Edward POV
I push my food around on my plate. With Winston and Macy gone, I can't find it in me to care about myself. It has been a month, and I miss them both. Each day, it gets harder to get out of bed. The tattoo on my right arm is nothing but a reminder of what I have lost. Without them, I don't care about anything.
"Have you heard from your brother?" Mom asks quietly.
I don't bother to give her a real answer. Instead, I grunt and shake my head. She should have known better than to ask in the first place.
No one has heard from Winston since the day Macy was taken. I have reached out through the mind link but cannot find him. Either he has blocked me from speaking to him, or he has found his way to the Immortal Realm. I try not to let my jealousy consume me, thinking about him with Macy without me, but I made the choice to stay behind. It was the wrong choice, but it was mine.
Mom is doing her best to make me feel useful, but the truth is she didn't really need me here. My fathers have picked up the slack now that the Moon Goddess doesn't consume her. At least she isn't throwing females at me, trying to get me to find a substitute for Macy. There will never be anyone for me besides Macy. I would rather live alone for the rest of my miserable life.
"I heard from Mae this morning," Mom says from across the breakfast table. "Billy is healing, and they are fitting him with a prosthetic hand."
I roll my eyes at her. I don't give a fuck about Billy or his fucking hand or lack thereof. He deserved everything he got and more. If I ever see him again, I will probably kill him.
"Can you have a little bit of sympathy for your cousin?" Mom groans. "You disfigured him for life."
"I don't give a shit about Billy," I growl. "He touched what was mine."
"We have explained this over and over again," Father sighs. "He was likely under some sort of spell because of Macy's power. Unmated males tend not to be able to control themselves around Fae women."
"Why are you defending him?" I snap. "He burned her. ON PURPOSE!"
Father opens his mouth to speak but closes it quickly. He knows better than to argue with me; his black eye is the proof. Lucky for him, Mom cuts in.
She leans back in her chair and lays her hands over her large belly. "We should talk about Macy."
A growl immediately rumbles in my chest. I don't want to talk about Macy with her, not after everything that has happened. Mom doesn't seem to care about what I want, though.
"I don't need you here," she sighs. "The baby will be here soon. My enemies have been silenced. I should have never asked you and your brother to stay. It was not fair of me."
"You are telling me to hunt down my mate and my brother," I growl. "After I gave them up to stay with you because you said you couldn't do this without us."
"I think we can all agree your mother was not in her right mind," Dad cuts in. "She is trying to make up for it now."
I throw my hands in the air and laugh at the sheer audacity of it all. "So, just like that, you don't need me anymore?"
"Be fair, Edward. That is not what I said," she groans.
"Then what did you say?" I snarl. "Thank you for ruining your life, but your services are no longer needed."
"Watch your tone when you speak to your mother," Dad snarls back.
"Or what?" I shout. "Are you really going to fight me? We both know you will lose."
"Edward," Mom shuffles to her feet. "We are trying to make things right. I do not want us to part on bad terms."
"So, you are kicking me out," I hiss.
"For fuck's sake," Father moans. "Just accept our fucking apology. We are trying to make things right. No one understands what it means to be with your fated mate more than we do. We want nothing more than for you to be happy."
"Fine," I spit. "I will pack my things."
"You won't be able to take anything with you through the portal," Mom whispers. "Only what you have on you. I want you to take this and give it to Macy when you see her again."
She pulls her diamond ring off her finger and hands it to me. It has been on her hand for as long as I can remember. When my fathers finally accepted each other, they bought her a ring to signify the completion of their bond. This ring means so much to her. I can't understand why she would want to give it to Macy.
"Why?" I whisper.
"This ring was given to me when our bond was complete," she tells me. "I hope that it means the same for you."
"I don't know what to say," I admit. I am oddly touched by her gesture. It makes me feel like she really wants to make amends.
"Just don't be a stranger," she says as tears spring to her eyes. "Come back to visit."
"I don't think the Moon Goddess will like that," I whisper. "We have pissed her off."
"Leave her to me," Mom growls. "I would like to meet with King Cassian to reopen the portal between our realms. When the time is right."
"You would disobey your Goddess?" I laugh.
"If it means seeing my grandchildren," she replies.
Her bottom lip starts to quiver, and I know she will break down if I stay here any longer. I kiss her on the forehead and rush out of the dining room.
"Edward," she calls after me. "Tell Winston I am sorry, and I love him."
I am at risk of crying myself if I try to speak to her. I nod to her, and my fathers and I leave. There is no reason to pack if I can't take anything with me, so I safely tuck the ring in my pocket and head for my truck. Pulling out of the main gate, I look in the review mirror and say goodbye to the only home I have ever known.