Pretty Spelled by K.A Knight
Atlas
Lying with her in my arms is heaven, her body against mine, her heart beating in sync with the one she stole from me when we were children. I know we still have problems, but all that matters right now is that the love of my life, my mate, my wildflower is back and in my arms. I never thought that would happen again. I watched her die, and that killed me. I never believed I could feel such happiness again.
I hear them then, the car doors as the others start to return. I know they must be as eager to see her as I was—she is their sister, after all—but I steal a few more minutes of peace with her. Just us, after waiting centuries for it. She moves closer, her eyes closed and lips curled into a smile, and I can’t help but lean down and kiss them. “I love you, Wildflower,” I murmur.
“Love you too, Attie,” she murmurs, half asleep. The sound is adorable, spurring my overprotectiveness and love for this survivor in my arms, this warrior. Who else could have lived through what she did? Fighting the fires of Hell, possession, and true evil to get back to us. She stayed alive, even when it hurt just to save us.
That’s what she is doing, saving us.
The same way she did when we were kids.
“The others are here.” I sigh, knowing soon Ciar or Kyro will bust in our room and demand I share her.
“A few more minutes, Attie, please, it’s been so long since I’ve been held, touched, and felt loved,” she whispers, and my heart cracks, knowing I would do anything for her. I will never stop touching her for the rest of her life, so she never has to feel cold and alone again.
We listen to the waves crash, our love intact and infinite, able to survive anything. I hear them calling for her. She eventually sighs, and with a smile, kisses me before getting up. “I have no clothes,” she grumbles, her hands on her hips as she turns to look at me, and I can’t help but grin and grab her, trying to drag her back to bed. She dances away with a giggle and snatches a shirt from on top of the dresser as she finally looks around the room.
“Where are we?” she asks curiously as she pulls the grey material on. It hangs past her hips and does nothing to hide her curves and long legs, nor her breasts, which pull at the fabric. Getting up, I slip into my jeans, and when I see her watching me, I wink and slide past her, kissing her temple as I pull out a drawer and hand her some boxers to slip on, which she happily does. Pulling her into my arms, I hug her to me, resting my head on hers.
“Home. We are home, Wildflower. I built this for you. This is your safe space… It’s for our family,” I offer. “It’s on the water, like you always loved, has privacy for you to explore and go crazy, and has a big kitchen for meals and family time.”
She lifts her head and just stares at me. “What?” I query. “You don’t like it?”
“I love it, it’s perfect… But you built this? How long ago?”
I frown and look away before meeting her blue eyes again. “A few hundred years ago. I kept it updated ever since. I knew you were…gone, but I couldn’t bring myself to accept it. I guess part of me always knew you never really were. I never thought we would be here though, with a chance at a future, but we are… Do you like it?”
Leaning on her toes, she kisses me softly. “It’s perfect, like you, my god.” She pulls back, twining her hand with mine. “We better go see them before they bust through the door and you get annoyed and kick their asses.”
With that, she leads me through the door and to the top of the stairs, where she freezes. I frown down at her worried eyes and back her into the wall. I pin her there, my hand on her throat to force her to look at me. “Wildflower?” I demand.
She licks her lips, trapped in my gaze. “What if they hate me? I know it wasn’t me who did all those things, but—”
I silence her with a kiss, making her whimper into my mouth and pull back with a satisfied smirk. “They know it wasn’t you. They have been missing you for centuries, so don’t keep them waiting any longer.”
“Yeah, get your ass down here!” Ciar yells.
“Yeah, Lils, before we come and get you. It’s bad enough we had to listen to you fuck—shit, Rose I wasn’t going to—stop hitting me, woman!” Kyro yells, making us both grin.
“They never change,” she murmurs as I stroke her throat.
“No, and neither does their love for you. They’ve missed their sister so much. It broke our family apart, but you’re back. Don’t worry about anything else,” I assure her and pull away. This time, I drag her forward, pulling her down the stairs. They are all waiting at the bottom. Every single face is nervous but happy, and when she steps from behind me, there is a moment of silence as they just stare, drinking in their sister.
“Just going to stare? No jokes? No—” She starts teasing them, as always, and it snaps them into motion. All of them converge on her until she is wrapped in their arms and passed around, squeezed, and hugged. There are tears and smiles, and I hear her sniffling, even as she laughs. Their mates watch from the living room with wide smiles on their lips, feeling their mates’ happiness, the hole in our family filling as we become complete once more.
“All right, let her breathe,” I order, pulling her out of their grabbing hands as she laughs harder. They have always been too rough with her, though I guess she isn’t human anymore, but it doesn’t stop my worry for her. Nothing ever will. She leans into my hold, squeezing my arm to let me know she is okay.
“We missed you, Lils, so much,” Mishal murmurs, watching her as his eyes flash orange. “I want you to meet my mate, Dabria.” He holds out his hand, and she takes it and comes to his side, smiling at Lilith.
“It’s nice to meet you finally.” I see the nerves in her eyes, though, so Lilith lets go of me and steps towards her, arms open.
“I’m so glad he found you. They found you all, and now I have sisters,” she says openly, honestly, kindly—just like she’s always been. Dabria grins, flinching at the sister comment for a moment before she hugs her back.
“And this sexy as sin woman is my mate, Isabella,” Ciar interrupts.
Lilith laughs, pulling away and turning to Isabella who smiles. “I’m glad we don’t have to kill you.”
“Me too,” Lils replies as they hug.
“I missed you, Sprout.” Calder grips her shoulder. “Meet Mira, my temptress.”
Mira embraces her too, pulling back and offering her a knowing look. “Your heart is healing, good.”
“I am Alejandra, it is nice to meet you, Lilith,” the silver fae says when they pull away, standing at Slate’s side. We all know Alejandra struggles with physical contact, but Lilith embraces her anyway, and she smiles as she hugs her back.
“Rose, get your ass over here!” Kyro calls, and Cassandra sighs and heads over with a shy smile, her blue hair wild.
“Hi again,” she greets, and Lilith smiles.
“Thank you for not letting them come after me,” she whispers as they embrace.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop them—” Cassandra rushes out, but Lilith pulls back and strokes her cheek with a loving sisterly smile.
“It’s okay, I’m glad you’re okay… I—” She hesitates and glances over at me with a pained expression before looking at Cassandra. “I’m sorry for what I did to you, I wish I could have stopped—”
Cassandra covers her lips, startling her. “It wasn’t you, I know that, I’m just glad you’re back. I hated feeling the pain in Kyro’s heart.”
“I don’t have a heart, Rose, how many times do I gotta tell you?” he grumbles before he pulls them both into a hug. “I missed you, Lissy,” he whispers brokenly.
“I missed you all so much,” Wildflower replies, and when she pulls back, she turns to Khalid and smiles. “Still so silent, brother.”
He steps forward, and she accepts his hands and looks him over. “You are so handsome.” She smiles and looks at Remi. “Thank you for showing him that.”
Remi smiles and glances at Khalid. “It took some ass kicking.” She winces. “Sorry about the singing—”
Lilith giggles, and my heart expands so much at the sound, it feels like it may explode from my chest. It’s the same sound she made when we first met her, when she stole all of our hearts. I see the others smile wider at it, as if all the pain disappears with that one sound. “I enjoyed it.” She embraces Khalid and kisses his cheek. “Thank you for always protecting the family, Kal.” Lilith pulls back and hugs Remi. “And thank you, thank you for being willing to do what would have been necessary. I couldn’t bear the thought of ever hurting my family.”
Remi nods, watching her with newfound respect. “I had no choice—”
“I know, and it relieved me to see that you would have protected them, they need that. They have always led with their hearts, even when they tried to hide it and act tough.” They share a grin, even as Ciar snorts.
“We are immortal warriors—” Lilith turns and gives him a reprimanding look, one she perfected for him alone.
“You used to plait my hair because my fingers were cold and it hurt.” Then she looks to Kyro. “I cried, and you tried to burn a village down to make it stop.”
I can’t help the laugh that escapes, and she turns, hands on hips, her blue eyes narrowed and head tilted so her long black hair runs over her shoulder. My beautiful wildflower, mischievous and fun, even if there are new shadows there now. “Don’t you laugh, Attie. You tried to kill a boy because he looked up my dress. When I cried because my dog ran away, you went out and brought back six more. You are as bad as all of them.”
Glaring, I crook my finger at her. She grins and heads over as I tilt her chin up and stare into her eyes. “Stop giving away all my secrets, Wildflower,” I warn, even though I don’t care. She could tell them anything, and as long as it keeps that smile on her face, I will suffer any embarrassment.
“You must be hungry after your carna—” Cassandra gasps. “Oops, I, erm, mean let’s go make some food.”
“Speaking of carnal…” Kyro starts, and then there is another smack. “Woman, if you don’t stop spanking me, I swear—” Their voices fade as they all head into the kitchen, giving us a moment to ourselves.
“I missed them so much,” she whispers. “But I don’t know how to be her anymore.”
“You be you. You didn’t see the love you already inspired in those women for simply seeing and welcoming them. They know your opinion means everything to my brothers and were worried, yet you hugged them. You made them feel like one of us.”
“They are.” She frowns, and I can’t help but kiss her.
“And that’s why we love you, for that kind heart,” I whisper against her lips. “Now let’s feed you, Wildflower.”
* * *
She sits on my knee, laughing at something Kyro said. They all dote on her, making sure she eats and checking on her every now and again. I watch all the women fall in love with her slowly. How could they not? Soon, they all see why she inspired such love and loyalty from all of us, and me?
I can’t pull away, can’t drag my eyes from her laughing face. I barely speak, which is not a change. My mate speaks enough for me, but I never want to stop hearing her voice, her laughter.
Remi reaches over and touches my arm to get my attention, and I turn my head. “I’m glad it worked out,” she tells me with a smile. I return it, and she turns back to Khalid, her smile growing with love and happiness, but I feel Lilith stiffen in my arms. I look down at her where she is turned on my lap, leaning into my chest.
Her eyes darken for a moment with jealousy, and that makes me frown. Wildflower never got jealous before, but then she blinks and it disappears, except her smile is dimmer.
“You okay?” I whisper to her.
She blinks again, and when she looks at me for a moment, I see darkness in her eyes before the blue clears and her smile widens. “Fine, Attie, why?”
“No reason,” I reply and pull her closer, kissing her head, even as worry winds through me. What are the aftereffects of such a possession, and can we handle them?
She turns back, listening as Calder talks about his castle, but just then, Mira leans forward to grab another drink, and the golden locket around her neck slips free, catching the light and glistening.
Lilith jerks back, tumbling from my knee, her eyes wide and mouth open as she gapes in horror at the locket. Everyone quiets and turns to stare. Mira looks confused as she glances from the locket to Lilith.
“Wildflower, is everything okay?” I ask when she just continues to stare at it, face pale and hands shaking. She backs up when Mira grabs it, almost hitting the wall.
“Lilith?” she murmurs, sounding confused.
“Where did you get that?” Wildflower chokes out, wringing her hands. “Where?” she demands, her voice increasing in volume.
“Lils,” I chastise, and when she looks at me, tears fill her eyes. “What’s going on?”
Licking her lips, she looks around, her face heating in embarrassment. “It—that’s my locket. I buried it in the church before I died.” She looks to Mira. “How did you get it?”
Mira frowns as she stands and pulls it from her neck, offering it to Lilith. “I’m so sorry, here—”
“No!” Lilith screams and then flinches. “Please, please don’t give it to me.”
I stand slowly and approach her carefully. Her eyes are wild, skittish, and she looks like she plans to flee. “Talk to me,” I plead.
She stares at me in fear…and pain?
“Baby, please?” I beg, desperate to fix this, to figure out what is going on.
She swallows again and closes her eyes for a moment. “She was right—I suffered in the end. I never wanted you to know, any of you. These powers…this darkness came, and it was so strong. Too strong. It was ripping me apart from the inside out. You were off in battle, and Mother had already died. I had no one. I was terrified and in agony all the time. I felt like I was being torn asunder, the power too much. One night, a woman came to me in my dreams, offering a solution, and when I woke up, I found the amulet like she had told me…and I let out all the darkness, all the pain, and filled it. Then I blessed it and buried it like she directed. She thought it would stop the suffering.” Her words come out in a rush. “I think she was a Fate. She said they made a mistake and were trying to fix it.”
“Baby,” I whisper in shock, “why didn’t you tell us?”
“I was so scared, Attie.” She steps forward, imploring me to understand. “I didn’t know what was happening to me, what I was becoming. You were all struggling so much when you found out about Khalid, you had too much on your plate. I thought I could solve it alone.”
“You never, never have to do anything alone,” I snap, and then pull her into my arms. “Did it work? Did the pain stop?”
She’s silent for a moment. “No, it helped for a while, but then it came back stronger than ever.” She looks up at me. “Your parents saw me one night. I had been in your chambers and was sneaking out into the woods when it hit. I couldn’t help the scream. I thought I was dying, and it exploded out of me.” Her lip quivers in fear. “It hit a gravestone, and they rose from the ground. Attie, I swear I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t even know they saw it until the next day when they approached me, said I was a danger to you, to you all, and then that night…”
“They killed you,” I finish, and she nods.
“I wanted to tell you, but I was so scared, so afraid that if I spoke it out loud, it would be real,” she murmurs.
“Oh, Wildflower.” I pull her closer, kissing her head. “We know now. I’m sorry you went through that alone.”
She grips me, holding me tighter, and then the silence behind us breaks. “I felt the pain and darkness inside it. Lilith, these aren’t just your memories, it’s part of your soul. I think that’s why the evil was able to get inside you, why you didn’t die, because part of you remained trapped in here.” We both look over at Mira, and the others nod, as if seeing it all at the same time. “We have to set it free and you have to take that piece back, otherwise there will be a hole in your soul forever, leaving you open to evil.”
“But it hurt so much,” she whispers, and Mira frowns.
“I know. I feel it now, the suffering. I understand what the Fates meant, and why I found this, why it’s important. But you’re not the human who was given too much power anymore. You are so much more. You can handle it now, especially with our help.”
“What do you mean?” Lilith replies.
“I think that’s why we were brought together,” Dabria offers.
Isabella nods. “To share the burden.”
“I was told a human was given the powers we have once before, given them to stop the greatest of evil, but they made a mistake, it was too much. It changed her, hurt her…killed her. I think that was you. I think this is destiny’s way of rectifying that. We all share a bond,” Alejandra explains.
“It’s true, I feel it. I felt it that night at the sacrifice, it flowed between us. If we share that power, that suffering between us, we might be able to shoulder it without killing you.” Cassandra offers.
“Might,” I snap, holding Lilith closer.
“Might, but we would need Lilith to open the amulet and accept that part of herself before we could even try,” Cassandra finishes.
“Or we don’t, and we just leave it—” I start, but Mira shakes her head.
“No, we can’t,” she replies sadly.
“She’s right,” Dabria interjects. “I see it now. If we don’t do this, Atlas, if that piece of her stays in the amulet, she will always be vulnerable. The darkness will linger in her and grow and take over once more. That’s the reason she was chosen by that evil, because there was a hole, a gap in her to fill. She gained power from Lilith, powers she didn’t possess before, and she won’t give that up easily. If we don’t do this and fast, the evil will return, and we could lose her forever.” She looks to Lilith. “We could lose you again.”
“It’s your choice, always your choice,” Remi assures her. “It will be excruciating, so painful, it will feel like death again. To split a soul is one thing, but to mend it together…you will suffer,” she informs her bluntly, candidly, and I snarl, even as Lilith nods, appreciating the truth.
“Either I suffer, or I lose myself. There is no choice.” She looks at me. “We have to do this, Attie. I can’t go back to that place. I can’t lose you all again.”
“Wildflower—” I start, but she covers my lips with her hand.
“It will hurt, but I have survived worse. I need to do this. Will you stay with me?” she requests nervously.
“Always and forever,” I vow, pressing my head to hers, even as fear fills me. Fear at what she’s going to have to go through. Has she not suffered enough?
But I see the determination in her eyes and know arguing is pointless. She would withstand anything to save us, to save me, and my heart is bound to her now. If she dies, so do I. She’s doing this not only to save her family, but to keep her mate alive.
To keep me alive.
