Talia imagined many times how it would be if she met her parents. The scene would be full of laughter and hugs, and this was different. Very different.
Valerian was her father, but technically, he was a stranger. Would he accept her hug? Would he hug her back?
Even if that worked out, he was so fragile-looking that she feared the slightest touch might crush him. That was far from the image of a powerful Alpha.
'Lis? What's wrong with him?' Talia asked.
'I don't sense any diseases. He is malnourished, and his muscles are atrophied severely. His wolf is weak also.'
Talia's heart cracked. 'Will he be alright?' It would be cruel to finally meet her father only for him to die or to be a cripple. Or maybe she should be grateful for this reunion and not nitpick.
'I'm not a doctor, but I believe he will recover with proper care,' Liseli responded. 'The fact that his wolf is not gone completely should be a good sign, but we shouldn't delay the treatment.'
This made Talia a bit happier, but her heart was still tight at the sight of Valerian's sunken cheeks.
"How are you feeling?" Talia asked Valerian. "Are you in pain?"
He smiled a little. "You look just like your mother."
Talia blinked. "Really?"
"Even your expressions are the same." He looked at the door of his cell apprehensively. "How did you get here?"
Damon cleared his throat. "We should leave. You can catch up later."
"A bath and food and I will be in heaven," Valerian said.
"And some fresh air, too," Damon grumbled. Talia was pregnant, and Damon didn't want her inhaling the foul stench from the dungeon.
Valerian tried getting up, but he was too weak, so Damon scooped him into his arms.
Valerian lowered his head in embarrassment. He was a prideful Alpha, yet this youngster was carrying him like he was a child.
Damon was awkward about the whole situation as well, but there was no other way to take Valerian out, and Damon had no intention of letting Talia carry him.
They paused at the sight of Evanora moving toward them as possessed.
She stopped in front of a cell and stared inside.
Talia covered her mouth with her fingers at the sight of Evanora's dazed expression. Why did this look like when mates recognized each other?
"Edgar?" Evanora called in a shaky voice, unsure if she imagined it. His body was drained like he had suffered for a long time, but that was definitely the man who disappeared from her life a few centuries ago.
Evanora didn't know that Edgar was a Guardian. She knew that he had a special constitution and that he was not a werewolf. Actually, even if he told her he was a Guardian, it wouldn't mean anything at that time. Evanora heard about the Guardians only after Yasmin and Axel met.
He looked up, and his eyes widened. "Eva? How did you…? What…?" He couldn't finish any of his questions. He released a long breath and smiled a little. "It's good to see you, Eva." He wondered if he had finally lost his mind, but even if this was an illusion, it was a good one.
Evanora's vision blurred with tears as she walked into the cell. That was it, the pull of the bond that soulmates are sharing. She didn't imagine it. The purity of the bond, combined with the strength of his emotions, told her that Edgar didn't betray it.
"I thought you abandoned me," Evanora said.
"I would never abandon you, Eva."
She looked at his emaciated appearance and swallowed the pinch at the back of her throat. "What did they do to you?"
He stared at her blankly. He couldn't remember how he got in there. The only thing on replay was Gregory shouting at him and the beatings.
"Don't force it," Evanora said as she squatted next to him. "Let me help."
She chanted in low murmurs, and the air around Edgar twirled with the freshness of a morning dew he had forgotten a long time ago. He took a deep breath of air filled with energies that had a rejuvenating effect.
Edgar's eyes flashed as his memories resurfaced. "I'm so sorry, Eva. I knew it was a matter of time before they reached your Coven. I destroyed the portal with the intention of returning when it was safe. I didn't think they would go this far. I underestimated Gregory's anger. Did you miss me? I missed you like crazy. Thinking about our moments together helped me stay sane through this hell, and here you are…"
Damon and Talia stared at the scene.
'Can you free him?' Talia asked, and Damon knew what she meant.
He moved closer to Edgar and pointed at the shackles that creaked under Damon's darkness, and the iron crumbled like someone blew at the ashes.
"I suggest you continue catching up upstairs," Damon said.
Gregory watched from his cell Damon carrying Valerian and Talia walking behind them, and then he saw Edgar leaning on Evanora.
Edgar was in much better shape than Valerian, thanks to his physique as a Guardian.
"Ed!" Gregory called. "Let me out."
Edgar stopped to look at Gregory. The blood was drying on his face, his eyes were swollen, and his nose was twisted at an awkward angle, but that was Gregory.
Somehow, seeing Gregory's wretched state made Edgar feel a bit better. "To think that mighty Gregory will end up here. I will let you out once you endure the hell you put me through."
Evanora snorted. "There is no chance of that happening. He is just a human now. I give him no more than a year, assuming we feed him."
"An appropriate punishment," Edgar said. "You always knew how to deal with people."
Gregory didn't miss that Evanora and Edgar were too familiar with each other.
"Who is she to you?" Gregory asked.
Evanora sneered. "Wouldn't you want to know?"
Edgar wanted to rub it in. "Eva is the reason why I collapsed the portals. I didn't want you to get your hands on her. She is mine and mine only."
Gregory's eyes flashed in understanding. "I would never take your soulmate."
"But you would go for her sisters, and that would make Eva hate me." Edgar looked at Evanora, and his expression softened. "I could endure centuries separated from Eva, but I couldn't last a day if she hated me."
Evanora was not in the mood to flirt. Gregory made her skin crawl, and she wanted to leave. "Why are you talking to this vile man? He kidnapped our daughter and grandkids."
Edgar's eyes widened as the whole world spun rapidly. "Daughter? Grandkids?"
Evanora smiled. "They are upstairs. Come, let me introduce you. Yasmin always wanted to know more about you…"
Gregory laughed manically. "You have a daughter, and she has kids? If I knew they were yours, I would take better care of them. Our kind is not doomed for failure!"
Evanora flicked her finger, and a wisp of white light shot straight into Gregory's mouth.
Gregory's mouth was still opening, but he couldn't form a sound. He was mute!
Evanora looked at Edgar. "That's better. Now, let's go while I can still control my temper."
"Yes, my dear. We have a lot of catching up to do," Edgar said and pulled her closer to him.
He chuckled when he saw her blushing.
