Page 22 of Called By Fate

Merri looks at the man beside her, back to Reed, and then sits back down with a huff. I can tell from where I am standing that she's biting her cheek to keep from saying anything else.

"Ignore Merri, darling. She and Jack have issues," A man with well cared for golden curls stands and bows his head slightly to me. "My name is Auryen, and I can tell you, judging by everyone else’s emotions, most of us are super intrigued about you. Even if we are a bit leery of Night Weavers.”

That catches me off guard. I’m used to Weavers hiding their powers, but seriously, why all the secrecy? Why should they?

Oh, wait, the psycho Elders looking to exploit any and everyone.

“Mostly because of your intimidating mates though, but like, damn, girl. I’d eat the pissed off looking one for a snack.” He’s right too. Elian looks ready to stab someone. Then again when does he not? But even the rest of my Circle still has their crotch knives out as if they’re preparing for a fight, and Vin is a weapon in his own right, now that he has his wolf. “Please, tell us more."

"Honestly, neither of us are really sure about the how's and why's,” I say, indulging him. I need to win them over if we’re all going to win in the long run. “But we aren’t going to spit in the face of fate when we've obviously been paired together for a reason."

I give Reed a quick smile to find him already looking at me with a thousand emotions written on his face. He smoothes them out quickly, turning his leader aura back on.

Auryen full-on laughs at me. "Oh, darling, I don't care about the specifics! I meant for you to tell me about how you met. Was it love at first sight? Did he give you one of his shy smiles and you fell for it instantly? Gah, I'm such a hopeless romantic." He sighs dreamily, placing a hand on his forehead to really sell it.

"Oh, uh, actually, we met at the diner where I worked."

A blonde girl with soft features gasps. "You worked in the human world?"

"Yeah. I wasn't raised as a Night Weaver."

They all start gossiping amongst themselves, growing louder as they talk. I can't really make heads or tails of it so I just kind of stand there awkwardly while they cast strange glances at me like I'm the freak show in the room full of magic users.

"All right, guys, you can interrogate her later. We've had a hell of a day and it's not over yet. Elian and Sadie need to strengthen the wards and that's going to take a lot out of them,” Reed speaks up, interrupting their chatter.

"Aww, fine," Auryen says with a pout. "We expect details sometime though." He winks at me, and they pack up their things. Two of the men stay behind but stick to the shadows. Guarding us, I presume. I am in the presence of royalty after all.

"Don't remind me." Reed groans, picking up on my train of thought, and I laugh.

"I think it's kind of hot, King Reed."

He casts a devious look my way. "Oh really, Queen Sadie?" he quips right back, and my face twists. I don’t know how to feel about being a queen, but I guess it’s technically my title.

Elian breaks up our banter, his nose crinkled at our display. "Come on. Let's go strengthen these damn wards before I gag. They're already quite strong, but we can make them better."

I reach out with my own power and find that he's right. Actually, I'm pretty impressed. The wards around this place feel strong, like they've been tempered by a multitude of different people and powers over the years, which should work in our favor in keeping the Elders out. Hopefully, Elian and I can bolster them even more. Guess we'll find out.

* * *

"That's enough for tonight, Elian,"I tell him when I see the sun is starting to crest the horizon. "I'm beyond exhausted and I want to go crawl in a nest with my Circle and say fuck the world forat leasttwenty-four hours. Maybe forty-eight for good measure."

"I agree," Kaos says, wrapping an arm around me.

None of them have left my side. Even Vinson, who has to be the most drained of all of us. Matilda didn't leave either, giving Elian and I advice as we worked to strengthen the ward.

And boy, have we strengthened it all right. This damn thing is absolutely buzzing with power. I'm not a hundred percent certain it wouldn't fry someone with ill intent if they got within a few feet of it. No one that wishes us harm is getting in without us noticing, that's for sure.

"Matilda, if you'd show us to our quarters, please," Reed says, and she nods.

"Right this way." She leads us to the larger cabin I noticed earlier and opens the door, gesturing us inside. "This one belongs to the Soleil family. No one has lived here in quite a number of years. We cleaned it up as much as we could, but you might want to open some windows and let it air out. I’ll bring over a fresh set of towels and linens." With that, she disappears.

Kaos lets go of my shoulders so I can walk inside, and the others follow suit, spreading out in different directions like they're looking for intruders. I don't even say anything. I can't fault them.

First, shower.

Then, bed.

Man, I'm more tired than I realized. I guess having a fight to the death, a standoff with the governing body of my secret magical community, and going to the In-Between to save one of my mates from death has really taken a toll on me.

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