Chapter 43 - Four Perspectives

*“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett*

***Phoebe***

We were out of the hellish cavern system, but the madness wasn’t over yet.

I watched Nurse Sasha wrap gauze around Nuria’s wrists through the door window. Her luscious black hair was dirtied from the rusty dust from the cave and her folded clothes sat on the lone chair beside her bed. She wore a simple white and blue dotted hospital gown with a flimsy blanket covering her legs.

My heart twisted in agony. She shouldn’t be in this room. It’s my fault that she was.

Rhea revealed more about my dark past than I would’ve liked. In her attempt to disengage me, she exposed my secret shame. Nuria hadn’t mentioned anything about it since I brought her and everyone else to Garnet Moon, but it’s not something anyone could forget. How was one supposed to react when they found out their mate killed their family?

Pressing my back against the wall, I expelled a heavy sigh from my chest through my lips. I knew, one day, my biggest secret would be exposed. For thirteen years, I kept my past under lock and key. My secret was the reason I ran from my home state in a literal blaze of disgrace. No one, not even Lyra nor Nikolai, knew of my true origins. Yes, all they knew was that I’d run from an abusive cult disguised as a coven, but that was the extent of what I was willing to reveal.

In the eyes of morality, I was a murderer. That I cannot change. But I knew I couldn’t keep this secret contained anymore. Not from Nuria, my mate.

I owed her my honesty. I screwed up by pushing her away, but not anymore.

The nurse walked out of the room with a roll of gauze in one hand and a warm smile on her face. “Nuria is the most entertaining patient I’ve had, but her jokes could use some work.”

I chuckled, nodding. “It sounds like she’s her old self again. Thank you for tending to her, Sasha.”

“It’s my pleasure, sweetheart! She’s asking for you.” She patted my shoulder. “If you need anything or if Nuria needs anything, use the nurse call button, and I’ll come right away.”

Thanking her again, she left me alone by Nuria’s room door. I sucked in a breath of confidence and walked in, my eyes meeting her smile. She waved me over and pointed to a spot beside her on the bed. My cheeks tickled with heat when I scuttled over and took my spot beside her.

Nuria circled her arms around my shoulders, pulled me closer to her, and kissed the top of my head. “How is my sweet savior doing?”

“I’m no superhero, Nuria,”

“You carried me out of the cave like I weighed nothing! That was a total superhero move. Where did that strength come from?”

“My strength increases in my avatar form.” I answered, resting my head on hers. “You *did* weigh nothing. But I don’t think I can carry you when I’m normal.”

“Fine by me. I’ll do the carrying. I’m an alpha, after all.”

We shared a laugh before falling into silence. I didn’t want to ruin it, but I had to. I reached to her hand and cupped it in my own. Each digit was strong with dust accumulated into her cuticles, but the back of her pale palm was smooth as satin. I’ve never seen Nuria wear nail polish, but if she did, a powerful shade of red or deep orange would fit her so well.

“Nuria…” I raised my head from her shoulder to look at her face. “…I should tell you the truth about my past, and what I’ve done.”

“You don’t have to, Phoebe.” Nuria insisted. “What Rhea said—”

“Was true.” I interrupted. “I shouldn’t have disregarded your visions when we had that fight. I was terrified of the truth coming out. You *deserve* the truth about me, and I promise to never devalue your visions ever again. It was wrong for me to do so, and I’m so sorry.”

“You were scared, my sweet starlight.” She cupped my cheek with her other hand, caressing the apple of my cheek. “It upset me at first, but I understand why you reacted the way you did, especially after meeting Rhea.”

“What I did to her…her anger was warranted.” I huffed out an anxious breath, feeling the tears burn my eyes. “I hurt her, bad. It’s my fault she became a vengeful spirit.”

“Baby.” Nuria pressed her forehead on mine, kissing the tip of my nose. “Whatever you tell me now won’t change how I feel about you. I still love you, regardless of what you’ve done. What matters to me is that you don’t have to carry the burden anymore.”

Her eyes laid more trust in me than I was worth. I knew I could trust Nuria with anything. Love blossomed in my chest for this woman. We knew each other for a short time, but I knew Nuria was the person who won’t only cherish me, but I’d do the same with and for her.

She’s my soulmate.

“I grew up a dark cult-like coven. My parents were the top sorcerer and sorceress who commanded the entire community. However, they were constantly at war with other covens for power. Magic battles happened often, and my parents were trained to kill. That type of training was passed onto Rhea and me once we showed signs of our powers manifesting when we were five. They trained us to be weapons for the cult.”

Nuria squeezed my hand and kissed my cheek, her lips capturing the tear that fell on my cheek.

“They showed their ‘love’ through hurting us. They constantly preached that we could only be at our best as witches when under duress. It screwed the both of us up, but Rhea, even more so. She was always hunting for more pain and attention from our parents because that was the only type of love she knew. Sadly, I did the same. But my sister and I were different in many ways. I wanted to see the world. She wanted to remain in the darkness. She’d always comment about how much she hated the sun when we were forced to train on hot days.”

“Some people should never be parents.”

“Agreed.” I sighed heavily, squeezing her hand. “One day, when we were twelve, Rhea and I got into a fight. She was tired of my parents putting more attention on me. It was around the same time they found out I was Hekate’s avatar because of the triple moon goddess mark on my neck. She believed she was being neglected, and she wanted to kill me because of it. The fight was also when I found out I also had fire powers. I burned her bad, and it reached her heart because she died almost instantly.”

I was full-on crying now. Nuria rubbed my arm and kissed my forehead again, encouraging me to continue. To release this burden.

“I ended up killing my parents too when they congratulated me and referred to Rhea as the weaker twin. Years and years of anger came out in flames. After I killed them, I ran as far as I could; out of the cult, out of the state, and out of who I was—a killer. No one outside of the cult knew what I’ve done, not even when I came here to Garnet Moon. I kept this a secret for thirteen years and told no one until today.”

Sniffling, I wiped my tears with my palm. Despite them, I felt the weight of the world melting off my shoulders. This was it; everything was out in the open. Nuria was silent, rubbing circles on my hip.

“Thank you for telling me.” She spoke. “I’m so sorry that you had such a shitty childhood and an even shittier family.”

“We can’t choose our parents.”

“No, we can’t. But I’m going to make this vow to you, Phoebe.” Nuria shuffled on the bed to where she sat on her knees with her feet tucked under her. She took my hands and planted kisses on both, trailing up to my elbow. My body grew hotter than ever before. “I vow to make you happy and to give you the joy and happiness you deserve. I know you don’t believe you don’t deserve such things, but I do. You’ve survived, and you’re here to tell the tale. You’ve overcome so much, and I want to be with you every step of the way. I want to help you take down Rhea and to achieve the peace you, so rightfully, need.”

“You want to stay at my side?”

“Yes, because I love you.” She pointed to my heart. “That belongs to me.” Then she pointed to hers. “And this belongs to you. We’re in this together, my star.”

“But…what if the cult finds me again? I’ve been so afraid to return to Oregon for that reason.”

“They won’t unless they want to get through me. I’ll protect you. No one will touch you ever again.”

I wanted to burst out crying all over again. I leaped forward and wrapped my arms around Nuria’s form, burying my head into the crook of her neck. She sighed in content, wrapping her arms around my body and whispered sweet nothings in my ear.

Nuria was my gift, my heart, and the missing puzzle piece of my soul.

I couldn’t deny it any longer.

I loved her. *I love Nuria*.

And once she’s out of the hospital, and her wrists are fully healed, I’ll tell her to mark me.

Because I didn’t want to lose her again.

---------------------------------------------------

***Violetta***

“*Are you sure you don’t need us to pick you up*?” My boyfriend, Manny, spoke through our video call. Folding one leg over the other, I shook my head. I didn’t miss the furrowed eyebrows of my girlfriend, Marina, as she ran a brush through her bubblegum-pink hair.

“No, I’m fine, babe. I’ll be spending the night in one of the guest rooms. We’ve arrived late from the cave shit.”

“*I can’t wait to hear this story*. *It’s so unfair you get to go on these crazy avatar adventures*.” Marina pouted, putting down her brush. “*But Vi, you look like you’ve seen a ghost*.”

*I did*.

“I’m just a little weary, sea turtle.” I chuckled, sending her a wink. “Fighting takes a lot out of ya. No need to worry about me; a night’s worth of sleep and I’ll be as chipper as a dolphin.”

Manny and Marina didn’t seem to buy my enthusiasm, but eventually, let the subject go. We talked for a couple more minutes before I ended the call, feeling the last of my energy swim away with the tide. I sat in a seat in the hospital after Phoebe brought us here, unsure of what to do now.

My heart hurt. Should I get a nurse to examine me? No, because I knew why it hurt so much.

Why? Why would my mother do this? That wasn’t how I wanted to see her after cutting her out of my life after I left the Corpus Christi pod, my birth pod. I don’t know if I can say I hate her; a part of me still loved my mother, but I couldn’t stay in an environment that encouraged the suppression of my true self and the blatant disregard of the true avatar of Amphitrite.

Never, in a million years, would I expect Mom to sell her soul to the literal devil in a snake’s skin.

I wish I could shake her and demand why she made such a horrible choice. But she doesn’t recognize me. It wasn’t even a memory thing, but more of the fact that she *couldn’t accept me*.

“Shit,” I whispered, feeling tears burn the back of my eyes.* Fucking great.*

Someone took the seat beside me. I didn’t look up, assuming it was one of the wolves waiting to be seen or to hear news about their loved one. I didn’t expect the person to tap me on the shoulder, trying to get my attention.

When I looked up, I was met with the face of the woman I helped rescue. I think her name was Celeste?

“Hello, dear.” She shone a smile that made my heart clench tighter. “Am I bothering you?”

“N-no, you aren’t.” I blinked back my tears and tried my best to muster up a smile. “How are you feeling after the craziness? Those bandages can’t be comfortable.”

“Oh, they aren’t.” Celeste chuckled, running her fingers over the gauze wrapped around her wrists. “Silver is a nasty thing. I’ll be wearing this for a couple of days until I can fully heal.”

“Silver slows down your healing that much?”

“Sadly.” She nodded. “It can only harm us. It takes an extraordinary amount of silver to kill a wolf, however. I’d say it was a stroke of Lady Luck’s finger that I’ve escaped with marred wrists.”

“It shouldn’t have happened.” I insisted, turning my body to face her. “Your husband is insane for putting you through that.”

“Ex-husband.” Celeste corrected, her lips curling up into a snarl. “I couldn’t begin to think what he had planned for my children and me. But I rather not talk about such nasty things.”

I lowered my head. “Sorry for bringing it up.”

“No worries, dear. However, I couldn’t help but wonder something.” The older woman curled her fingers under her chin, cocking her head to the side. “You share features with the woman who kidnapped me from Iron Stone. Are you two related?”

My breath hitched in my throat. I didn’t want to answer, but there was something in Celeste’s blue eyes that told me I could trust her. We’re inches apart from one another, and she radiated so much warmth. The warmth I had been missing for years.

“Yeah, she is,” I confessed. “That woman is Katalina. She’s my mother…or I thought she was.”

Celeste’s face was unreadable, damn near stoic. I fidgeted under her gaze, waiting for her response. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything?

“I can already tell that you aren’t anything like her.” She sighed, resting her back against her seat. “There’s no shortage of parents who shouldn’t be parents.”

“Preach,” I said, rubbing my temple. “I’m so sorry that she hurt you, Celeste.”

“You shouldn’t apologize on behalf of your mother.”

“I feel as though I should.” I folded one leg over the other, folding my hand on top of my knee as I gathered my words. “There aren’t any words that can accurately describe how I feel toward her, or one word, really. I feel so much that it’s hard to compartmentalize into what is and what isn’t. Mom and I have been estranged for a long time, so imagine how it feels to see someone you once considered family bending over backward for a monster.”

“It’s almost like a betrayal.”

“It *is* a betrayal.” I corrected, feeling the tears burn my eyes again. Sheesh, I’m not the one to get so damn emotional. “The way she looked at me when we saw each other, I just knew. I knew she would never recognize me as her daughter. Ever.”

“She couldn’t remember you?”

“It’s not that. It’s that she doesn’t see me as her daughter, but a figment of what and who I was before.” Sighing, I clenched and unclenched my fingers, looking Celeste in the eyes. “I’m a transgender woman, Celeste. I fully transitioned a couple of years back. Our estrangement was from that—because she couldn’t accept that she had an elder daughter than an elder son. Not just her, but my family, my pod, and the pod elders. I couldn’t take the blatant and heavy transphobia. Mom always had this look of disgust whenever she saw me, and that hasn’t changed. I knew I lost my mom when she’d rejected me, but…”

*I still loved her*. *I still wanted my mother to show she loved me, too*. *The hardest thing I needed to accept is that I’ll never receive her love, so why do I keep seeking it out*?

Will this *ever* change?

The tears finally fell. I couldn’t stop them as much as I wanted to. I fought my mother, hurt my mother, and while I’m safe and unharmed, I knew this shit wasn’t over yet. Could I stomach the fact that I’d have to hurt her again if she attacks me or my friends again?

I felt like a useless, defenseless little guppy unable to escape her fate.

Maybe I was doomed to this fate from the beginning. Losing my entire family because I had the audacity to embrace my true self. A price I had to pay for a drop of happiness in my life.

A warm hand cupped my shoulder. Celeste reached into her pocket and gave me a couple of tissues. “Wipe your tears, sweetheart. Do not cry over a woman who cannot see that she has a beautiful and formidable daughter.”

“I just wanted her to accept me. To love me!” I whimpered, taking the tissues from her hands. “Why is that so much to ask for?”

“I wish I can answer that.” Her eyes quivered with emotion. “But, I accept you. I don’t know too much about you, but I know you are a staple in Kiya’s life, and you helped save me and my children. You’ve earned my respect and gratitude. Plus, I love your style. It reminds me of my younger years.”

I failed to hold in my giggles as I wiped my cheeks. “It’s hard to imagine that, no offense. You seem soft and a lover of pastels.”

“I was a crazy teenager, believe me. If there was anything I could do to irritate my parents, I did it. Unfortunately, that rebellious and overzealous streak of mine was passed to Nuria, and it hasn’t gone away with time.”

Celeste lowered her hand from my shoulder and patted my forearm. “If you ever need someone to talk to, or a motherly figure to look up to, I am here. I’m a wolf mama and I look after all of my pups, even if they have scales and a fishtail.”

I blinked. “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course. Under one condition, however.”

“What is it?”

“Tell me what it’s like to be a mermaid—to be from a world hidden under the depths. It intrigues me. Is it anything like The Little Mermaid?”

“Oh, no. Hell no.” I laughed, shaking my head. “It’s so much more different. Ursula doesn’t exist and we don’t have talking lobsters. We eat them.”

The laughter we shared made my chest much lighter than before. I don’t know what compelled this woman to comfort me in my time of need, but I’m so happy she did. So. Fucking. Happy. Before I could register it in my head, I leaned in and hugged the older woman, sniffing in the motherly scent all mothers seem to share.

Celeste smelled like roses.

And I was crying all over again.

This time, from joy.

---------------------------------------------------

***Asim***

So many surprises.

So many twists and turns.

Yet, I’m bothered by only one.

Nailah snored softly beside me, covered in the warmth and safety of our shared blanket. The darkness of the night bathed our room, minus the sliver of faint moonlight seeping through our window. Our tiny, temporary abode was silent, with Nefertiti and Horus asleep in their own rooms.

We’ve gone to bed half an hour ago after I’ve returned from the cave war with exhaustion, but my body refused to drift into slumber.

My mind replayed the climactic escape out of the hellish mini war. Panic drenched the air. Jonathan the Beast had emerged and almost killed Kiya, and the surprising injury Neron cast upon his father. Surely, this would’ve made an excellent moment in an action film.

However, I’m unaware if anyone else felt the abrupt change in the air, but I had. A mysterious force propelled Jonathan away from us. It wasn’t Phoebe, nor the rest of us avatars. But the familiarity of it…

I shuddered with chills.

“*Habibi*?” I heard my beautiful wife called out in her sleep. Her beautiful eyes opened like roses in spring as her hand reached out to cup my cheek. “Are you alright? You haven’t slept yet.”

“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about, *ya hayati*.” I leaned forward and pecked her sweet lips. “Today’s events seemed to have left me restless.”

Nailah let out a soft sigh, adjusting her body fully toward me with her hands tucked underneath her silk pillow. Her black locks fanned her pillow and her fringe laid messily over her forehead and eyes. My Lord, she’s beautiful. “Talk to me. You’re never the one to lie in bed with worry all over your face. The last time you had that look, it was when Titi was being bullied in school.”

I chuckled at the distant memory of reprimanding the parents of the bullies. Nefertiti had no more problems at school since then. Sighing, I took her soft hand from my cheek and kissed each digit. “What happened in the cave earlier today, I fear, is a precursor of future turmoil. However, I felt something abnormal before we escaped that has me not only worried but also a bit…scared.”

“What about it has you so scared?”

“Each of our enemies has a connection to an avatar. Jonathan is the main tormentor, of course. Odessa to Kiya, Rhea to Phoebe, and Katalina to Violetta. The only one without a viable opponent is me.” I expelled another sigh. “Jonathan was defeated by an unknown force, allowing us to escape safely, for the most part. But the energy it emitted was so familiar to me…almost as if I knew who or what commanded it.”

Nailah raised an eyebrow and bit the inside of her cheek, a cut quirk she did when she was thinking. “There is no one that I could think of who’s significant enough to cause you pain. Could it be just the mad god himself since he is Ra’s rival?”

“It could be, but it’s not him. Everyone who could be pitted against me is deceased and long gone from my mind.”

“It seems you’re thinking of someone that could be a potential candidate.” She ran the pad of her thumb along my knuckles. “It is your brother, correct?”

“Asir could’ve been my rival of darkness, but it appears Jonathan has usurped his position as Apophis link. Asir should’ve been the first choice, but he wasn’t.” My aggravation grumbled in my chest. “I don’t know what to think of this anymore.”

If Asir was still dead, which most likely he was, I shouldn’t be so worried. The serpent didn’t resurrect him but picked a more vengeful spirit instead. There was no reason for me to be concerned about ifs, ands, or buts.

But why did that particular presence make me feel nostalgic?

“You don’t have to think about it tonight.” My wife insisted, stretching her head over mine to kiss the top of my forehead. Either I purred or Pharaoh, my wolf did, but I didn’t care. “Let us revisit this in the morning. I can look into your eyes and feel your soul is exhausted. My love, let us sleep and you’ll have a fresher mind when you wake up.”

She’s right. I’m tired and need to sleep. Pushing the concerning and dooming thoughts aside, I wrapped my arms around Nailah’s waist and pulled her closer to me, hugging her like how Nefertiti hugged her stuffed toys. A sweet giggle left her mouth as she adjusted her head on my chest.

Before I knew it, I had drifted into a dreamless sleep with my mate’s warmth singing to me.

---------------------------------------------------

***Kiya***

“Neron!” Alana and Aiyana burst through the hospital room door. Neron grinned from his bed and stretched his arms open, allowing the girls to leap into his embrace.

“My girls!” He exclaimed, squeezing them lovingly. I lingered by the entrance with Liberty standing beside me. In my hands, I had one of the pink throw blankets I fished out of my closet. Liberty sighed with a soft smile on her lips while watching the reunion.

“I appreciate you letting the girls see him,” I whispered to her. “I hope they weren’t too much trouble.”

“Oh, they’re perfect angels.” Liberty insisted, patting my arm. “They were asking about the two of you. I’m glad you both are okay.”

“I am too.”

“Are you leaving back to Onyx Moon in the morning?”

“After breakfast, yes.” I nodded. “But I’m glad the girls got a chance to spend some time with you. Are you sure you don’t need anything else? Did you have any valuables from Jackson’s pack that we can get?”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t want anything that reminds me of my time there. I’m starting over with a blank slate.” Liberty angled her hip at the threshold, holding her elbows. “I feel like I’ve been in prison for so long and I need time to find myself again.”

“That’ll take some time, trust me.” I sighed. “You have my support, through and through. You can call me at any time, even if you need to just talk. My brother will do all he can to help you get back on your feet, even make you a pack member if you want to.”

“I’ll give it some thought. I just need a couple of months to breathe and center myself.”

Liberty was a lot stronger than she gave herself credit for, in contrast to her soft, willowy appearance. I hate how Jackson stifled such an exceptional woman. I hope the bastard falls, eventually. “Of course.”

After the reunion, I kissed the girls on top of their heads before they left with Liberty back to their home. It was getting late in the evening, and they needed sleep. When we were finally alone, I couldn’t help but laugh when Neron patted a spot next to him, inviting me to sit with him.

Once I did, he pulled me in by the waist and kissed my forehead. “My hero has graced me with her presence and her warmth. Are you alright, love?”

“I’m no hero.” I rolled my eyes playfully, setting the throw blanket in my lap. “But I should be asking you that,” I said, pointing to his wrists.

Neron went silent, looking down at his bandaged wrists. He rubbed his right wrist with his left hand, expelling a soft breath through his nose. “I’m alright, mostly. The nurses recommend I stay overnight just in case.”

“That seems a bit much for wrist injuries.”

“No, Kiya, I insisted. It’s just…” I watched him pull his bottom lip between his teeth. “Dad did something to me, and I can’t figure out what he was trying to achieve.” He reached toward a flap of his hospital gown and exposed the side of his torso I remembered his father striking him when he tried to protect me.

“…I don’t see anything.”

“That’s the problem.” He said, straightening his gown. “Just yesterday, this area was black and…I don’t know how to describe it except it looked like an octopus gave birth to a spider. It wasn’t a normal bruise. Then, Dad did something to my head and…”

I sat up straighter, now fully alert. “And…?”

“That’s it. Everything went back to normal, and the black bruise thing disappeared like it never happened.”

I hummed, trying to put the pieces of Neron’s experience together, only to come to the fact that I couldn’t. As Phoebe would say, magic was a complex thing that sometimes didn’t have an explanation. While I’m not as well-versed in mysticism as she was, I knew what happened to Neron isn’t normal. Jonathan *did* something to him, so this bit of normalcy would not last long.

There was a surprise waiting in store, and neither of us would like it.

But it didn’t mean we should wait for it to happen.

“Let’s make a plan,” I suggested. “You let me know if anything happens because I guarantee something will. I don’t know what Jonathan did to you, but we need to stop it before it has the chance to get worse. At this point, we should expect anything and everything.”

“I agree. Unfortunately, one of Dad’s endearing qualities is that he’s persistent. What happened in that cave? It won’t be the last we see him.” Neron leaned back on his pillow and rubbed his face. Putting his hands down at his side, his face scrunched up in a mixture of anger and concern. “I hate him. Goddess, I *hate* him. As long as he’s alive, we’ll never get peace.”

I didn’t know what was more painful: realizing what Neron said was true, or the pain in his voice. I still remember the man Jonathan used to be long before he made me a slave. While a bit detached, he had a lot of love for his family.

Now, he’s just a major source of Neron’s pain and trauma.

*I hated Jonathan too*.

Setting the throw blanket on a nearby chair, I adjusted my body beside Neron’s on the hospital bed and kissed his cheek. I draped my arm over his torso and latched my hand on his other forearm, rubbing circles into his taut skin. He relaxed into me and the bed. “The obstacles never seem to end, do they?”

“No, they don’t. And now, Odessa is alive, too, working with him along with others. Kiya, can you be honest with me?”

He turned his head to me, his eyes piercing into mine with intense emotion, watering. Swallowing, I nodded. “Yes.”

“Do you think I’m still being punished for what I did to you? I know you’ve forgiven me and we’re in a relationship, but I just…I can’t help but think…”

“No. I don’t believe that.”

I leaned up on my hands, angling my head downward to meet his forehead with mine. Neron gulped and tighten the arm he had around my waist, pressing my belly to his side. Our breathing melted together as one. I supported my body by planting an arm on his opposite side, clenching the bedsheet into my fist.

Fuck, his scent was intoxicating.

“You’re not being punished, Neron, but I can see why you think you are. Your father and ex-girlfriend are zombies out to destroy you and us. Apophis is influencing fate and your dad is going along with it because of…whatever deal they must’ve made. This isn’t delayed karma. It couldn’t be. But what if it’s something else?”

“Something else?” Neron arched an eyebrow. “There’s something positive about this?”

“In a way, yes.” I shrugged my shoulders. “This could be a chance for us to put things permanently to rest. Not just you and me, but Phoebe and Vi. Yeah, I pissed off a god, but you can end things with your dad and Odessa the *right* way.”

My boyfriend blinked and averted his eyes, thinking. I waited patiently for his response. I didn’t want him to continue believing that the past would continue to hurt him for the rest of his life. That guilt was too heavy. Neron hadn’t reached the point where he could forgive himself for what he did, but I, for one, would show him he can overcome this.

Significant others support each other, right? That’s what I’m here to do.

“You’re right.” He nodded. “I like your thinking. But, I have a request.”

“Yes?”

“If you and the other avatars will make battle plans to take down Dad and his lackies, I want to be a part of it.” I opened my mouth, but Neron silenced me with a finger to my lips. “I don’t want to argue with you about who is going to protect you. I’m no avatar, but I *will* fight in this battle. I refuse to let Dad get away with hurting me, Mom, and Nuria. He deserves worse than hell for what he put us through.”

He removed his fingers, and I licked my lips. His pupils dilated and his nostrils flared. His body heat flared from below me, adding to my own. Biting my bottom lip, I nodded. “Okay. You’re in, but you’ll do what I say, alright?”

Neron shined a smile that disintegrated my panties and sent flashes of heat to my groin. His pupils dilated wider, almost swallowing the blue, his eyes lowering to my neck and chest. “I’d follow any command you give me, *min gudinna*.”

I raised an eyebrow, matching his smile. “What does that mean? You said it when you were…”

“Making you come for the first time?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Laughing at my pout, he cupped the back of my head, burrowing his fingers into my hair. “*Min gudinna* means ‘my goddess’. You are my goddess, Kiya. And you need to stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Looking so goddamn scrumptious.”

Our lips met in a fiery union, with our heavy breathing mingling together once more. When his tongue met mine, I swung my leg over to straddle his waist. Goddess, I needed this. *We* needed this. His heavy hands roamed my backside, marking their claim to my skin over my shirt. My hands went to his cheeks and held them still as we continued to French kiss like the world would end tomorrow.

I didn’t give a shit if a nurse might walk in on us. We kissed back at the cave, but it wasn’t enough. It’d never be enough. Two days apart turned us into needy savages, and I didn’t mind at all.

I circled my hips on his lap to get into a more comfortable position on his lap. However, I was stopped when Neron moaned, practically growled into my mouth and gripped my hips so tight that he might leave bruises. He pulled away and looked at me as his blues dissolved into black, imprisoning me in their hold.

“Don’t test me, *min gudinna*. Your lips alone set me off. Make one more move like that again and I *will* eat you alive.”

Something in his tone awakened the daring, adventurous, and curious side of me that first sprung free during our first lesson. Grinning into his face, I ground my hips hard on his lap, savoring the growing hardness pressing in between my legs. Neron threw his head back and groaned, baring his teeth.

“Is that a threat or a promise, sir?”

He snapped his head back, gripping the bottom of my chin with his fingers as he sucked me into his breath-stealing gaze. “It’s a promise, my love. A fucking *promise*.”

“I still have to buy that vibrator for our next lesson.” I tried to lift my hips up, but Neron brought them back down. “Oh, someone’s hungry.”

“Aren’t you quite endearing?” He chuckled deeply, caressing my chin. “Buy that vibrator as soon as possible, because once you do, the lesson will begin. You did so well for me last time, but I’m sure you can do…*better*.”

*Is it hot in here*? *Or is it just me*?

*Yep, definitely me*.

As much as we both wanted to be naughty in the hospital room, too many people knew me here. If Mom and Dad ever found out that I got my pussy ate in an inpatient room…Mom had a collection of chanclas in her closet for a reason.

And goddess-forbid if *Anthony* ever found out!

Pushing our desires aside, I reached over and grabbed the throw blanket, hopped off Neron’s lap, and wrapped it around the both of us. “The hospital blankets aren’t warm, so I brought my own.”

“How cute.” Neron laughed, smooching my lips. “Come on.”

I pecked him back before adjusting my body on him, resting my head on his chest under the blanket. His strong arms warmed me more than the blanket, and his scent made me sleepy. The exhaustion from the day finally settled in and my body demanded sleep.

In minutes, we were gently pulled into the world of sleep.

From tonight onward, I won’t let anyone come between us again.

Jonathan, Odessa, and the rest of them are going down.

But now, I’m happy to have Neron with me again.

Safe and sound.