Page 129 of Tangled Hearts

“How are you feeling?” Gray knelt in front of me.

“Not dead, soo, good?” I didn’t know what to say. “Did you bring me back from the dead?”

“We didn’t,” Ryder said, kneeling in front of me. “We were given a choice by the gods.”

“The gods?” I almost laughed thinking that was absurd.

“We were given another flower of the gods, and they gave us the option to bring you back, but when we did, you would still be burdened with your magic,” Max said, sitting in front of me. “We know?—”

“Wait,” I held my hand up. “I died to keep this magic out of the hands of the enemy, and you brought me back with that same power?”

“We did,” Ryder said. “We debated on the pros and cons of bringing you back.”

“It was selfish,” I said, in disbelief.

“Yes, it was, but you can’t say you wouldn’t bring us back from death if you could,” Soren said, sitting next to Gray.

“I—” The immediate need to disagree with his claim was quick, but I knew I would have probably done anything for them. “This just puts us right back where we were before.”

“It doesn’t. Right now, we are together and hopefully with the help of Taylin, we can free your family,” Max said, looking full of hope. “You were kept under confinement with no way to protect yourself. You’re a powerful alchemist and with the help of your family and us, we want you to be able to defend yourself.”

“Why did the gods intervene?” I asked, feeling uneasy. “What did you have to do in order for them to give you the flower or what did you have to agree to?”

“Nothing, the consequence for bringing you back was, you would still have the healing magic and it's a possibility you might be hunted, but they also stated if the god war does happen, you would be invaluable to our cause,” Gray said, looking nervous.

They all looked nervous. As much as I wanted to be mad, I was willing to do whatever it took to keep them safe.

“This power is a small price to pay to live my life with my mates,” I said, launching myself into Max’s arms. I was quickly engulfed in the proximity of my mates, and I knew that there was nowhere else I’d rather be.

“Gods, Blondie, you had us all sweating that you were going to be mad,” Soren said, kissing her forehead.

“If I’m going to be mad it's about you sending me away, you shits,” I said, attempting to be angry, but being free from Laima was a glorious feeling.

“We did it for you,” Ryder said. “But we regretted it immediately.”

“We are stronger together,” I murmured.

“You’re right, we are,” Max said, against my hair.

I took a deep breath, enjoying the completeness. Max handed me over to Soren as the twins kissed my face and my neck.

“Sunshine, I was so scared to lose you,” Gray said, running his nose along my neck.

“I’m sorry. Taking myself out of the picture was the only way I felt like I could control your fate,” I said, kissing Soren softly on the lips before turning my head and kissing Gray.

“We can’t survive without you, Blondie,” Soren said, kissing my neck.

“Ok, you’ve had enough time,” Ryder growled, pulling me away from them. “Heaven, this is the last time we will be away from each other.”

Ryder took a deep breath against my neck as goose bumps erupted on my skin.

“Last time,” I said, threading my hand into his hair and kissing him hard.

We eventually pulled ourselves away from each other after they gave me a quick recap of what had happened when I was “dead.” As much as I wanted to lay in bed all day with them, I was starving and we headed downstairs in the Belladonna estate. It had been a whole day since they had brought me back. Apparently, this was the safest place for me right now and it helped that they had enough space for Laima and Wyman’s pack.

“Wait!” I yelled.

“How are you feeling? What about the Kark? What do we need to do about it?” I panicked.

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