AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They’re happy and excited.
For them, our return makes this day especially joyous.
Zander grabs Maelyn’s hand, and then he’s on his way to me. He’s jogging, dragging his mate behind him. With her short legs, it takes her twice as many steps to keep up.
I can relate to that. We’re both a little stout and noticeably short compared to the fae.
The woman assigned to Zander by fate is just as beautiful as I remember. Her blond hair is pulled into an intricate side braid, and her pink dress hugs her body much like my outfits used to before I was starved.
I’ll admit, the first time I met Maelyn, I’d thought it was funny how different she and Zander are. With their size discrepancy, her light to his dark, and her cheerfulness to his constant stoicism, it would be easy to see them as complete opposites.
But they’re the perfect complement to one another. They’re two halves of a whole.
Just like Kai and me.
“Are you hurt?” Zander barks, still rushing.
“No,” I answer quickly. “I know I look bad, but—”
Zander collides with me, and the air is stolen from my lungs from his tight hug.
“Careful,” Kai admonishes, firm yet understanding of Zander’s enthusiasm. As my fated mate, the instinct to protect me at all times will be too strong to ignore, even if he knows the person I’m with isn’t a threat. “Sunny has been through a lot recently.”
“Sunny?” Zander parrots, confused by the nickname.
“I’m fine,” I claim, though it’s a little hard to breathe in my son’s embrace.
“It was less than an hour ago that I saw your body crushed,” Kai argues grumpily.
“What?” Alarmed by the information, Zander pulls back to inspect me. “You said you’re not hurt.”
“Kai healed me,” I tell him. “I’m perfectly okay.”
Zander’s gaze is narrowed as if he doesn’t believe me, and he studies the blood and rips on my clothing.
His eyes travel down, then they lock onto where Kai and I are still holding hands. We haven’t stopped clinging to each other.
It’s a mate thing, this need to touch at all times. Fated pairs are blatantly obvious because of the constant contact.
Within a second, Zander realizes what it means—I’m forever connected to the man at my side, and my son’s poker face gives away nothing as his blank gaze volleys between us.
Zander’s never known me to be romantically involved with anyone before, and I hope he’s okay with the permanent match. Honestly, he doesn’t have a choice, so he better be.
Suddenly, he gives me one of his rare smiles, and he nods at Kai.
Fully approving, he follows up with, “I couldn’t have chosen a better person for my mother. Thank you. Thank you for bringing her home.” He notes the blood on Kai, too. “Whatever you’ve been through, you fought for her, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
My shoulders relax a little as Zander puts his hand out and Kai meets him halfway for a manly shake, complete with forearm grips.
They’re family now. We all are. We’re stuck together for as long as we live. Which might not be long if we can’t get Madden here within the next few hours.
I’m about to state that fact when Maelyn utters, “Zaylee?”
That one word is so full of hope—a mother’s only wish—and it’s my wish that I had better news for her.
Even though I didn’t have a choice when it came to leaving Zaylee behind, my heart is still shattered from it.
Shaking my head, my lips tremble a little when I say, “We saw her briefly. She’s alive and unharmed, but she couldn’t come back with us.”
