Page 33 of The Magic of Eternity
‘Cam,’I choked out.‘Oh my gods, Cam.’
‘Thank the stars,’he breathed, his voice cracking.‘I love you so much, baby. I can’t wait to see you, to kiss you, to have my hands all over you. Fuck, baby girl. I’ve missed you so fucking much.’
I blinked, releasing more tears.‘I’m scared, Cam. I’m scared of what’s going to happen tomorrow. I can’t handle losing them. I can’t handle losing any of you. We’re just getting started with our story—it can’t end like this.’
Before Cam could respond, another voice broke through.‘Where’s my Cub?’Kai demanded, his voice a growl through the link.
‘I’m here, Kai! I’m right here! Oh my gods, I can feel you. I can feel the bond. Can you feel me too?’Warmth was spreading rapidly from my chest to the rest of my body, a sensation of safety and love working to smother the feelings of fear and anxiety.
‘Oh, sweet Cub. I’ve never stopped feeling you. You’re like the sun. Even when I can’t see you, I can feel you. Your warmth, the way you give me life. The way you brighten everything. Fuck Sprout, I need to see you. This is fucking killing me. I need to see your belly, to see with my own eyes how beautiful our mate looks carrying our babies.’
There was something inherently heartbreaking about hearing strong men break. The way their voices cracked with pain and longing. That level of love and devotion was something that I’d never known before I met them. And I knew that nothing else would ever come close to being like this.
‘Where are you, baby?’Cam asked.
‘We’re with Vaeryn. I want to tell you where we are, but I can’t. Not until we can bring you here. Please, don’t take it personally. Just know that we are safe.’ I felt a little guilty about not telling them, but we had to be careful. Nobody on the wrong side could find out about this safe haven.
‘Okay, little witch. I trust you. But we need to move. Now. Napoleon found vaccines that restored our powers, which seemed to be blocked here. That’s how this is possible right now. We have extras, so you and Sloane can be dosed as well. And then once we get Khol, Bram, and Faris secured, we can administer it to them as well. The doctor here says the execution will take place in the courtyard at dawn. So we need to be there well in advance. Now that we’ve reestablished the mental link, we can stay in contact and give each other updates. That’s going to be crucial.’Sloane was nodding along with Cam’s words.
‘I think we can have Vaeryn rally up help to get the dragons free from their enclosures,’I told them.‘The issue will be that we don’t know how Asrael is controlling them. Is it just a mental game? Is he using his power? We just have to assume he’ll be distracted with getting his plan together, and he’s such a narcissist that he’ll probably be boasting and bragging in the courtyard tomorrow in front of the demons in attendance.’
‘We’ll figure something out. Start preparing to return as soon as possible. Let us know when you’re close and we’ll make a final plan of attack then,’Cam replied, his natural ability to lead coming out strong. He sounded so sure of himself, and it never ceased to amaze me how safe he made me feel.
‘Okay, we’ll be there as soon as we can. Be smart. Stay safe. Stick together. Nobody goes anywhere alone. We’re strongest together,’Sloane reminded everyone.
‘I love you all,’I declared, hoping they could feel just how true those words were. I got three‘I love you’s in return, and then the link was severed. Sloane’s eyes burned into mine and he leaned down, capturing my mouth in a burning kiss that set my blood on fire.
Brushing my hair out of my face, he smirked. That classic shitty, smug as hell, Sloane smirk that I used to hate and now loved. “We’re almost there, Red. The end is near, can you feel it?” He was practically vibrating with adrenaline, whether it be from the thrill of the impending confrontation or being reunited with our family—it didn’t matter. I knew he’d do whatever he had to to make sure we all got out of this safe.
So would I.
“Well, Vaeryn,” Sloane announced, hopping up from the pillow pile we’d been nestled into. “We have work to do, and we need to do it quickly. Let’s walk and talk.”
The dragon grinned, feeding off of Sloane’s excitement. I watched as Sloane clapped a hand on Vaeryn’s shoulder, leading him back to the table where he began filling him in on the conversation we’d just had.
I began mentally making a list of what I needed to do before we left here. Get better clothes for battle, for one. Ah fuck it, there wasn’t much for me to do at all. Why couldn’t I get a burst of adrenaline during a time like this? All I felt was fury toward the man who’d done nothing but try to destroy me and my life since I’d met the guys, and rage at my mother who’d turned out to be more evil than I could’ve ever anticipated.
“I’ll gather the battle dragons,” Vaeryn said to Sloane. The two of them must’ve had an incredibly speedy discussion because they were already heading back toward me. “Meet me at the water’s edge as soon as you’re able.” With a nod to me, Vaeryn left us, set on his task.
“Do you need anything before we leave?” Sloane asked, crouching down before me.
“I was thinking a change of clothes—something a little more protective? Oh, and I better pee before we go.”
Sloane’s face turned thoughtful but before I could ask him about it, he agreed to my course of action. “Sounds like a plan. I’m going to check out Vaeryn’s weapons room. How about you take a nap while we prepare?” He held his hand up to stop me from arguing. “You need your rest, Red. Meet me at the cave opening in an hour?” He was already walking away, heading to wherever this weapons room was. When I didn’t respond, he spun on his heel, halfway across the room. “What’s wrong?”
I waved my arms out to my sides and teetered back and forth on my ass. Realization dawned, and Sloane let out a groan. “Fucking hell, I’m such an asshole.” He moved back toward me and took hold of my waiting hands, hauling me and my massive stomach up in the blink of an eye. “I’m sorry, kitten. I’m not… I mean, I didn’t think about how—”
Flashing a quick smile, I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. “You are an asshole, but you’re mine. And I love you. I’m not used to this either, and I didn’t even think about getting back on my feet after I plopped down there into that pillowy heaven.”
He laughed deeply, a sound I’d heard far too little of during the course of our relationship. “I’m just glad you didn’t rip one when I yanked you up like that.”
My mouth fell open and I punched him in the arm. “Keep it up, dragon man. You will pay the price!”
“I’m sure I will,” he replied, his laughter returning as he walked away from me. “See you soon, Red.”
Fate would have it that the first step I took resulted in a fart. Gods dammit. I froze and then sighed when no teasing came.
“I heard that!”
