Now, though, with the ceremony over, I was given bigger gifts. Partially for the wedding, but also partially because we were T-Minus a few weeks from the twins being born.
The gifts had ranged from an entirely new wardrobe for my postpartum journey with some of the prettiest, most comfortably loungewear I’d ever felt in my life, to a planned day trip with the girls, just one-on-one time to see a museum in the Spring Court, followed by a spa trip hosted by House Sloth in the Underworld.
There were some smaller things, too, like a brand-new laptop because my old one technically couldn’t be used here, so I no longer had to use the tablet Maeve had gotten for me when we first arrived. Or the years’ worth of my favourite coffee syrup from the human world, as well as a mountain of paperbacks I’d been wanting for ages—that was Thea’s idea, of course.
But none of my gifts thus far had required a blindfold and blocked bonds.
I pressed my lips together as I poked around at all their thoughts, but none of them budged. I couldn’t even get a sense of where in the house we were. We were in the house because itsmelledlike our house. But otherwise, we could have been down in the creepy ass basement for all I knew.
My mates wouldn’t risk my wrath for that, though.
“Alright,” Hawk murmured low in my ear as someone brushed their fingers over my hair. “We’re here. Keep your eyes closed.”
I sighed but kept them squeezed shut. “Okay. They’re closed.” I sniffed, still unable to place where we were. There was a waft of fresh paint, so that could mean anywhere. But hidden in that was the familiar aroma of books and…one of my old candles?
Back home, I had a small collection of Halloween-themed candles. I was a fall baby. I loved the season, and maybe it was basic of me, but I liked pumpkin spiced candle scents.
Over everything else, I could just faintly smell them, and that had heavy emotion rising within me, tears burning my eyes.
The blindfold fell away, turning the thick darkness behind my eyes into a lighter one.
Hawk released my hand, moved behind me, and rested his hands on my hips. “Now,” he said, bond thrumming with excitement, “open.”
I released a slow breath as I opened my eyes. For a moment, I had to blink to clear my vision, and when I did, I brought a hand to my mouth.
We were in an office. With deep purple walls and built-in bookshelves made of dark wood. There were books already on the shelves, with items—my things—filling up the spaces between. There was a huge window in front of me that showed we were in the tower, the one area everyone said I couldn’t go because it was the least stable, the floors and walls needing work.
Now I understood why they’d told me that.
Thick curtains framed the window; I could imagine drawing them so I could sink the room in darkness, pretending like me and my books were the only things that existed. The bookshelves to my left had a ladder, and the ones to my right were set up with the books I’d written, showcasing them all. The desk in front of me was heavy, made of the same thick wood, and atop it was a brand-new computer, my notebooks, and some new planners, too.
A heavy rug carpeted the ground, and when I turned, there was a spiral staircase leading up to another floor.
I couldn’t stop the tears from falling as I took it all in. There were little stars painted on the ceiling, sconces on the wall allowing for muted light. A green velvet sofa faced the desk, with a couple of my old throw pillows and two new blankets neatly folded over the arm.
And on one wall, where a bookcase had been shortened, my daggers from Hawk were on display, as well as Maeve’s carefully placed on a stand.
“Do you like it?” Hawk asked, watching me carefully.
I tore my eyes off everything, finally noticed my other mates standing in the doorway, waiting for my reaction, and met Hawk’s stare. “It’s amazing,” I whispered, throat thick with tears. “This is…this is exactly what I’ve always wanted. How did?—?”
“Thea helped me,” he said in a rush, stepping towards me. “And technically, Orion started the project. I just took it over. But I wouldn’t have been able to do it without help.”
Hawk cupped my cheeks and wiped my tears, but there were so many now. All I wanted to do was sob, but I also wanted to explore the space more. Like the desk. I had a feeling Maeve had been the one to stock it. Had she gotten me my crazy coloured Post-it notes? What about my favourite pens? Or the massive collection of highlighters—how were they organised? Knowing her, she probably colour coded everything.
And what about the books? I itched to run my fingers over the shelves to get a feel for the layout. And because I was still in nesting mode, I wanted to sort everything out to make sure it went where I wanted it to.
“I love it,” I said quietly, biting back a sob. “I really, really love it. It’s perfect. Thank you.”
I threw myself into his arms, breathing in his spiced scent, committing the feel of him to memory. I thought I was all out of surprises, but this was one I was more than happy to accept.
“You haven’t even seen the reading nook,” he murmured, smoothing a hand down my hair. “It’s all yours, Princess. A place you don’t have to share with anyone. Somewhere you can work in total peace. If you’re in here, we know it’s time for you.”
“We know it’s been hard for you to find time to work with the craziness here,” Adrian added, stepping into the office.
“And you can’t focus when everyone needs you,” Rowan said, joining us.
Xerxes entered next with a smile. “With the kids ready to start school and the little ones about to be born, you need a space that is entirely your own. Something outside of being our mate and a mother.”
