The Silvia Saga: Boxset

Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Dara

We walk through the forest for another few minutes. I stay behind the guys, trying to clear my head after Oliver just went and mushed it all up. Declan is behind me, taking up the rear. I have found that when we are in a group, I am always in the centre. Must be another protective-warrior thing.

Harlan stops, and the rest follow. Is this where the house is? We’re surrounded by the forest. Finally, my eyes land on one of the biggest trees I have seen. It’s the same type as every other tree but this one is twice the size. I also can’t see an entrance door like the other trees have. Maybe this isn’t a home then; maybe it’s just a tree. I am overthinking things.

I don’t have to think about it for a moment longer as the tree opens up like a secret door. Out steps a girl, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I mean, I thought Kayla was the hottest girl I knew, but this girl is something else. She has curly, natural blonde hair that flows beautifully down her back. There’s an aura of confidence surrounding her.

She runs over to my warriors before jumping into Harlan’s arms. I growl, surprising myself at the possession and jealousy that bubbles up.

Oliver laughs. “Ease up, Princess. This is Jolie, our sister.” He walks over to her and gives her a hug while he messes up her hair. Jolie gives as good as she gets, punching him in the stomach. He falls back, grabbing his stomach then throws his arms up in surrender. I smile.

Before I can even move a muscle, Jolie pulls me in for a tight hug. I tense for a second before hugging her back.

“Oh, how I have missed you, Dara! Don’t you ever go away again. We were the best of friends when we were little. We were inseparable, just like sisters. You were the sister I never had,” she says as she lets me go.

My chest tightens at the thought of having a family here that loved me. This is all I ever wanted growing up in foster care, and now hearing these stories it hurts that I got sent away from people who cared about me.

I smile sweetly at her, already loving her, even though I have known her for all of one minute. She has this warm vibe about her that makes me feel welcome. “Nice to meet you, Jolie. I mean meet you again. Sorry, I wish I could remember my childhood. Sucks not remembering you guys. I am sure we can get to know each other again?”

I will be needing a girl buddy amongst these meatheads. She laughs out loud like she heard my thoughts. Just like the guys do. I need to get this shit in check quickly.

“Yep, you will be stuck with me now, missy. I have waited way too long for you to come back. Not letting you out of my sight. I am one of your warriors, as well. Well, much to Harlan’s disapproval,” she says as she sticks her tongue out at Harlan.

Oh, man. I love her so much already, my type of girl, with a little cheek.

“Come inside. The rest of the family is dying to see you and we need to get out of sight. We don’t want the slayers to find our home. Hence the secret door that Dad created. Pretty cool, huh?” Jolie drags me to the front of the tree house.

She places her palm on the tree and the secret door opens. The bark practically parts before my eyes and I blink a few times making sure this is real. Wow, that’s cool.

We enter and the door clicks shut behind us. We walk into an open-planned living and dining area. This place is huge. From the outside, it looks small but inside is a completely different story. The ground is the same luscious green grass that is out in the forest. Grass to replace carpet is something I wouldn’t have thought of.

To my right is a huge kitchen where a large island bench wraps around in an L-shape. The stove, fridge, and washing basin line up against the wall. The walls are covered in bark, so it looks like the outside of the tree. There is a big family table in front of the kitchen island that seats at least ten people. To the left is a massive L-shaped couch that is made from the most beautiful-looking brown leather. The home feels warm and cosy. Unlike the foster homes I grew up in. Oliver wraps his arm around my waist and places a kiss on my forehead. My belly explodes with butterflies, which confuses me. I haven’t known these guys for that long and I’m already forming feelings for them. Everything is moving so fast, and I have no idea how to process it all. I know the guys feel like they know me, but I don’t know them.

Oliver lets me go as footsteps sound on the stairs in the corner. They are made from beautiful Tasmanian oak in a deep red-brown and wind up to another level. An elderly woman and man come into view, and I don’t need to be told that they are the warriors’ parents.

They look so much like them. They have Oliver’s nose, Harlan’s ears, Blair’s soft mouth, Declan’s beautiful chocolate brown eyes, and Jolie’s curls. They both walk toward me with huge smiles on their faces.

“Welcome home, sweetie. We sure did miss you,” their mother says as she pulls me in for a hug.

I squeeze her back and breathe in. She smells of roses and home—don’t ask me what home smells like, I have no idea, but if I had to describe it, this is it. It is the most calming scent I have ever encountered. This is the same smell the warriors have.

She pulls back and eyes me over. “My, oh my, you look exactly like your mother. Everything except your eyes. Your eyes are from your father. The vibrant blue, I will never forget those. I suppose I’d better introduce myself as your memories haven’t come back. This would be the first time you have met me. My name is Anna, and this is Albert,” she says, pointing to the man behind her. “We are your godparents. We were the best of friends with your parents. We miss them every day, and I wish you had the pleasure of remembering them. They were the nicest, sweetest people I knew,” Anna says as she wipes a tear away from her eye.

I trust and believe every word she says. My parents sound like they were the best. I wish I could remember them.

Albert stands there looking out into nowhere like he is in another world. He finally snaps out of it and says, “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Dara. I hope the guys have been treating you well. It has been hard keeping Jolie here at bay. She has been going mad. Harlan didn’t let her go to get you. Trust me, she has been a nightmare to be around. I am glad you’re finally here, so she can settle down.” He chuckles.

I let out a little giggle. “Sorry you had to deal with that. Thanks so much for having me in your home. It sure is beautiful,” I say.

“It’s our pleasure, sweetie. Please make yourself at home. I’m sure my boys have filled your head with a lot of information already. You need to rest up as you have a big few days ahead of you. If you need anything, just ask and help yourself to anything you need. We keep the kitchen fully stocked and the guys will show you to your room,” Anna says, making me fall more in love with her. She is the sweetest most caring person I have ever met. She is someone I would love to have as a mother. Anna said she is my godmother, so I guess that means she is the closest thing I have to a mother.

“Thank you so much. I am so grateful to each one of you for bringing me into your home. I hope I am up to finding these stones and defeating James,” I say truthfully.

I know everyone here believes in me. They believe that I can do this, but I just don’t know if I can. Let’s pray that I can with the guidance of my so-called warriors. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to calling them that.

Jolie comes over to me and links our arms. “You will, Dara. I have faith in you. Now let’s go to your new room and have some girl time. I bet you are sick of hanging with these losers,” she says, dragging me up the stairs.

I spin around and all the guys are shaking their heads at Jolie. I am grateful that she’s taking me away. It will be good to have a rest. These past twenty-four hours have been hectic. Life-changing, literally.

We carry on up the stairs and step onto a landing, I count six doors across the hallway. The stairs continue up to a higher level, which I assume houses their parents’ bedroom. Jolie pulls me toward the first door to the right and opens it. We step inside, and I take a second to appreciate the interior.

My eyes go straight to the back wall. It is covered with a mural of Silvia. It shows the beautiful vibrant grass and the huge trees with the detailed leaves. The ceiling shows the bright blue sky that finishes off the room perfectly. A large king-sized bed sits in front of the wall.

Fuck it would be amazing to lie on this bed and look up at the sky ceiling. The rest of the bedroom walls are a light blue that match with the feature wall. There is a wardrobe door opposite the bed and an empty desk to my left. Right next to the desk is a door that I assume leads to a bathroom.

“Pretty cool, huh? Declan had it all made especially for you, thoughhe would never admit it. But he did design the whole space in hopes that you would be back one day to use it.”

I stand there in a state of shock. “Declan … did this for me?”

“I know he’s the quiet one, but he actually has the biggest heart. Just don’t expect him to tell you about it. He would deny it. Trust me. He’s stubborn as hell,” Jolie admits.

I can’t believe it.

This is mine? I walk over to the bed and lie down facing the sky-covered ceiling. The bed dips next to me and I look to see Jolie lying next to me.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” she asks, not taking her eyes away from above.

I let out a sigh as I snuggle farther into the bed. “It sure is. I can’t believe this is mine—so cool,” I admit to her, enjoying her company.

Jolie and I don’t even have to talk. We can just lay here in silence and it’s not weird at all.

Someone knocks on the door and Harlan comes in. A little smile creeps up on his lips, but all too soon it’s gone, replaced with his usually serious face. “Sorry to break up your girl time, but we need to show Dara around the rest of the house.”

Rest of the house …. He makes it sound like there is a lot more to see.

How could that be? Surely there isn’t much more. That would make the house even bigger than I imagined. It sure as hell didn’t look like that from the outside.

But then again, we are in Silvia, and I’m starting to learn that anything is possible here.