Page 86 of Sent To A Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me 7

“Will you take one more bite?” he gently asked.

I nodded, still not trusting my voice enough to speak. Before too long, I’d eaten the entire bowl. He had fed me every bite too, ever patient and showing more care than he gave himself credit for.

Briar lifted his glasses and wiped at his eyes.

“Sorry,” I rasped, my voice scratchy and dry from not having been used in so long. “Didn’t mean to worry you.”

“No need to apologize, love.” Briar stepped closer and sat on the bed beside Onyx, placing his hand on my knee. “I’m just relieved to hear your voice.”

Lake crawled up higher on the bed and settled beside me, tucking me against his chest. I turned my face against him, letting his peach scent calm some of the hard pangs in my heart.

“If only I had Mister Hop with me,” he said in his gruff tone, petting my hair. “I know how much you love him.”

I smiled at the mention of the stuffed animal. It was one he’d had as a boy and had given to me shortly after leaving his home deep in the woods and moving in with us at the cottage.

“I have you,” I told him, breathing him in. “Much better than Mister Hop.”

I felt him smile.

Steps neared the room, along with the patter of paws against the floor. The thud of those paws grew in frequency until a mass of black fur leapt onto the bed and scurried toward me. I smiled as Oreo showered me with slobbery kisses, his fluffy tail wagging up a storm.

“About time you woke from your slumber, Sleeping Beauty,” Rowan said as he neared the bed.

“Can’t believe I slept all day.” I glanced toward the window and the night sky beyond it.

“And you’re never allowed to do so again,” Maddox said, his tone hard and sporting an expression that matched. Behavior that told me just how worried he’d been. He glanced at the empty bowl. “I see you’ve at least eaten something. I suppose I’ll no longer need to force food down your throat.”

“You could always stick something else down my throat,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Rowan choked.

Maddox, however, wasn’t amused. “I was worried about you, sweetheart. I… I’ve never seen you that way before.”

“Come here, big guy.” I held out my hand to him, and he stepped forward, taking it in his. “I’m sorry for worrying you. But I’m okay now. I promise.”

Strange enough, I didn’t feel like it was a lie. Phantasia was right when she said I wouldn’t be the same afterward. I felt changed somehow. Still nervous about my powers… but also fueled by a new resolve. I had seen my worse fear: a version of myself where I’d let the darkness consume me. The shock of it had seemed to rewire my brain. A reboot to my whole system.

Fighting my powers was impossible. I knew that now. They were part of me and always would be. But what I did with those powers was up to me. My choice.

And I chose to save people, not hurt them. Not even people like Cedric who more than deserved it. Because the instant I used my powers in that way, there’d be no going back. The vision had made that point all too apparent.

“May I ask what you saw, love?” Briar asked, adjusting his glasses. “When you were under the influence of the elixir.”

“Three visions appeared to me, each one worse than the one before it,” I said, focusing on the warmth of Maddox’s hand in mine. Callouses covered his fingertips and palm, but I liked the roughness. “Two of them were memories.”

“Memories?” Onyx asked.

“Of my parents.” My breathing shifted, becoming more shallow. “I saw them, Onyx. My dad and mom. I saw their cottage and how in love they were. My dad even mentioned you.”

“He did?” A pang hit his eyes.

I nodded. “My mom asked him if you’d offer them shelter here in the Shadow Realm. But my dad didn’t want to bring this kind of conflict to you. He said you’ve faced your fair share of war and deserved peace.”

“That sounds like him,” Onyx said, glancing toward the window. “You take after him, little bird. Caring more for others than you do for yourself. He should have come to me. I would’ve…” He expelled a breath. “I suppose it no longer matters.”

“I saw a lot more too.” A pressure built in my chest.

Then, I told them everything.