Passion Untamed (Feral Warriors #3)(87)

At that moment, Ezekiel opened the front door and stepped out onto the stoop wearing fresh, modern clothes, his hair clean and pulled back at his nape. As if he'd spruced up for company. Behind him stood the Shaman. A frisson of nervous excitement frayed the edges of Skye's calm. But as she accompanied the Ferals up the stairs, she felt their tension mount, and her own followed.

Ezekiel smiled at her and she went to him and kissed his cheek. "What you taught me saved the day."

"I'm glad, Skye. I'm glad. Now go on in. There's someone here who's anxious to see you."

She glanced at Paenther, who took her hand. Lyon and Tighe went through the door first. Not until Lyon nodded did Paenther lead her into the house.

Three people stood in the middle of the living room, a lovely woman with long dark hair, fine features, and tears filling her copper-ringed eyes flanked by two heavily armed Mage sentinels with looks of soft joy on their faces.

Skye stared at them, one after the other, shivers of sweet recognition fizzing beneath her skin. Her own eyes filled with tears as they found the woman and clung.

"Momma?" Her voice broke beneath the weight of her joy.

"Baby. My Skye." Her mother's voice fell on a sob. "It's really you." Skye rushed into her arms and was quickly enveloped in a group hug as the two sentinels, her beloved uncles, joined them. One by one, she looked into their eyes, seeing tears and love and warm, caring souls.

Her hands went to them, touching their faces, one after the other, unable to believe this was real. "Inir didn't get to you."

"No," her mother whispered. "I've dreamed of this day for forty-one years, baby. I never thought I'd see it."

"Me either." Skye laughed and turned to look at Paenther. "Did you do this?"

He smiled at her, a suspicious moisture in his eyes. "I'd love to take the credit, but this was Lyon's doing with the help of the Shaman and Ezekiel."

She hugged her mother, then pulled away to go to Lyon and place a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

The big Chief of the Ferals nodded, warmth lighting his amber eyes. "You're welcome, Skye. But I have to admit, this was more than a little self-serving. Ezekiel?"

As Paenther drew her back into his arms, Ezekiel explained.

"After you were here, I did some checking and discovered your enclave disappeared soon after the soul-stealing began. About half the strongholds did." He winked at her. "I may be a hermit, but I'm a well-connected hermit. I found your mother and contacted the Shaman."

Lyon nodded. "Those Mage who oppose Inir have had to go underground. We've agreed it's time to join forces as we did five millennia ago if we hope to defeat this evil. This wouldn't have happened without you, Skye. We'd forgotten, after hating for so many centuries, that there have always been good, honorable men and women of every race. Your purity of heart and spirit reminded me of that. Reminded us all. Trust won't come easily. It never does. But with you as the bridge between the races, I have every hope that it will come."

"Sometimes you just have to trust your heart," Paenther murmured against her hair. He pulled back and looked down at her, pride and love shining from his dark eyes. "And my heart is yours."