Chapter 30

The bed beside me shifted, the source of warmth I’d been using moving away. Without thinking I moved toward the warmth and a chuckle filled the room. A warm hand brushed my hair from my face as the scent of coffee and chocolate filled my nose making me realize Erik was my source of warmth.

“Waking up?” His warm tone broke the silence that fallen back over the room.

I groaned in response and nuzzled further into the blankets, not ready to surrender to the day yet.

“How are you feeling, kitten?” He asked, his voice filled with concern.

I took a moment to consider his question, and my mind was overloaded with the events of the vision. My body stiffened as I recalled all that happened.

“Hey, you’re safe.” Erik’s warm voice created a calming blanket that settled over me.

I’m safe. My mates are safe. But what of Faye?

“Is Faye?” I pulled my blankets down so I could see Erik’s face.

“She is. She said that you will probably feel crappy the next few days. You used a lot of magic at once, but there’s no other way to use your magic. Luckily, magic is like a muscle and the more you use it the stronger it’ll get.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead and pulled me up so I was leaning against him.

My stomach growled loudly, making my face heat.

“Let’s get some food.” Erik grabbed the blankets and pulled them from my grasp.

I grumbled as the cool air moved over my warm skin. Erik threw some sweatpants and a sweatshirt at me, and I put them on, trying to capture the warmth before it left. We went downstairs where Frode, Rune and Sten were sitting watching TV.

“How are you feeling, little one?” Frode asked as he paused the movie.

“Hungry.” I grumbled as I moved to the kitchen.

“Well, good thing I’ve been warming leftovers from last night. You missed a delicious chili.” Rune pressed a kiss to my shoulder as he passed me and stepped further into the kitchen.

I loved chili, especially with corn bread.

“Is there-“

“Yes, Astrid, we have corn bread.” Rune said with a chuckle that made me blush.

“Here, drink this.” Frode said as he pushed a steaming cup of tea into my hands.

I look at the steaming mug with concern, but Sten’s voice answers my questions.

“Faye made some herbal teas that would help you recover faster and more comfortably. Drink it.” His command left no room for question as he resumed the movie.

I sat at the table and ate the food quickly while my mates finished their movie. I joined them for the next one, enjoying the quiet and peaceful moment with all my mates. I didn’t finish it as sleep pulled me away.

The next few days passed quickly as I slept off and on. In the brief moments of consciousness, I learned that Faye and Sten were working hard to figure out the dark presence from the vision. No one had asked what I’d seen, and I think they were trying to be sensitive to fear they all felt through the bond.

Feeling somewhat rested and back to normal I wandered into the office where Sten and Faye had been working. Both of their heads snapped up when they heard me enter the room.

“How are you feeling, princess?” Sten asked crossing the room.

“Back to normal.” I smiled at him.

“Good. Want to help?” He asked, leading me further into the office at my nod.

“What have you found so far?” I asked, sitting on his lap behind the desk.

“Not much. Can you tell us anything about the dark magic?” He asked gently.

“Sure. Um, it was male. At first it didn’t seem to sense me, but as I drew closer to the connection he did.” I said, unsure what information they were really looking for.

“What did he say?” Faye leaned on the desk as she asked her question.

“That he sensed a Seidras.” I said.

“He called you that? That’s what he said?” She asked standing up, her brow furrowed.

“Yes.” I confirmed.

“Like magic, knows like magic.” Sten said, his voice sounding like he was considering something.

He turned us to face Faye.

“I thought only women practiced Seidr.” He said, gently pushing me from his lap and standing to grab a book from the shelf.

“That’s who mostly practiced. When men practice it, it tends to be dark. Not that a woman can’t turn to dark magic, but men are always dark. It’s been forbidden for men to practice it for centuries. Most are killed off when it’s discovered that’s their gift.” Faye said as her eyes followed Sten.

“So, you think that he recognized me because we share the same gift?” I asked.

“It’s very plausible. Not many know of your magic, it’s so old and was thought to be gone.” Sten murmured, engrossed in whatever he was reading.

Faye rolled her eyes and turned to face me when she realized Sten wasn’t going to really explain it. The gesture made her appear much younger than she was. I smiled at her reaction.

“It’s easier to sense magic that similar or the same as your own. I sense your magic before your mates because our magic is similar. Just as Erik and Frode can pick out other protectors in a crowd before other magic types. We can all sense different magic types, but like calls to like. It’s like similar magic has a neon sign over while the others are just regular road signs. It goes back basic survival skills.” She said with a shrug.

It made sense to me. As I thought over the man holding Seidr, another thought occurred to me. No one knew about my magic. What was the coincidence that another person would be found so close to me and not be connected somehow?

“Ahh, found it. The prophecy hints to similar power on each side, a good versus evil type situation. It makes sense.” Sten shrugged, dropping the heavy book onto the desk with a thud.

Once again, we were led back to the prophecy, but this time it was hitting a little too close to home. My gut was had been pushing to follow the prophecy, while my heart and brain were stuck on my mates being in danger because of it. However, they’d made it plain and clear they weren’t going to let that stop them. If I was willing to go forward with mating and starting the prophecy, so were they. The time had come, it was time to voice my decision.

Faye smiled at me, sensing my decision. She bid goodbye to Sten and stopped with her hand on my shoulder as she left.

“Whenever you want to practice or explore a vision more you know where to find me. I’ll support you and your mates anyway I can.” She said, squeezing my shoulder before leaving the office.

“Let’s go sit with the others. I want to tell you all something.” I said to Sten who nodded and followed me to the living area.

Faye had already left, and I found my mates all waiting for me and Sten.

“Faye said you wanted to speak with us. Is everything alright?” Frode asked as he stood and came toward me.

“Yes, I’m fine. Everything is fine. I just wanted to tell you that if you are still willing to follow the prophecy, so am I. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, especially those so close to us. I’m ready to mate when you are.” I smiled a small smile as I took in my mates faces.

No one said anything, and fear lance through me that they had changed their mind. I took a step back, not sure if I could handle their rejection. What had I done? What had changed? I bumped into Sten which stopped my escape and my runaway thoughts.

“Hey, we haven’t changed our minds. We’re just a little surprised. We were expecting bad news, not this, princess.” Sten said as he wrapped his arms around me.

I smiled and leaned into him. Excitement filled me as I realized this was happening. I’d found my home and family, and they were accepting me.

Suddenly, I was thrown over Frode’s shoulder. I squealed and clung to his shirt as I found my balance. We moved quickly up the stairs, with my mates on our heels. This was it, we were doing this.