AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was the light thumping of little feet that caught my attention, and I waited.
Jo came bursting from between two others, running straight for me. I ducked down, opening my arms for him. He crashed into me, arms flying around my neck, and it was everything I could do to hold back tears.
“Hey, mijo,” I cooed, stroking his hair. “I missed you.”
“You’re back,” he whispered, smiling into my shoulder. “I knew you’d be okay.”
“I’m back,” I whispered.
He let go, stepping back to look at me. “Did you bring me any books?” His eyes sparkled with hope.
I winked, patting my backpack behind me. “You bet I did.”
Jo was giddy with excitement. We traded for new books when we could, but we hadn’t gotten any in a long time.
“Okay, okay, let’s give her some space guys,” my dad rumbled. Several of my cousins disappeared, not testing the waters with their alpha. The rest loitered around, waiting to hear me talk about what had happened.
Jo reached over, holding my hand. He gave me strength and he didn’t even know it.
“Sooo,” I drawled. “I’ll be honest. I don’t know where to start or how much Nog has actually told you.”
“Infuriatingly little,” Sin griped. One corner of my mouth tugged up.
Glancing at the number of family members watching me, I angled my head toward the other room. “Let’s go into the den.”
Faded couches and patched bean bag chairs covered every wall except the one with Jo’s personal collection of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. I took a seat on one of the couches between my dad and sister, pulling Jo onto my lap.
Then I briefed them with the tale of me entering Tartarus and learning the price for Clara’s safety was six months. My cousins interrupted frequently, but we got through it—skipping over the parts where I was almost killed, Clara’s poisoning, and my mating Caius a month ago.
“So he just let you go?” Sin asked, nose scrunching in disbelief. I couldn’t blame her for not trusting it. They didn’t know him like I did.
“Not exactly.” I spoke carefully, seeing an in for how I could broach the subject of my mating, then I realized I had danced around for half an hour trying to soften the blow. It wasn’t possible. Nothing could prepare them for the truth. Might as well just rip off the band-aid. “We mated.”
It went about as well as I expected. The room exploded into chaos and only calmed after my dad let out an alpha bark, hushing them like they were all pups. Jo kept quiet, and he patted my hand, silently encouraging me.
“Now, Reagan,” my dad said with a tight jaw. “I’m going to need you to repeat that.”
I sighed. “I know it’s hard to believe, and I definitely didn’t believe it for the longest time. Despite me being the guardian, we are actually mates. It’s too long of a story to rehash right now, but you have to trust me. We completed the bond, and it was my choice. I wasn’t forced or tricked into anything.”
“Wait,” Sin interrupted. “I don’t understand.”
Getting a little irked at having to repeat myself, I said, “We’re mates. Caius is my mate. I came back to visit, but I won’t be staying indefinitely. Caius is going to keep the portal open so we can visit each other whenever we want. We’re even going to see Danni and Elias about it.”
Instead of more questions, they gave me silence. It was actually worse.
My dad rubbed his jaw with his free hand and motioned for the door. “All right everyone, I need to talk to Reagan alone. Now. Out with ya. Sin, Celeste, Jo, you can all stay.”
“Thanks for your permission in my own house,” my tía said. I choked on a laugh as Dad sighed heavily. There was a lot of that going on.
“I need a snack.” Jo scooted off my lap, then paused before leaving. “You changed, Reagan. But it’s a good change. It’s obvious he’s good for you.”
He ignored the baffled stares from our family when he’d left.
“That little boy never ceases to amaze me.” Tía shook her head, smiling.
Sin mimicked her actions. “He doesn’t act like a normal nine-year-old, that’s for sure.”
“That’s because he’s not,” I said. “I’m not sure what he is exactly, but Caius recognized it. When I asked about it he said we’ll have to wait till Jo wants to tell us.”
