Oh,thank gods.
I’m on her at once, straddling her with my arms braced over her shoulders so I can kiss my mate deep and hard. The tense worry that’s been eating at me finally goes away as she kisses me back, her lips curling up into the best fucking smile in the world.
There’s my Boo,I sigh telepathically, soaking up her scent and presence.
Silas moves beside us, shoving me off of her to kiss her next—and then Crypt materializes between them, pushing Silas back to wrap Maven tightly in his arms.
“Stop mauling her,” Everett huffs, pulling a laughing Maven out of what was quickly becoming a dogpile and steadying her on her feet.
He kisses her gently before examining her face. It’s easy to tell from their expressions that he’s checking on her telepathically, and I’m pretty sure my mate is reassuring him with a bit of morbid dry humor thrown in to tease him.
Not ready to be anywhere but wrapped around my keeper, I hop off the bed to hug her from behind, beaming down at her. “All right, Boo. For the next fifteen minutes, you’re goingto tell us what the fuck just happened and why you were just in Paradise for an entire day?—”
She blinks. “That was an entire day?”
“Yep. And that’s way too damn long, so once we get the gist, we’re bathing you and feeding you and spoiling your gorgeous ass before we fuck you for hours,” I declare.
“I second this plan,” Crypt grins.
“Third it,” Everett and Silas say at the same time.
Maven is smiling, but she also seems disoriented as she looks around in confusion. “Where’s Cuttrina?”
Eager to get her everything and anything she needs from now on, I dart from the bedroom and return a second later, handing my mate her wickedly sharp etherium knife. The moment she touches it, she inhales sharply as the blade lights up. Her eyes go out of focus, and then she blinks several times.
“Oh, fuck.”
“Well?” Silas checks in a strained voice, pulling her back to the bed to hold her close. “What was your blood oath,sangfluir?Tell us what we missed.”
Maven brushes black hair out of her face and looks between us, hesitant. “Shit. I sort of fucked up your fates. You might all be pissed.”
“We’ll only be pissed if it put you in danger,” Everett says firmly.
We all nod in agreement, waiting for her explanation.
Maven’s beautiful, haunting eyes settle on me for a second, and she sighs. “The blood oath I made to Arati was to cleanse, restore, and…rule the Nether. My soul is kind of tied to it until the end of my life.”
I rock back on my heels as those words sink in. “Holy fuck.”
“I also kind of tied your souls to the Nether alongside mine,” she adds, clearing her throat. “My bad.”
“Oh, thank the fucking gods,” Everett breathes, sitting on the bed near her and Silas like he’s beyond relieved. “I was worried you agreed to do that alone. Good.”
“Very good,” I grin. “As long as I’m tied to you, Raincloud, I’m really fucking happy that’s all the blood oath was.”
A beautifully mischievous smile blooms on her face. “That wasn’t all.”
“Oh, gods above,” Silas grimaces. “Please tell me you didn’t swear to more.”
“I didn’t. But Arati swore to permanently remove the Legacy Curse, which she just did.”
Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
“What?”I gawk.
Our shocked faces must be priceless, because Maven actually laughs. That sound is so fucking heavenly, but all I can think about is what this means. If the Legacy Curse is lifted...fuck, it means the existence of our kind is about to change. It’s like a fresh slate—a chance to finally belong in the mortal realm without having to lay down our lives at the Divide.
