Chapter 109
Ivy
Damon’s shadows dropped us on a beach not too dissimilar to our own.
But rather than thick forest surrounding a large manor, the house standing before us looked like an Italian villa plucked right off a beach in the Mediterranean.
Beautiful open arches that allowed you to look out over the now calm ocean, dramatic drops as it sat on the edge of a cliff; terracotta tiled roofs with terraces decorated with iron flourishes.
The island was smaller than our own, and yet it looked so… cosy.
Someone screamed from a path leading up to the house, the sound prickling the hairs at the base of my neck with how familiar it was.
In the distance, I spotted Maisie standing with Eloise and Adrian’s brother, Griffon, dressed like they were about to spend a day at the beach.
Tears fell freely as I stepped out of the protective circle my mates formed around me. And as soon as my sisters saw me, they ran.
Vampire speed allowed me to be on the path in an instant, and I managed to catch Maisie as she threw herself into my arms. Violent sobs wracked her body as her arms curled around my neck so tightly, it was like she never intended to let go.
“I’ve got you, nugget,” I whispered, smoothing down her hair. “I’m not letting go. Ever.”
Eloise was slow to approach, yet tears streamed down her cheeks. “You won?” she asked, lips quivering. “We get to come home?”
“Yeah,” I said, voice hoarse. “You’re coming home with me. And then you are never, ever leaving my side again.”
Eloise collapsed beside me, and I pulled her into me with another arm, holding both as close as I possibly could. The sound of sandals smacking against stone brought my attention to Ginny, her long wild hair flowing behind her as she ran towards us, Thea close behind.
As soon as I saw them, I broke completely. Ginny was in my arms a moment later, face buried in my shoulder as Thea dropped behind me, resting her forehead against the back of mine.
A piece I knew had been missing since we were forced to say goodbye finally fell into place again. And with it came peace, knowing I’d made the right choice today.
I could never give them up again. Not for anything. Not after what they’d gone through—what we’d all been through. My sisters only had me and needed nothing else. Avalon had a small army of creatures who were better at leading them, who could give them what they needed to rebuild—to survive.
“You smell like ass,” Thea murmured in my ear, sniffling. “Good god, did you not shower before coming here?”
“Sorry we can’t all smell like vanilla,” I replied, swallowing sobs. “Some of us were just at literal war.”
Thea held me tighter, voice lowering. “You won though, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “We won. No more enemies. And no more Queen.”
Eloise pulled back slightly, her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I gave it up,” I said, meeting her confused stare. “They don’t need me as much as you do.”
“But you’re the Queen,” Ginny sniffled without pulling away. “The magical Queen who saves the day.”
I brushed a hand down her unruly hair. “Not anymore. From now on, I’m just me.” I’d explain the whole Guardian thing to Thea later without little ears to know about the skull. “And we don’t live in a castle anymore.”
That finally had Ginny pulling back, pouting hard. “No castle?”
I shook my head sadly. “Nope.”
The lip quivered. “No toys?”
“Oh, I’m sure if you ask nicely, the guys will get you all the toys you need,” I replied, cupping her red cheek. “No castle. But we have an island a little like this one where I plan to take you. Does that sound okay?”
Ginny nodded silently. When I looked at Eloise, she looked uncertain. “What’s wrong, El? You can tell me anything.”
“What about school? Life? Friends? Do we not get to have that anymore?” she asked, sounding much younger than she usually did. She’d given up so much when we brought her here, my little social butterfly. And I could see how much the isolation was starting to affect her.
With my other hand, I cupped her cheek, too. “Of course you can,” I replied. “Once the dust settles a bit. I don’t really know what’s going on there, but…”
“But there are a dozen schools for you to choose from,” Adrian said, appearing behind me—well, all of them were here now. “And I’ll get you into any one you want.”
Eloise looked away from me to stare at my mates. “There are more of you now.”
That had Maisie perking up. As Thea rose, Maisie pulled back to stare over my shoulder at the nine mates gathered behind me—five she knew, and four new faces for her to learn.
“I guess it’s time to introduce everyone,” I murmured, glancing at each girl warily. “Are you okay with that?”
“That one is so tall,” Maisie whispered, staring at Damon most likely.
“Yeah,” I said, “and he has horns.”
Maisie’s eyes widened as they met mine, full of wonder and intrigue.
I knew she’d have no problem meeting the others.
Ginny was wary—though I knew her hesitancy stemmed from not wanting to make a bad impression.
Hopefully, I could pull the confident little girl back out of her shell again. And Eloise…
The oldest of the three stood and crossed her arms, eyeing all my mates with a pout. “Why are there so many?” she asked without looking at me.
With a grunt, I heaved Maisie into my arms. My nearly seven-year-old sister used to be heavy, but the extra strength from my mates helped with being able to cradle her again. Ginny pressed into my side shyly, though she didn’t look away from the group.
Even Thea appeared intrigued, though when she looked at me, there was a spark in her eyes and a flash of gold that made me swallow thickly. It was something to deal with another time.
“These are my mates,” I said. “You already know the team: Elias, Maeve, Rowan, Adrian, and Hawk. But there are a couple of new ones for you to meet.” Over Ginny’s shoulder, I pointed first at Orion. “That one there is Orion. He was actually my first mate, and he’s Fae.”
“Oooh,” Maisie said, leaning her head against mine. “Like a Faery?”
“Sort of,” I murmured. “And next to him, the really tall one is Damon. He’s a demon, and he’s super old.”
“How old?” Eloise asked, moving to stand behind Ginny and resting her chin on my shoulder.
“Over three thousand years,” I said, smiling a little to myself knowing she didn’t hate me. Realising we were going to be okay after this. “And next to him is Xerxes. He’s not from Avalon or Faery or the Underworld. He’s from the Old World, and he shifts.”
“What does he shift into?” Ginny whispered, looking up at me.
“He’s like the wolf-man.” Through the bond, I felt immediate resistance from him. You’ll be sick of her once you show her your Primal form, I said, giving him a smile. She’ll adore you.
His cheeks reddened. Will she?
I gave him a little nod. Absolutely. You’ll be her favourite.
I could tell he was pleased with that. It hadn’t occurred to me that they would be worried about my sisters liking them, but I could feel that anxiety from all of them.
“And lastly, that’s…” I hesitated a moment. Have you thought of a name you like better? I asked Thor, meeting his wide stare.
No, he replied hesitantly. I haven’t.
I pressed my lips together. “Well, his current name is Thor,” I said quietly. “But he doesn’t like it very much. So, we need to think of a new one.”
“I can help,” Maisie said, pulling her head from mine and raising her hand. “What about…Doug?”
Thor looked at me but shook his head. “Not a fan,” I said, tickling her side. “Try again.”
Maisie giggled, her tears completely dried up now. “Troy?”
Not at all, Thor said, though a smile quirked his lips.
“Nope.” I couldn’t help but smile as she tapped her chin like she was deep in thought.
To my surprise, though, Eloise spoke up. “Arthur,” she said quietly, still resting her chin on my shoulder. “Still has Thor in it, but not quite the same. And it kinda fits, considering where we are.”
Through the bond, I could tell he was mulling it over. I like it, I said, offering him a smile.
You do? he asked.
“I think it’s perfect,” I told him. “But only if you like it.”
Without hesitation, he bowed his head. I like it, too.
“Then I would like to introduce you to Arthur. He’s a bear shifter, and he doesn’t speak.
If you want an answer from him, you’ll have to hold his hand, okay?
” I said, looking from Maisie, to Ginny, then at Eloise.
“It’s the only way he can communicate with you unless he tells me through the mate bond. ”
I could tell they wanted to ask why, but by some small miracle, they didn’t. They knew better to pry or ask uncomfortable questions at least.
“Oh, and I’m Thea, if it isn’t obvious.” My best friend gave them a little wave. “Species unknown.”
Xerxes stared at her for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t know. You aren’t a Primal.”
Thea gave me a questioning look, but I shook my head. I hadn’t even thought it a possibility she could be from his world, though now it felt…worse. Like we might never figure it out.
She is oddly familiar, Damon said, taking me by surprise. Though I cannot place how.
A shiver rolled down my spine as he met my stare, but he shook his head. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea or not to mention that to Thea, to get her hopes up if he was wrong, so I didn’t.
Instead, I lowered Maisie to the ground. “You guys want to go pack your things so you can come home with us?” I asked, looking at each of them.
Maisie grinned up at me, but her eyes quickly dropped to my stomach. To my utter horror, she poked a finger at it and said, “You’re having babies?”
“You what?!” Thea turned on me with wide eyes. “When were you going to mention that?”
I blinked down at Maisie, then looked at Thea. “How did she even…?”
“Sienna’s pregnant, Maisie called it. We don’t know how,” Thea replied. “But when were you going to say anything?”
“Uh.” I shook my head slowly, tucking that away for later. The last thing I needed was my baby sister going around telling people they’re pregnant randomly. “I was going to say something when you guys were settled at the house. But I suppose I can’t now…”
Elias cleared his throat, which had Thea turning on him. “You knocked up my best friend, didn’t you? What happened to magical birth control? Why weren’t you on magical birth control?”
“That is a good question,” I muttered, barely looking at any of my mates. “The birth control failed—which is a good reminder for you, Eloise, to never trust it one hundred percent.”
Eloise covered her ears, eyes wide and filled with embarrassment. “I do not need that talk now.”
I grimaced, shrugging. “Well, surprise, we’re having twins.”
Thea scrubbed a hand down her face as a squeal sounded behind us. “Did someone say grand-babies?”
“Mom,” Thea warned, but I turned to find her parents strutting towards us, looking like tourists who just stepped off a cruise ship.
“I always knew you would be the first to grace us with babies,” Mama Riley said, pulling me into a hug. “Oh, Goodness. And twins. Lordy, it’s a good thing you have so many pairs of hands to help you, sweetie. You know I’ll always be here for you if you need me.”
The hug made me miss Kerry even more, and it took a lot of effort not to break down into my best friend’s mother’s arms. “I appreciate it.”
“And, uh.” Thea’s dad cleared his throat. “If they hurt you, I can’t say I’ll be able to hurt them in return. But I can give them a stern talking to.”
“I told them all about your mates,” Thea whispered, her arms going around me. “Sorry. They know everything.”
“Everything?” I asked, looking at her.
She gave me a shameful nod. “Mom and I got drunk. Everything.”
“Then I think it’s time to take you guys home,” I said, looking back at my mates. “We can all go home.”
I was never letting any of them go again. Not my mates, my sisters, or my best friend. Hell, I’d keep a tight hold on her parents, too.
As we started for the beach, holding onto one another, I couldn’t help but think about the day it all started. With nightmares and a desperation for answers.
“To think,” I said, leaning my head against Thea’s, “all we did was go to a fake psychic. And look at where we are now.”
“She was right about you,” Thea replied quietly. “You came in serious contact with love.”
I grinned as I watched Elias swing Maisie into his arms, as Eloise slipped her hand into Maeve’s, and Ginny swung between Arthur and Xerxes. “Maybe she wasn’t a hack after all,” I whispered.
Maybe that was always meant to be my destiny.