She picked at her bottom lip with her fingers. “If Derek’s core was 20 percent intact, Aiden’s is at 8 percent.”
“Eight?!” I exclaimed. “He’s that close to dying?”
She nodded solemnly. “A magical core is always at one hundred percent, unless you somehow overuse, or hurt it in some kind of way. But even with the ones who’ve had their magic removed, it still leaves the core, it just leaves it empty. With Derek, his own magic is helping the core heal, but Aiden hasn’t gotten his magic unlocked yet, and he can’t until the corehas healed further. If he got his magic he would die instantly, the magic pouring out of his magical core and killing him as soon as it left.”
The rulers had a theory that the magic Aiden had used on their father had been his core protecting itself because their father had been close to destroying his core completely, so it was actually a relief to know he still hadn’t gotten his magic.
With my appetite forgotten, I asked, “What can I do?” My voice was small and fearful. There was a good chance I could lose Aiden, and I never even heard his voice. We had shared an amazing kiss and his eyes as he met my gaze would forever be something I would remember and cherish. But it wasn’t enough, I wanted to cook for him. To hear him laugh. I wanted to snuggle with him on the couch. I wanted to watch Derek and Aiden get to know one another again, to see their love and bond grow.
“You can be there for both of them. I think having you near will help with the healing and hopefully soon, Derek will wake up again from the shock of leaving our world.”
“Did you ever figure out why he fainted?” I asked. They’d said it was likely because his magic needed our world to heal and without the magic around us, his body had shut down.
“We firmly believe that because he’s so dependent on our world’s magic, his core couldn’t contain the magic he had when he left. In my professional opinion, I believe you can’t travel from our world with a broken magical core. Meaning, Derek and Aiden can’t return to their world until they’refully healed. And with Aiden so close to…” she sighed. “He’ll need lots of patience from you. This won’t be easy or quick.”
“Whatever he needs, I’ll be that, I’lldothat,” I informed her.
Like with Derek, I felt honored that fate had deemed me dependable enough to take care of a broken man, and now I had two. They needed me, and I would do everything in my power to see them both awake and happy.
Mindy left me to eat in peace after that, and even with my appetite now fully gone, I still managed to get the rest of it down. My mates needed me to be healthy and strong for them, and that meant eating my meals and drinking all the water. I would even eatallmy vegetables. Anything I could. Anything for them.
I figured now would be the best time to inform my parents on what has happened, so I called them, making sure they could see Aiden and Derek next to me.
“Nolen!” Mom greeted, her tone held a tinge of wariness, like she knew something was up. “Oh. You found him!”
My dad joined her and I could see their gazes moving from one to the other. “Are they okay?” Dad asked, his bushy brows meeting in a furrow.
“No,” I croaked. “Aiden is my mate, too, and he kissed me and fainted.”
“Oh, honey,” Mom began.
“And now I’ve just been told that his magical core is at eight percent, meaning he can’t get his magic because he’ll die from it.” I was crying as I explained the situation, and I was thankful they stayed silent as I got it allout. I even spotted my sister in the background. It meant a lot that they knew, my family meant everything to me, and considering Derek didn’t really have a family, besides Aiden and me, I was glad they knew what was going on. I would need their support as my mates healed, and if Aiden couldn’t heal…. I couldn’t even think about that at the moment.
“We’re so sorry, son,” Dad said. Mom was crying on his shoulder and Yaz was just there, not saying anything, her face a worried mess of emotions.
“I am, too,” I admitted. “But I wouldn’t be anywhere else than next to my mates.”
“I’m glad they have you, hon,” Mom said, wiping her eyes. “I’ve never even heard of someone having more than one mate, it must mean that you’re something special. And I am proud of you.”
“They’re the special ones,” I whispered, turning my head to press a gentle kiss to each of their foreheads.
I needed to make sure to treat them equally, always giving them both the same amount of love and attention. It was a good thing I had so much love in my heart for them.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Derek
A month later.
I felt sluggish, like my body wasn’t up for moving even the tiniest bit. Then I blinked and as my vision cleared, I noticed I was somewhere unfamiliar. Was this another one of my nightmares?
The scent of Nolen calmed me instantly. “Nolen,” I croaked, my throat feeling all weird.
He gasped and sat up so fast my vision blurred. Closing my eyes I righted myself before I dared open them again. My head felt all fuzzy and disconcerted.
“Darling,” Nolen whispered, then crushed me into a hug, making me land on top of his body.
“Where are we?” I asked, snuggling closer to his chest.
