Ezah cherished me.
“My nalex.”
My intended released me when arms flung around me, and the sounds of crying reached my ears. “My sister,” Surkah cried. “I’m to have a new sister.”
A glance up at Ezah showed he was smiling as I slid my arms around his sister and returned her warm embrace. When Surkah and I separated, Nova was next to Ezah. She gave him a big hug that made him laugh. When she released him and turned to me, I saw that she was crying. She embraced me without a word spoken between us, and I returned it with all of my strength.
“We’re in this together,” she whispered to me. “You’re not the only human who has a prince for a mate, so you’ll never be alone. This family … it is wonderful, Levi.”
My breathing hitched when we separated, and I was sniffling when the queen appeared in front of me and tugged me into her arms. She was weeping too, and I could hear Surkah telling Nova to stop crying because it was making her cry, which was making the queen cry. I heard all the males chuckle.
“You will be my daughter,” the queen said as we separated. “I cannot wait to welcome you into my family.”
I beamed at her. “Thank you, Hailed Mother.”
The Revered Father didn’t hug me, but he did hold my hand for a few seconds.
“You have brought happiness back to my son,” he said, his thumb strumming over the back of my hand. “I have not seen his smile or heard his laughter in a very long time. From the bottom of my heart, Levi … thank you.”
I couldn’t speak. I was crying so much I could only bob my head.
Ezah’s brothers had gathered around him. All were playfully punching him, clapping their hands against his back, and teasing him. I couldn’t see him—the giants surrounding him prevented that—but I could almost feel his happiness. And knowing he was happy because he had me as his intended made me feel lighter than I had ever felt in my life.
I looked around the strange faces and noticed one thing … they were all smiling.
These people were all happy for Ezah and for me. The warmth I felt at their instant acceptance made me feel elated. These people were to be added to my family. No one would ever replace my mother, but welcoming new people who wanted to love and care for me was not a hardship.
I was closing the page on the darkness that had once clouded my life and starting a new chapter filled with nothing but light, love, and hope as I looked to the future.
Chapter Eighteen
Levi
“Is my intended lost?”
I jumped and spun around the second his voice filled the room. Ezah leaned against the panel of the large doorway with his arms folded across his broad chest as he watched me. His sunset pink eyes tracked my every movement.
“I am, my prince.” I shifted. “I was returning from the washroom, and I thought I heard a voice in here say your name, but I don’t know who spoke it. It’s only us in here.”
“This is the main family chamber of the palace,” Ezah said as he pushed away from the panel and closed the door behind him. “You did hear a voice say my name. If you look at the wall, you will see its owner.”
I turned to where Ezah pointed, and my mouth dropped open. What I thought was a portrait of a group of males was actually a motion-captured video. The males in the clip were laughing, talking, and shoving one another, but I couldn’t hear them.
“Unmute.”
The second Ezah said the word, the room filled with the male’s voices.
“Silis, shut that unnaturally large hole on your face!” a mean-looking male growled. “You’ve already recorded your message for Surkah. It is my turn. I wasn’t on the last round of holo messages we sent to Ealra a few moon cycles ago, I don’t want her to forget me.”
“It’d be a blessing if she forgot you, Ryla. You’re an annoying piece of—”
I gasped when the males suddenly fought violently.
“Ach!” A male with jet black hair smacked at them both with flailing hands while two other males laughed as they watched them fight like it was a common occurrence. “You’re both worse than Ezah, and he has an edge tendency!”
The clip ended and started over again with all five males sitting and staring at the camera smiling before they began to talk again. Ezah spoke the verbal command to mute the message, and when I looked at him, I found his eyes on mine.
“My five older brothers.” He gestured towards the males. “Ryla, Silis, Kaiba, Aylee, and Talin.”
I tried to remember the names, but I knew I’d forgot them. I studied Ezah’s older brothers, and while I saw the physical resemblances, there were differences too. Their skin, it didn’t look right.