Chapter 30 Rune #3
“But we were considered abominations and everything wrong,” Sylver added, a sad smile ghosting her mouth. “All because we didn’t want to kill everyone we lured. We saw allies where they saw prey.”
Nym glanced at Mom with gratitude. “I rescued a fire fae child once. He was meant for the feast. I hid him in a reef cave and sang him quiet so the others couldn’t hear him.”
“I refused to take part in a ritual killing,” Cora said, jaw tight. “They brought in a shifter teenager. He was terrified. I was supposed to drown him, but I wouldn’t do it.”
“And I…” Nym swallowed. “I spoke openly about peace with a witch once. She’d washed ashore near our cliffs. I helped her onto a rock and asked her about her life. Our elders heard.”
“They called us siren bait.” Sylver let out a dark chuckle. “The worst kind of insult from our kind. They said we were only good for luring in bigger things because of the prophecy, and then we were to be eaten when we outlived our usefulness.”
Tibby’s hand tightened on hers, and his jaw locked.
“They didn’t eat us, though. They cursed us,” Nym went on. “Took our voices. Stripped our magic away.”
Cora’s throat worked. “Then they threw us into the sea during a hurricane after their curse was complete.”
Pops's knuckles whitened around his glass. “I remember when Sabine brought you in,” he murmured. “You three were half-dead.”
Sylver nodded. “We washed up near Vleyis Abyss. Bleeding, beaten, and utterly powerless. Sabine found us on the shore and took us to Drecken.” Her gaze met my mate’s.
Drecken shifted in his seat as he nodded.
“I was working in the lab at HQ when Sabine stormed in with three half-drowned sirens and told me to break a curse woven by a high-level warlock. It was easy, really. The warlock’s magic really isn’t impressive enough for him to be a headmaster at that academy. ”
“We are grateful to you,” Nym said. “You rebuilt our magic. Piece by piece.”
“Honestly, what he did barely qualified as a curse,” Drecken muttered. “It would’ve broken with time.”
Cora smiled sadly. “You had a part in saving us.”
“And Mom,” Tibby said, “spent three weeks arguing with the Council and Dad to sponsor you. To vouch for you.”
“We know,” Sylver said softly. “We will never forget it.”
“That’s why we loved Tobias so fast,” Nym told me. “Even before we knew he was our mate. We recognized Sabine as our savior, and we wanted to be in her pod.”
“Plus, Tobias has a really nice ass,” Cora added.
“Cor,” Tobias groaned, turning pink.
“Important factors,” Slater said understandingly. “Rune’s ass is perfect.”
Sylver’s expression turned serious again. “Cursinia Academy of the Enchanted Arts is rotten,” she spat. “Their headmaster makes deals with pods, with demons, with fae, and Melody has been through things no one should. We owe her, too. She helped us survive before we met Sabine.”
“She will attend that academy soon,” Nym said with a pained expression. “Not yet. In a couple of years. As a student. Her goal is to find her mother’s belongings.”
“And when she does,” Cora said, eyes flaring, “we’re going to back her, one way or another.”
A beat of heavy silence settled.
“We would love to be on the squad that will investigate it,” Sylver answered for her sisters, staring into Mom’s eyes with determination.
Then Pops lifted his glass again. “To our three sirens,” he said. “Who chose compassion over carnage and ended up as part of our family.”
We all clinked to that.
Eventually, Darian’s name crept into conversation.
Jesper was the one that brought him up.
“Aunt Maelis is having a hard time,” he said quietly, staring into his salmon. “Even knowing what Darian did. What he was.”
“It doesn’t erase the years of him being her son,” Mom said softly. “Or the younger years before his evil showed.”
“I hate him,” I said, the words leaving my mouth before I could soften them. “I hate what he did to me and to other women, but even more, I hate that he made me question my own instincts.”
All of my matebonds pulsed with shared anger.
Dimitri’s hand slid over mine. “He drugged you and tried to strip you of your autonomy. That is unforgivable.”
“You should hate him.” Zuko’s jaw flexed. “If I had a chance, I would’ve taken his ribs apart one by one.”
Slater’s voice was quieter than usual. “Snakey still gets twitchy when he hears his name. For a chaos manifestation to hold a grudge, that means it was bad.”
“I just wish he’d never touched you,” Koa murmured.
“He’s gone,” I reminded them. “I killed him.”
“And yet,” Drecken cut in quietly, “you’re still dreaming of him.”
I stiffened.
Mom’s gaze sharpened immediately. “Dreams?”
“They’re not just dreams,” Drecken said, magic crackling faintly at his fingertips. “Something has been riding the edges of her sleep. I felt it the night she woke me with her panic. I cast a spell over her to help her sleep, and it stopped.”
I swallowed. “They’re just nightmares. Old memories.”
“Of?” Tibby asked.
“Of him choking me. Dragging me out of that restaurant. Nothing new.” I slid my gaze to my empty plate.
“I didn’t know about that.” Tibby’s flames raged.
Dad and Pops growled.
“That house is warded,” Dad said. “Against drudes and outside influence.”
“The houses at the academy aren’t.” Drecken sighed. “But my estate is. I noticed a ward had been broken the morning after that night. It’s back up and stronger than before, but I figured I’d at least mention it.”
“That’s not ominous at all,” Slater muttered.
“We’ll look into it,” Mom said firmly.
The conversation pivoted again, and Mom asked Koa about his dad.
“Dad’s adjusting,” he answered in a soft tone. “He’s free and cleared of wrongdoing. That’s what we’ve wanted all along.”
“Is he resentful?” Pops asked with a pained frown.
“Not anymore.” Koa’s smile warmed. “He doesn’t blame the Council for his imprisonment in the penitentiary. He said there was evidence incriminating him, and you had to act on what you had. He just wishes he were trusted to gather the evidence himself before being locked away.”
“That man has always been annoyingly reasonable,” Mom said, but relief was clear in her eyes. “I’m glad.”
“We’re rebuilding,” Koa said. “Sora won’t stop crying on him. Mom keeps cooking like ten meals a day, but he started shifting and flying again yesterday.”
“Good,” Dad said. “He should reclaim his former life.”
Across the table, Slater perked up. “Speaking of reclaiming things, Bram said that the demon capital’s been weirdly quiet. There haven’t been any human sightings for four months. The demons have reclaimed the capital, at least that’s what the demons are saying. He disagrees.”
“Yeah, that’s not good,” Jesper said, frowning.
Zuko tapped his fingers thoughtfully against his glass. “Not to mention that the dragon and drake scales keep going missing and not just from Council vaults anymore. From private hoards.”
“The cult has been rumored to be trying to resurrect Roak,” Sabine muttered. “That’s the last thing we need.”
“Have we confirmed they even can?” Nym asked.
“Not yet,” Dad said. “But they’re trying. And Ignis wasn’t the only council member they had nudged.”
“The torture records are interesting,” Zuko said thoughtfully.
“Of course you think that,” I muttered.
He smirked at me.
Mom set down her empty glass. “The humans are quiet, but the cult is not. Something will crest soon. I can feel it. But we are not unprepared. We have eyes everywhere. We will handle whatever comes.”
“We always do,” Pops assured her, lifting his glass again. “One disaster at a time.”
The rest of dinner flowed easily until we were all picking up dishes and putting leftovers away.
“House of Fortitude’s going to wipe the arena with House of Twilight,” Tibby said, coming back from the fridge. “You all better comfort your mate after I beat her.”
“In your dreams,” I scoffed. “Our class has been training for this all year. We’re going to beat you so hard you’ll cry.”
“Yes, let’s make him cry,” Cora said. “It’s so hot.”
“Betrayed,” Tibby muttered, but he was smiling.
“You cried last time when Fortitude won,” Nym recalled.
“Those were tears of joy,” he argued. “There’s a difference.”
Sylver cackled. “Yeah, the joy wasn’t as hot.”
“Don’t worry, sisters-by-mating, he’ll cry in defeat.” I winked, wiping down a glass. “I plan on dominating.”
Slater wiggled his eyebrows. “You dominate me all the time.”
“Slater,” Dad said warningly.
He yelped and moved to the other side of the room, away from Dad.
I looked around the table and seared tonight into my memory.
My parents. My brother. His siren mates, who were now my sisters-by-mating. My mates. Everyone was getting along so well. My heart swelled with love and fondness so strong it made my eyes sting.
Pops caught my gaze. “Hey,” he said softly, voice cutting through the noise without effort. “You okay, Rune?”
I swallowed. “Yeah. I’m just so happy.”
“I’m sorry we didn’t know how bad everything was with Darian,” Dad whispered. “But this? What you have now? It’s what you’ve always deserved.”
Mom’s gaze softened. “Family is a weapon and a shield,” Mom whispered. “Remember that tomorrow when you have to face-off with your own mates.”
“And also,” Pops added, “if you lose the Gauntlet, we still love you.”
“I love you guys, too.” I sniffled, feeling extra emotional. “This is everything I ever wanted. I had no idea how lonely I was before.”
“Same here,” Tibby agreed. “Our souls are complete now.”
“We understand,” Mom, Dad, and Pops said simultaneously.
Drecken lifted his fresh glass of wine. “To family.”
“To family.” Jesper’s hand slid over the back of my neck from behind me.
Dimitri’s fingers brushed mine. “Family.”
“To family.” Koa’s foot nudged my ankle.
“Family. I like that.” Slater’s tail wound lazily around my leg.
Zuko’s hand touched my other one. “Family’s good.”
Drecken’s blue eyes bore into mine as everyone else said it.
“To family,” I echoed.
We poured more wine and drank, talking about everything and more in Kalista.
Tomorrow, we’d go back to being students, agents, and weapons. We’d fight and scheme our way through the House Gauntlet, with cameras on us and half of Kalista betting on our outcome while enemies watched from the shadows.
But tonight?
Tonight, I was simply a daughter, a sister, and a mate to six ridiculously perfect supernatural men.