Jaded Jewels (The Coveted Saga 2)

Iris smiled sadly as she said, "It's going to be okay now. This is where you belong. I'm not saying life will be easy, but you now have a family that will do anything necessary to keep you safe. We would like to adopt you into our coven and give you a home if you will accept us."

Iris had tears in her eyes from the emotion Amelia's story had carried. It was a touching story, even more so when you could actually feel the pain as if it was your own. Even Desmond had tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Being the alpha male that he was, he discreetly wiped them away, hoping no one noticed.

Amelia smiled at Iris, but she looked scared to be too hopeful, worried the illusion would shatter at any moment. "I don't even know what to say. It's like a dream. I would love to be a part of your family."

Iris hugged Amelia as though she had always been family. Anesta walked over to Amelia and began the healing process on her face, erasing the pain on the surface. Each of the marks faded, the cuts sealed up, and in less than a few seconds, she was as good as new. If only she could remove the scars beneath the surface so easily.

Amelia touched her face and was shocked by the instant healing. Smaller conversations erupted about how exciting it was to have a new addition, but I could tell Amelia was drained and tired of all the magical overload. So I stole her and whisked her away, offering her a piece of my upstairs haven.

The room where my art had been had already been transformed into a beautiful room that suited Amelia pretty well. It had bright blue walls and peaceful decorations, such as butterflies and flowers. It was too girly for me, but Amelia seemed to enjoy each and every detail, running her fingers over everything she could as though she was in awe.

There were clothes and all the essentials she would need. We had only taken thirty minutes to get there, but they did say they were going to work a little magic. I smiled to myself.

"Amazing. I've never had a real bedroom before. This is so surreal."

She touched all the clothes in the closet before gawking at the oversized TV that was mounted on the wall. She walked over to the window and gazed at the amazing view. The pool was directly below her. You could see the pool from my room as well from one of the windows.

She studied it through the clear glass walls that surrounded it, and I watched as her grin grew. It wasn't an Olympic size pool, but it was really close.

"There's really a pool?" she asked, her eyes alight with so much excitement as the rest of the day seemed to melt away.

I chuckled. "Yeah. We'll go swimming tonight. The view of the stars is amazing. I'm sure they got you some swimsuits. If not, let me know. I have plenty."

Tears too big for her eyes welled up as she took a breath, making it seem as though it was the first easy breath she had taken in years. It was possible that it was.

"Thank you, Aria. I know I'm supposed to protect you somehow, but you're the one who protected me. You saved my life today and gave me something I haven't had in a long time—family. I could never thank you enough."

Her emotions grabbed me and coursed through my veins, making her breath of gratitude be felt. For once, I felt useful.

"We have a lot to worry about, but this coven is strong. I've seen what they can do. I've seen what the Verdan crew can do as well. Together, we stand a chance."

She looked at me like she was unsure about whether she should say something. Her voice was nervous as she spoke.

"He still loves you. He can't help it. He's trying really hard not to, but he needs you as badly as you need him. He keeps trying to stay away, but he can't do it for long. His heart desires to see you so badly that his body finally gives in. He burns inside-out for you. He's just afraid of hurting you again."

I swallowed hard as I let her words sink in, feeling caught off guard by the quick turn of conversation.

She sighed loudly before continuing, "I didn't know if you wanted me to

say anything, and I'm sorry if I've upset you. I just wanted you to know that you weren't suffering alone."

I hadn't thought of her being able to feel all of his emotions so vividly. This bond really had amplified her abilities.

With a shaky voice, I murmured, "Thanks. I really needed to know that."

"He hurts just as badly as you do. Today, when I did my thingy on Elaina, he felt it. Not like she felt it, but he felt it. I felt his pain as he realized how badly you really and truly ached for him."

She smiled as she flopped down on her new, soft bed. But my smile refused to come out. The weight of her insight was a little too heavy.

"You're a good friend, Amelia," I said while closing the door.

"You're a better one, Aria," she said while smiling and staring around the room.

I shut her door as I made my way to my room. As I passed the small bathroom, I smiled to myself. We were definitely going to need more than one bathroom on the third floor now.

Closing my eyes, I dropped down on my bed, feeling exhausted, but the wind in the room stirred. Never a minute's rest.

Without opening my eyes, I asked, "Who is it?"