Chapter Twenty
Audrey
I stay in the bathroom longer than I should, but after Brenden sends me a message, I know I’ve been in here for too long.
I’m still not ready to deal with Brenden, so my messages are short, but I don’t want him to be too worried that I was just gone. I know I’ll have to deal with him eventually, but for now, I need to deal with Donovan.
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to step out of the bathroom and head back to the living room to find only Donovan waiting for me.
“There you are,” he says with a smile. “Wraith and I thought you might be a little put off by him being here, so he headed to his office.”
“He didn’t have to do that,” I assure him, but it’s definitely easier without him being here. I guess if Donovan really is my mate, I’ll need to learn to be around Wraith regularly.
Donovan waves off my concern. “It’s fine. He doesn’t mind. He has things he can be doing anyway. Now, are you okay?”
Still standing in the doorway from the hallway, I shrug. “I’m just overwhelmed with everything from the last twenty-four hours.”
“I’m sorry I added to that,” he says with a frown. “We don’t have to talk about the mate situation anymore if it’s stressing you out.”
I shake my head. “No, I think it would be better to know. I don’t know the ritual to learn if someone is my mate, just the one that solidifies the bond on my side. My mom said if I ever met someone who claimed to be my mate, she’d teach it to me, but for some reason, she felt the need for me to know the other.”
“That’s okay, pretty girl. I found the one that will show you how many mates, and from what I read, it should confirm mates too?” He stands up, moving toward me. “You’re sure you want to do this right now? It’s late, and you’ve had a long day.”
“If I don’t do it now, I never will,” I tell him quietly. “I know myself well enough to know that. Thank you for helping me with this, Donovan. It means a lot.”
He chuckles. “You act like I’m not getting anything out of it. It’ll confirm for you that I’m your mate, so don’t act like I’m being altruistic.”
Once he reaches me, he offers me his hand, and I only hesitate for a second before taking it. He leads me through the kitchen, around a wall to a set of stairs leading up. Upstairs, he leads me to the first door on the right and pushes the door open. The room we step into is an office with hunter green walls, a couple of bookcases, and a desk that’s obviously the centerpiece of the room. There’s a couch on one wall and a few armchairs spread out.
Donovan leads me to the couch before grabbing a book from the shelf and coming back to me. He flips through it as he sits beside me.
“There it is.” He offers me the book, which is obviously very old. I take it, reading over the words. The ritual seems easy enough, but I’m damn sure glad my mom had me and Wren learn Latin. Otherwise, there’s no way I would’ve been able to read it.
“Do you have these ingredients, or at least know where we can get them?” I ask without looking up from the tome.
Donovan hums and when he stands, my eyes finally lift to follow his movement. He walks over to the desk, opening a drawer and starts pulling items from the drawer. My jaw drops when I realize he’s pulling out not just the ingredients but a bowl to mix them in, an athame, and chalk. He literally has everything we need to do the spell right here in his office.
He smirks when he lifts his head to find me staring at him in disbelief. “I like to be prepared, pretty girl, and you might not believe me yet, but I’d do anything for my mates—both fated and chosen.”
“So, you and Wraith?” There’s so much more I want to ask, but I leave it at that.
“We already told you we were lovers. We’ve been together for a very long time. I love him, and he loves me. How we aren’t fated, I’ll never understand, but I’ll always choose him.” He hesitates. “And hope that doesn’t cause issues with my fated mate.”
I stare at him for a moment before I realize he’s talking about me. Right. He thinks I’m his fated mate. “I believe that people have the capacity of loving more than one person at the same time. The heart’s capacity for love knows no bounds. As long as all parties are aware of one another, I don’t see the issue with polyamory. Not that I’m saying I’m your fated mate. It’s just that if I am, I have no issues with you and Wraith being together.”
“Of course you don’t. Because you’re perfect for me. There’s no way the Fates would give me a mate who didn’t accept all parts of me.” He grins. “Now, since you’re still denying that we’re mates, I think we should get on with the ritual, so you can confirm that we’re mates.”
Rolling my eyes, I stand. “Is there somewhere else you’d like to do this, or are we doing this in your office?”
“We can do it here, as long as that’s okay with you.” Donovan grabs all of the supplies and moves toward the center of the room. “There’s enough room in here, isn’t there?”
Nodding, I join him and drop to the floor. Setting the tome on the floor, I reach for the chalk as he sets everything on the floor. Hesitating, I glance up at him. “Did you want to join me inside the circle? You’ll be able to see everything I can, and it should confirm if you’re my mate as well.”
“You’re sure you’re okay with that?” he asks, and at my nod, he grins. “Then, yes, I would love to join you.”
“Let me get the circle drawn first, and then you can join me. I’ll need you to remain quiet the entire time as I’ll need to focus on this. Because it’s new to me, it’ll take more focus.”
“Before you do that, there’s something else I want to talk to you about,” he says.
Frowning, I wonder what else he could want to talk about. “Okay?”
“I know you said you were a witch—“
“Because I am a witch.”
He hums, making a face. “Yeah, I’m not so sure about that. You don’t smell like any other witch I’ve ever met. If you are a witch, you’re not just a witch.”
Now, I kind of wish I’d told him we couldn’t talk about anything else. I’ve never met my dad. Mom said he was a witch just like her, and I’ve never had to question her words before. I don’t plan on starting now.
“Obviously, I’m going to smell different. I’m dead.”
Donovan rolls his eyes. “You smell different than the other witches here, pretty girl. I can tell you don’t want to talk about this right now, so I’ll drop it.”
“Thank you.”
“But I won’t drop it forever. Don’t you want to know what else is a part of you?”
Sighing, I shake my head. “I don’t know if I do. For all I know, you could be mistaken. Even if you’re not, I’m not sure how many more surprises I can deal with today.”
He nods. “That’s fair. I’m officially dropping it.”
He mimes zipping his lips. With a roll of my eyes, I set about drawing a circle that will be big enough for both of us. Forcing the questions he’s raised in my head away, I focus on the task at hand. I fill the circle with the runes I always use in my circles—protection, vision, strength, and balance. Then I add the ones needed for this particular ritual—fate, understanding, relationships, and harmony.
Gesturing for Donovan to join me, I wait until he’s seated before mixing together the ingredients—alder root, cardamom, horsetail, and eyebright—in the mortar and crushing it with the pestle.
Pulling the tome closer, I frown. “Damn it, I still haven’t been able to access my magic. Do you have matches?”
“Of course I do.” Donovan digs in his pocket before handing me a matchbook.
As much as I hate using it, wishing I could use my fire magic, I strike a match and drop it into the mortar. Setting it on the floor, I reach for the athame and lift it to my palm. It’s been sharpened recently, requiring next to no pressure as I cut a shallow path along my hand. Squeezing my hand shut, I turn it to the side, allowing the blood to drop into the bowl. It sizzles when it hits the blood, and I begin chanting.
“With blood and fire, I call out to the fates. Your help I seek, to learn my fate. Accept my offering and show me what is to be.”
For just a moment, I worry I’ve messed up the translation as nothing happens. I might be able to read Latin, but I certainly can’t speak it.
My head jerks back, my heart pounding in my chest as darkness descends over my eyes. Blinking, I attempt to focus, but it doesn’t work. I relax, reaching across the circle and taking Donovan’s hand in mine. A gasp falls from my lips as a jolt of electricity shoots up my arm from where we touch.
Dear daughter, we know what you come seeking. Your future is unclear; too many variables to see where you will end. We can show you only a possibility of what is to come, for your life is meant for more than you know. Life after death for you will not be an easy one, but love, you can find.
The voice isn’t one but three, and I know that the Fates have come to us.
Suddenly, my vision clears, but I’m no longer in Donovan’s office, though the man is still beside me, his hand clasped around mine. We’re standing in almost complete darkness, except there’s some kind of light, but I can’t find its source. My head jerks to the side when I notice lights growing in the darkness that surrounds us.
Your fate is tied to that of five others. Some of those strands are weak, just barely tangible. It would take but one decision by you or them for the tie to sever, and your fates would no longer be tied to each other.
It’s then I realize there are five lights before us—two brightly lit and almost blinding, the third is much dimmer than the first two but still bright. The fourth and fifth are barely twinkling, although the fourth seems to be slightly brighter than the fifth. Those two must be the ties that could be easier severed.
Holy shit. I have five mates.
Shaking my head, I focus on the three brighter lights.
The two brightest, you know who they belong to, and yet, you deny both them and yourself of the love you could share. Daughter, do you not appreciate the gift we’ve given you?
“No, that’s not it.” Sighing, I shake my head. The Fates will be able to see what is in my head and my heart, so there’s no use hiding it. “How can I accept mates when I’m so unsure of what will be my future? How can I accept mates and be happy knowing that my sister, my twin, is in danger?”
Oh, darling girl. What is meant to be will be. There are some things not even we can change. Your life was cut short because of the decisions of others, and there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent that. Your twin has a destiny, just as you do. We cannot see the outcomes of your futures as they have not been decided, but know that everything happens for a reason. Now, will you continue to deny the gift you’ve been given?
Glancing at Donovan, I find his hopeful eyes on me. I turn back to the brightly glowing lights and shake my head. “Donovan and Brenden are my mates, this I accept. Thank you, Fates, for your gift. I will cherish it.”
“Ummm... may I ask a question?” Donovan’s voice is hesitant.
You may ask your question, son of Cerebus, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to answer it.
“Of course. Thank you for allowing me to at least ask it, Fates. Is there any other information you can provide about Audrey’s other mates?”
Laughter surrounds us, and when the Fates speak again, their voice seems jovial.
If only it were that easy, son of Cerberus. The third light is the only other mate we can guarantee. Though your fate is tied to the other two, there is too much that could cause the severing of those tenable strings. Know this, daughter. You will mate with three or five. There will be no in between. Goodbye, daughter and son of Cerberus. May fate be with you.
Before either of us can say anything else, our bodies are thrown from wherever the Fates brought us and back into our bodies. We both suck in air greedily as we turn to look at each other.
Donovan grins at me. “I told you that you were my mate.”
“I guess there’s no denying it now.” I give him a small smile, sighing. “And so is Brenden. I need to go see him. I need to apologize.”
“That will need to wait,” Donovan’s voice rumbles, nodding toward the window. “It seems that the Fates kept us out of this world for longer than we could’ve anticipated.”
Frowning, I turn to see what he’s talking about. My eyes widen as I realize the sun is rising. Hours have passed since I cast the ritual. “Shit. At least it seems our bodies slept while our souls left them. I feel like I’ve had a full night’s sleep.”
“Me, too. I’m surprised Wraith isn’t here waiting for us to wake. He would’ve come to check on us at some point during the night.”
“You know me so well,” Wraith’s voice sounds out just before he steps out of the shadows.
Yeah, that’s still going to take some getting used to.
Wraith’s eyes run over his lover before focusing on me. “Did the Fates provide you with what you sought?”
“They did.”
He hums. “Good, and I’m glad your souls have returned to your bodies unscathed. Once I realized what was happening, I had a uniform and all the necessities brought to the house. I’ve set them in the room next to mine and Donovan’s. If you approve, I thought that room could be yours. You can do with it as you please.”
“Oh, uh...” Glancing at Donovan with wide eyes, I find him grinning back at me. “Thank you.”
Wraith smiles, transforming his face from handsome to breathtaking. “Of course. It is my pleasure to provide for Donovan’s fated mate. Assuming that it was confirmed by the Fates?”
“It was,” I agree. “Both Donovan and Brenden have been confirmed as my mates. And, uh, I already told Donovan this, but I wanted to assure you as well. I don’t expect your relationship with Donovan to stop once we’ve mated. I just ask for open communication between us as I don’t want my relationship with him to affect yours or vice versa.”
“That is good to hear.” Wraith inclines his head. “We will discuss things later. I think it’ll be best if Brenden is included in those conversations as well.”
Nodding, I push to my feet. “That would probably be for the best, but I will have to apologize to him first.”
“He’ll forgive you,” Donovan says as he wraps his arm around my waist. “For now, let me show you to your room so you can get ready. I’ll make you breakfast before you have to go to classes. Oh, and Wraith?”
“Yes, pet?”
“Audrey has at least one more mate, though possibly two others. It seems that my mate’s fate isn’t set in stone. Her destiny is important, but the Fates didn’t provide us with any further information.”
Wraith snorts. “Of course they didn’t, but that’s their way. It’ll be interesting to see what they meant by that. Go and get ready, Miss Maddox—“
“Audrey, please,” I cut him off. “If we’re going to be around one another all the time, it’ll get a little old having you call me Miss Maddox all the time.”
“Okay, then, Audrey. Your room has a full ensuite with a huge bathtub. It even has jets. You’ve got time to relax for a bit. Donovan and I will take care of breakfast for you.”
Before I can thank him, Donovan is pulling me from the room and heading toward the room that can be mine if I want.
This is definitely not how I saw my afterlife going.