I didn't have any other choice but to try to come to terms with what had just happened to me. And wait. Sighing, I got up from the comfortable chair. I was exhausted. My mind was all confused—gross understatement—by all that had happened. I was sad. I'd had something perfect in my grasp and I could feel it, with every passing moment, slipping further away. Glynnis had taken the Scottish Lexy from Ian and time had taken Ian from me.
I tucked a damp curl behind my ear. Was it really the same time as when I put on the ring? It seemed like yesterday, but so much had happened. I touched the ring, felt the heat of it still. Ah, the ring. It wasn't really mine. I started to remove it.
"It's yours. It always has been. Always will be," the shopkeeper said. "Now this Ian of yours will be drawn to you. To the ring. Just like you were."
I couldn't help but smile, thinking of Ian, wherever he was out there, being pulled to me by the power of a simple piece of jewelry. It was fantastical, but I believed. The woman had brought a dream to life, brought hope to my soul and hopefully soon, my eternal mate.
***
"Tell me what happened again?" Tracy asked. I had her on speakerphone, my cell on the coffee table beside my foot, the one on which I was painting the toes a bright fuchsia.
As soon as I'd gotten back to my apartment, I stripped off my clothes and looked at my body in the mirror. There weren't any whisker burns on my neck, across my breasts and even between my thighs. My pussy and ass weren't sore. I didn't feel like I'd had sex. Lots of it and it hadn't been gentle. There was no scar or mark where I'd been stabbed. Nothing. Even so, it hadn't been a dream. I wasn't insane. I wasn't insane. I'd wanted to call Tracy then and there to tell her what I'd just done, to confirm that I wasn't losing my mind, but she'd been on a plane.
I was alone and I felt fragile, vulnerable. The tears returned and I crawled into bed naked, tossed the blanket over my head and cried into my pillow. This wasn't even like the feeling of being dumped by a boyfriend. Then, the hurt and loneliness kicked in. Self doubt, perhaps even loathing. This was different. There hadn't been any question that Ian had wanted me. I'd wanted him. We were compatible and perfect for each other on a level far deeper than any relationship I'd ever had. That was the crux of it. He had been the one and Glynnis had so ruthlessly ripped us apart. And so I cried myself to sleep, mourning a couple that never had a chance.
By the time I woke, it was dark out and I was even more confused than ever. I showered, tossed on a pair of sweats, and moved to the couch. Finally, I gave Tracy a call and gave her the story.
She'd remained quiet until I mentioned the words "eternal mate," then she'd laughed. When I didn't laugh with her, she quieted down and let me continue. I brushed the second coat on my toes, blowing on them.
"I know it's insane, but you've got to believe me."
"She didn't drug you?"
I rolled my eyes. "No."
"Did you go have more to drink?"
"No. Tracy, come on." I sighed, knowing it would be futile. "Look, when you come back, I'll show you the ring. Okay?"
I held my hand up and glanced at the shiny ruby, felt the warmth seeping from it into my finger.
"Okay. Are you sure you're okay? I know thirty is tough and all, but should I call your mom or something?"
"God no. She'll freak and then have me committed." My mom and I got along just fine, but if Tracy didn't believe, then my mother wouldn't. Besides, I wasn't going to tell the woman I spent almost the entire time I was with Ian fucking him. We were close, but not that close.
Tracy laughed. "She will not. She'll find a nice guy from church and fix you up."
"Yes, and never mention the small hints of insanity." I put the top back on the bottle of polish. I glanced at my cell. "You don't believe me."
She didn't. I wouldn't believe me either.
Tracy paused. "I believe that you believe. But murder? Seriously, Lex, I could understand the monkey sex, but murder. I want to believe because my birthday's coming up and I want to meet my eternal mate—not be stabbed by a vindictive bitch. Like you said, it's hard to even comprehend."
"Yeah, I didn't believe at first either." I thought back to our lunch. "Weren't you the one who fantasized about a space pirate?"
Tracy groaned. "God, that was not me." She was quiet for a minute. "I lied. About the fantasy man."
I picked up the phone and settled back into the couch, my feet still up on the side of the coffee table. "Are you going to tell me?"
"No way. I've got three months until my birthday. We're going to that jewelry store and I'm going to meet him, preferably on some deserted island without anyone else around. Then I'll tell you."