All Chapters of The Fierce Little Thing And Her Five Mates: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

LayahI slept for only a few hours before it was my turn to keep watch. The night air was cool, the forest humming with a quiet rhythm of leaves rustling and insects whispering in the underbrush. The soft chorus of the wilderness offered a small reprieve, grounding me in something ancient, something steady. It was familiar, this forest. I’d walked its edges in another life, before the council, before the resistance, before the marks on my soul. But something was different now. Not out there...in me. I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders, my fingers brushing the edge of Kai’s scent-woven gift. Gods, I missed him already. Missed his warmth, his steady presence, his quiet strength. The way he saw me, even when I couldn’t quite see myself."Thinking of me?"His voice drifted softly through the bond, like a feather brushing against my thoughts."Always." I answered, letting the truth bleed into the words. The bond pulsed with quiet joy, and I could almost feel the curve of his l

Dylan lunged for me, but I was already half underwater, kicking up a splash like a water sprite in full retreat. He chased me with all the grace of a soaked dragon, shouting something about “revenge” and “dignity,” which only made me cackle louder as I dodged his flailing arms. For a moment, just one stupidly beautiful moment, it was easy to forget the war, the weight on my shoulders, the terrifying power crackling under my skin. I was just me, with a boy I loved, in a river that smelled like moss and morning. Then I felt it again. A ripple along the thread I didn’t want to acknowledge. I paused mid-splash, my senses sharpening like a blade. My gaze lifted slowly to the treeline and there he was. Elijah. Half in shadow, half lit by morning gold, standing so fucking still he could’ve been carved from stone. Just watching. Watching me. My back straightened. A slow burn crept beneath my skin, not the good kind like when Dylan touched me, but the kind that made me want to snap necks and s

LayahWe walked for another full day, well, almost. The sun had just started to dip when I called it. Getting closer to the water meant that the air was growing colder, sharp with the bite of sea salt and magic, and while that was no problem for Dylan, who basically radiated heat like a damn bonfire, the rest of us weren’t built the same. Shivering bodies and chattering teeth didn’t make for a well-rested group. I found the warehouse by accident, tucked at the far edge of a long-abandoned human town, half-buried under creeping ivy and weather-worn signs. It was ugly, skeletal, a rusted thing long past its prime, but it had four walls and a roof, which made it the most luxurious spot we'd seen in days. The windows were shattered, but the beams were solid, and the old concrete floor was smooth enough to sleep on with a few blankets thrown down. Not ideal, but it would do. Dylan and I split off to hunt while the others stayed behind to prepare camp. He kept close, brushing his hand again

LayahWarmth. That was the first thing I registered, heat pooled at my back, a steady thrum of calm through the bond, like sun on stone. Dylan. Of course it was Dylan. His magic hummed around me like a heartbeat, grounded and slow, content in a way that made my own chest loosen. Then came the second tether. Sharper. Quieter. A thread of ice that wasn’t cold, just… still. Controlled. Elijah. I didn’t even have to open my eyes to know he was nearby. He burned differently, like moonlight pressed into shadow, always on the edge of disappearing but never quite gone. But he was here. And he was… steady. For the first time since I’d met him, the storm inside him had eased. I blinked awake slowly, the faded warehouse ceiling coming into focus above me. Dylan shifted behind me, his arm draped loosely around my waist, and I smiled as I felt his nose press into my hair.“Mm,” he murmured sleepily. “You’re warm again.”“You’re a furnace,” I whispered back.His chuckle rumbled through my spine, lo

JeramiahShe was unconscious in my arms, but I’d never seen anyone look so alive. Her skin still shimmered faintly with the aftermath of battle, with the echo of magic that clung to her like a second skin. It pulsed against mine, not just power, but soul. And when I looked at her, I didn’t see an enemy. I didn’t even see a stranger. I saw mine. I swam toward the drop-off, where the trench curved downward into the ancient abyss that hid our sanctum. Cold currents kissed my skin. The fortress lights flickered below, blue and soft and distant and then I froze. She wouldn’t survive it. Not the pressure. Not the water. Not the depth. She wasn’t built for the sea. Not yet. My heart pounded once, deep and decisive. I stared down at her face, relaxed now, lips parted, lashes dusting high cheekbones. She didn’t even know she was his yet. Didn’t know her soul had sung back when mine had called. But sirens knew their mates the way the ocean knew the moon and when a siren marked their mate… their