Page 67 of Tangled Hearts

His words released the tension I had been holding. He uttered the word for the portal, opening it up for us and we rushed through it. The sound of rhythmic whooshing was the first thing I noticed and then the smell of salt. We were in another forest that had trees so tall I had to tilt my head up just to look at the tops of them which were hidden by darkness. Soren set me down, grabbing my hand, keeping me close.

I followed him until we came upon a very nice house with large windows. It was brown and black, very clean lines and looked like nothing I had ever seen before. It was beautiful in the dark, I couldn’t imagine what it looked like during the day.

“Where are we?” I asked, glancing behind me to make sure my other mates were still behind us.

“In California, by the ocean.” Soren looked at me with a smile.

“Is that what that sound is?” I wanted to jump from excitement.

“Yeah, Blondie it is,” he said, walking up to the door and hitting the numbers until it opened. “I remembered you saying, you had never seen the ocean.”

I cupped his face, bringing him in for a quick kiss before I looked inside. It was so dark until he flipped a switch, bringing a soft light to the big room.

The outside was beautiful, but it was nothing compared to how gorgeous it was on the inside. The high ceiling gave the room a bigger feel and there were windows on the opposite side of the house.

“Just beyond the house is the ocean,” Soren said, walking to the windows and I followed.

“Oh my god,” I said, as goosebumps rose on my arms in anticipation.

I spent years wondering what the ocean looked like, and I didn’t think my imagination even came close. Tears sprung to my eyes as I realized I was so close to seeing what I had been missing out on. Everything that happened over the last month was worth it, and I would do it all over again if I got to experience this moment.

My focus didn’t waver until Soren pushed open the windows and the sound was louder. The ocean’s melody hypnotized me as I walked outside. Beyond the porch was complete darkness. Once I reached the edge, I held onto the small wall, closing my eyes and listened to the ocean. My tears came full force while I let myself feel.

I was free.

The breeze caressed my skin, the ocean’s song soothed me, and I was at peace for once. I don’t know how long I was there for, but I felt rejuvenated, and I felt better than I had in a long time. I hadn’t laid eyes on the ocean yet, but hearing it was just as good.

I opened my eyes, dying to see the ocean and no matter how tired I was, there was no way I wouldn’t rest tonight. Commotion behind me brought me back to the urgent matter. Max was still hurt. Turning around, Ryder was at the door watching me. I took a step towards him, ready to go into his arms for comfort, except Laima’s words came back to haunt me.

They do everything for their own gain, they have no morals, they take any job if it's the right price, even stealing a lonely woman in a tower.

He knew something was wrong. “Would you like to talk about it now?”

“No, after I heal Max,” I said, wishing we didn’t have to talk about anything.

He nodded at me, walking into the house as I followed.

“He’s upstairs, second room to your right,” he said, walking to the stairs, glancing at me. “In every lifetime, Heaven, it’s always you.”

He walked away from me and all I wanted to do was scream for him to come back. The accusation that Laima had said against them loomed over us and as much as I would like to find out the truth, Max was more important.

Climbing the stairs felt heavier than when we first got here. I found the room where they had placed Max; Gray and Soren were adjusting Max on the bed. They had covered the lower half of his body. It warmed my heart that they were taking care of Max, and we weren’t even mated.

“Do you need anything?” Soren asked, looking up at me.

I shook my head walking into the room.

“I’ll get some water for you and Max for when he wakes up,” Gray said, passing by me with a look of longing and questions.

I crawled into bed with Max settling on a pillow next to him, setting a hand on his chest. His breathing sounded a little labored, but better than I expected.

“Flos nitor et rutilans tua virtus luceat,” I whispered, glancing at Soren before I closed my eyes.

I directed my power to his injuries, feeling my magic work through his breaks and tears. I took a sweep of his injuries when I felt something dark trapped inside him. It was a piece of dark magic, it was almost symbiotic. I pushed my power against it, and it pushed back.

My entire body felt like it was shocked, but the more I focused on it, the more I had to get it out or dispel it. Taking a deep breath, I pushed against it again, feeling it push against me and I aimed even more power at it. I gasped at the pain I was feeling as I tried to push the dark magic out. That's when I realized it was Laima’s magic.

I gritted my teeth, pushing against it even more. Whatever this was, it was toxic, and I needed to get it out. But no matter how hard I pushed, nothing was working. Exhaustion was seeping into me. I needed to try one more time; Max deserved it. I prepared to push all my power to it when an enormous amount of power rushed through me.

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