Page 79 of Tangled Fates

I really needed to do laundry and actually put the load in the dryer.

“I’m not leaving, we are not leaving,” Soren growled.

“Soren,” I sighed.

We talked about this yesterday. He was adamant about confronting my mother, but I knew that was suicide.

“What are you doing, Sunshine?” Gray asked, glancing at his brother with concern.

“I cannot be apart from you.” Soren’s voice brought tears to my eyes. “You can’t?—”

I held up my hand as I walked to him.

“Let me try this and then we can start using Plan B,” I said, kissing his forehead.

“Blondie,” he sighed.

I knew he was ready to argue with me, so I kissed him again.

“We will revisit that after I test my theory,” I said, slipping into my slippers.

I didn’t stick around to argue as I raced downstairs to my workshop when I noticed Loki and Ryder in the kitchen together. He was in low hung pants that made my mouth dry up. He was giving Loki a piece of meat to eat before leaning back against the counter. Loki meowed for more food and Ryder gave him another piece of meat before rubbing his head.

He looked up at me as he took a sip from a mug like he knew I had been there the whole time. Goddess, he was so handsome with his beard, disheveled hair and those piercing amber eyes with a body that I’m sure many women had enjoyed.

Our bond thrummed in my chest like a heartbeat as we continued to look at each other in this bubble we were in. The woman he had lost must have been someone amazing. If his love was so strong it contended with our bond, it made me worried that he might never consider bonding with me. I knew he needed to heal. I wanted him to heal, but every molecule of my being wanted to make him mine.

“Good morning,” I said smiling. “Looks like you made a new friend.”

I walked up to Loki, giving him a pet.

“I fed him,” Ryder said with his deep timber. “And he’s alright.”

I shivered wondering how he would sound saying my name. Loki looked up at Ryder like he was offended.

“Thank you.”

I kissed Loki’s head and gave him a little more love since I had been so busy these last few days. Standing up, I tried to convince myself not to look at Ryder, but I felt his gaze on me. Glancing over my shoulder he was watching me with yearning. His eyes flashed yellow, and I wondered if that was his wolf trying to shift. My heart rate quickened as I heard the twins coming down the stairs. It took everything not to break our moment again as I turned around to run downstairs to my haven.

Our bond was settled in my chest the further I walked away from Ryder, the longing and the intense need to go to him was fading. I squeezed my thighs together in hopes of easing the ache I had, but all I could do was grow hot thinking of what it would be like with my shifter.

Shaking my head, I tried to get my shit in order so I wasn’t so horny and figure a way to get myself out of here. I played some music on my phone humming along to someone named Lizzo.

Loki came into the room, rubbing himself against me before perching by the window to watch me. I grabbed my ingredients, laying them out on my worktable getting started on my concoction. It was a quick modification to the magic canceling potion we had made, adding a few items to amplify the power.

The spell required a moonstone, and I needed all the power I could get. I ran down the stairs to go to my garden, dug up a moonstone that was fully charged and took another stone.

My garden had been neglected for too long. The urge to go tend to it was like an itch, I needed to scratch. While I missed the routine of my old life, the possibility of a free life—well, more free than staying here—made me so excited. I grinned as I went through the garden picking up some cherry tomatoes and berries before I went back inside. I’d make myself a new garden one day.

Stepping into the workshop, I focused on the spell. I added ingredients, stirring, saying a few incantations until a silvery liquid sat in the bowl. It needed something more. It needed my blood.

My stomach churned at the thought of adding my blood. It might change the entire potion for the better or worse. Blood magic was unpredictable, but I needed to take a chance. It was life or death at this point and I chose to live.

Pricking my finger, I only added a few drops. The potion glowed a brilliant yellow, illuminating the entire room. The potion pulsed with energy before dimming until there was a trace of light.

Goddess, please let this work.

Once I bottled it up, I grabbed the necklace that Soren had used to get in, and made my way down the stairs. This was it. If this didn’t work, I was screwed and getting away from mother would be twice as hard.

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