there were four adults and three toddlers, all cuddled together, sleeping.
Fuck.
My chest tightened and I didn't even realize how badly I needed this until I crawled in on the side and snuggled Lily into me.
"Uncwle Jakey," she said sleepily. The kids loved a good nap and could almost sleep on command now. Nice change from when they were babies—not gonna lie, for a short time there, their need to cry all night had me strongly considering just being the cool uncle forever.
"Sleep, my baby girl," I told her, breathing in deeply, letting this energy relax me. I loved that they hadn't brought their mates in. Not today. It was just the way it used to be, plus our babies, and that was what I needed right now.
Even if there was a spot right beside me that felt a little empty.
14
Justice Winter
Connecting to my land was easy now; my power knew its home and wanted to be there. This time, though, there was a sense of heartache as I stepped away from Earth to Faerie. On Faerie I would be missing a person who had become a fundamental part of my life.
But I wasn't going to dwell on it. I'd made a promise to embrace who I was, learn my powers and my past, and then be able to move forward into the future. If Jacob was part of that future, I'd find out when the timing was right. If there was one thing I'd learned, it was that I couldn't push things to happen before their time. No matter how much I wanted them.
When the rainbows of my magic portal—how much cooler did magic portal sound than step-through?—faded away, I found myself standing in the center point between the four lands. I always ended up here when I returned home, like this was the welcoming plot of land where all new travelers must cross.
As they had the few other times, my parents sensed me the second I stepped into their land, and appeared quickly. Thanks to magic. I hoped that one day soon, I’d have that same skill to travel on ruby light.
"Justice!" they exclaimed when they saw me. Always side by side, always perfect, Queen Deloria and King Jepati of the ruby lands. My mother's hair was the exact same as mine had been before my powers were released: white-blond, long, and thick, with just enough wave to keep it interesting. My father's was more of a honey blond, shoulder length, worn back at the nape of his neck. Both of them had green eyes, in differing shades, and my mother's skin was pale, while my father's was dark. Like a midnight sky without a single star. They were a mess of contrasting colors and patterns, but they were both incredibly beautiful. Like mythical creatures—which I guess is exactly what they were.
"Hi, guys," I said softly. They stood before me, a little taller than I was, making it very clear where my interesting mix of ethnicities came from. No one could argue we weren't related. It was just sad that no physical similarities were going to fix the gaping hole that existed between us.
I didn't know them. They didn't know me.
But that could be changed, and so far all that had been holding us back was me.
"I'm sorry it’s been so long since I visited, and that last time I barely stayed a few days," I said.
Neither of them looked angry. If anything, their faces softened.
"We understand and know that it won’t be easy just to fall into a family dynamic," Deloria said. "We regret that we had to push you away when you were born, missing so much of your life." She choked up and my father put his arm around her in a comforting manner. I had only seen them a few times, but he was consistently gentle with her. I’d always wondered if it was just an act—powerful men usually weren’t gentle. It wasn’t in their nature.
I guess I had the Compass quads to compare to though, and with their mates they were unfailingly caring. So my father might be the same.
"How long will you stay?" Jepati asked. "We have so much to learn from you, and so much we want to show you in our lands."
"I will stay for as long as it takes," I told him, disconcerted by his emerald eyes. Deloria's were more hazel, with light green filtering into gold. But Jepati's were the twin of the eyes I'd seen every single day