SPELLBOUND

Gideon could not quite believe what he was hearing coming out from his mate's mouth. The disbelief in his eyes was so intense that he was at a loss for words and could only stare back at Vera who was now on the verge of crying. Her bright blue eyes were already briming with tears just waiting to spill over.

"Then you…" she choked, and a tear finally fell from the corners of her eyes and onto her cheeks. "You sent me away and after that…"

Vera wiped her tears and took a deep breath to stop herself from crying. "After that, you were gone. And all I could do was cry. I think our future…" fat tears fell from her eyes again, pain and fear flooding her pale blue orbs, "I think our future ended there, Gideon."

Her shoulders trembled and Gideon pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly to him and trying to ease her pain. He could not bear to watch her cry like this anymore. He wondered how his little mate even managed to keep this big a news from him the whole time they were consummating their mating bond. She must have been in such agony when he thought about it and see how she was crying right now.

"Evie said…" Vera continued as she hiccupped, "she said we can still change the future. Tell me Gideon, please tell me that Evie is right. I want to hear you say it… that those things will not happen to us… that you won't leave me alone… please –" her voice broke off pitifully as she stared at Gideon, hoping that he would have the same words as Evie.

"Evie's right, Vera." Gideon finally spoke. His voice ragged and panicky. "She's right. We can still change the future. I will not leave you alone, I promise you that. So please stop crying now my sweet…" he started showering kisses all over her face, kissing her bitter tears away as he rested his hands below her ears.

Gideon could no longer bear this anymore. Even though he had a lot of things running around in his head right now, trying to process the things Vera had just told him, her tears had wreaked havoc inside him and all he wanted to do right now was to make her pain go away. He would tell her anything and promise her anything as long as it will relieve her of the pain and fear that was engulfing her.

"Evie is right," he repeated once again and nodded his head, desperate to make his beloved feel better, "you, seeing the future only means one thing… it gave us the chance to change the future. So please don't worry because I swear to never allow all those things happen to us. I promise you that Vera. We will take the necessary steps to change it."

After Gideon's continuous reassurances to her, Vera finally calmed down.

"Oh… I also forgot to tell you that Evie mentioned that I am the ice-dragon guardian," Vera started after a long while of silence, "she wanted me to go to that mountain which I had seen in that vision. She told me I need to awaken them… the dragons. I still do not quite understand why or how I even became someone like that but… I don't know why. But I can't doubt Evie's words. I felt that she knows much… much more than I."

"Did she… tell you anything more?" Gideon asked in a soft voice while his hand was still gently rubbing up and down Vera's arm as she leaned on his shoulder.

Vera shook her head. "She can't say it in great detail… but I can feel it, that she knows much more. Maybe, she had seen way far ahead than what I saw. She said that we all need to work together… especially you and… your brother…"

Gideon stilled for a moment, so Vera pulled away from the comfort of his arms and turned to look at him. But as soon as their eyes met, he smiled and pressed his forehead against hers. "If that's the key to changing the future as you saw it, I will be willing to do anything, Vera." he whispered and Vera smiled in relief and wrapped her arms around his neck, showing him how relieved and happy she was to hear his answer.

The couple then continued to talk more with Gideon trying to get more details that she might have missed out while she was telling him the story. Gideon did that not only because he wanted to distract her from asking him to tell her about the past that he had seen but also because he needed to get more information no matter how little it may be. He wanted to understand everything that is involved and figure out all the reasons behind those events.

He thought that after all that Vera went through, this was not the right time for her to learn about another heartbreaking story. He did not have the heart to watch her cry again right now, not when she had just calmed down and stopped.

…

Night came and the royal family were all gathered together in the dining hall again. The king had talked about the abyss first and told everyone that it was still acting strange and unlike its normal condition.

King Belial had suggested to postpone their visit to the abyss until the pulsating and dangerous energy stabilized again. The good news was that no monsters are coming out from it at the moment.

Evie could only give in and listen to the king's decision. Mainly because she had a plan that she thought was more important to be carried out right now.

She then told them that they – her, Gav, Vera and Gideon – will be setting out tomorrow morning to head for the mountain of the ice dragons.

The king only looked at his sons with a lifted brow and when the two did not comment on anything else, he nodded at Evie and gave them his permission to go ahead with their plan.

And thus, the very next morning, the two couples set out to their journey to the mountain of ice-dragons.