully wanted for a long, long time ... and there was no need for words anymore.
Arthur forced himself on his mouth, licking it lightly, asking for access, which was allowed at once. Merlin felt the Alpha's demanding and wonderfully warm tongue caressing his palate, teasing its companion, gently, before begin to withdraw.
But Merlin could only think that he did not want it to stop.
He wanted to feel it again moving inside of him, deeply, demanding, and gentle as it had always been. His body burned due to the intoxicating feeling of the kiss and the devastating whirl in him, of those emotions that for a long, long, time he had to repress. Merlin put his fingers on Arthur's thin neck, preventing him to interrupt that sweet contact, chasing his tongue with his own.
The blonde made a gesture of joy and pride at perceiving Merlin's desire. He left the domain of the kiss to him, moaning softly against his skin. Every cell of his body caught fire, feeling his mate's tongue creeping into his lips to follow the retreat of his own, following it, caressing it, loving it.
They fought, dancing… lost in a world of hot sensations that reverberated in their minds and in their bodies, until the need for air forced them to separate.
Darkness greeted slowly their faint moans.
Their lips had parted, but their foreheads remained united and it was so damn perfect...
"I love you," Arthur whispered on Merlin's mouth, before placing another light kiss.
"You have hurt me once, Arthur..." Merlin said, looking into his eyes, and the Alpha could not make out the rain from his tears, "don't hurt me again..."
"Never again..." the blond finished, before taking possession of his lips again, losing himself again in their softness, in a needy and hungry kiss, dripping desire, as he hugged strongly the wet body of his Omega. He tested his heat and texture, designing the curve of his thin hips and his smooth back, that seemed made for the touch of his hands.
When their lips parted, Arthur squeezed him more, burying his face in Merlin's neck, writing poems with his tongue on his white and fresh skin, sealing each verse with a little kiss. He got lost in the sweet amber smell of his Omega: lavender, rain, honey and home.
He wanted to spend the rest of his life with his nose pressed against his neck, breathing his smell, enveloping him in its warmth, lulled by the reassuring throb of his heartbeat, marking the minutes from there to eternity.
Merlin moaned softly, sliding his long thin fingers through the wet hair of his Alpha, gently massaging the skin, also enjoying the heat that the blond's solid and muscular body, feeling safe in his embrace. Arthur's pheromones crept into his every pore, dominating him, claiming him, promising love, protection and devotion. Mine, they whispered, only mine...
And Merlin smiled at the rain and cried, overcome with happiness, pounding in his veins, as he felt whole again, in his Alpha's embrace.
At Home again.
oOo
The blonde had returned home with his sister late that night, happier than ever.
After reconciling with Merlin, the two of them had spent hours in a small cafe near the park, talking about everything and nothing in front of a good warm tea, until Morgana had joined them.
The girl had taken Cenred home, battered but still standing. She had revealed to the boys that she wanted to hit on the brown haired Alpha shamelessly now that Merlin had found his Alpha again, happy to see them back together, hand in hand.
"We want to try again, Gana. But without rush. One step after another..." Merlin had informed her.
"Tomorrow we are having our first date ... I want to spoil this splendid specimen of Omega a bit and to tell him how much I'm damn in love with him. For the record, Merlin ... I don't think I'll be able to wait that long, before having my wicked way with you!" Arthur had said, smiling, giving him a kiss on his white palm, enjoying Merlin's cheeks blushing just for him, and his full, round and deliciously Omega smell tickling his nostrils.
"Sure, my dear Alpha… You can keep living in your little dream world... The most difficult thing will be convincing Gwaine of the goodness of our intentions! Oh Christ when he will find out that we are back together, he will become a hysterical nanny ..." Merlin had laughed, covering his lips with his hand.
"I'll talk to Gwaine! He can't still be upset about that story ...," Arthur had hissed, low.
"He is very angry. Pray not to be in a room with him and some knives, or else..."
"I'll talk to Gwaine, Artie. Don't worry! He will understand as soon as he sees you two cooing happily..." Gana had finished, ordering a pizza and Coca-Cola.
The evening had slipped away quickly and Morgana had needed a ride home, so Merlin had told them to go, and that he would return home on foot.
"You know my house is near here. It will do me well to walk for a bit after today wave of emotions. It will help me clear my head ..." Merlin had said, mischievous, giving Arthur a quick kiss on the lips.
"Are you sure?" Arthur had asked, already panicking about having to leave his Omega.
"Yes, Arthur... don't start being an overprotective Alpha, please... we'll see each other tomorrow night, won't we?"
"It will be a long wait until tomorrow..." Arthur had hissed, stroking his cheekbones with a strong and warm hand, before recapturing his mouth, licking his lips, drowning in that hot and delicious cave, testing his flavor that he had missed so much and that he could not do without anymore.
"Then, keep this and read it tonight…" Merlin had said, putting a white envelope in Arthur's pocket, sealing another kiss, "Goodnight, Arthur. See you tomorrow..."
"What's that?" the blond had asked.
"My response to your letter. See you tomorrow!" Merlin had smiled lively, giving Morgana a kiss on the cheek and leaving.
"Merlin" Arthur had called him, as he was walking along the street, "I love you. You know that, right?!"
"I know! See you tomorrow!" Merlin had replied sweetly, with a smile, so sweet that it would have haunted him in his dreams all night.
"See you tomorrow..."
oOo
Arthur laid on his huge four-poster bed.
His sister had gone to bed, after giving him a kiss. The villa was surrounded by silence, full of emotion. The cicadas sang outside in the night.
Sleeping was impossible.
He opened Merlin's letter with a slight tremor of his hands, holding his breath.
"Dear Arthur,
I read your letter. And I read YOU among those lines; your strength, your will, and a feeling that I thought had vanished in a haze of regret and resentment.
So much that I did no longer believe in it.
You have hurt me more than I thought possible.
And now you are asking me to come back to you.
You had asked me if there still was something of that love that had messed my heart for the first time and that I had given you with the strength of my despair.
What should I answer you?
Probably 'No'.
I should tell you that I don't care about you anymore. That I am not your plaything. That you've had your chance with me, but you've wasted it and you will never have another one. That my heart is mine and mine alone, and that you have shown me that I was right in hating your species.
And I'd be lying.
To myself, as well as to you.
I remember so many things.
I remember the first time I saw you: how I tried to force myself to hate you, how I tried to stay away from you, and how you attracted my thoughts against my will, relentless as the moon draws the tides.
I remember the first time you hugged me. I felt safe for the first time in my life, as if I had finally found my place in the world, a safe harbor after years in a stormy sea.
I remember the first time you kissed me. Thousand butterflies exploded in my stomach, as I tasted your lips, as I died on your tongue and as my essence lost itself in you.
I remember the first time you asked me to be yours: my breath on your skin, the echo of your words in my heart, so loud it hurt, your blue eyes, in which my universe began to beat. In that moment, I had ceased to exist and I had started living in you.
In your smile, in your hands, in your body, in your eyes. My heart in your chest. Your hands caressing my soul, shaping my life, drawing it in the world that you were creating for me, every single day.
Then, you found out that I was an Omega.
I distinctly remember the thud of my heart as it broke, when you left me, and my wandering in the shadows. The air had burned my lungs with each breath without you.
Then, I got up, forcing myself to relegate the memory of your love in a dark corner of my heart, where sooner or later you'd have died, where sooner or later you would have stopped hurting me, where I would have killed you slowly, to start living again.
At least, that's what I thought.
I thought I would have hated you.
I thought I wouldn't want to see you ever again.
I thought I had found someone to love in your place.
I thought I could exist without you.
And I was wrong.
Because at night, when I'm alone in my bed, I close my eyes and I realize how much I miss your laughter, your eyes on my body, your hands on my skin, your lips on mine, your breath in my lungs.
Everything that defined my world was you, Arthur.
So it was, and so it still is.
Because even if I do not want to, even if I hate myself for it, although I oppose it with all my strength, I realized something: I exist because of you.
Because I'm your Omega, as you are my Alpha.
So be careful with my heart, Arthur Pendragon.
Once before I had put its pieces back together and it had cost me a lot.
I don't think I can do it again.
Yet, I am here and I am willing to take this step, even if it would cost me everything.
For you.
Because I love you.
Your Merlin"
Arthur clutched the letter to his chest; his blue eyes bright with tears.
An Alpha never cries.
But he begged God to make the next day arrive soon.
oOo
The next morning the blond got up with sublime happiness in his heart.
He got ready in a hurry. He took his car and drove to Christie's to buy a donut for himself and an oil bun for Merlin: he would make him a surprise. The plan was to pick him up, wait for him outside the door, kiss him, surprise him with breakfast, kiss him again, drive him to work, kiss him again, and decide the detail for the evening.
Then, kiss him good-bye.
He arrived in front of Merlin's house as fresh as a daisy. He checked his watch: a quarter to nine. Normally, Merlin went out at that time to go to his uncle's clinic.
Arthur realized he was grinning like a fool ... God he looked like a teenager on his first date! Absurd.
Minutes passed quickly and it was nine o'clock.
Then, a quarter past nine.
Strange ... he is late.
When the green door of Merlin's house opened, Arthur missed a beat, but his smile disappeared almost immediately when he noticed that it was Gwaine at the door of the house.
The brown haired man took a few steps out of the door and Arthur got closer, saying good morning to him.
"What are you doing here, Arthur? Have you come here to mock me for being able to persuade Merlin to get back with you?"
"I came to pick him up, Gwaine ... how do you know that ... he told you?"
"No. Gana has informed me... and wipe that smug grin off your face! Anyway, I thought Merlin was with you. Last night he did not come back home and after your sister's message, I haven't waited up for him..."
"What do you mean that he didn't come back?" Arthur's voice betrayed a barely concealed note of concern.
"That He. Didn't. Come. Back. When was the last time you saw him? Arthur..."
But Arthur wasn't listening. A new form of fear crept into his heart, ripping his soul, while Cristie's bag fell to the ground, heavy as a boulder...