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“We do,” I agreed. It was so strange to have this rift between us when I already knew so much about her. But if she needed us to get to know her all over again and show her who we were, we’d do it without complaint or hesitation. She was ours, mind, body, and soul, and we’d do everything we could to make sure she could trust us before the babies arrived. The Arch Mage might have taken the past few months from us, but he couldn’t take this.
ChapterFour
Farren
Sleeping alone just felt wrong. I was being driven crazy with cravings. I wanted cuddles, I wanted their scents, and most of all, I wanted to fill that empty spot inside me that clamored to be mended. My heart knew those men belonged to me, and it was only their presence that could ease me.
After several hours of no sleep, I finally gave up and went down to the library. I hadn’t been back inside since I woke up disoriented.
“Hello, my queen,” a soft voice whispered as I entered. I glanced over to see a younger woman I didn’t recognize, though that wasn’t shocking in itself.
“I’m sorry. I can’t remember much. What’s your name?” I asked as gently as possible. She smiled as understanding filled her eyes.
“Alice. I came here with my alpha Roman and our beta Beau,” she explained. “I couldn’t sleep, so I came down here.”
“Nice to meet you, likely again,” I joked as I curled up near the fire that was still going strong. What else could I do? What didn’t kill you made you stronger if you were brave enough to laugh at it.
“Do you want some company? I can be quiet, or we could talk. That’s up to you.”
“Sure,” I said. “As long as it’s not about what I ate for breakfast two days ago, we can talk.” It couldn’t hurt to get to know the brood more. The guys had explained that the influx of dragons meant they didn’t know many by name yet. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course,” she said as she curled up on the opposite couch. She had a book in hand and her finger holding her place. I appreciated that I wasn’t the only one who read these books. The library had gone untouched for most of the years I’d lived at Mountainview, and when I took it over, it became a second hoard of sorts. I added to the collection anytime I went to secondhand shops. Now we had a massive collection of dusty novels, everything from romance to classics. Seeing them in use made me happy.
“Did me getting attacked affect you guys? My mates told me we were connected, and I worry all these chaotic feelings are wearing you down,” I explained.
She smiled sadly. “We can’t feel you anymore,” she admitted. “Just before the attack, we all felt different. The connection was lost, and we felt a bit… hollow. It’s still that way. It’s like there’s something missing, but it’s an underlying feeling. The sensation is sort of sneaky, evasive, which makes it hard to pin down what it is.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. It was something I’d been dealing with, likely on a much bigger scale, though I was glad that they weren’t feeling the ups and downs that I was as well. I’d been prepared for this since childhood, my mother’s lessons seeming so much more important now. If only I could remember them all. I’d locked that portion of myself up so long ago, not wanting to feel the pain of her absence.
“It’s not your fault. We’re just as sorry that we didn’t feel the attack so we could come to your aid. We’re infuriated that he somehow interrupted our connection.” Her voice held much more malice than I expected. I was honored they cared that much. To have a brood so passionately behind me was reassuring. We’d be going to battle against this man eventually, and it was nice to know it wouldn’t be a solo fight.
We fell into silence, and I picked my book up from the side table. The warmth of the fire and the lack of sleep had my eyes feeling heavier by the second. Alice said a quiet goodbye about twenty minutes later, and I couldn’t find the energy to move myself.
The next thing I knew, I was being shaken gently. I blinked my eyes open to see an amused Levi leaning over me.
“It’s cozy in here, but you’re vulnerable. Let me walk you back to your room,” he offered.
“Okay,” I slurred, trying to force my sleep-addled mind to cooperate. He got me to my feet and wrapped a hand around my waist to guide me toward my suite. I was glad he didn’t question whether he should come in or not since I didn’t currently have the capacity to go back and forth or make decisions.
“Come on, my sleepy mate,” he urged when we got inside. I mumbled something neither of us understood, and he chuckled as he led me to my bed. I barely registered it when he got me under the blankets and placed a sweet kiss on my forehead.
When he turned to leave, my heart spiked in panic. Before I could really process it, I was calling out to him.
“No! Don’t go,” I begged. He turned and studied me with a mix of confusion and concern.
“You’re safe here, Farren. We’ve spelled it,” he promised. The conflict in his gaze made me sad. This wasn’t how mates should be.
“That’s not it. I can’t explain it well, but I don’t like sleeping alone now. It just feels like you should be here.”
That had a small grin forming on his handsome face and his eyes lighting up. “That’s because we didn’t let you get much alone time in bed.”
I laughed softly. “I can imagine. Now, come back. Please?”
“How could I say no?” He stripped down to his black boxer briefs. He was hardy as dragons tended to be, stocky and muscled. He was smaller than an alpha, which was to be expected of an omega, but the man was still strong.
“Niko will be jealous,” I joked.
“I wondered if you had noticed he was both my and your mate,” he said as he slid into the other side. Immediately, I was surrounded by the scent of spiced peaches and omega sweetness. Sliding forward, he slipped his arms around me, and I snuggled into his back. The sensation of being held did more to calm my inner chaos than anything else had so far. If I had my mates, my brood, and my babies, then I could handle anything life wanted to throw my way.
