Flora harrumphs as the corners of her mouth turn down and she pins me with a sour look. “And which one of you does the lass belong to, then?”
Finn runs a hand down my arm until he can thread his fingers through mine.
“All of us. Eden’s our mate, ya ken?”
Her eyes narrow at him. “Ya done told me yer mate was dead. How’s it that this one is her then?”
Cade says something to her in a language I don’t understand causing her to look back at me with a doubtful expression. “Deid is deid unless…are ya a witch, lass?”
This time I shake my head and answer. “No ma’am, I am most definitely not a witch. It seems I’m just harder to kill than we all thought. I’m pleased to meet you.”
She studies me for a few more moments and then nods. “Well, don’t be call me no ma’am like I’m some highfalutin lady. The name’s Flora and I do the cookin’ and upkeep for your mates but I don’t take special requests! Ya eat what I make ya or ya dinnae eat at all.”
I smile at how crotchety she is and nod again just as Luca sweeps by.
“Then do your job and bring food and drink to the parlor. I’m sure Eden needs some refreshments after her travels,” he tells her in a snide tone.
I glare at his back but Flora just snorts and raises an eyebrow at us.
“What bug crawled up himself’s arse? He’s more miserable than usual this day. You’d think a man would be happier ta have his mate returned, wouldn’t ya?”
Sebastian shakes his head and pats her arm. “Please Flora, could you bring some refreshments to the parlor for us. We have much to discuss.”
“Aye, git on with ya and I’ll bring ya some.” She tells him with another narrow-eyed look my way and then disappears back into the house.
Sebastian’s gaze lands on me and I see a flash of uncertainty cross his face before he holds out a hand for me to take. I bite my lip and look away as I accept it. He leads me into the house but my mind is preoccupied with the idea that coming back to them this way after so long isn’t the dreamy reunion I had imagined. My heart squeezes painfully in my chest as I realize that these are not the same men I left a month ago and they may not feel the same way about me anymore no matter what they say.
“Eden, may I take your cloak?”
I nod distractedly and slip it off as I take in what must be the parlor he’s led me into. Luca is standing with his back to me in front of a fireplace but I can tell how tense he is by the tight fabric across his shoulders. Cade and Finn come into the room and take up a spot leaning against one of the walls with both of them crossing their arms over their chests with blank expressions. I feel tears prick at my eyes as Sebastian comes back into the room, glances at the others, and then lets out a deep sigh before motioning me to a chair. I turn my back to all of them and take a shuddering breath trying to tamp down the emotions I’m feeling but sadness floods me.
I spin back and choke out, “I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have come back!”
Cade and Finn push off the wall and step toward me in unison both shaking their heads. Luca whirls around and glares at me and Bas’s shoulders just slump like he’s exhausted. I hold up my hands as they all step closer to me.
“No! I…I didn’t know it would be like this. It’s only been a month for me and I thought…It’s been over a hundred years for you all and you thought I was dead. Of course, you don’t feel the same about me. How could you? I never should have come back!” I end on a sob, dropping back into the chair and covering my face with my hands.
It’s my wolves that come to me first. They kneel in front of me and pull my hands down so I can see their faces. Finn brushes the tears from my face.
“Hush now, lass. Of course, we feel the same for ya. You’re our mate and no amount of time will change that. It’s just a big adjustment to make, ya ken?” He tells me with love shining from his eyes.
Cade nods his agreement as he drops his hand onto my thigh but his brows shoot up when he feels the hard objects under his hand.
“What’s this, then?” He asks as his hand roves over the hard bulge of my phone, the pictures, and the gun strapped to my leg. I sniff back the tears that want to keep falling and pull out the pictures I brought back with me for them handing the wolves theirs. As they stare down at them, I hold out the last two to Sebastian and Luca.
Sebastian takes his first and I see the surprise on his face and then his eyes go hazy as if he’s remembering that night. Luca is the last to take the picture of us together and I see the first cracks in his hard demeanor. His fingers turn white against the edges of the laminated picture and it bends at his tight grip. I see the scowl fade away to be replaced by a look of awe and longing and I swear a flash of shame but then Sebastian is pushing the wolves to the side so he can yank me from the chair and against his chest.
His fingers slide into my hair and fist and I catch the fury in his eyes before his mouth crushes against mine in a punishing kiss that has my knees giving out. There’s nothing sweet or even sexy about the kiss. It’s raw, powerful, and so filled with pain that I feel another piece of my heart cracking. His groan as he pushes away from me is painful to hear as well as the anger in his eyes that quickly slides away to show a deep weariness. Sebastian is tired like he’s been worn down to the bone and again I feel the guilt fill me at the damage I have caused.
He turns away from me with a low sigh and moves back, leaving the wolves to settle me back into my chair. My eyes flash from each of theirs and I see the love but I also see the caution. I want to run away and hide. I want to scream and rage for all that we lost but I have to face up to this if I have any chance of mending what has been broken. I open my mouth to try again to apologize but before I can speak, Flora bustles into the room carrying a tray filled with drinks and plates of food. She drops it with a rattle on a small table next to the chair I’m in with a scowl but her eyes go to the picture Bas dropped to the floor when he kissed me. I see her eyes flare wide as she bends over and picks it up and brings it close to her face. Her fingers rub against the smooth surface of the laminate and she turns it over to see the blank white back of it. Turning it back to the image she glances back and forth between it and my face before she harrumphs and scowls again.
“Aye, not a witch? What magic is this, then?” She growls, thrusting the picture my way.
Sebastian snatches it from her fingers with a shake of his head.
“It’s not magic, Flora. Eden is from a different time in the future where such things are common. She’s ataistealai ama.”
The old woman scoffs and then snorts when she sees that the men are all nodding their heads. Her hands clamp onto her hips and she looks me up and down again with a sniff before shaking her head.
