Page 41 of Redemption (Deliverance Duet #2)
Nyx
I ris’s high-pitched laughter brings a smile to my lips, my body already moving towards my mate. Emerging from the kitchen in our modest home, I pause in the open doorway, taking a moment to enjoy the scene that awaits me.
Ciaran and Alaric are chasing her in the garden. They are faster than her, but they let her slip through their fingers, allowing her to weave between them. I’m not sure what started their little game, but her happiness warms my heart.
It’s been six months since the battle between the two fae courts. Thankfully only a few lives were lost. Unfortunately, many of those were human. Iris and Alaric have been acting as representatives to ease the tension between the fae and humans ever since. The Unseelie are now free, and although there have been some incidents with the nastier creatures, I have enjoyed hunting them down and taking their souls to my realm.
There is still a lot of work to do in fixing the relations between the Seelie and Unseelie, but things have come a long way.
I watch as Iris waves her other two mates off, out of breath but happy, and she goes to sit in the shade of the large oak tree. Our house is big enough for all of us, but small enough to go unnoticed deep in the forest, offering us the privacy to be together and heal.
She tries to hide it, but every now and again I see her sink into a low mood. I know she’s thinking of her sister and her remaining human family who now refuse to see her. They blame her for Jasmine’s death. It’s like a double betrayal, them choosing her over Iris. On top of this, I know that she misses her powers. She would never admit it aloud, yet even now I can see the longing in her face as she brushes her hand through the strands of grass beside her.
In an interesting turn of events, when Alaric abdicated the throne, Blaise was nominated and crowned as the Seelie king. There is still a transition phase, which he and Alaric are working through, but having an ally there is a big comfort for all of us and makes the whole situation easier to navigate.
“Iris,” I call quietly.
She hears me and jumps up, a smile brightening her entire face. “You’re back!” She runs across the garden and throws herself into my arms. “How was the death realm?”
“Full of dead people,” I reply, kissing her deeply, her touch settling the restless part of my soul. No matter how much time we spend together, I can never get enough of her.
“Let’s go inside. I’ll cook something for us,” she suggests, squeezing past me and into the house.
Smiling, I start to push away from the doorframe to follow when a distinctive scent washes over me—magic.
That’s impossible though, as she gave up her magic so she could return to us. Frowning, I look back out to the garden, my eyebrows rising when I see a small patch of daisies blooming where she just sat.
The scent is gone already, but I know what I sensed, and those flowers weren’t there before. Turning to watch Iris in the kitchen behind me, bustling around and chatting happily to her other two mates, I can’t help but smile at the amazing female she is. If anyone could find a way to regain their magic, it would be her.
I have to see the flowers again and double-check. I take a step outside but stop instantly. My eyes widen when I notice a bright orange butterfly resting on one of the daisies.
The End