Page 77 of My Salvation

He opened his mouth, then closed it. “I…” He sighed. “You’re right. I should have gone to Ciaran and Niamh and fell to my knees begging for him back.”

Vesta placed a hand on her mate’s back, then looked at Priest. “We couldn’t. Our laws forbid us from acknowledging you. But… please know this. We thought of you every day. I thank the gods every morning when I rise that Niamh was strong enough, brave enough, to save my baby.”

Cas looked to Vesta. “But the laws changed centuries ago.”

Gaius shook his head. “What was done, was done.”

“That is silly,” Ame said from behind Zoe.

Both Vesta and Gaius looked at him. Vesta knelt down so she was at eye level with both boys. “What do you mean?”

“It was silly that the love you had was wasted because Uncle Priest never felt it. That’s silly and sad. There isn’t much love in the world, you know,” he answered, keeping half his face behind Zoe’s skirts.

Gaius looked to Priest. “Uncle Priest?”

Priest nodded. “I am a brother to my fellow unit warriors, uncle to their children.”

Vesta swallowed hard. “It was wasted, wasn’t it?”

Ame nodded. “Love is meant to be shared. Hahaue tells us every day she loves us.” He wrapped his arms around Zoe’s waist.

Zoe smiling softly, rubbed her hand over his hair. “You are impossible not to love.”

Vesta stood and walked over to Priest. “I wasn’t brave that day, but I will be from here on out. I will suffer whatever punishment you see fit, but I will tell you, finally, speak the words. I love you. I am glad for you. And I am so very proud of you.”

Priest wiped at his eyes. “I’m not going to punish you, for goodness sake. But I don’t know where to go from here.”

Gaius stepped next to his mate. “Let us meet with your parents. I will not have them feel slighted in any way. We will abide by anything they say,” he said, looking resigned.

Vesta turned to Cas and laid a gentle hand on her arm. “Your gift is a miracle. There was no other way we would have had the courage to speak what was in our hearts.”

“I couldn’t see so much pain and not say anything.”

Vesta smiled. “Now, you said something about a nest?”

Cas glared at Priest. “Someone only told me about that today.”

“Guys, everyone is still staring,” Izzy said, waving to a random stranger.

Gaius looked to the crowd, then back to them. “I am Elder here, and I was punched,” he eyed Cas.

Cas simply scrunched her nose at him, causing the older man to laugh, much to her surprise. “I think they’re making sure all is well,” he explained.

A man that looked eerily like her mate walked up. “That is exactly what we were doing. Everything okay here, Elder?”

“Helios, yes, ummm,” Gaius rubbed the back of his neck.

Two women walked up behind Helios. “Father?” The one that looked like a younger version of Vesta asked.

Priest blinked. “Holy shit.”

Vesta hesitated, then took Priest’s hand. “Helios, Aurora, Iris, this is your younger brother Priest.”

Helios stared. “Excuse me, what?”

Aurora looked from Helios to Priest and back. “He was the unbroken egg, the one that changed everything? You never said he was our nestmate!”

Iris flung herself at Priest, who fumbled at catching her. “We’re together again!”

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