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Zeus and the other gods had made it seem as if Tedara was bad—and her title as the Mother of Chaos sounded horrifying—but what I'd felt during my vision, the loneliness and regret… That hadn’t come from someone I needed to fear.
I hadn’t felt threatened.
When I’d arrived at Rumir’s castle, I avoided talking to anyone. What was there to say? I'd barely been able to look anyone in the eye because they were all staring at me as if I was an unstable bomb, about to go off at any moment.
And the sad thing was, that was the truth.
At Fate's castle, I was moments away from attacking Zeus. Of course, he was a prick and would have deserved it. But what scared me most was that it hadn't just been anger I'd felt towards him. I’d been overwhelmed by a compelling need to hurt him, to kill him.
“Natalie?”
I looked up, suddenly realizing that I’d wandered into Rumir’s large kitchen. Blinking rapidly, I stared at Lucian, Rehema, and Brian, who were seated at an island made of gold and white.
I walked forward, smiling weakly. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” everyone said. Rehema sat up, her black hair in a single braid swinging over her shoulder. “How did you sleep?”
"I didn't," I answered. I climbed onto a stool on the opposite side of the massive island, ensuring there was enough space between them and me.
"Are you hungry?" Lucian asked, and for a second, I held his stare. I could see how worried he was, and the light bags under his eyes were proof that he hadn’t slept either.
“I’m not.” I smiled.
And that was the truth. I didn't feel hungry, tired, thirsty—none of it.
Lucian didn’t look convinced but nodded and turned away. No one spoke while he removed a bottle of water from the fridge and walked around the island to give it to me.
Our fingers touched as I took it from him, and our bond purred. We both froze, and he reached out to cup my cheek.
His hand was so warm, I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch with a sigh.
Normally, I would have reminded him that he was in Rumir’s house, but I said nothing. I couldn't truly enjoy this moment, not under these circumstances, but I was happy he was here. As angry as I was with Fate for what she'd done, I couldn't imagine not being with either of my mates. At least Rumir and Lucian were acting civil.
Fate might have bonded us together out of pettiness, but some good would come of it. In fact, I could already see it happening. Lucian was healing from his past wounds, and Rumir wasn't nearly as hot-headed as he’d been before.
But I feared all that would change now after what we'd learned.
“Where is Rumir?” I asked. “Did he return last night?”
“No,” Lucian answered. “He hasn’t come back yet.”
I sighed and placed the bottle of water on the island. “I’m worried about him. I wish Fate hadn’t told us what she’d done, for Rumir’s sake.”
Brian ran his finger around the tip of the cup he was holding. "I'm sure he'll be back soon. I'd need some space as well if I were in his shoes. But I'd return."
“I don’t doubt he will,” Lucian said. “He’s too stubborn to do otherwise.”
I didn’t have to force the smile that curved my lips. One of the things I admired so much about Lucian was that even though he wasn’t fond of Rumir, he could still acknowledge Rumir’s virtues.
Before I'd fallen unconscious at Fate's castle, I'd seen the way Lucian had come to Rumir’s aid when Zeus had gone after him. They might not have noticed, but even if they were only working together to protect me, they were standing with each other.
“How are you feeling?” Rehema asked.
I took a deep breath. “I feel fine.”
"You can be honest with us," Lucian whispered.
I ground my teeth. “Really, I do feel fine," I growled. "I’m just—emotionally, I'm not great, but I’m okay. I just don't feel like myself anymore. This power, this change I'm experiencing... I don't recognize myself. I don't know what I'm becoming."
