Page 53 of Awakened and Betrayed
Valen’s worry slips out of his features, and he gives me a killer grin that befuddles my brain and scrambles my hormones. I reach out a hand to caress his cheek, marveling at how incredibly beautiful he is. I run my thumb over his full lips as my eyes rove greedily over his features.
My hand is shaky, and I pretend it’s more from low blood sugar than the realization that all of the obstacles that have kept me away from my Chosen just became obsolete. Finally, it’s just me and them. Valen grabs my hand and kisses the inside of my palm, his eyes filled with something deep and infinite that I’m not sure I’m ready to name yet.
Ryker climbs out of the back seat and circles around to my side of the car. He opens the door, and I watch Sabin, Knox, and Bastien pile out of Sabin’s Bronco in the spot next to the Jeep. Ryker takes my hand and leads me through a door into the house. We pass through a small hallway with doors that he doesn’t point out or explain, into the kitchen where Birdie, Lila, and Adelaide are busy making something that smells like heaven.
I pause in the entryway and watch as the sisters bustle around the kitchen, moving seamlessly around each other as they work. It gives me such a sense of rightness that goosebumps rise up on my whole body, and my eyes well up. I don’t wait for them to notice that they have an audience, I walk right into the middle of the melee and open my arms wide. A gasping squeal echoes around the large kitchen and three of my favorite people in the whole world crash into me as I’m seized up and surrounded by sister love.
We hug, and cry, and hug, and say nonsensical things to each other about how sorry we are and how much we’ve missed each other. I’m not sure what the apologies are about, I catch murmured tear-stained mentions of Lachlan, the coven, Talon, my parents, them. But none of it matters right now to me. I’ve missed them so much, and they’re here, and right now in this moment, everything feels like it’s exactly the way it should be.
We all wipe tear tracks from each other’s cheeks and then laugh at our own silliness. I look over to the guys who’ve gathered around the edge of the kitchen to observe our particular brand of crazy, and they’re all beaming.
“Thank you!” I tell them, beyond grateful that somehow they managed to convince the sisters to be here tonight.
Inside I’m hoping it’s forever, but even if it’s only for tonight, it’s exactly what I needed to feel complete and at home here. Knox lifts his shoulders in a shrug.
“Don’t thank us, thank them.” He gestures behind me.
I turn to see Aydin and Evrin, leaning against a wall that leads into the dining area. I don’t know how I missed the ginger giant’s hulking frame or Evrin’s tattooed presence. I hesitate for the briefest of seconds before I push past the uncertainty and act on the instinct that’s driving through me. I walk over to where Aydin is standing, look up into his dark-gray eyes, and open my arms. His eyes flash with surprise and his Adam’s apple bobs in his throat as he tries to swallow down the emotion now simmering in his gaze.
“I’m sorry, Little Badass,” he tells me again, and he bends down and scoops me up in a giant hug. Tears fall freely down his cheeks into his auburn beard and get crushed against my shoulder. He squeezes me tightly and straightens up, lifting me off the ground and up to his height.
“I’m so fucking sorry,” he mumbles over and over again, and I let his apologies wash over me.
I can’t tell him that it’s okay, because it’s not, but I can feel and hear how sorry he is, and it’s enough to turn that sliver of hope I’ve been grasping into a window of possibility. We can work to get back to a better place, and I know that he will. I hang in Aydin’s hug for a while, until we’re both brimming with the silent reassurances that we needed to be able to truly move forward.
Aydin sets me down, and I immediately move to stand in front of Evrin, my hands outstretched and offering the same forgiveness. Maybe that hug-it-out theory isn’t so fucking weird after all. Evrin looks unsure for all of one second before he accepts my offer and steps into me, giving me a strong, reassuring hug. He utters his apologies too, making promises to do better and try harder. It seems easier for me to let go of Evrin’s part in all the bullshit. I don’t know why that is, but it gives me hope that I can do this forgiveness thing after all.
* * *
Everyone is sittingat the table, full, happy, and leaning back after consuming the massive spread that the sisters laid out for us. I went full-on wild, rabid badger as soon as the food was within reach, practically growling at anyone who got too close to my full plate. I think I emptied and refilled it five times, but the food coma I’m currently suffering from makes it difficult to recall the details accurately. Everyone is laughing and joking, filling me in on old stories or calling each other out on embarrassing things, and it all feels so perfect that I’m fighting off my exhaustion tooth and nail so that tonight doesn’t come to an end.
I yawn loudly, slapping a hand over the sneak-attack betrayer of my fatigue. One yawn quickly morphs into another, and my body demands that I wave the white flag on this night and immediately crawl into somewhere soft and warm and sleep for a week. I lean into Ryker, who wraps an arm around me to support my suddenly leaden upper body. I offhandedly wonder if I can convince him to carry me to wherever I’m supposed to be sleeping tonight because I just don’t think I can convince my legs to work.
“I think Squeaks is ready to call it a night you guys,” Ryker announces.
I give a small, tired smile because he’s absolutely right, but at the same time, I don’t want this night to end. It’s like I’m afraid if the fun and ease of tonight suddenly stops, somehow I might never get it back. I just want to stay here, locked in this moment where nothing bad is happening, and everyone is happy and laughing. As if Valen can read my mind, or sense the battle raging inside of me not to let tonight become a yesterday, he comes up with a plan to keep everyone here.
“Why doesn’t everyone stay here tonight? We have plenty of room and beds, thanks to the sisters and their awesome furniture ordering skills,” Valen chuckles, and the rest of the guys join in. “Knox and Ryker, you can show Vinna her room. Bastien and Sabin, why don’t you get Evrin, Aydin, and the sisters settled, and I’ll clean up dinner...and that’s not up for debate,” he playfully scolds the sisters, who simultaneously open their mouths to argue about the cleanup part of the plan.
I laugh, and shoot the sisters a victorious grin while adding a tally in my favor to the mental scoreboard I keep for our dishwashing war. Their margin of defeat is still massive, but I have high hopes that I’m going to flip the script on them now that I have better control over my magic, and I’ve been working on some sneaky skills that will aid me in the war.
Knox gets up from the table and puts his hand out for me to take. He helps me up from my chair and then turns around and crouches down, giving me his back. I smile and leap up onto him, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He wraps his arms under my thighs and knees, giving me extra support, and I kiss the side of his neck in thanks. Everyone stands up from the table stretching and groaning and thanking the sisters for another amazing meal.
My smile grows even bigger as Knox takes me around to everyone to say good night. Hugs are dished out, and I get soft, sweet kisses from Bastien, Valen, and Sabin before Knox carries me through the living room, past the front door, and down a hallway. Ryker leads us all the way to the end and stops in front of the tall, black door there. With dramatic slowness, he grabs the door handle and pushes the door open. Ryker gestures for Knox to go first, and I’m carried into the room just as the lights blink on.
Just like in the rest of the house, the floors are a light hardwood, and the walls are incredibly tall and painted a soft tan. My eyes move up to the high tray ceilings that have beautifully intricate white patterns on them. A chandelier hangs above the bed giving the room a definite feminine touch that compliments the light and airy feel of the space. The bed is humongous. It has to be custom-made because it looks just shy of two king-sized mattresses pushed together. The headboard is cream, and the bedding is a peach-and-cream pattern that looks soft and incredibly inviting. The long, cushioned bench at the foot of the bed and the side tables are cream, and everything sits atop a large area rug in the same color.
There are two sets of French doors that lead out to a spacious patio. In front of one set of doors is a beautiful sitting area with comfortable looking couches and chairs. I can easily picture the lazy days of lounging on the cozy furniture— napping, reading, or just enjoying the warm sun that is guaranteed to pour into the room during the day. It’s gorgeous, and perfect in ways I would have never thought of and love.
I slip down Knox’s back and step further into the room, catching even more gorgeous details. Ryker rubs the back of his neck as he looks from me to the room and back again.
“The sisters helped us choose the colors, but all of us picked everything else out. Once we got everything in here, we were a little worried it might be too girly. Is it okay?”
Ryker’s admission surprises the shit out of me. I assumed that I had the sisters to thank for this perfection, but knowing that they selected everything in this room makes it even more amazing than I already thought it was. My stunned face turns into a beaming smile, and I find Ryker’s worry about whether I like what they’ve done adorable.
“Well, I am a girl, so girly works for me,” I tease, as I take one last look around the room. “It’s perfect! Beyond perfect, really. I love everything about it, and then I love it a million times more because you guys did it.”
Ryker and Knox shoot matching prideful grins at each other, and their sudden excitement makes me chuckle. I step over to Ryker and push a lock of blond hair away from his face. I soak in his beautiful blue eyes and run the back of my fingers over his cheek.
