Page 35 of Loving Amari

“How does it feel now?” she asks, concern creeping into her voice.

My face falls as I realize what’s missing. “I can’t feel the mate bond.”

She has the audacity to shrug. “No, you won’t feel it here.”

“Then I want to go back right now.” The words come out harsher than intended. “I would rather suffer the pain of your absence than not feel the mate bond.”

Carla rolls her eyes at me. “Seriously?”

I just stare blankly at her. She doesn’t understand. Not feeling the bond created by Mother Fate that keeps us tethered—that’s worse than death itself. I don’t like it. Not at all. It’s like losing one of my senses, like suddenly going deaf or blind. The absence of that constant connection to her makes me feel untethered, lost.

“Just stay here with me for a little bit,” she pleads. “At least let’s check on the children before we go back.”

I want to go back right fucking now, but I groan and nod in agreement. She takes my hand in hers, and we start walking through the void. The throne suddenly disappears behind us like it never existed, leaving nothing but endless darkness around us.

The void presses against me from all sides, a physical weight of nothingness. My skin crawls beneath the magical cloak, and I grip Carla’s hand tighter. Each step feels like walking through thick syrup, though there’s no resistance.

I hope we find them soon because the loss of feeling tethered to Carla—I cannot fucking stand it.

12

CARLA

Ikeep my eyes on Amari as we walk through the void. He’s holding my hand with confidence, looking around while I search for threats. The darkness presses against us from all sides, but his presence anchors me.

“How do we find the children?” he asks, his eyes scanning the nothingness.

“We don’t,” I admit.

Amari stops walking, turning to face me. “Then what the hell are we doing? You said time passes in the living quickly when we take walks like this.”

I shrug nervously. “Oops.”

I sigh, knowing I need to be honest with him. “I’m looking for Nathaniel.”

He looks around at the endless darkness. “I don’t think you’re going to find him in this unless you are magically pulled to him.”

“You’re right.” The admission stings, but he’s always been the logical one between us.

“I can call for them,” I say, then look at him with a smile spreading across my face, “but I’d rather you do it. Tofi hearing a call from her daddy might give her the surprise she’s hoping for.”

Amari looks at me with a grin that makes my heart flutter. “I love you.”

I shrug, trying to play it cool. “I know you do.”

I start to wiggle my fingers, pink magic spilling from them. “Children,” I whisper, and the magic flows from my fingertips, the pink light glowing in the darkness. I look to Amari and nod gently.

He takes a deep breath, then calls out into the darkness. “Children... Daddy’s here.”

Immediately, we feel them coming—that familiar pull of their presence drawing near. Amari looks at me with a smile that looks like he’s about to burst with excitement, and I just smile back at him. He really does love us—all of us. Sometimes it’s so hard for me to wrap my head around the way Amari loves not just me, but our children. His devotion to us is unwavering.

Amari looks back into the void, and immediately, images begin to flood our minds.Mommy! Mommy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!

Tofi and all the other spiders come into view, some crawling on the floor of the void, some on the sides, some overhead. It’s a chaotic rush of legs and love.

Amari furrows his brow and reaches around as if he’s looking for walls but can’t find them. “How are they doing that?”

I shrug. “I don’t know.”