Page 94 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
Careful, demon. I would not want you to forget which of us is truly in charge here.
Careful, Princess. I would not want you to forget what I will do to you if you dare leave me for this mortal idiot.
Unfortunately for you, I rather like the sound of forever, just the two of us.
Bellamy flinched at that, as if my claiming him forever was somehow painful.
I am yours until the day I die.
There was an odd tone to his mental voice, a morose edge to it that made me fearful of his choice of words.
“Well, I am sure I can fix him up in no time. He will probably have guests soon, would not want him to be bloody and bruised for that.”
“Guests?” Sterling inquired as Bellamy walked him over to sit down on one of the beds.
My magic strayed, so eager to be free that even my newly formed gates could not keep it fully contained. I tasted her before she arrived, not even portaling stopping me from sensing her coming.
Noe’s golden brown hair smacked me directly in the face as she appeared in front of me. It was not long until she was whipping her head around as she shouted, “Where is she?”
Even then, I had no chance to reply before she was tackling me to the ground. We smacked onto the hard floors amidst chuckles and shrieks. Noe’s lips began peppering kisses all over my face, her squeals of glee so loud that they seemed to echo. I laughed at her, trying and failing to get her off me.
“Noe, get off!” My demand was spoken between giggles, causing it to lose its effect. She continued on, only stopping when someone lifted her away from me. Damon was cackling as he dragged her backwards, muttering something about her being crazy. Cyprus appeared above me, lifting me by my waist and hauling me upwards. Right as my feet met the floor, I was wrapped into another firm hug.
“We missed you, beautiful,” Cyprus hummed, nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck.
“Nothing but a bunch of puppies,” I mumbled as I returned the hug.
“My turn, move!” Henry practically tore Cyprus off of me, tossing him somewhat to the side.
“Pumpkin, you are looking especially ripe today,” I teased as he smiled down at me. Then he lifted me, spinning us as he held my lower thighs. I grabbed his shoulders, praying to Eternity that he did not drop me. “Put me down you lunatic!”
“Never!” he shouted, pushing me further up and over his shoulder. I squealed, pounding on his back as he began to makea run for the exit. We were met with a fierce wind that shoved Henry off his feet. As the Sun teetered back, I flipped over his shoulder, nearly landing on my face before I was caught by an upwards gust of air.
“Oh please, like we would just let you take her.” Lian’s voice was chiding, but her smile was iridescent as she slowly lowered me to the ground and then ran at me. I caught her in my arms as she dove, the two of us laughing from our place on the ground. When she punched me in the shoulder, I did not so much as complain, too happy to have them there. To know they were real. “Leave us like that again and I will kill you myself, Asher.”
“Noted.” I smiled her way, savoring the taste of their love for me. It was both rich and sweet, like melted chocolate on the tongue.
Standing, I offered Lian a hand up, but she swatted it away. Antagonistic little menace. She pointed behind me, and though I was genuinely concerned for my safety, I still rotated. There, standing back and watching everything, were not only Farai and Jasper—who was healed and whole—but Nicola and Kafele too.
“How?” I gasped out, trying to make sense of seeing Nicola and Kafele here. Safe.
“Tell me you did not think these morons could come up with a plan like this,” Nicola responded, beaming at me with watery eyes. I laughed, moving towards them.
Walking was all I could manage after so many reunions, especially when this one was the most devastatingly perfect. My three best friends tugged me into them when I got close enough, the four of us laughing as we cried. Our lives had changed so much in the last year. Still, we all four breathed, and that was a gift.
“I am so sorry, Ash,” Nicola whispered as she leaned her forehead against mine. “Letting it play out the way it did was theonly salvageable future I could see. What they did to you—the lies—I cannot apologize enough.”
“There is no need, Nic. We are all here, together and safe. That is what matters. You are what matters.” I looked over her shoulder, nodding at Kafele where he stood slightly behind his wife. His terror, suspicion, and possessiveness soaked the air around him, his focus honed on Nicola. While I had never been as close to him as I had Farai, Jasper, and Nicola, I most definitely adored him. He was perfect for her. Stoic, fierce, protective, unwavering, cautious. “I am glad you are here too, Kafele.”
“Yes, well, we had very little choice. If Nicola says jump, you either ask her how high or you get your ass handed to you.” They laughed. I did my best to pretend like I was not terrified of losing them all and laughed along.
With that, I turned and faced Ranbir again. He had fully healed Sterling, but his face was scrunched as he held his palm against the prince’s cheek. Bellamy was beside them and watching me, the beautiful pride on his face melting into nerves as he took in my expression.
“Ranbir, is there something wrong with his mind?” Sterling seemed to listen with bated breath, leaning towards me as I spoke. “I cannot find his memories from the last year.”
“I do sense something off. His brain has suffered a sort of trauma. It reminds me of what happened to Lara after you attacked her.”
“Woah there. I fought back. That is an important fact,” I rebutted. Ranbir chuckled, removing his hand from Sterling’s face.
