Page 85 of Mated to the Kings

“He was from the inside out,” I say. “It’s called Infernus vitae. It just boils them from the inside out.”

“Enough talk,” Leli says. “I need to heal you before we start walking.

“Come on,” Striker says, putting his arm around me for support.

“Can you do something about the bodies?” I ask Daemon.

“Yeah,” he says. “You go let them heal you, and we will get everything ready to move.”

“Thanks,” I say before Striker leads me off the path so we can sit on a fallen tree. Leli sits on one side with Dad in front of me and Striker on my other side.

“How do you feel?” Dad asks.

“Like someone kicked me in the ribs,” I say. Striker and Leli take my hands and start on their healing spell.

“Otherwise? You were overheating,” he says.

“I’m okay, Dad,” I say reassuringly.

“I just worry,” he says.

“I know you do… and for good reason. I won’t lie to you, though. If I’m not okay, I’ll tell you.”

“I wish your mother was here to see how amazing you are,” he says.

“She knows,” I say. “She came to me in my dream, and I saw her when I got to Voradia. She knows who I am, and she knows how hard you worked to get me back. She’s just as proud of you as she is of Striker, Volis, Leli, and me. Leli wasn’t her kid, but I sense that wouldn’t stop her from loving her as her own.”

“She adored Leli,” Dad says.

“What happened to Leli’s mom?” I ask.

“She died in childbirth having Leli,” Dad says.

“Did you cheat on Mom or something? Not that it’s any of my business,” I say.

“No,” he laughs. “Leli’s mom was a friend of your mom’s. She desperately wanted a baby but didn’t have a mate. Your mother… volunteered my services… and I agreed. Everything was going fine when she was in labor, but she ended up hemorrhaging faster than anyone could heal her. She made your mom swear that she’d raise Leli as her own but to make sure she knew who she was.”

“She must have really trusted you two to let her husband fuck her best friend,” I say, and he laughs.

“Yeah, she trusted us,” Dad says.

“You’ve lost a lot of people,” I say.

“I have,” he agrees. “But I have my kids all together now,” he says.

“How does that feel?” Striker asks.

“Much better. Thank you.” Instead of saying anything, he hugs me tightly. “You’re going to break my ribs again, Striker,” I wheeze.

“I’ll heal you again,” he murmurs. I hug him back and let him hold onto me. He is desperately trying to hide his emotion from me, but I can feel it move through him as he sniffles.

“I’m okay,” I say softly.

“I don’t ever want to hear you scream like that again,” he says as he pulls back and wipes his face.

“Well, I boiled him… So, it’s all good now,” I say with a smile.

“We should get going so we can set up camp,” Dad says.

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