Page 70 of Tangled Hearts

“I promise we didn’t go for you specifically, but when Soren found the tower, we got excited at the prospect of finding where the Oria was manufactured,” I said, grabbing her hand. “We didn’t know… that a woman made the vials.”

“Any idea we had about using the Oria went out the window when we knew it was you,” Soren said, grabbing her other hand. “Don’t doubt us, please, we are yours till the end of our days and we would rather die than do anything to harm you.”

“We need to be able to talk about things like this,” I said, bringing her hand in for a kiss. “Before you walk away, please try and talk to us, even if you doubt us.”

“It's a hard habit to break, but we are not the bad guys,” Ryder said, pushing Soren and I aside until he could pick her up and set her on his lap facing us. “You are everything, Oria. You are the good in this fucked up world and all we need is for you to trust us. I swear to the moon goddess that we will try everything in our power to keep you safe even if that means from us too.”

“Please don’t hurt me,” she said, as a few tears fell down her face. “I know I need to get better?—”

“We can’t ask you to erase years of gaslighting and manipulation,” I said quickly. “You were kidnapped, led to believe that this woman was your mother so she could use you for her own gain, while also letting you get close to a man who is the reason you were there in the first place. We will be better at reassuring you in whatever you are feeling; all we ask is that you communicate with us.”

She nodded. “I promise.”

I couldn’t resist it anymore, I needed to mend the fragile pieces of our bond and weaved my hand through her hair, bringing her in for a kiss. It was an awful angle for a kiss, but I needed her to know, we were here for the long haul, and I wanted to gain her trust so she would never doubt us. She moaned in the kiss, grabbing onto my shirt like she didn't want to let me go.

“Ok, geez,” Soren said, pushing me away from her before capturing her lips in a kiss.

When he pulled away, her lips were even pinker and swollen. She followed him for a kiss when Ryder turned her head and kissed her.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would share a mate with my best friends. It warmed my soul that we got to stay together stronger with this bond; we gained her and an extra bond mate. Getting up, I went into the kitchen wondering if we had anything in there.

It had been years since we had been here, but our friend, Merrick, liked to stay here on occasion. I hoped he had left food or even water here. There were a few cans of food, but I knew canned food wasn’t the best option. I found some tea and decided that was the best we were going to get right now.

Washing the kettle, I set it on the burner. I looked in the rest of the cabinets seeing an unopened box of lemon and pumpkin cookies. They were good enough until one of us went to the grocery store that wasn’t too far from here.

I poured her tea in the nicest cup we had and set the cookies on a small plate that I had cleaned too. They were silent as I walked up to them. Oria tried to get off Ryder, but he held her tightly and didn’t let her go. She took the mug, glaring at him over her shoulder, but it was playful. I set the cookies on the arm of the chair, so it was close enough for her.

“What do we do now?” I asked anxiously, hoping for a plan because I functioned better if I knew what the hell was going to happen next.

“Max needs to rest and will possibly need another healing,” she said, blowing on her cup.

“Addie needs to know we aren’t there anymore if she doesn’t already know,” Ryder said, biting a cookie that Oria offered him.

“We need to figure out how we are going to get rid of Laima,” Soren said.

Oria tensed, but she nodded.

“Taylin needs to be taken care of too.” Max’s voice startled all of us.

“Max!” Oria scrambled off of Ryder, spilling her tea before Soren took it from her. She ran up to Max who was struggling to get down the stairs.

“Dammit,” I said, rushing up to him, dipping under his arm to help steady him.

“Let's take him back?—”

“No, Sol,” he said, continuing down the stairs. “We need a plan, and I think I might have a solution.”

She huffed and pouted at him before rolling her eyes.

“Fine, let's talk in the room.” She tried to push him back.

“We are almost down the stairs,” he said, his voice tight with discomfort.

“Dammit, Max,” she said, guiding us down the stairs.

Soren stood up, helping me put him on the sofa as Max hissed in pain.

“Max,” Oria scolded, her scowl was cute.

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