36. Oria

36

ORIA

W armth was all around me, along with the familiar scent of my mates. After feeling the cold sink into my body, it felt so good that tears flooded my eyes, making me close them even tighter until the warmth around me moved. I wasn't ready to open my eyes and face the reality of what I had done. Just one more minute of warmth and I'd figure out what this afterlife looked like.

Goddess, I hope I wasn't a ghost.

The warmth moved again, and my eyes opened quickly to see nothing but darkness. My hands were against my chest, and I immediately pushed away only hitting another body who grunted.

Oh, goddess. Was I in a room with other dead people? Was this like a processing center? Oh my goddess. I scrambled off the bodies trying to get away from them, but ended up hitting two more before I got off the bed.

"Sol, what's going on?" Max's voice was groggy.

"Are you ok, Sunshine?" Gray asked, as footsteps padded around the room and a bright light came on.

I flinched from the light, covering my eyes.

"Gray, shut that shit off," Ryder's voice was gruff.

"Shit, sorry, Sunshine," Gray said, as he made the room dark again.

A soft click and a soft light filled the room. My mates were on the bed except for Gray. They all looked at me with varying degrees of concern.

"I'm not dead?" I asked, knowing the answer, but needing confirmation.

"No, Heaven, you aren't dead," Ryder said, getting out of the bed slowly.

"I failed?" I asked.

"No, you didn't, you gave us the distraction we needed to take care of Laima," Soren said, also getting out of the bed.

"I died, I was sure of it," I said, looking at my hands realizing I was in a big shirt and was completely clean.

"You did die," Gray said, walking closer to me. "We were saying our goodbyes when…"

"Divine intervention stuck their noses in it," Max said, staying right where he was.

"How are you feeling?" Gray knelt in front of me.

"Not dead, soo, good?" I didn't know what to say. "Did you bring me back from the dead?"

"We didn't," Ryder said, kneeling in front of me. "We were given a choice by the gods."

"The gods?" I almost laughed thinking that was absurd.

"We were given another flower of the gods, and they gave us the option to bring you back, but when we did, you would still be burdened with your magic," Max said, sitting in front of me. "We know?—"

"Wait," I held my hand up. "I died to keep this magic out of the hands of the enemy, and you brought me back with that same power?"

"We did," Ryder said. "We debated on the pros and cons of bringing you back."

"It was selfish," I said, in disbelief.

"Yes, it was, but you can't say you wouldn't bring us back from death if you could," Soren said, sitting next to Gray.

"I—" The immediate need to disagree with his claim was quick, but I knew I would have probably done anything for them. "This just puts us right back where we were before."

"It doesn't. Right now, we are together and hopefully with the help of Taylin, we can free your family," Max said, looking full of hope. "You were kept under confinement with no way to protect yourself. You're a powerful alchemist and with the help of your family and us, we want you to be able to defend yourself."

"Why did the gods intervene?" I asked, feeling uneasy. "What did you have to do in order for them to give you the flower or what did you have to agree to?"

"Nothing, the consequence for bringing you back was, you would still have the healing magic and it's a possibility you might be hunted, but they also stated if the god war does happen, you would be invaluable to our cause," Gray said, looking nervous.

They all looked nervous. As much as I wanted to be mad, I was willing to do whatever it took to keep them safe.

"This power is a small price to pay to live my life with my mates," I said, launching myself into Max's arms. I was quickly engulfed in the proximity of my mates, and I knew that there was nowhere else I'd rather be.

"Gods, Blondie, you had us all sweating that you were going to be mad," Soren said, kissing her forehead.

"If I'm going to be mad it's about you sending me away, you shits," I said, attempting to be angry, but being free from Laima was a glorious feeling.

"We did it for you," Ryder said. "But we regretted it immediately."

"We are stronger together," I murmured.

"You're right, we are," Max said, against my hair.

I took a deep breath, enjoying the completeness. Max handed me over to Soren as the twins kissed my face and my neck.

"Sunshine, I was so scared to lose you," Gray said, running his nose along my neck.

"I'm sorry. Taking myself out of the picture was the only way I felt like I could control your fate," I said, kissing Soren softly on the lips before turning my head and kissing Gray.

"We can't survive without you, Blondie," Soren said, kissing my neck.

"Ok, you've had enough time," Ryder growled, pulling me away from them. "Heaven, this is the last time we will be away from each other."

Ryder took a deep breath against my neck as goose bumps erupted on my skin.

"Last time," I said, threading my hand into his hair and kissing him hard.

We eventually pulled ourselves away from each other after they gave me a quick recap of what had happened when I was "dead." As much as I wanted to lay in bed all day with them, I was starving and we headed downstairs in the Belladonna estate. It had been a whole day since they had brought me back. Apparently, this was the safest place for me right now and it helped that they had enough space for Laima and Wyman's pack.

"Wait!" I yelled.

"How are you feeling? What about the Kark? What do we need to do about it?" I panicked.

How could I forget such a vital thing?

"We've been dosing on Oria every day," Gray said, cupping my face. "It's a short term solution, but the gods might have told us to try a few things."

I looked over at Max, then back at Gray like I could spot the sickness in them. I knew Ryder and Soren had been infected too, but they hadn't seemed as bad as Gray. They looked perfectly fine, but when I searched for it in Gray, it was there, but not as aggressive as when I first found them.

"We are fine," Gray assured me. "Once things settle down, we can try out a few things."

"I think I can heal you," I said.

"That was a suggestion from the gods," Max said. "A few rounds of intense healing might work."

"Ok, we can start now," I said, ready to head back upstairs.

"Let's eat first and then we can revisit this," Ryder said, grabbing my hand and walking the rest of the way down the stairs.

Katarina was in the kitchen helping a man set out plates on the big table that Taylin was sitting at. I wasn't prepared to see him, and my steps faltered as we walked to the table.

"Ria," Taylin said, getting up quickly.

"What are you doing here?" I wanted to be mad at him, but something held me back.

"I… I was waiting for you to wake up," he said, looking anxious.

"He's been nervous this whole time, I don't think he's slept at all," Katarina said, putting pancakes on the table. "I'm so glad you're here."

Katarina pulled me in for a hug.

"Thank you," I said, getting emotional. "Thank you for coming for me."

"This is bigger than you and I, but I feel like us girls need to stick together," she said, pulling away. "And honestly I need someone to complain to about life with multiple mates."

I laughed. "I think I'd like that. I've never had a girl who was a friend before."

"Oh, Oria, we will be as thick as thieves," she smiled, squeezing my hand. "Go sit and eat before the men get to the food."

"Can we give her a couple of days?" Gray snapped at Taylin, as I rounded the table.

"A couple of days for what?" I asked, sitting in between Gray and Max.

"Nothing."

"To free your family."

I quickly looked at Taylin. "Merrick said something about Laima keeping them as prisoners. Do you know where they are being held?"

"Yes," he said.

"Have you known this whole time?" I grew angry.

"No, I found out where she was hiding them right before I went to rescue you at the tower," he said, looking down.

"You knew all this turmoil could have been avoided if you had just told anyone of us the damn truth, Taylin," I snapped.

"He was under a blood oath," Max said.

I glanced at him, seeing no anger coming from him.

Can we trust him? I asked.

I think so. Max replied. We've talked and I think he's been punished enough, but I think he is not a threat to us anymore.

"How long will it take us to get there?" I looked at Taylin.

"We can be there within an hour," he said confidently.

"Heaven, are you up for a trip?" Ryder asked, as he sat down in front of me.

"I am ready to see my family," I said, as hope bloomed in my chest.

"Then, after breakfast, we can see what needs to be done to free the Fae," Max said, rubbing my back.

"Ok, but what about—." I smiled, thinking of my family that I had no recollection of, but I was ready to fill in the gaps of my scrambled memory.

"That can wait, Sunshine, we can worry about us later." Gray kissed my shoulder. "Please tell us if you are not feeling well."

I looked around feeling conflicted. There were too many things I wanted to do, but I just had to take one step at a time.

"What happened to Merrick?" I looked at Taylin.

"He is fine, probably on the ocean," he said. "He left after the flower was given to you.

I nodded relieve he had made it. Looking around I spotted Soren, he was with a woman and two men.

"Who is Soren speaking to?" I asked, putting pancakes on my plate.

"Our sister," Gray said, looking over at them.

"I thought you weren't speaking to them," I said, glancing at them, feeling on edge.

"Apparently Katarina took it upon herself to find our family and ask for help. While mother and father said no, our sister was adamant about coming to our aid," Gray said, pouring some syrup over my pancakes and handing me a fork.

"Has she been nice?" I all but growled.

Gray chuckled. "She's been fine with me."

"She's been a bitch to you," Ryder said, taking a bite of bacon.

"Is she being disrespectful?" I pushed my chair back to stand up.

"Sunshine, it's fine," Gray said, pushing my seat back in.

"We've never been particularly close, so I don't care," he said, cutting my pancakes and feeding me a piece. "I know Soren misses her, so I want him to have his time with her."

I will find a way to dismember her if she's a bitch to you or Gray. I said to Soren.

Willing to kill for me, Blondie? This must really be love.

I chuckled at his response.

"Eat up, Sol," Max said, in between bites. "I have a feeling it won't be an easy task to free our families."

"I'm so ready to see them," I said, feeling excitement as I rushed through eating.

That excitement died quickly and nervousness made my gut twist. We had traveled to another entrance to the Fae lands. Taylin explained that Laima had sequestered them on an island he had never thought to look. Laima, with the help of her sisters, attacked the Fae after I was taken. Their defenses were down, making it so easy for Laima to imprison them.

We stood in front of a rock when Taylin placed his hand on it just like the last door, it appeared out of nowhere.

"Who goes there!?" a voice yelled.

"Your princess, Oria Elowen Zervos," Taylin said, as if he were announcing me.

The dark pants and shirt didn't seem fitting for a princess, and especially not with all the knives and artifacts along with my trusty necklace.

"Princess?" The door opened and two large men in armor appeared.

The moment they saw me they knelt down. They stood up quickly looking at the rest of my mates.

"How long have you been free?" Taylin asked.

"We were released a few days ago," one replied.

"Maxton," the other said. "You found her."

"Dorin, it's good to see you," Max said.

They bowed to each other as Taylin rolled his eyes at them.

"The king and queen will be overjoyed, please follow us, Princess," one of them said, turning around to walk down the hallway.

We walked behind them; the feel of this place was extremely different. We saw Fae immediately and I felt Max relax next to me. I glanced at him, grabbing his hands to ease my nervousness.

"No need to worry, Sol," he said, pulling me against him.

"There is much to worry about. It feels like I will be meeting them for the first time," I said. "What if?—"

"No what-ifs, Sol," he said. "They are your family, and they will always love you."

"My king and queen."

A tall man with blond hair turned around as did a woman with brown hair and my hazel eyes. The moment I saw them I knew who they were. Nothing would have kept me from them, they felt like home. Time stopped for a moment before I rushed to them. They embraced me as I tried to wrap my arms around them.

"Oria, darling," my mother whispered. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming."

"No mama, I'm here," I cried, as they held me tighter. "I'm home."

"How?" my father asked.

"A very persistent man followed me, and three others rescued me from Laima," I said, holding onto them tighter. "They…they are my mates."

They pulled away from me, looking me over. My mates stood in a line behind me. I expected to see Taylin, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Mates?" My mother smiled cupping my cheek. "Oh, darling it seems we have so much to catch up on."

"My baby girl has come home with mates." My father cupped my other cheek looking over my shoulder. "Is it too late to threaten them over your safety?"

"Never, Father," I chuckled, admiring my mother and father.

"Come on, boys, it seems we have a lot to catch up on." He motioned to my guys to come over. "Thank you for saving her."

"No sir, we didn't save her," Ryder said.

"She saved us," Gray finished.

"She gave us hope about everything good in the world," Soren said.

"And gave us our freedom," Max grinned. "We owe her everything, especially a home."

My cheeks heated as we all stared at each other. It finally felt real. I was free, with mates and I was finally home.