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“It’s okay now,” Caden whispered softly, running his hand over her hair to soothe her. “You’re not alone. We’re here for you now, and we’re not going anywhere.”
“I think you can safely say you won’t be going anywhere without one of us maybe ever again,” I growled into her ear.
“That’s my alphas,” she murmured, hugging us back. “I missed you guys too,” she said, pulling away from us all too soon. “I’m worn out from fending off the beast and keeping up that air pocket. Can you help me pull Vedreel clear?” It was only then that I noticed the unconscious fae lying at her feet, because whoever it was, was almost completely covered in dirt.
I didn’t know who Vedreel was, other than someone Sera had been protecting from the darkness beast. I couldn’t help feeling a sense of gratitude and admiration for this brave, selfless woman who had risked everything to save a stranger.
“Hey Taneisha, can you dig him out?” Caden asked.
Taneisha stepped closer, and with a few swipes of her fingers, the rest of the dirt sloughed away. Sera bent over the wrinkled and weathered fae who might have been half willow tree, checking his pulse and forehead. She sighed in relief at what she found, so the old guy must have survived the ordeal after all.
Sera stood back up and looked between Ray and Taneisha, and smiled my way. “Not that I’m complaining, but how did you convince Taneisha to help you?”
Ray winked and nudged my shoulder. “Your mates asked me for help, so I helped them find Taneisha. She knows how important you are to your mates, so of course she wanted you safe and happy with them again.”
Sera pursed her lips, clearly doubting Ray’s version of events.
Taneisha shrugged. “I never could say no to Ray, and Franc and Caden just looked so awfully worried for you. They didn’t believe that I brought you to faery as a favor. Can you imagine?”
Sera shook her head. “Yeah, T, I can believe it. Remind me to thank you for that knock upside the head later.” I wondered what she meant, but then Sera looked at each of us with that brilliant smile of hers, looking more relieved than I’d ever seen her, and all other questions fled my thoughts.
Sera took in a deep breath and said, “Thank you all for coming after me. Now let’s get Vedreel out of here before the beast returns.”
Ray stepped up and easily scooped the elder fae into his arms. Taneisha flicked her fingers in the air toward the sky, materializing a set of steps out of packed dirt up to the grass and open sky above. The four of us then hurried up the stairs and out of the cave, eager to put some distance between us and the razor-clawed beast.
When we reached the surface, the foe we encountered was one I had been preparing to face for some time, however, this was not how I had envisioned our first meeting. I had hoped for more favorable odds, yet here we were.
A Lowe Reckoning
SERA
Iclimbed to the surface, my body aching with every step, informing me not so quietly just all the places I’d decorated with various bruises. Caden took the lead up the stairs while Franc hadn’t left my side, guiding my every step like I was some sort of fragile princess. The Sera from a couple of weeks ago would have brushed him off, independent to the core. But with those puppy dog eyes and the reassuring touch of his fingers against my spine, I gave over and leaned close to him, reveling in the heat of him against me.
When we reached the top, it took my brain a couple of moments to process the scene before us. We were surrounded in the best and worst possible ways. In the realm of best, my heart sang as I laid my eyes on a very disgruntled and exhausted Emrys, Liam, and Marcos. It hadn’t been that long since I’d seen them, but I couldn’t deny the sense of relief having all five of my mates with me.
On the flip side, my grams stood surrounded by her usual retinue at the top of the stairs with a notable plus one: the Lady Alia. A pair of mercenary mages and a handful of fae guards flanked them both, their attention shifting back and forth between all of us, alert for danger. Gram’s gaze ran over us, her look of barely managed disdain directed at either the condition of our clothes, the gaping maw of the cave, Taneisha for so many reasons, or the unconscious fae in Ray’s arms.
I refused to consider that she might be directing that look of profound disdain at my five mates. They were mine, and Grams would just have to suck it up and accept them.
I hadn’t seen Grams for almost a year, but she looked just as regal and ageless as ever. She’d pulled her salt and pepper hair back into a tight bun and she wore a green blazer over a black pencil skirt and burgundy blouse, the colors used in the distinctive sigil of House Lowe. She stood ramrod straight with her hands on her hips in her classic ‘the matriarch has arrived’ pose. I’d bet money one of her perfectly manicured nails had an emerald or sapphire on it from that extensive collection she loved to show off.
Grams closed the distance between us, her gaze running over me in a way that was both loving and assessing. My heart swelled with a mixture of happiness and love but also dread as I silently prayed she wasn’t about to lecture me. To my surprise, Grams held out her arms when we were close enough together for the gesture, drawing me into an affectionate hug despite me being filthy with cave dirt and smelling of fae magic, and no doubt blood from the beast’s claws digging into my shoulder blade. Grams stepped back again, and I saw in her eyes what words couldn’t express - relief at seeing me alive.
“Seraphina Lowe! You had me worried sick! We’ve been searching everywhere for you, even dragging this ragtag group here into faery! We had to summon all our combined strength to chase off a nasty beast lurking around the hole you just sauntered out of. You do not know how happy I am to see you safe again! Now, let’s get you home where you belong before it returns!” she said, squeezing me tight against her bosom. “I’m sure an extended stay at the manor will do you a world of good after this ordeal.”
I pulled away gently but firmly. Although her offer to stay at House Lowe was kind, my plans were with my mates. When Emrys, Liam, and Marcos continued to hang back, I instantly suspected grams had the mages limiting their movement, which I wasn’t about to tolerate.
“Thank you for the offer, Grams. I can’t believe you found me out here but I’m glad you did.”
“Your friends,” she waved at Emrys, Liam, and Marcos, “insisted that you were in faery. I went straight to my friend Lady Alia, who informed me a manticore had flown off with you. What else could we do but charge off into the wilds after you?”
“Not to interrupt this reunion,” Ray said, interrupting us. “But we need to get this fae to a healer.”
I turned to Emrys. “Em, can you take a look at Vedreel?” I gestured to Ray, who rushed to Emrys and laid Vedreel on the ground between them.
Emrys bent over the elder fae and placed a hand on his chest and another across his forehead. “What happened to him?”
“I happened,” I replied. “I tried to fireball while inside my portal and it caused an enormous shock wave. The roof caved in on us, and while I created an air pocket to protect us, I’m pretty sure Vedreel hit his head.”
