Page 53 of Mated to the Kings

“It’s beautiful. It looks like Midavor, but more loved,” I say.

“The witches here have a deep connection with nature, and the land benefits from it,” she says.

“It’s gorgeous,” I say as I watch out of the window. I am anxious about what I am about to walk into. Some part of me still feels hesitant. After everyone found out I’m a witch, I knew that I would be safer here, even if it turns out that Mazvyn is a liar.

When the plane touches down, I feel a sense of relief wash over me. Any of the worries I had on the flight here start to dissipate as Kael leads the plane to where he’s being directed. The plane comes to a stop and Kael starts shutting it down.

“You ready?” Leli asks.

“Uhm… No,” I say honestly.

“Everything will be okay,” she smiles. “Don’t worry about the bags. I’m sure he’s going to have someone grab them so we can all talk.”

“Alright,” I sigh and stand up. We walk to the door, and Kael comes out of the cockpit. He hugs me and kisses my temple as Callum opens the door.

I let everyone else go ahead of me, but Kael motions for me to go ahead of him. I see there is a group of people watching us as we descend the boarding stairs. When we get closer, I see Mazvyn. I abruptly stop walking when I see my mom beside him. She is slightly transparent, but Mazvyn looks over at her and gives her a sad smile before looking back at me.

I start to tear up when the realization hits me who Mazvyn is. From his appearance to the sadness in his voice when he talks about Mom. The answer was right in front of me all week, but I missed it. There are only so many reasons why someone would spend twenty-three years looking for someone. That is the kind of dedication reserved for a spouse… or child.

His eyes glow a vivid blue as we are both in tears. When I find it in me to move, I take off running to him. He catches me in a hug, and emotion slams down on me as I start to cry. My entire life I have been praying for someone to save me from the life I was living. I couldn’t see an escape, so I accepted what everyone did to me. I took it all on and made myself believe that I was a willing participant in the vile acts people committed against me. I thought I was alone in this world, all while my father had dedicated his entire life to finding his daughter while also grieving the loss of his wife. A daughter he had never met before. This moment we are sharing, where he is holding me tightly while we both cry, makes all of the hard work he put into finding me, trying to save me from the pain I was dealt in life, worth it.

“You’re home now, Lilith,” he says softly. “I’ve got you now. You’re safe.”

When I start to calm down, I pull away and see that everyone around us is also in tears as they watch us. Dad cups my face with his hands before wiping away my tears. “I have spent every single day since your mom went missing waiting for this moment. I never once gave up on you or her.”

“You’re my dad,” I say tearfully, somewhere between a question and a statement.

“Yes, sweetie. I’m your dad,” he says as he hugs me again. “I tried so hard to get to you. Please know I tried to save you from that life.”

“I know,” I say as I sniff back tears.

“So,” he says. “There is more you should know.”

“I’m not used to all of this emotion,” I say, and he smiles.

“I’m just going to introduce you to the rest of your family,” he says as he wipes a stray tear from my cheek. I nod, and he motions for the teary-eyed group of people to come closer. I turn to Daemon, Kael, and Callum, seeing they also have tears in their eyes.

I take a second to hug them. Their comfort calms me down and brings me back to baseline. “I’m so happy for you,” Kael says before kissing me softly. “Go meet your family. We aren’t going anywhere.” I smile and turn back to Dad, who is smiling as he sees me interact with the guys.

“Okay, so I’ll start with Striker and Volis. They are your brothers,” he says. “Ashara is their mother also.”

They sandwich me in a hug, squeezing me. “You’re like a pocket-sized version of a sister,” Striker says. They both look like a younger version of Dad, only slightly taller.

“I’ve had brothers for thirty seconds, and I’m already getting picked on,” I say, laughing when they pull away.

A little girl comes darting through people to cling to Striker’s leg. She has long black hair and bright blue eyes, like me. “This is Sylvie, my daughter,” Striker says as he leans down and picks her up.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I say to Sylvie.

“This is your aunt Lilith,” Striker says to his daughter.

“It’s nice to meet you, Aunt Lilith,” she says in a tiny, sweet voice.

“You’ve already met Leli,” Dad says. “She is my daughter, but you have different mothers.”

I snap my head to Leli, and she smiles sheepishly, like she’s been caught with her hand in the cookie jar before dinner, as she walks closer to hug me.

“We do look the same; I don’t know how I’m just now finding out,” I say.

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