Page 27 of Enchanting Her Mate

Heavy footsteps follow me into the hall, and suddenly, both of them are standing in front of me, elbowing each other as their large bodies fill the narrow hallway. Kate arrives at my side with a gentle, caring smile on her face.

“Where is this coming from?” Niro asks.

Kuli says nothing, just crosses his arms over his wide chest and waits for me to speak.

There is no point in keeping these feelings to myself any longer. I did not even realize how deeply they were affecting me until recently. Until Jo. Before that, I let my brothers talk down to me, yell at me, criticize me for every decision I made simply because there was no one present who said,No, Alussanai’s mind is not like yours, but that does not mean there is something wrong with it.

I believed them because they are my brothers, my family, and I assumed if they were frustrated with me, then they had a good reason to be. But I am starting to see that, after centuries of their mockery, perhaps they have been wrong about me.

“I do not enjoy feeling like I am your stupid, impulsive burden,” I tell them. “You have always treated me as such, and it hurts.”

Niro’s mouth falls open. Creases form in Kuli’s brow.

“I did not choose to exist this way, without fear, but you act as if it is something I can control,” I explain, my spine straightening with each word. “You do not mock each other for your genetic modifications the same way you mock me.”

Niro scrubs a hand down his face. Kuli absently scratches his chin.

I expect them to respond to my words, to say something, but they do not.

“Well?” Kate shouts, throwing her hands up. “Are you going to apologize to your sister for being complete assholes or what?”

I hear “I am sorry” and “Sincerest apologies, Alussanai” said at almost the same time.

“I can’t believe you guys have treated her this way for almost three goddamn centuries!” Kate yells, taking my hand in hers. “You’re lucky she even gave you the opportunity to apologize after such horrific behavior.”

Niro steps forward and pulls me into a warm embrace. “I am so very sorry, sister,” he says softly as he rubs a hand up and down my back. It is a level of affection I am not used to from him, and I find it odd, yet precisely the kind of comfort I need.

I return his embrace and lean my head against his chest, and the tears appear out of nowhere. “Thank you,” I whisper back.

I feel more arms come around me as Kate and Kulissanai join the hug, and even though my face is soaked with tears, I cannot help but giggle at the sight of my ferocious, cold brothers bending to the demands of a small, pregnant human.

Kate may be new to the world of witchcraft, but it is clear her power is endless.

The hug ends and the four of us separate, and it is then that I look around for Mek. I have not heard his restless caw since he flew out of the eating room, and I begin to wonder where in the caves he has flown off to. When I turn to look down the hall, I notice the door to the launch cavern is ajar.

“Mek?” I call, striding toward the large, empty room. Kate and my brothers follow behind.

“What is wrong?” Kuli asks.

“I am looking for Mek. It is not like him to remain quiet for so long.”

The moment I step into the launch cavern, my heart sinks into my stomach. “Why is the glass ceiling open like that?” I ask Niro.

His gaze turns accusatory when it lands on Kuli. “Did you not ensure that it was closed after you landed?”

Kuli jerks back with a defensive scowl. “I thought it was programmed to close automatically.”

“Well, what is the concern here?” Niro asks. “He is a bird. Does he not fly freely most of the time?”

“He does,” I admit. “But he is not familiar with this area. I just…I worry about him trying to find our cottage and getting lost.”

Kate laces her fingers through mine and squeezes. “He’ll be fine, Alu. I’m sure of it. When we were in the village, he was allowed to explore on his own and he always came back to you, right?”

“I suppose,” I say with a heavy sigh.

She nods, hope swirling in her light green eyes. “Then we’ll just leave the ceiling open for him, and I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

Kate speaks the truth, and perhaps I should not be so worried about Mek’s safety. I felt better having him close by, especially right now, because I cannot help but think that Jo left me, and now Mek has left too, and I wonder if I am meant to spend the rest of my life this way––alone.

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