Caleb pulled away from her rather reluctantly and looked into her eyes. He was glowing with so much love that he was sure that the entire Silver Manor could hear his heartbeat. He pressed his forehead against hers and had to stop himself from going wayward.

"Am I your mate?" she asked in a soft, breathless voice.

​​

"Yes," he replied holding her hands and squeezing them.

"How long have you known?" She asked as she stared in his eyes.

"Ever since I saw you."

Her eyebrows shot up. She couldn't imagine that the man had been patiently waiting for her. All the past events that occurred in Yorkshire suddenly made sense. She placed her hand on his heart and found that it was beating in tandem with hers. "I am so glad that you are my mate, Caleb and sad that I didn't find you earlier. I have so little time to spend with you." She brought her hands to his face and cupped his cheeks. "I wish I had known so that I would have loved you the way I thought I would—with my body and soul."

Caleb gave a smile that conveyed so much ache that it seeped in her. "Let's just be together for whatever time we are and not think of anything else, okay?"

And at that time she did know how, but she knew that he would follow her in death too. "Are we going crazy?" she asked and chuckled.

Caleb kissed her hands and leaned in them. "No, that's who this bond works. There's no way you can get out of it."

She leaned in and kissed his lips. "In that case we must be together always." She pointed to her wardrobe. "Take me there. I have to pack everything."

Caleb chuckled. "Don't worry. I will do the packing. You just tell me what all to do." He was so excited with this new development that he jumped up from the bed and started to pack. Now he didn't have to pretend anything about his world.

When Daryn came to know that Caleb was going with him, he became worried, but when he learned that even Elize is going with them, he was surprised. It seemed that she had taken everything in her stride pretty well. He was happy to know that finally she had confessed her love for him. Dawn had to stay back because Daryn didn't allow her to leave with him. With last time's experience, he had become wary of taking Dawn there. She was eight months pregnant and there was no way he would take her to Ixoviya, a place filled with magic.

"I am happy that he is going with you Daryn," said Dawn as she helped him pack the last of the things. "But I would have gladly taken care of Elize." She wasn't feeling guilty of what she said about Caleb or what he heard, but she was guilty that even Elize was going with them.

"It's fine Dawn. It seems they don't want to stay apart from each other, which I think is a good progress. Do you remember our days?" He teased her.

"Yes!" she rolled her eyes.

"It was so difficult for you to stay away from me," Daryn pointed out with a grin, feeling proud of himself.

She stared at him with a raised eyebrow and his wallet in her hand. "It was the other round husband. I remember very well that you were the one who gave me a silly project to enhance your social presence and then asked me to write those ridiculous emails that you look so handsome, ten times a day until I was convinced that you were the most handsome man in the world. And all of that under the garb of a project!" Her eyes were wide like a ball.

Daryn shrugged. "Well, you had to know that and the project made sense."

"The project was nonsense. And you were desperate to make me feel that even though I already knew you were handsome." She corrected him a languid voice that was laced with sarcasm. She stifled her laughter.

He narrowed his eyes and walked up to her. "Woman, you are playing with fire."

She smiled. "Is that so?" She enjoyed teasing him.

The next few minutes, Daryn spent on tickling his wife after dragging her to the bed. When she laughed until she had tears, he stopped. He had crawled over her and looked at her beautiful face. "If I have to do it all over again, I would. You are worth all that and much more." He leaned over her face and kissed her. "When all this is over, I will take you to my favorite place for a dinner date."

Dawn was breathless. "I will wait for you," she replied in a honeyed voice.

Caleb carried Elize in his arms all the way to the enchanted forests and Quetz was very welcoming. Dawn had already informed him mentally. She hadn't accompanied them to Ensmoire also on Daryn's insistence. This time they all walked into Ixoviya via the portal Canton created for them in Ensmoire. Elize was charmed by the forest. Though she couldn't see much because of her ever increasing inky blotch, whatever she grasped was breathtaking. "This is beautiful, Caleb," she said as if in a trance.

Canton was pretty bewildered when he saw Caleb carrying Elize. It didn't take him more than two minutes to recognize that she was his mate. He welcomed her as if she was his queen.

The portal opened directly in Norhall Castle. All the servants had lined up for the royalty in two rows. They were seeing Caleb for the first time and even though they bowed as he walked past them, they stole glances. They were all the more amazed seeing the woman he carried in his arms so lovingly.

Five servants immediately ran ahead of him to guide him to show the royal chambers.

Canton bowed and said, "Please rest my liege. We have already sent messages to the council members about your arrival. You will have to meet them in an hour."

Daryn whispered, "This castle has royal chambers, the doors of which recognize and open to its king and queen only. This place is cast in spells and you have to be very careful, although I doubt anything would happen to you. Still I want to warn you…"

Caleb nodded. The architect and the interiors of the castle mesmerized him. There was so much gold everywhere that he was… fascinated. It was as if gold was just right for this place. It was as if gold pulled him towards it. The metal was whispering to him. He jerked his head and stopped. "What is happening here?" he asked as he pulled himself out of his trance.

"What is it my liege?" asked a servant.

"N— nothing," he said with a flushed face. Perhaps he was imagining.

The servant smiled and walked up to the third room on the left after the stair. "Please put your hand on the panel, my liege."

Caleb looked at the heavily crafted double-door, which had gold inlays. Flowers and vines were engraved with details and were lined with gold. He placed Elize on the feet and placed his hand on the panel. All of a sudden the flowers in it opened. They looked at Caleb and the vines began to move away under his hand. He gaped at the movement with baited breath. They stopped moving after they formed a pattern on the panel.