Page 55 of Tangled Fates

She smirked at me.

“You didn’t hear anything I said, did you?” She looked amused.

“No, after you said your mother would hurt us, my mind went into crisis mode, thinking about any way to make you see we shouldn’t be apart,” I said, kissing her forehead.

“You thought I was going to make you leave?” She frowned.

“I didn’t know what to think,” I said, feeling like I was fucking this up.

I didn’t know how to do this, the romance, the sweeping her off her feet and making her fall for us so she never wanted to leave. The only people I tolerated for long periods of time were my brother and Ryder. Romance wasn’t something I went looking for.

“The thought of you leaving makes me sick. I don’t…” She bit her lip. “It feels like it would be the biggest mistake if I were to let you go, but I suspect Mother won’t let me go that easily.”

“If we go before she returns, we might have a chance,” I said. “Just how powerful is she?”

“I’ve seen her level a whole street of houses,” she whispered, shivering. “She’s had two hundred years to hone her magic and it feels like I’ve seen her do new things all the time. Her magic is constantly evolving.”

“Does your magic keep her young?”

“Yes, we have monthly sessions, sometimes every two weeks,” she said, pursing her lips together. “It’s been more lately because I think time is catching up to her.”

I was about to ask another question when I heard Gray coming up the steps. He slowly peeked in; his face lit up the moment he spotted us.

“Sunshine.” He smiled, walking over to us.

I let her go and she immediately went over to him. Gray looked content, and while I knew he was mostly happy, there was always a part of himself that craved a mate and wanted to be loved no matter what.

“Good morning,” she said, removing herself from me to give Gray a hug.

I expected to feel jealousy immediately, but seeing my brother with our mate, only made the small bond I had with Oria grow and my bond with Gray feel more complete. I thought our relationship was perfect, but now I realized we were both missing something.

“Hungry?” he asked, kissing her forehead.

“Starved,” she said, leaning her head against his shoulder. “But I need to do something first.”

She pulled away from Gray, slipped on some leggings and a sweatshirt that had three names on it that all started with W’s.

“What are you doing?” I followed her down the stairs.

“I’ve been working on something, and I want to see if it works,” she said, passing the living area and going down the stairs again.

She walked into the workroom, pulling out a few things and a necklace. I sat at the table watching how graceful she was, even with an adorable look of concentration on her face. She dropped the necklace in a jar and poured water over it before adding a few ingredients. Then she whispered something in Latin and the jar glowed, as did her hand.

Gray was just as mesmerized as I was, and I wondered what her power looked like. She smiled, taking the necklace out of the jar and placing it on a towel, then looking up at us.

“Come on, let’s see if I’m a genius,” she said, walking out of the room.

Gray and I followed her, no questions asked, but I had a feeling since seeing the necklace, it had something to do with the barrier. Once outside, she grabbed my hand, startling me with the simple gesture that made me jerk my hand back.

“I’m sorry,” she said immediately, with big eyes.

I felt like an asshole.

“I’ve never held someone’s hand,” I said, feeling like an idiot. “So, I wasn’t expecting it.”

Gray walked ahead of us.

“Oh, I just…” She smiled nervously. “Never mind.”

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