Now that Cassian and Nestas wedding is over, it's time for me to take a much needed break. My brother's have found their mates, and while I am happy for them, I find myself longing for mine. I fear I do not have one. It's a rare connection that very few fae get to have.

Rhys senses my longing and is hesitant to have me go off by myself like this, but he objectively lets me leave. I fly for days. I cloak myself in shadows when I land. I do not wish to interact with anyone.

I find myself in a town that I have been drawn to since its birth. I'm not sure why this small lake town in the summer court calls to me. I bought a small cabin here years ago, and when I find downtime, this is where I end up.

The next few days I spend in contemplation. Thinking about my long life. About the connections I've made to other ladies. Why couldn't Mor be my mate? Why was Elaine someone else's?

I am standing outside as the sunsets. The colors are beautiful, and they dance off of the water. Suddenly, my attention is drawn away by splashing. A woman is swimming and as she comes out of the water I see her. I'm drawn to her, yet I don't move. I watch her walk away from me, to a house in the distance.

Over the next week, I watch her. I use my shadows to hide me at night and during the day I watch from my windows. I haven't been able to see her face fully. Always a side profile or her back to me. But today I want to talk to her. Figure out why I'm so drawn to this woman. Why does she fill my dreams at night? Why do I feel a warmth when I see her?

A walk over to her cabin and tentatively knock. As I wait for her to open the door, my heart is racing. What is happening to me? Finally, when it opens and I see her face, my world explodes. It's her. The woman I've never met but always known. My love. My mate.

She smiles at me, and I melt. Now I have to form words, and I struggle with whether to blurt out the words that she is my mate or to wait.

"Hello" is all I manage to say.