Free Desired by Morgan Rice

she asked, gently prying.

    “Yes, very much,” he answered.
    She wanted to say: Then why do I see sadness behind your eyes? Is it me? Do you not love me as much as you thought?
    But she was too scared to say it. And she didn’t want to push him away.
    So instead, Caitlin fel silent. But she felt her heart slowly beginning to break.
    She thought back on their relationship, of al the places they’d been. New York City. Boston.
    Edgartown. Venice. Rome. They had always been on the run; there had never been time for them just to be quiet, to be together. To enjoy themselves as a couple.
    Now, that time had come. Maybe now that there were no more obstacles, that there was nothing between them, it was not as exciting for him. Maybe he was scared by being so close. Maybe the only thing that had made him love her, she worried, had been the circumstances, the fact that they could not be together.
    Maybe now that they were together, he didn’t know what to do.
    And was Caleb real y the type of man that could live a domestic life, not on the run, not heading into battle?
    Content to just sit there and make a home and live in it?
    She started to worry. Maybe he wasn’t. After al , look at how he had lived his life for the last thousand years. How could he possibly change al that now? Just for her?
    Or, Caitlin wondered, was her mind just playing tricks on her? Was she just imagining the whole thing? Was she blowing it al out of proportion? Was she just being too sensitive, looking into things that weren’t there? After al , he did say it would be great. Had he real y meant it?
    Caitlin knew she had to get the bottom of this. She couldn’t live a lie. If for some reason he wasn’t interested in her, she had to know. She had to.
    She felt herself slowly shaking, as she geared up to ask.
    “Caleb,” she began softly, her throat going dry, her voice trembling, “Is everything okay?”
    He looked at her, as if puzzled.
    “You seem…sad,” she said. “Like you’re not entirely happy.”
    “I…” he began, then trailed off. He stopped himself, and sighed deeply. “I am very happy to be with you.”

    That was al he could say. And it sounded forced to her.
    “Would you excuse me for just one moment?” he asked politely.
    Caitlin nodded back, too upset to speak.
    And with those few words, he turned and walked off the patio, and was soon out of sight.
    Where had he gone? Why had he suddenly left?
    Caitlin had no idea, but it confirmed her suspicions. He couldn’t just stand there, with her, and enjoy the view.
    Something was going on inside him. Something strong enough to make him want to walk away.
    Caitlin slowly felt her world shattering.
    What could it possibly be?
    Then it dawned on her. Sera. The last time Caitlin had seen him, he’d been married to her.
    Maybe it was stil fresh in his mind. Did he stil have feelings for her? Was he thinking of her right now? Did their sleeping together last night bring back his feelings for her?
    That must be it, Caitlin realized. She couldn’t imagine any other explanation. Caleb must miss her. She was on his mind. Maybe he was gearing up to tel her that he had to leave, to go find Sera.
    Caitlin couldn’t read his mind, but she was a woman after al . And like any other woman, she felt her heart beginning to break into a mil ion little pieces.
    *
    Caleb hurried off the balcony and through the rooms of his castle, overcome by emotion.
    Despite himself, he couldn’t stop thinking about his son, Jade. He couldn’t stop flashing back to the image of holding his dead body in his arms.
    As he walked quickly into the other room, he burst into tears. He couldn’t let Caitlin see him like this. He’d had to get away from her quickly.
    He had loved Jade so much. The boy was just like him in so many ways, and had been growing not only into a fine warrior, but into a fine young man. Caleb had never imagined not spending a life without him in it.
    Now, he felt the grief of it suddenly