Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Derek
After napping on the grass and being fed lunch there too, we were escorted home by all the rulers, or to the small house we’d stayed at before the long sleep. We would need to find a real home for us soon, though, and then invite our friends over.
“As you can see,” Henriette said, gesturing to the windows. “Our world has changed a lot while you were asleep.”
I had to agree. The grass outside was green and we had several small trees, too.
“But in the castle,” I began.
“It hasn’t been watered properly in a while, our focus was sadly elsewhere,” Trise hurried to explain. “It’s been many years since we had a gardener at the castle, there simply wasn’t a use for one. But we will need to change that now.”
I just nodded, feeling tired and ready to take another nap.
“Do the others know that we’ve woken up?” Nolen asked, seeming just as drained as I felt.
“All of them, yes,” Alec replied. “Why?”
“Because I want a second to ground myself first,” Aiden explained for us. “And if Juno and Remi are anything like I’d heard them to be, they’ll be here any second, demanding attention.”
I snorted. “Juno definitely would.”
“We told them to leave you be these first few days,” Trise said, but was interrupted by loud knocks on the front door, followed by Juno’s muffled words of ‘please open up’.
I gestured to the closed door. “See?”
Alec sighed. “I’ll make him go away. You three focus on getting your strength back and then you can have all the visitors you want, but they’ll respect that you might need today for yourselves.”
“Thank you,” Aiden said, looking relieved.
“We should head out, too,” Grovar said, moving with the others to the front door. “Oliver wants to see you when you’re up for it, Aiden.”
“Oliver?” Aiden’s voice was full of surprise. “He’s here?”
“Of course he is,” Grovar replied with a smirk. “He’s mine.”
“Oh,” Aiden grinned. “I would love that.”
They left and as soon as the door was closed, Aiden hit Nolen’s arm. “Why didn’t you tell me Oliver was here?!”
“I told you he came with us!” Nolen defended himself.
“Not that he stayed!”
Nolen threw his hands up in the air like he’d given up. “Fine, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you Grovar and Oliver are mates.”
Aiden just glared at our mate.
I decided to leave them to it and went to the bathroom; it was there that I truly looked at my reflection in the mirror.
I had lost weight, my hair was longer, but it was my face that had changed the most. Someone, likely Mindy, had shaved my face, making it easier to see just how much my face had aged.
I likely wouldn’t have seen a huge difference had time passed by while I was awake to notice these small changes, but three years of aging was definitely obvious.
Was it weird that I didn’t hate losing those years? I actually felt fond of them. It was in them that I’d hugged Aiden for the first time. It was where we talked for hours and hours about everything. We only had each other for those three years, no one to disturb our little bubble of peace.
I knew having secrets was a big no-no, but I had hidden a few times when Nolen and Aiden thought they dreamed just the two of them.
I didn’t do it to spy on them, but simply because I wanted them to have this time together.
I already knew Nolen, and I wanted Aiden to wake up feeling like he belonged with us, that we were equal in this.
So, I hid, watching them cuddle on the beach or hold hands in the forests.
It was easy to do, knowing they’d never ask for time alone.
So, I intended on keeping my secret, hoping it had helped bring them closer together.
Nolen’s voice had me jumping in place. “There you are.”
Holding my chest dramatically, I answered, “Well of course I’m here? Did you think I’d left?”
“Har har,” he chuckled, pulling me into a hug. A soft kiss was placed on the top of my head and I melted into him. Our first hug since waking up.
“Where’s Aiden?” I asked.
“Asleep on the couch, so I figured now would be the best time to ask you about Aiden and me mating.”
“What about it?”
“Do you want to be there with us?”
“Is that normal?” I questioned.
“Darling, none of what we’ve experienced so far has been normal here. We do what we feel is right and that’s how we do it. If you want to be there with us, you will.”
“Oh, does Aiden want that?”
“I haven’t asked him yet. I wanted to know how you felt before bringing it up.”
That was sweet of him. He seemed to already know how to do this two mates thing perfectly. “I want to be there, if Aiden wants that, too. If not, then I’ll let you have that experience together.”
His lips found mine, soft and gentle. It wasn’t a claiming kiss; it was a healing one. I felt better when his lips left mine. He’d put my nerves at ease just from one single kiss. Even if I wanted said kiss to last a lifetime.
“I’ll ask him when he wakes up. Anything you want to do until then?”
I actually didn’t know what I wanted, I was tired and weak, yet energized enough not to need another nap.
“TV and cuddles on the couch?” I suggested. “I don’t want to be too far from Aiden.”
“Sounds perfect.”