Page 17 of Called By Fate

Speaking of which, where is that dang Seer?

I remember her grabbing ahold of us before Elian shadowed us out of the Elders’ garden, but I haven’t seen her since.

“Has anyone seen Bedi?” I ask. Knowing her, she’s probably pulling the strings from behind the scenes somewhere, but dammit, she has some explaining to do. My uncle acted like he knew her, and I want to know how. Plus, what the Goddess and my parents said, Ineedto know more.

Kaos clears his throat. “She took off while you were… um, grieving. Said something about how she’d be back when you complete the mate bonds with all of us. I didn’t stop her because I needed to tend to Elian.” He looks slightly guilty for letting her go so I squeeze his hand, so he knows I’m not mad at him.

“Thank you for taking care of Elian, Steel. I appreciate you taking the time to heal him for me.” Creeping up on my tippy-toes, I plant a kiss on his cheek before taking a step back so I can look each of my mates in the eyes.

Kaos’ blue ones soften with understanding. Dante’s green ones shine as he looks ready to go to battle for me at a moment’s notice. Elian’s emerald ones are exhausted looking, but he gives me a small head tilt. Reed smiles and his gray eyes are shining with unfulfilled promises.

We’ll get to that,I project, knowing he’ll understand my meaning.

And then I look over to Vinson who is coming down the steps after having quickly gotten dressed. My fifth mate.

Fucking hell. I havefivemates. Five. I'm going to be so sore in the future. Kaos’ healing ability may be put to the test.

I realize I’m probably being rude and turn back to Matilda. "It’s nice to meet you, Matilda. Any friend of Reed’s is a friend of mine."

"Likewise, Shadowbringer."

"I'm curious though, why are you here?"

That brings a cocky smirk to the older woman’s face. "My King thought you would need my help. And since the Elders have been trying to find a way to bypass Elian’s ward and portal in to kill you, I'd say he was right to call upon me."

Ah, hell.

8

"Whoa. Say what now?"

My mates tense behind me and Elian steps forward, angling his body as if to protect me. The gesture is slightly jarring. I’ll have to get used to seeing him act like this, instead of as a colossal asshole.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, boy. Your wards are strong but, with this heightened state the Elders are in,theyare stronger. It's only a matter of time. In fact, I'd say we have twenty minutes before they're slaughtering you like they did us."

Everyone jolts at the mental image her words cause. Shit. This is bad. Vinson lets out a growl that saysover my dead body, while the others tighten their grips on their crotch knives.

Reed takes a deep breath, and I can almost see him mentally shoving his feelings down as he steps forward and draws our attention to him. "I know there's bad blood between Night and Light Weavers, and that won't go away overnight, but I have a plan. Let me explain."

"Then fucking explain it, Reed," Elian demands, his patience with the whole scenario wearing thin. That man craves control, and all of this has been the furthest thing from it.

"Matilda knows her stuff with wards and portals. With her knowledge, your ability with wards, and the natural resistance of Light magic, I think we could fortify the Soleil family safe haven long enough to buy us the time we need to plot against the Elders safely. I also think Sadie’s abilities will allow her to be a buffer between the different magics. She can be the conduit we need to bring it all together. The haven should be virtually untouchable by anyone who wishes us ill will."

I see Alpha Darren’s face fall, and it makes my heart twist. "That sounds amazing, Red, but what about everyone else? The shifters, the Night Weavers who want change, and your Light Weavers?" I interject, waving toward Alpha Darren. "I'm not leaving anyone behind."

"That's what I admire about you, Love,” Reed says with a broad smile, which I return with a small one of my own. “The safe haven is large enough to house everyone and then some. We could set it up as a refuge of sorts, taking in anyone that wants to defect from the Elders."

Arefuge.That word hits me hard because it almost sounds too good to be true, and I’ve always been wary of things that sound a littletooamazing, but if we could pull this idea off?

Ever since I found out about this community and met everyone, I knew it was going to be my calling to bring change, and now that it's here… It brings me immense joy. Honestly, this feeling is something that can’t really be explained in words, but I’m looking forward to what the future holds for one of the first times in my life. Even after everything that’s happened, a warmth spreads throughout my body at the prospect.

I give Reed a nod of thanks, hoping I’m conveying exactly what I’m going to give him as soon as I can to further express my gratitude. He’s seriously saving all our asses here, and I’m beyond ecstatic for this idea of a safe haven. "That sounds brilliant. What does everyone else think?"

Kaos nods, and I can tell he’s having the same thoughts as I am, running through all the possible scenarios in his head. It’s one of the things I truly admire about him. “I trust Reed, although I do think we’ll have to iron out the logistics, but overall, I like the idea.”

"Me too," Dante agrees. “I think it could work.”

Vin is looking at me in awe. "I do as well."

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