United. (Book 5 of the Lupus Antiqua Series)

They walked together through his mind as he glanced at all the cards.

"These cards are your memories, Endymion. The ones you need to face will seem to glow for you. So it is you who must choose which ones we view." She explained. He nodded as they walked.

For a moment he didn't seem to see anything he needed to view, looking around for what she'd described. But then he halted, head pivoting to the left where a card dangled near his ear.

"This one glows." He murmured.

"Then pull it off the string and hand it to me." She instructed. He did as she said and handed her a card with a breathtaking woman on it. She was pretty as winter and looked as fierce as the sea. "You'rmate?" She asked.

He nodded, seeming unable to say anything or even look at the woman's image. She whispered life into the memory and they were whisked from the room and into the memory.

"“Look at this fucker!”

Endymion was walking down a city street in a bad part of town, taking in the world around him. He'd attracted the attention of some young thugs who were harassing him.

He ignored them. After all, he was a King and they were nothing. Criminal humans. Beneath his notice.

A delightful scent teased his nostrils, the wolf within stirring at the smell of sugar and the cold bite of a winter storm. The boys halted.

“Miss. Winters! My bad, we didn’t know this was your turf.” They sounded terrified. He turned to find out what was going on and where that scent was coming from, when he saw the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

She was cold and lovely, and she was his mate. She leveled the thugs with a gaze that would scare anyone.

“Get gone.” She growled. They didn’t need telling twice. They both ran away. He watched the interaction with some confusion. “What’s someone like you doing in this neighborhood?” She wondered, sounding almost accusatory."

The memory faded out and they landed back in the picture room.

"The first time you met your mate?" She questioned.

"Yes. Why did I need to see it?" He asked gruffly.

"Maybe so you could remember how you felt when you first saw her." Letting her magic guide her, Abby continued. "So you could see what you really thought before you let your prejudices take over. Your true impression."

"Why?" He sounded almost petulant.

"So that you can see how you twisted your perception. If you see how you did so, then you can prevent yourself from doing it again." She said softly, her hand on his shoulder. He held her gaze and swallowed hard. She knew he was fighting the urge to make excuses for himself. Finally he nodded.

"Do we do another one?" He asked.

"That's up to you. I'm here to help, not force. The decision is yours." She assured him.

"We can do another." He stated, throwing his shoulders back like he was readying to face an opponent.

"Very well. Choose." She gestured to the cards hanging all around them.

He chose more quickly this time.

The memory enveloped them.

"They stood in a snow covered forest full of evergreens and bare trees alike. Endymion was standing at the base of one such tree, gloriously naked and absolutely furious.

He glared up into the branches as if he wanted to eviscerate whatever was up there. Wondering what had earned his ire, Abby looked up.

Melody was up there, clinging to the branch she was on for dear life and looking absolutely terrified.

“Get down here, Winters.” His voice shook with rage, the emotion making it deeper than its normal register.

“Not a fucking chance in hell!” She yelled, voice full of defiance. Abby had to admire that kind of backbone.

“If you force me to climb this tree to retrieve you, and I will, you will be locked in a cage with no windows or light for the rest of your existence.” Abby gasped at the threat, looking at Endymion a little differently. He'd clearly meant it.

Melody studied Endymion carefully. She seemed to draw the same conclusion Abby just had that he absolutely meant every word he’d spoken.

“Fuck.” She muttered, and slowly and carefully started to climb down. He backed up about a foot to give her room to get her feet back on the ground. She lowered herself to the ground and then turned to face him. Melody eyed Endymion dubiously. For a long moment they were frozen in time. Finally he spoke.

“You mistook something I said as an insult and your response is to try to kill me?” If one couldn’t see his eyes or understand the underlying rage in his voice he would almost seem calm.

“I mistook nothing. It was an insult and not just about me, but about the only people I ever loved who had just been brutally murdered all at once.” She paused for a moment. "I admit trying to kill you was an overreaction. I regretted it as soon as I had a minute to think about it.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for trying to kill you.”

The sincerity in Melody's voice was clear to Abby. The woman clearly regretted what she'd done. Abby's magic gave her context to understand what she was hearing. Melody had burned his mansion down for insulting her found family.

Again, Abby had to admire this woman's gumption.

“You’re sorry?” Endymion raged, his voice getting louder. He started towards Melody, the rage clear on his face, and murder in his eyes. Melody's eyes widened and she flinched and stumbled back a few steps.

The smell of her fear was the only thing that stopped Endymion from hurting the woman. It was clear to Abby in this moment that he truly viewed the defiant female as a lesser creature that had dare to overstep.

She shook her head slightly. She began to understand why things had gone so badly."

The memory faded away and they landed back in the room. Endymion's face was a mask of guilt.

"I gave her no time to mourn, treated her like she was an unruly pet, insulted the people she loved and got angry when she took vengeance upon me." He whispered. "It didn't seem that way in the moment. I was so sure I was in the right."

"But now you know better. You're learning already." She said gently. He met her gaze, the anguish in his eyes clear for her to see.

"How do I cope with this guilt?"

"You have to forgive yourself." She said.

"How?" He asked.

"You're starting to take real accountability. Once you accept what you've done, you can understand how to do better in the future. That's all you can really do." She advised gently.

She may not have lived anywhere near as long as Endymion, but this wasn't the first time she'd been a memory tour guide. Her magic made it impossible to see anything but the truth of the memories viewed. It was impossible to pretend you'd seen something else. Impossible to twist it around and justify it.

It was cold hard facts. Her power was terrifying. But in times like this, she remembered that it was also beneficial. It could help her help the broken, and that was a beautiful thing.

"No more." Endymion murmured. She nodded and removed herself from his mind, releasing his head once she was back inside her physical body again.

She smiled gently at him and he nodded, unable to smile back.

'Thank you." He murmured. I have a great deal to think on."

"Thank you." She whispered. "You've reminded me that my ability can be used for something other than destruction." He studied her for a long moment and then tilted her head up toward him with his thumb and index finger.

"You are the least destructive person I've ever met. You're like a rabbit in charge of a canon. Your weapon and you are not the same thing." He rested his forehead against hers and then kissed her lips feather light. It zinged through her body like he'd electrocuted her. "You have nothing to agonize over. Sleep untroubled, Abby. You are blameless."

He released her and made his way silently back to the spare bedroom he'd taken over. She watched him go with a mixture of bafflement, shyness, and longing.