I smiled and said, “I missed you too, Katar.”
The rage left him and his shoulders slumped. “Father,” he whispered and hugged me again. “You can call me father.”
“Do I get to hug her now?” Kara asked with her hands on her hips and one eyebrow arched.
Katar released me to allow his mate to hug me. Kara smacked the back of my head.
“Ouch!” I yelled.
“Stop trying to be the martyr! I’ll follow through on Katar’s threat. I won’t hesitate to lock you up,” she said.
“They’ll do it,” Fox called.
I turned, realizing my mates had stayed back throughout the entire ordeal. They stood beside Martin and his family, watching us while leaning against the wall of the building they stood before.
“Dan, what did you do to your house?” Kara asked.
Dan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Uh—”
“He decided it needed more bedrooms,” I said. “Since I’ll be trying to provide an heir or two.”
“What?” all four of my mates asked, pushing off the wall and moving towards me.
“I’m not exactly the same person as I was when I left,” I explained. “Getting my memories back and truly unlocking my powers has changed me.” I looked at the alphas and smiled. “I’ve decided that I want a little Jolie running around. To see my child spoiled by not just one grandfather, but all of you makes it even more appealing.”
“You mean it?” Deryn asked, his eyes alight.
“I can’t promise to give you each an heir. I can’t even promise to have one, since sirens have low fertility, but I know you will all love my child, no matter who the father is.”
Deryn picked me up and crushed his mouth to mine. He set me down and the other three hugged me.
Kara hugged me and whispered, “I may be able to help increase your fertility.”
“Okay, but not until we deal with Justina.” And Brayden. The last thing I needed was to put a child in danger. Plus, there was still the worry of my dhampir war dreams.
“We can wait as long as you want,” Fox said.
“She is back, the rumors were true,” Johann said, appearing next to Nico.
“Yes, she is,” Nico said, since everyone else was too busy glaring at Johann to respond.
“How strong are your empath abilities?” Johann asked.
“I’m powerful, but I don’t have the ability to use many of my powers yet,” I admitted.
“Would it be better to detain her?” he asked.
“Try it,” Dan growled, his eyes turning amber.
Johann raised his hands. “I’m just asking a question.”
“She’s able to contain her powers,” Nico told him.
“We have a teacher coming in a few days,” Rhys added.
Johann nodded. “Smart. It’s not a good idea to allow an untrained siren to run around.”
“Afraid I might ensnare you? Make you like me?” I asked with a scowl.
He smiled, and I was shocked at the difference a smile could make. He looked…fatherly instead of scary.
“I already like you, which I’m sure you know.”
I did.
“Your powers were at work from the time you met Rhys,” he whispered to me.
“How do you know?” I asked.
He teleported to stand beside me and whispered into my ear, “Because I loathe sirens, yet I can’t find any other emotion for you besides admiration. You wanted nothing more than to be loved and here you stand, four princes as your mates and their alphas loving you as if you were their daughter. This isn’t a fairy tale and yet you seem to be headed to your happy ever after.”
Johann disappeared, leaving me staring at my feet.
He wasn’t wrong.
“What did he say?” Nico asked.
“I need a minute,” I whispered and backed away from them.
“Jolie,” Emrys called my name like you would a child about to do something bad.
“I just need some time. Some space,” I said. “I won’t leave the wolf lands. Just…give me some space.” I let out wings and flew towards the forest, shutting down my bonds with my mates as I searched for a place to think alone. A few miles into the forest, I came to a small waterfall. It had a large boulder at its base, which served as a perfect place to sit. I sat atop it and closed my eyes.
Johann wasn’t wrong. This was too good to be true. Yes, bad things had happened, but overall my life was great. Were my powers at work, unbeknownst to me? Was I slowly brainwashing them? Was there a way to reverse it?
“Hello, child,” a woman’s voice said.
I opened my eyes and my mouth dropped open. A woman floated beside the rock I sat upon, her body see through.
Johann’s comment about this not being a fairy tale popped into my head. “Are you my fairy godmother?”
She laughed and said, “I’m your mother, dear.”
My mother?
“Siren mother?” I asked.
She scowled. “What other kind is there?”
“Long story, never mind. What are you doing here? Aren’t you dead?”
“I bartered with the Goddess to be able to come to you when you most needed me. So, tell me what troubles the Princess of the Sirens?”
“Where do I start?” I sighed.
“What is upsetting you right now?” she asked, sitting down on the rock beside me. I was surprised she didn’t pass through it.
“I have four mates and their families love me. Well, most of them. One of them suggested that it might be because my siren abilities were active even without me knowing. That I used my powers to make them fall in love with me.”
“We are generally more appealing to others. People do have a tendency to fall for us faster, but it’s not a power we control. Sirens are alluring. That’s just how we are. We can’t stop it.”
“What if I did use my powers without knowing?”
“Does it matter now?” she asked. “If they’re already your mates, then they must truly love you. Our abilities don’t make someone fall in love with us permanently. We would have to keep using our powers constantly or keep them in a trance to do that. You may have unconsciously put out vibes, but you didn’t make them fall in love with you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I had the same issues,” she said.
“What about making them addicted to you?” I asked. “I was told we could make them crave being around us so much that they become addicted.”
She nodded and said, “It can happen. We radiate joy and people crave that, especially in a world full of darkness. However, it is difficult to make people addicted. I doubt you made anyone an addict because that power is the hardest to learn.”
“Mom, I’m afraid. I’m afraid Johann is right, and my powers created this world for me.”
Her arm wrapped around me and it felt very real. “I promise that you did not make them fall in love with you. I promise that you are a good person. I can see your soul and it radiates with a goodness necessary for an empath. Keep your heart open and do what you think is right. Your mates love you so much that they interrupted our reunion.”
“What?” I asked and looked behind us.
“Who is that?” Fox asked, his voice awed and his eyes wide.
“This is my mother,” I whispered and stood.
She stood with me and curtsied. “Hello, Sons. Thank you for keeping her safe. I know you’ll continue to do so in the future.”
“How are you here?” Nico asked.
“Bartered with the Goddess,” she replied. She glided around my mates, looking into each of their eyes and each one, she gave a nod of approval too. “These four will do. I can assure you that their love is true and you didn’t bespell them into loving you. Do you have a teacher? He will have to be sure to teach you how to and how not to tamper with their clans’ bonds. It is possible for you to tap into them and cause all to become enraged or calm, depending on your desire.”
; “Leona is coming to teach me,” I said, filing away that terrifying possibility for later.
She smiled. “Little Leona. When she was born the entire Kingdom cried, because she made us cry. She is one of the strongest empaths I’ve ever met.”
“I’ll let her know you approve,” I said.
She turned and looked at Nico. “Johann hates sirens. He will never accept us. So, keep an eye on him when Jolie is around. He may like her right now, but his hatred is deep for sirens.”
“What happened to make him hate us?” I asked.
She smirked. “He doesn’t enjoy losing fights, especially against a young girl who wields no weapons. He doesn’t like when people are more powerful than him.”
“You fought him?” Fox asked, eyes wide.
“At a Summit Tournament,” she replied with a nod.
“Wait, the sirens used to attend?” Rhys asked.
She scowled. “What do you mean used to? We’ve been attending since the Summit was founded.”
“They haven’t been part of the Summit since we’ve been attending,” Rhys said.
She spun and faced me with a fiery glare. “You tell your father to begin attending again or I will find a way to haunt him.”
“I will,” I promised, thinking that Brayden must have stopped the sirens from attending the Summit, too.
She mumbled under her breath while looking skyward.
“Mother,” I whispered.
Her eyes dropped to mine and she smiled. “There is so much light in you, Jolie. But, there is also darkness. Do not let the darkness take over. If that happens, you may not come back. You have abilities beyond mine. You could destroy the world.”
“No pressure,” I whispered, my face feeling flushed.
“Boys, you can prevent this by acts of love or even friendship. Keep her happy and safe. If she slips, call her back with your light. Remind her of your love and the things she cherishes. Understand?”
All four princes nodded.
She made a strange sign with her hand and a box popped into existence before her. She held it out to me and said, “This is Selene. She was my familiar. Put her on your forearm and call upon her when you need aid. She’s snarky, but powerful.”
Inside the box lay a piece of paper, like the one Nar, the nine-tailed fox, had given me, but this had a drawing of a unicorn.
“A unicorn? Are you telling me that this is a real, live unicorn?” I asked, mouth agape.
She smiled and nodded. “She’s the last of her kind, as far as I know. They’re very powerful. I know she’ll be an asset to you.”
“Thank you,” I said and closed the box’s lid.
“You and your mates need to talk,” she said. “I love you, Jolie. I wish I had gotten to see you grow up, but I am proud of the woman you are.” She kissed me on the cheek, then disappeared.
Chapter 12
We didn’t talk, instead we opted to go home and nap.
Strangely, the four of them opted for their own apartments, leaving me alone in mine. I could tell they weren’t mad at me, so I didn’t complain nor question them. Sometimes we all needed a little alone time to rejuvenate ourselves, and I totally understood that.
After napping, I popped in an old survival game I hadn’t played in years. It was a relatively simple game. The goal was to survive as many days as possible. You had to gather supplies, hunt for food, and defend yourself against monsters on occasion. I had a small base where I had two machines set up that, when I was near them, allowed me to create special gear. I also had a permanent firepit that I just had to add wood to because you had to keep a fire going at night or the monsters would get you. It didn’t require a ton of focus, but it still brought a smile to my face.
Deryn walked in a couple hours later and sat behind me, putting his legs outside of mine and letting me rest my back against his chest.
“I haven’t seen this game in a long time,” Deryn commented and kissed the side of my head. “I used to love this game.”
“I love it because it’s fun, but relaxing,” I said as I picked flowers in the game.
He rubbed my arms gently as I played, and we stayed like that for a half an hour. Then, I turned on a stand-up comedy show I had been wanting to watch. Deryn lay on his side and I lay down in front of him on the couch, scooting back against him so he could wrap his arms around me and cuddle me. It was the first time I’d been able to relax and laugh with just one of them in a while.
“This is nice,” Deryn whispered.
I nodded in agreement. It really was.
“Dad really loves you,” he whispered. “He was so scared when he thought he’d lost you. He was in so much pain.”
“Scared?”
He nodded. “Since your pack bond was locked by Trident Douche, you couldn’t feel it. He was so scared. You’ve become a part of his life, one he looks forward to. The thought that you would no longer be in his life was what really scared him.”
Being part of their lives was great and knowing Dan truly cared for me made it even better.
I ordered ten pizzas, then sent a message to the group chat to let the others know.
Deryn continued to cuddle with me until the others came, then he went to my kitchen and grabbed beers for his friends and a cider for me.
Fox sat at my feet and rubbed them while watching the movie I had put on. It was the newest super hero action movie, one we had planned to go see in the theaters, but never got a chance to.
Deryn lifted me so he could sit at my head and let me rest it on his thigh. Rhys and Nico sat on the couch between Fox and Deryn, my body draped across them.
I bolted upright and looked at the couch. “When did you get this?”
It wasn’t my couch. My couch had only fit three people at a time. This one had enough room that I could sit between Rhys and Nico without being squished. It was the longest couch I had ever seen.
“Oh, right!” Deryn said and smiled. “I forgot with everything going on, to tell you. This was made by Ezio. He gave it to us as a mating present.”
Ezio had started to dabble with furniture making towards the end of our relationship. I’d never seen a finished piece though. It was made from a single log that he’d added cushions to and applied a lacquer to the log that made it shine and prevented us from getting splinters. It shocked me that he had gone out of his way to make something like this for us. It wasn’t that long ago that he had disliked Deryn.
“What did my dad say to you?” Nico asked, scowling.
“He’s convinced I’ve been using my powers since I met you. it’s the only explanation for my happily-ever-after and him liking me,” I said.
“What changed your mind about kids?” Deryn asked.
“When I was young and still living at the palace in Atlantis, I would help out with the babies. I loved taking care of them and wanted lots of kids. When my memories were gone, my life after that was filled with danger and despair. I didn’t want to bring a child into that. I don’t want to bring a child into that. I want to see you playing with your children and see our kids with their grandparents. Your clans have been at war, yet I know they would cherish them and spoil them, even if they aren’t their biological grandchildren. I hope I’m able to have children and I hope I can have one for each of you, but first, we need to find and kill Justina and Brayden.”
“We will,” Rhys promised.
The doorbell rang and Fox answered it, getting our pizzas from the delivery man, and set them on the coffee table. We all eagerly dug in and watched the movie. I sat between Nico and Rhys on our giant couch and relaxed. There were lots of things I could worry about, but now wasn’t the time to worry about them. Now was the time to enjoy our peace, no matter how temporary it might be. If this adventure had done anything, it had made me realize that I needed to cherish the time I had with my mates. Our lives were chaotic at best and I never knew when me or my mates might get separated.
The four sites on the screen looked very similar, but their locat
ion was the most important factor. Two of them were close to the dragon’s den, too close.
“Not those two,” I said and pointed out the ones I was discussing.
Dan nodded and made a note on his paper.
The four alphas had made me part of their council, as the siren representative, and today was my first meeting. True to their word, they’d been working on my academy suggestion. One of these sites would be the school’s location and once I chose, the big planning would begin.
I stared at the map with the two remaining sites’ locations marked. One was in the center of the city near the park I had returned their necklace at. The other was in a warehouse district.
“This one. It’s near food, a park, and has more transportation options,” I said and pointed at the one by the park.
They nodded in agreement and Dan made more notes.
“We obtained some copies of rules and regulations handbooks from several schools. I’d recommend highlighting rules you want added to your school’s handbook and writing new ones as well. Once you have these prepared, we will all review and make our own suggestions,” Johann said.
He handed me ten booklets, and I set them on the growing stack of documents I had to take home.
Rhys opened a new presentation and put it on the large screen in front of us. “Here are a few options for the architecture,” he said. “I can modify them if you need something changed.”
He scrolled through a few.
“Stop!” I yelled as he moved to the fifth slide. “This one,” I whispered. The drawing called to me and it took me a minute to realize why. “You incorporated something from each of the four clans in this one. It’s perfect.”
He pulled out the paper copy and handed it to Dan who looked at it closely, then passed it to the other alphas.
“Vote?” Dan asked after they’d all looked at it.
“Approved,” the other three alphas said.
“Rhys, you are cleared to begin in depth work on this one,” Dan said.
“Understood,” Rhys replied and took the paper back.
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