Marn nods and gives me another squeeze before she pulls away. I open my arms to Tok, and he wraps me up in an epic bear hug that could rival one of Aydin’s.
“We’ll see you tomorrow, Vinna,” Tok assures me, and I give him a big smile.
“Tomorrow,” I agree, and then my Chosen and I leave.
We step out into a cool starlit night, and I feel both relieved and sad at the same time.
“I’m sorry, Squeaks,” Ryker offers, and as soon as we’re out of the gates, I take a moment to find the home I always feel in his arms.
“I kept telling myself that they were nice and to just appreciate that they didn’t hate me on sight. I mean, things could have been worse. But what the fuck were they thinking?” I ask no one in particular.
“I think they just had high hopes for your mom,” Valen offers.
“They’ve been grieving her and the loss of what they wanted her to become this whole time,” Bastien adds.
“Then you show up, and they go into overdrive trying to push it all in your lap,” Knox finishes.
“They didn’t even talk to you guys,” I lament.
“I think they will, though,” Siah offers. “Their hearts seem like they’re in the right place, and after what you just said in there, I think you guys will be able to figure it out.”
I tilt my head up and pucker my lips. Siah grins and leans down to give me a soft sweet kiss.
“Then they’ll learn that you all are the best fucking males in this whole place and that I’d be fucked in all the worst ways without you!”
I shout that to the empty fairy light lit streets, and it bounces back to me on a fading echo. My words reverberate around me, and I suddenly feel like they just slapped me across the face.
“Holy shit, that’s it!” I realize. I turn to the guys. “You’ve been telling me over and over again that we’re a family, a unit, stronger and better together, but I just wasn’t getting it. That’s it!” I shout again, and then I take off running down the street.
Shouts of confusion and my name sound off behind me, but I know they’ll catch up. Excitement surges through me, and I feel like an idiot. I’ve been trying to do this all on my own, but I’m not on my own anymore. I’m an idiot for not seeing it sooner, but now that I have, I don’t want to waste another second.
I barrel down the streets, careening through the empty market place that was bustling the last time we came through here. Torrez sprints up next to me, followed by Siah and then Bastien.
“Come on, slow pokes,” I shout over my shoulder, and I hear Sabin grumble, “I’ll show you slow poke.”
I laugh, which probably makes me look as unhinged as fuck, but I don’t care. I call on my runes and move faster.
“Care to tell us why we’re running down the streets in the middle of the night?” Siah asks me casually.
“Because I figured it out,” I offer vaguely, pressing to move even faster.
Getta’s gate comes into view in the distance, swaying like it’s a finish line banner. I hurtle over it, almost clipping my foot and dress on an iron rod and face planting. I pound on Getta’s door, my knock urgent and demanding.
“She’s probably sleeping,” Sabin tells me when no one answers after a couple minutes, and I bang on the door again.
“Then she’ll wake up,” I tell him, and he shakes his head.
“Did I not just tell you Sentinels have a superiority complex?” Torrez teases, and I elbow him as I raise my hand to knock again.
The door swings open, and Issak peers down at all of us irritably.
“I need to speak with Getta,” I tell him, and he studies me for a long drawn out moment before nodding once and then slamming the door in my face.
I squeal in excitement at what I know is going to go down next, and I move away from the door and head in the direction of the backyard. I call on my staff and wait patiently like the good grasshopper I am. After a handful of minutes, Issak exits out of a back door, cradling a feeble looking Getta.
“Ah, so the girl is back for more, I see,” she announces, and I don’t miss the excitement in her tone.
I’ve spent my whole life proving to people that they should never underestimate me, and then what did I go and do? I underestimated Getta the first chance I had to get some answers. Well, not this time.
