The Don’s Soulmate

36. Ettore

Chapter 36

Ettore

The weight of the chopped wood digs into my arms, the splinters cutting into my flesh while I walk through the rough, uneven terrain of the forest. I am strong, but the hours of chopping have made my muscles feel fluid, like water. The chill mountain air does little to cool the sweat dripping off my forehead.

Just a few more steps, and then I’m home.

The forest gives way to the clearing and that’s when I catch a glimpse of Carlotta running around outside the cottage, her face streaked with tears. Her voice rings out in desperation, calling my name over and over. Ettore. Ettore. Ettore.

“Carlotta,” I call out, trying to tell her I’m here, but she doesn’t hear me. I drop the wood and break into a run, my heart hammering against my ribs. Is she in trouble? Did something happen while I was away?

I now curse myself for leaving without her. I should have taken her along, or realized that chopped wood isn’t half as important, if the consequence is leaving her alone.

I burst from the tree line and there she is, her lovely face distorted in anguish. She whirls in frantic circles around the cabin, distraught sobs wracking her delicate frame as she screams out my name. At the sight of me, she stills. Relief flashes in her emerald eyes.

In three quick strides I close the distance between us and grasp her shoulders firmly. Her body trembles under my hands.

"What happened?" My voice comes out harsher than intended, sharp with residual panic. She flinches at my tone and I soften my grip, rubbing gentle circles into her arms. "Talk to me, cara mia. What has you so afraid?"

"Where the hell were you?" Her distress morphs into anger as she glares up at me, tears still streaming down her face. "Don't you ever disappear like that again!" she shouts, her voice breaking with fear and frustration.

Carlotta's fists pummel my chest, each blow fueled by the pain she feels inside. My instincts tell me to hold her tight, to reassure her, but I can't ignore the rage simmering beneath my skin, an instinct at having been attacked. It's always been there, waiting to be unleashed. But I must remain in control; I owe it to her. It’s Carlotta. I could never hurt her, even to defend myself.

"Carlotta," I say softly, willing myself to stay calm for her sake. "I was just outside chopping wood. I didn't mean to scare you." As I speak, I take note of the way her body tenses against mine, her breath hitching with every word.

Fuck. I really shouldn’t have left her, even if it was just for a short while. That same possessive nature that has always been a part of me flares up, causing me to briefly question my actions, hate myself for worrying her. But first, I have to find out what scared her so much.

"Please, take a deep breath and tell me what happened," I say calmly, even though my anxiety is mounting. “Sono qui e non te ne andrò mai più.” - I'm here, and I will never leave you.

“I woke up and you were gone…no note, no nothing. I stepped outside, and the car door was wide open. I thought someone had taken you!” she bellows.

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I realize this was my mistake. “I was only pulling out the wood saw to cut down some logs for the fireplace,” I try explaining feebly, but it’s of no use. She’s still trembling, the fear not having left her body as yet.

“Come,” I say gently. “Let’s get you inside for you, my love.”

She allows me to lead her inside. I make her a cup of warm tea and settle in on the couch beside her. She drops her head to my shoulder, her tea untouched, nuzzling into my chest.

I wrap my arms around Carlotta, holding her tightly against me as if our bodies could meld into one. I feel her trembling in my embrace, and instinctively, I know that my touch offers her a sense of security and protection.

"Shh, amore mio," I whisper soothingly into her ear. "Sono qui e sono al sicuro." - I am here and I am safe.

The words seem to wash over her like a balm, and the tension in her body begins to ease ever so slightly.

With each passing second, I can feel the weight of her fear slowly lifting from her shoulders. "Carlotta," I ask, trying to get to the bottom of things. "Please, tell me what happened. What frightened you so very much? I understand I was gone, and I left the car door open, but” -

I don’t complete my sentence, knowing it might diminish whatever she is feeling.

She takes a deep breath, her green eyes meeting mine as she gathers the courage to speak. "Please don’t think I’m crazy, but I... I had this vision, Ettore. It was so vivid and terrifying. I thought... I thought I'd lost you."

A vision?

Her voice cracks, and I can see the tears threatening to spill over once more. I immediately reach out to take her hand in mine, offering what comfort I can.

Something tells me I already know what she’s trying to understand, and from all the memories collected over centuries of living, I still remember the first time I learned of my history, my soulmate. My world had shattered, become singularly focused on keeping her safe. And now? I need to be there to help her through.

"Amore, you haven't lost me," I reassure her, my gaze never leaving hers. "I am right here with you, and I am not going anywhere. What was this vision?”

"They were strange, these visions," she murmurs, her voice barely audible above the howling of the wind outside. "It felt so real, Ettore. I saw us together, but it was like we were different people, from another time and place. We were human, but not human."

To make her believe me, I need to show her I already knew. “Do you mean we looked different? Like two humans were conjoined together as one? The same body, with two heads, four hands, four legs?”

She gasps, sitting up straighter, her eyes peering into me. “How do you know?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

A small smile tugs at my lips. It’s a bittersweet realization, knowing she’s just beginning to scratch the surface of our intertwined destinies. But I need her to process it all first. “Please,” I tell her. “I'll answer all you ask, but first, complete your story.”

She nods with a curious look around her but continues, "In the vision, I felt this overpowering love for you, like a force that couldn't be denied. But then there was darkness, pain, and loss. It was like...like we were being torn apart by something beyond our control." She shudders at the memory, her slender body trembling against mine. “I wasn’t myself anymore. My body was different. I felt like I was stripped away from the source of my life’s light, and I was wondering in the woods, lost, screaming for a person whose name I don’t know. And today, when you were missing, that is how I felt. Like something has been ripped away from me, and should harm have come your way, I would have died.”

“Oh, Carlotta,” I murmur, placing my arm around her waist to kiss her on her forehead.

“It was terrifying,” her voice is small and dewy. And I know exactly how she feels for I too feel that horror in every dream, when my soulmate is killed right in front of my eyes, over and over again.

This time though, I refuse to let that happen. She’s not going to be ripped away from me, not in this lifetime.

I clutch her harder, and she melts into me. “Whatever could this mean, Ettore?” she sighs into me, all warm and safe now. “How could you know what humans I spoke of from my visions?”

My eyes soften as I realize that she doesn't have a name for the bond we share. In this moment, I know it's time to tell her the truth—the history of soulmates and the eternal search that we are destined to endure. "Amore mio," I begin cautiously, not wanting to frighten her further. "There is a legend, an ancient story of two souls who were created as one, then split apart by the gods as punishment for their defiance."

"Tell me more," she whispers, her eyes wide with curiosity and fear.

"Throughout history, these souls have been reborn into different lives, always seeking each other out, drawn together by an irresistible force. But the gods, in their cruelty, have made it so that they are destined to be separated once more, over and over again." I pause, trying to find the right words to convey the gravity of our situation. "Carlotta, I don’t know how to tell you this, but we are those souls. We are soulmates."

"Past lives?" she echoes, her voice barely above a whisper, her body freezing next to mine.

"Yes," I confirm, my voice heavy with emotion. "We have been reincarnated for each other throughout time, always drawn together, only to be separated once more. But there's something else I must tell you. The gods, in their fury, have sent assassins to prevent our reunion – to ensure that we are never truly together."