Alec’s gaze moved towards me and his expression turned kind and understanding. “Some had, sadly, been through something similar, but you and Derek were the ones he’d truly tested. The one who had the worst core had a seventy percent intact magical core, so nowhere near your level, but still enough for them to keep passing out.”
Before I could question further, he kneeled in front of me. “I never introduced myself, I am Alec, one of the rulers of this world.”
“Juno’s dad,” I said, realizing I was indeed speaking to one of the freaking rulers!
He beamed. “Exactly. And I know both he and Remi will love to meet you, when you’re all ready for it.”
I could only nod. Fatigue was slowly taking over, being awake was much harder than expected, my body weak and aching.
“Let’s get you over to the others,” he said, but instead of helping me walk like with Derek and Nolen, he surprised me by carrying me over to them, gently easing me down next to Nolen. “Hold his hand before he touches the grass.”
Nolen instantly obeyed, grabbing for my hand and holding on as tight as he could with his weak limbs. “I’ve got him.”
As soon as my ass hit the grass, a light filled the area around me, lighting me up from the inside. I fell back, letting it take over as a rush of heat flowed through me, building to the point of pain before it vanished.
I sat up and blinked, confused but also feeling much better.
“Congrats,” Nolen murmured in my ear. “You finally got your magic.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Derek
After napping on the grass and being fed lunch there too, we were escorted home by all the rulers, or to the small house we’d stayed at before the long sleep. We would need to find a real home for us soon, though, and then invite our friends over.
“As you can see,” Henriette said, gesturing to the windows. “Our world has changed a lot while you were asleep.”
I had to agree. The grass outside was green and we had several small trees, too.
“But in the castle,” I began.
“It hasn’t been watered properly in a while, our focus was sadly elsewhere,” Trise hurried to explain. “It’s been many years since we had a gardener at the castle, there simply wasn’t a use for one. But we will need to change that now.”
I just nodded, feeling tired and ready to take another nap.
“Do the others know that we’ve woken up?” Nolen asked, seeming just as drained as I felt.
“All of them, yes,” Alec replied. “Why?”
“Because I want a second to ground myself first,” Aiden explained for us. “And if Juno and Remi are anything like I’d heard them to be, they’ll be here any second, demanding attention.”
I snorted. “Juno definitely would.”
“We told them to leave you be these first few days,” Trise said, but was interrupted by loud knocks on the front door, followed by Juno’s muffled words of ‘please open up’.
I gestured to the closed door. “See?”
Alec sighed. “I’ll make him go away. You three focus on getting your strength back and then you can have all the visitors you want, but they’ll respect that you might need today for yourselves.”
“Thank you,” Aiden said, looking relieved.
“We should head out, too,” Grovar said, moving with the others to the front door. “Oliver wants to see you when you’re up for it, Aiden.”
“Oliver?” Aiden’s voice was full of surprise. “He’s here?”
“Of course he is,” Grovar replied with a smirk. “He’s mine.”
“Oh,” Aiden grinned. “I would love that.”
