Derrick joins the conversation, sounding like he’s thinking things over with his studious mind. “I’ve never read about a mental link being involved with the bond. Is it just something the pack record keepers never chose to write about in our history? And for that matter, is it common for friends to be able to form a link? All of us are able to communicate the same way, not just Cecily and her individual mate.”
My mother makes a clicking sound with her tongue, something she does when she’s thinking. “I believe it would have something to do with you all having a bond together. If I’ve observed things correctly, most of you have been friends for some time. Mate bonds are made of the most intricate magic which can’t always be explained. I learned as much as I could about bonds while trying to figure out what was going on with our magic while Cecily was missing.
“We knew she would end up with more mates than considered the norm. It wouldn’t surprise me if the bond brought you all together. The magic is always stronger when the bonded are in close proximity, so your friendship would help reinforce it while Cecily wasn’t there to be the center point. Then there’s also the forming of your familial pack to consider as another reason for a mind link between you all.” She brings up some good points. I’ve always enjoyed the way my mother can explain her knowledge of magic in understandable terms.
We arrive at the doors to the library. They look different from what I remember as a child. They seem to fit my small pack perfectly though. The woodwork has ornate carvings of the vine, the same vine that keeps showing up in my life all over the place. If I didn’t know better, I would assume it had something to do with my mother helping to decorate things. Although, with how much the vine has entwined itself in my life, I’m more willing to believe it’s my own magic creating a unified theme throughout every aspect of my life.
We make our way past the doors and enter the empty room. Every time I enter one of the barren rooms, I’m left with an eerie shiver trying to make its way up my spine. There’s just a wrongness attached to the space being devoid of anything. Although there are a few trunks in the middle of the room.
“Gentlemen, if you wouldn’t mind opening the trunks, Cecily and I can work the belongings to carry themselves to their rightful homes.” Her directions are quickly followed by my mates.
The trunks they used to pack the castle would have similar spells to the ones I put on the carryall bags I made. They would allow the items being placed inside to shrink, and the weight would be feather light. As each trunk is opened, my mother and I combine our magic to work together to carry the load of our request without strain.
As we work, the air fills with various knick-knacks and books. We have to find the right trunk to unpack before the items can begin arranging themselves in their rightful placements. Finally, we find the trunk housing all of the shelving for the walls. One by one, the shelves leave the trunk and float to its designated spot on the walls. As a shelf fits itself in place, the books floating in the air find their homes on the shelves.
Within minutes, the room is just as I remember seeing it last. The walls are filled with books all the way to the rafters. Ladders are left in various places, allowing researchers to climb to the top of the shelves with ease. Although they’re hardly used when one can manipulate their magic to bring the desired book down.
Research tables are spread out, with chairs surrounding them on one side of the room. On the opposite side, in front of the fireplace, is a seating area with uncomfortable chairs. That’s an area in need of some updating. Modern high back armchairs will be more fitting, not to mention comfortable for long hours of reading. I just know I’ll be spending a lot of time in here just so I can be close to Derrick while he devours the books now at his disposal.
Rich drapes hang from the windows, and ornate carpets cover the floor with no rhyme or reason to their placement. As I observe the room, the wooden shelves begin to morph and gain more of the Queen’s Thistle carvings. Now, without a doubt, I know my magic has something to do with their appearance. I scan the finished product, and my eyes land on Derrick. He looks like so many kids I watched on Christmas morning. His eyes are bugged out and utter joy shines from them. He turns toward me and rushes forward.
When he reaches me, he lifts me up by the hips and twirls me around. “Cecily, how could you keep the existence of such a library from me? Taking you out of the equation, this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The secrets and knowledge this room holds!”
Oh, my. I’m beginning to regret ever allowing him to know this room exists. I’ll never see him again. I’m going to have to entice him away with the promise of sexual favors.
Chapter 9
Cecily
After finishing with the library, we systematically went through each connecting room until we grew weary. My magic wasn’t happy to just unpack the trunks holding the former belongings. Oh, no. My magic needed to update each room in some form or fashion, not to mention adding touches of my signature.
Derrick, Alex, Klaus, and I enter our suite to find the twins already waiting for our arrival. I groan upon finding yet another empty room. Not sure why I expected anything else, it’s not like we reached this far in our unpacking efforts. William wraps me in his arms and gives me a kiss. “You look a bit drained, Darling. Are you feeling ok?”
“Oh, I’m fine. Just ended up using a lot of magic today. I’ll be back to my full capacity by tomorrow,” I say in reassurance.
Marcus scoffs from the other side of the room. “Not if I can help it. I made sure to fill this up in case you needed it.” He hands me the tumbler they used to fill up with fairy water. I quickly chug the water down, my magic instantly being restored. Now I have the strength to work on getting our private space all set up for comfort.
Our suite is made up similar to a huge penthouse. There’s a large living room area, a private dining area, bedrooms for each of us, one of which is drastically larger than the rest. We also have several bathrooms. The area is mapped out perfectly for us, something I made sure to put into the floor plan when reconstructing the castle from its ruins. Well... close enough, since I didn’t realize Marcus and William were twins.
I figured all of my mates would want to share the large bedroom with me, then each could have their own personal space. A tech lab for Alex, a private library/office for both Derrick and I to share, a gym and training area for the twins. Klaus has a room to decide what he wants to do with, but I also know how much he loves to spend time in nature, so I set up a personal arboretum on the roof of the castle for him to escape to.
There’s plans to add a kitchen area, fully decked out with every appliance a chef could dream of. My men have bragged about how marvelous of a cook Marcus is, and I’ve yet to see any proof. This girl has a mile long list of things she wants to try, top of the list being sushi at the moment, but I reserve the right to change my mind.
After finishing off the water Marcus so thoughtfully brought me, I crack my knuckles, ready for another round of decorating. At the very least, the large bedroom. I’ve been dreaming of sleeping on a bed of clouds. Camping is fun, but a stick poking into your back all night isn’t the most comfortable.
With the cracking of my knuckles, I receive various strange looks from my mates. “Darling, what are you planning on doing?” Will asks.
“Oh, I figured I would get a small start on decorating a few things. My first goal is a comfortable bed, and from there, wherever my whims take me,” I reply with a huge smile. There’s something about setting up our living space that’s getting me all giddy. The excitement is taking over and I just want to skip around the room.
“Please tell me you plan on making our bedroom look like a sex dungeon?” This time, Alex isn’t quick enough to dodge the incoming smack delivered by Derrick. Upon impact, Alex lets out a disgruntled squawk and rubs his head, trying to soothe the pain away.
“I’m sure we have an actual dungeon where we can set up a space for you, Alex.” My teasing wasn’t thought through. It slipped my mind how many bad experiences both William and I have undergone in a dungeon.
William doesn’t hesitate to remind us either. “Hold up! No dungeon talk. My experiences are still too fresh to tease about such a thing.” Guilt immediately washes over me.
“I’m so sorry, my knight. I can’t believe I was even able to joke about such a thing.” I pull him in for a hug and he nuzzles his nose into my neck. His body instantly relaxes into my hold, and my hand moves to his head to run my nails over his scalp.
Alex approaches us and places a hand on William’s shoulder. “I’m sorry too, man. I let my dirty mind run away from me. From now on, the only D word spoken about will be my dick. How do you feel about tying our mate up? Just want to check and see what’s still on the table. Oh! Maybe it should be Cecily on the table.” I swear Alex has no off button, but I not-so-secretly love it. The rest of my men do too, which is proven when they all end up laughing.
