Reckoning by Laury Falter

experience of my existence. Nothing else comes close.” His head dipped again and he fell back in to his world of memories. “I was, in fact, hoping to experience it again the night you went missing. The night you were taken and…and tortured by Abaddon and his followers…in the clearing outside Gettysburg.” He drew in a deep breath, waiting until his thoughts cleared before continuing. “And then you were gone, murdered by my own hands-”
    “ Eran…stop,” I pleaded but he continued on.
    “ Murdered by me.” He grimaced, his body suddenly shaking at the memory. “And when I saw you again in the afterlife-”
    “ I remember…I was there waiting for you,” I said, hoping to transition his memories to something positive.
    It didn’t work.
    “ There was no ignoring what I’d done. That feeling…the stark awareness…the memory of hurting you was…It was too much.”
    “ And you withdrew from me…I remember.” I placed my hand on him, a soft but firm hold that I hoped would be comforting.
    “ And so you did something I would never blame you for…you returned here…as a reborn, a human, forgetting your past. Escaping it…and escaping me.”
    “ No…never…” I stated, aghast.
    “ It is all right. I understand,” he said, his sincerity undeniable.
    “ No, you don’t,” I declared softly. “I came back here not to escape, not to forget you. I would never,” I swallowed back the lump that had grown in my throat. “I would never want to leave you, Eran. I came back as a reborn to finally fulfill my need to experience life as a human. Memory loss is simply a side effect of it. And I chose that specific time to return because you needed space…time to recover from me.”
    He spun towards me, his eyes wide with disbelief. “All this time…that’s what you thought? That I needed space?”
    “ Yes…” I whispered, confusion washing over me.
    Releasing a quick breath, his shoulders sagged. “Never, Magdalene. You are my life…” His eyes rose to mine then, amazed and perplexed at the same time. “I think…we need to work on our communication…”
    Despite the situation and the bitter reality we’d just unearthed, his response, so understated, caused a tickle, one that quickly turned to laughter. Within seconds, a smile broke through the sorrow etched in the gorgeous contours of his face, and a moment later he was laughing alongside me.
    When our laughter calmed, I drew in a breath and then answered my own question. “So that’s why we have never been together again…There has never been an appropriate time to do it…”
    “ Exactly.”
    “ So much time…” I mused sadly.
    We fell silent, computing what we could have gained if we could have remained together, if we could have simply acknowledged our feelings with each other.
    Then he stood halfway, rotated, and slid me from my chair on to his lap. Enjoying the feel of his solid body, I hugged him closer before asking, “You’ve been enticed by my presence for…?”
    “ Over a century,” he calculated quickly and then shrugged before confessing, “Well, longer than that. I was in love with you well before I announced it. I just wouldn’t admit it to myself.”
    I considered how much time that must feel like and, after understanding it, I was compelled to speak gently when asking my next question. “Any ideas on how to make up for lost time?”
    His eyes were still on the rooftops across the street when he smiled. “I’m working on that…It’s all about finding the perfect moment.”
    “ The perfect…” I said, aghast. “How about we forget the perfect moment and take advantage of the time we have?”
    “ Breakfast in the morning, folding laundry, grocery shopping. All of these can be rushed. Lovemaking, Magdalene, should not be. The planning of it included.”
    I slumped back in my chair. “Now, you’re being a tease.”
    He pushed himself up with a groan. “And for once, I’m not trying to be.”
    His hand