then pulled Cody down to softly whisper in his ear.
Even as Cody slipped out of the door, Froston never took his eyes off of my mother.
“Skye is another daughter?” he asked with a hint of jealousy in his voice. “By who?”
My mother gave him a flinty stare and didn’t bother to answer.
“Anna,” Astrid said as she took her hand in mine. “I’m grateful that you came for us, but why would you bring him?”
I searched my heart for answers. When I’d been trapped in my cold goddess mindset, it had made sense to bring him. It had seemed like justice.
“He owes you,” I explained. “He should have to put his neck on the line to save you.”
Froston stood silently beside me. This was the first time I’d ever seen raw emotion on his face. Longing and jealousy warred within him as he gazed at my mother.
The door burst open and slammed into the wall.
“We have to go,” Cody shouted as he ran in with a little girl in his arms.
I was distracted by her pretty blond hair for a moment until I heard shouts behind him. Froston already had a gateway open and was pulling my mother through. She braced herself against him and reached for her daughter.
As Cody handed Skye to her mother, I put my hand on his lower back and looked out the door. Several fae males were coming in quick. I hurriedly shoved Cody through the gateway and shot a burst of magic back toward the oncoming fae to slow them down.
The fae that I would have found so terrifying only months ago seemed like irritating bugs now. I swept them away from us with only a thought, but with the use of my magic I felt myself slipping back into the void.
I quickly pulled into my core and built mental walls to encase me safely inside. I couldn’t afford to drift away and get lost again. I stepped through the gateway once I knew the others would be safe, ready to face what was next.
Chapter 25
Anna
I let the gateway into the Arctic snap closed behind me and quickly opened another to Seaside. I gave my mother a smile of appreciation when I saw she was thoughtful enough to put a protective barrier on Cody so that the bone-chilling wind in the Arctic never touched him.
We stumbled back into Seaside as a group, and my father blinked in surprise at the sight before him. Usually, opening a gateway on the back lawn would give us a good view of the mansion, but today it was just a pile of burnt ruins.
I wasn’t surprised when I saw Austin and my other guys rushing toward us. I could feel Austin’s frustration, Caleb’s worry, James’ anger, and the twins feeling disappointed and hurt. I lowered my head when I realized what I put them through since I returned as a goddess. I’d been distant, unpredictable, possibly dangerous, but definitely deadly.
“I’m sorry,” I said tearfully as Austin approached. He was the first to reach me, as he’d been the closest when my gateway had appeared on the lawn.
Austin’s eyes searched mine, and a moment later, I saw relief on his face.
“Anna?” he asked.
“It’s really me this time,” I whispered. “I made it back.”
“Thank god,” he murmured as he pulled me close. “I’ve been so fucking worried.”
“I think it should be ‘thank goddess,’ actually,” Jason pointed out. He had a smirk on his face, but I could see the worry around his eyes.
I smiled nervously at him and let each one of my mates feel my regret and shame. I had gotten carried away on a wave of power and let it get inside my head. I’d been acting like some all-powerful deity while I should have been using my magic to take care of my pack, my mates, and my family. I showed them my determination to do better and my hope that we could win this war.
“Awww, Anna,” Mason teased me. “A lesser mortal would have let becoming a goddess turn her into a super-villain.”
“Yeah,” Jason agreed with a laugh. “But it took you less than a week to kick the ass of whatever took you over.”
“That’s just it,” I said with a frown. “I don’t think something took me over, I think it was my own weakness that was my downfall. The power was just too much for me to handle.”
“Ridiculous,” Froston interjected. “Any other fae would have needed a much longer adjustment period, but since you’re my