“Even…” Eddie began
Rhys nodded. “Even the unborn. They’re fine. As always, you have served us with strength and honor, my friend.”
Devinshea moved in behind me, his hand covering my belly as though he wanted to ensure Rhys was right. I felt him sigh in relief. Arwyna had made it, too. She clung to Dev’s hair.
“You did great.” Lee gave Eddie a thumbs-up. “You should take a nap and when you wake up, I’ll have a hunk of meat for you.”
“But I must get our domicile ready for my mistress,” Eddie argued.
Kelsey was right there, taking his clawed hand in hers. “All I need is to be here with you and Trent and Fen and Gray.”
Eddie looked away. “I am afraid Master Gray is not in residence at this time, but we expect him soon.”
Oh, something was wrong there. I feared Kelsey was handling the entire situation far better than I was, but now I worried things were about to go wrong for her. Twelve years. So much could happen in twelve years. Where was everyone? This valley we were in looked empty. Would we jump again? Was that where I would find Neil and Sarah and my dad?
How old was my dad now?
Twelve years. Those two words sent panic through me.
“And Trent’s not here either,” Evan said.
“Dad’s on assignment back in the States.” Fen was stepping into jeans that looked to have come out of the backpack Evan had been carrying. She pulled a sweater out and handed it to him. “When Eddie’s had a chance to rest, I’ll take you to him, Mom. I can’t tell you how happy he’s going to be to see you. And he’s going to be relieved the ritual worked. Dad told me about it. He wasn’t sure, but I knew he had hope. The baby is Gray’s right?”
Kelsey nodded, worry plain on her face. “Yes. That was the plan. Gray and I would have a child, and then Trent and I. Where is Gray?”
Fen pulled the sweater on and ran a hand over his mass of dark hair, pulling it back and tying it at the base of his neck. “I think Dad should explain that to you. Gray’s alive. He’s not a prisoner or anything. Having you back might help.”
“Why do you call Trent Dad but Gray is Gray?” Kelsey got to the heart of the matter.
Evan put his boots on the grass, a move it looked like she’d done a thousand times since Fen didn’t even have to look down to shove his feet inside.
“Again, I would rather talk about it with Dad around. Mom, we’ve waited twelve years. You can be patient about this,” Fen said in a calm voice. “I don’t know everything. Dad should be the one to talk to you, and he’s in Atlanta right now.”
“I’ll have you there in no time at all,” Eddie promised though his voice shook.
“In the morning,” Rhys corrected.
“But, I can…”
“The morning is fine,” Kelsey interrupted. Her voice was calm, though I could see her clear frustration in the way her jaw was tight. “You need your rest. You’re not used to transporting so many. You did great, Eddie. But where are we?”
Dev had moved away, his hands on his hips as he took in the landscape around us. “I suspect we’re in Huldrefólk country.”
Lee moved in, a huge smile on his face as he held his arms open. “Hey, Mom. Long time, no see.”
I was still numb as he enveloped me. I’d promised him I would see him in the morning. I told him not to worry and called him my darling, and then he’d been left on his own. He’d been left to fight and suffer and bleed. He’d lost his eye. I hadn’t been here to protect him.
I had to fix it.
He seemed to realize I wasn’t responding and stepped back.
Daniel moved in and pulled Lee into a bear hug. “It’s good to see you, son. I want all the stories, but first we should get your mother somewhere warm. Where are we?”
The smile was back on Lee’s face. “Papa’s right. We’re in Iceland, at the northernmost tip. We should get inside. It’s much warmer in the mountain.”
Dev had Evan wrapped in a hug, Fen watching carefully.
I had to get it together. I wasn’t going to allow this timeline to stand, but that didn’t mean my children didn’t deserve their mother’s love. I reached out to Rhys, who still carried Eddie. “Hey, baby.”
He went still and took a long breath, as though fortifying himself. “Hey, Momma.”
He was trying to be strong. Lee’s scars were on the outside, but it was obvious to me that Rhys had been through a lot, too. Rhys was fully Fae. Any wounds he’d taken would heal, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t feel them all in his soul.