The moment their hands touched me, I felt their exquisite powers as one. It was awkward to have the Fates here, considering how much I'd fought against my destiny, but it seemed as if my entire life had been driving me to this one moment in time.

"You'll face your past, and become your future," one said, her eyes vacant as she placed her hands over my eyes. I was no longer in the pools, but instead I was with my adoptive parents. I watched as they accepted me with loving arms.

They had accepted me, knowing what I was.

And then I was the scared child, who watched as they were slaughtered by Faolan. I didn't feel the pain which had been with me since the day it happened; instead, I felt sadness for them, and I was grateful for all that they had sacrificed. No longer was there a blackness of hatred either, but instead there was a lightness to it, which I am sure had to do with the beast. If this event hadn't happened, I probably wouldn't have found him.

I was shown my life through their eyes, and in it, I was always strong and proud. Even when others had thought me weak, I'd stood my ground and never wavered. I did what had been expected of me, and never questioned why until I was told to breach the Dark Prince's tower to retrieve his crown, which I now knew to be a useless piece of silver.

I watched as Ryder ran his hand over my flesh and then watched us, his hand touching me. His Fae magic hadn't been what made me react to his touch that day he'd found me in his tower. From the first touch, we'd sealed our fates. The connection had sparked, and we did as we'd been meant to. It was destiny, calling, pulling, beguiling, and tantalizing me. I'd hated myself for responding to him and for being unable to deny him, but I'd never had a choice-we'd never had a choice.

The attraction had been there, and both of us were unable to deny it. He hated it as much as I had, and it's shown in the shock on his face as I push through his magic and deny his touch. From the moment he'd entered my apartment and we'd ended up with me naked on the floor, and him hovering above me, it had been fate. Every move that had brought us to this moment in time had been preplanned.

His club and my need to get away from him...I'd been terrified of these feelings, and I'd run, only to have my friends talk me back inside. Larissa, she was there, always the voice of reason and I wouldn't have him if I hadn't listened to her; she'd always been the smart one.

The Wild Hunt, and his intentions, which he'd brazenly laid out for me, before the hunt and after he'd caught me. I'd known I wanted him before the hunt, and I didn't really try to get away; I expected just enough of an effort for him to chase me. I'd needed the decision to be taken away from me, and I'd needed to have him. We'd both needed it, and in a way, it broke one of the barriers that stood between us.

I watched as he overpowered me with his need, and the way he kissed me, both in the vision left me boneless and panting for his hungry mouth. I watched as he listened to his men outside, and then grew hard and angry as he made a choice for his people, even hating it as he took me back to the mansion as his prisoner. He had to be King of his people, and they had to come before his pleasure.

Then I was there with Ristan, and he was kissing me, feeding me power as my body had been weakened from iron poisoning. I watched as he kissed me, and then smiled as he watched me leave him. He'd known I would do the right thing; he'd had faith in the woman I'd been.

I watched as we moved to Ryder's engagement party, and his actions as he mirrored mine, itching for me to move so he could touch me. He hadn't even planned on hurting me; he had just wanted to touch me right up until Zahruk had stabbed me.

I felt his pain as he looked to where the dagger had protruded from my chest, the hopelessness he'd felt as he sifted me to Eliran. His anger as the Guild took me from him and left him helpless but to wait until I could heal so he could claim me again.

And then I watched as Joseph waited for me and everything he'd done to Larissa during that time. This part I could have lived without, but I understood it was a piece of who I was, and the person I was now becoming. I watched as he cut her open again, and then Ristan was there, pulling me into his arms and sifting me to safety. I'd begged him to save her, but I could see what he could see now, her soul wasn't there. She'd already left her body and departed the living world for the other.

Then I was inside my head, and Ryder was there again. He'd brought me back when no one else could have. Danu might have had a plan, but she couldn't have seen us as this, as a unity of one who worked well together. She'd had no guarantee that we would end up together, since all she could was push us in the right way without interfering directly.

I was shown my entire life up until the moment I died. It had been a turbulent ride, but I was still here. I heard the Fates as they whispered behind me, and I as I turned toward them, they spoke.

"For one so young, you've seen a lot," they whispered, and one narrowed her eyes on me.

"She's pure of heart and her soul is perfect for the change. What is done is done, and so you shall stay as you are. You have been blessed, and we will take your story to those who shall seek to argue against you becoming a Goddess. One pure of deed, whose heart is true normally cannot be challenged; however there are those that may try. Blessed be, Synthia."

They talked through each other. As if together, they were one. Three pairs of hands grasped me at the same time and then my vision was blinded with light, and I was pushed into the water.

When I popped back up, it was to them scrubbing me like a naughty child who'd played in the mud. One used a sponge, which washed over my skin like sandpaper; another washed my hair until it slid over my flesh as the softest silk. The third snapped her fingers and the most beautiful dress appeared in her arms.

Danu watched it silently, her hands filled with golden jewels as pride filled her pose. "It's not every day a Goddess is born, Synthia; enjoy it now, for you will not remember meeting them, once they've gone."

"Is that true?" I asked the Fates, who nodded as one with an impish look in their eyes.

"We will remember you, and you will be watched closely for the first century of your new life, but no; you won't remember us, for we must know if you are truly worthy of this gift Danu has bestowed upon you."

I was helped to stand, naked, in front of an oval shaped, full-length mirror. I looked at my naked form, noting my body was slim, and showed no signs of having carried the triplets. My eyes were once again the azure blue they'd been before I'd become Fae. My hair was longer, but not by much. "May I ask you a question?" I looked at the tallest, and watched her as she looked right through me.

"You may, but you will not like our answer."

I had to try. "If you can see, and know everyone's fates, can you-"

I was silenced, unable to get the next word out.

"No; it's not our place to speak of the future. Changing it by saying too much can cause destruction and devastation," they said.

I deflated a bit and I felt the cool whisper sensation as a dress vanished from one of the Fate's arms and reappeared on my body. The creamy-white dress was made of the finest silk, and was fashioned in the way I had always seen Greek Goddesses depicted. Gold trim was wrapped high on the slim waistline, forming a beautiful, intricate belt.

Next came jewels of the same gold; cuffs went around my biceps as earrings were placed in my ears. My neck was left bare, but my wrists were dressed in thirty or more slim bracelets that fully covered my wrists. The nearest Fate, twirled her fingers and my hair braided and then piled atop my head as thin bands of gold laced through it.

"She's ready," they said as one looked down at my naked feet. She wiggled her nose and I looked down to find golden sandals with laces that twirled up to my thighs in a beautiful pattern. "Danu, now she's ready to meet her people."

Chapter Thirteen.

I stood worriedly in a room alone as Adam went to find my parents. Ryder walked in, causing me to lift my eyes to meet his. "Has he found them?" I asked softly.

"Adam found Liam, who is taking him to your father," he confirmed as he walked over and kissed me softly. "You sure you don't want the babies here to lessen the blow?"

"You think our children will lessen the blow that Danu hijacked an egg and created a child that Madisyn carried thinking it was her own?" I asked as I lifted a brow at him. "I'm pretty sure nothing will make anything I say easier on her."

"Gods, you're so sassy for a newborn." He smiled cockily. I heard noise outside the door and prepared myself for what was coming.

Madisyn was dressed in black, which confirmed our suspicion that they thought I was dead. They hadn't noticed me yet; their eyes were on Ryder, who had blocked me from their view, even though he was in his Fae form.

"You bastard," Lasair whispered brokenly and moved forward. Liam stopped him and held him back. "He killed my daughter!" he shouted angrily.

I started to interrupt them, but Adam closed the door from the outside, locking myself, Ryder, my parents, and my brother inside. Madisyn held a small dagger in her hand, and I paused in shock. "Mother!" I shouted as she turned to Ryder.

Her hand froze. She held the dagger that she'd once tried to give me to kill the Horde King. Her eyes filled with tears as Lasair stepped closer with his eyes scanning me carefully. "What is this?" he demanded.

"It's me," I said and moved to him but felt a sting of rejection as he pulled the arm away that I'd tried to grab. "Listen to me, I'm Sorcha. I was killed, but that was Faolan and the Mages' doing, not Ryder's. That's why we have no bond," I said, repeating what Danu had told me to. It wasn't an easy thing to explain, but I had to explain it on a level that they would understand and be able to accept.

"I need you to listen, and I need you to keep an open mind, please. This won't be easy for you to understand, but I can prove it. I am not Madisyn's daughter. Not technically. Danu is my mother."

Liam, Madisyn, and Lasair all snorted and turned on Ryder.

"She replaced her egg with Madisyn's! You could feel the bond, Lasair, because you are my father," I shouted, pulling their attention back to me.

"Impossible," Liam sneered.

"Is it? Danu's a Goddess, and a very powerful one, too. She needed a way to heal this world without directly interfering."

"Why would she use me?" Madisyn asked.

"Because you'd send me away to protect me, and she knew it. You and Lasair did what she planned, Madisyn. You sent me to the Humans to protect me and I learned from them. I learned things that I couldn't in this world. She knew Lasair was the right father with the right bloodline, and that you were the perfect surrogate mother for me. I am who I am because of what you did. I don't think anyone else would have been strong enough to do what you and Lasair did. You sent your Fae daughter to the mortal realm, where she learned to love and be compassionate. I'm strong because of what I've been through, and I needed to be. I needed to be exactly who your choices have made me become. She's a Goddess, and while sometimes I find her extremely weird, and not always loving, she was right in this. I'm glad she gave me to you, and I hope you are glad to have me as your daughter as well."

"Synthia," Madisyn said as she embraced me tightly. "I thought we lost you again," she cried against my ear as she held me tightly against her slightly smaller frame. "I'm honored that Danu chose me, and I'm glad she kept the knowledge to herself of your parentage. If she hadn't, and I'd known who you really were, a daughter of the great Goddess, I'd have kept you. I'd have done everything differently for fear she'd be angered and seek retribution for handing her daughter over to the Humans."

"I think she knew that," I whispered as I hugged her back. I felt a weight lift off my chest as the secret was finally exposed and the knowledge that it hadn't crushed Madisyn and her gentle heart was a relief. "I need to explain what is going to happen, and I need your help. I also need you to keep my secret."

"Mother, get away from her," Liam snapped as he watched me as if I was a viper. "She lies."

"Give me your hand, Liam," I said when he continued to glower at me. I held out my hand to him and moved closer.

"You can't be her," he said with an angry sneer. "It's impossible, only those born from the Gods and Goddess can become them, and you're half Fae."

I didn't wait for his permission; instead I gripped his hand and showed him what had happened to me in the last few hours. When I was done, he stepped back and gawked at me. I'd shown him what our brother had done, and I'd included how I'd almost been raped by Faolan, and how he'd help to hold me down for my children to be removed-and I made sure to include Danu, and her instructions of what I'd become and how.

"Faolan is lost to us, then," he whispered as he pulled me against his chest and surprised me with a bone crushing hug. "I'll kill him myself for what he's done to you and our family."

"No, not yet, Liam," I whispered with a reassuring smile. "He's a big part of this, and yes, he helped them kill me as they tried to steal my babies..."

"Babies! Oh gosh, I almost forgot about them," Madisyn whispered with huge eyes. "Oh," she said softly as she deflated. She eyed Lasair, who just watched her.

"It's true that he tried to kill me and steal the babes, but they are fine for now. I need you all to keep my secret until we face the Mages. They cannot know I was reborn a Goddess. Liam, you will become the new Blood Heir. You are the strongest of the Blood Fae right now according to Danu, and you're her choice for the Heir. I fear if the knowledge of it gets to Faolan he will change his game and come after you. He's no longer the child you once knew; he's cold and calculating. In his mind, he believes that the Mages can change who the Heir is, and I'm not actually sure if they can or not, or if it's just how they are keeping him on their side of the fight. He is bringing them everything about our defenses, and he can get around Faery to places they can't get into, but they will soon if he keeps feeding them information."

"We can do that, and will support your husband. I do hope he has made you his Queen for supplying him heirs," Lasair said as he stood to his full height.

"He asked; I said no," I spit out as I continued on, but when Lasair guffawed with laughter at Ryder's expense, I held my breath as I watched his eyes slip from gold to black. "I should explain that better," I said out loud. "He was there when I died, and it was a shock. I died less than a day ago and it was just too soon. I want him forever, and he knows it. I also want him to ask me when the time is right. I know it sounds selfish, but when he does ask me, I want it to be him and not the grief asking me."

"Smart girl," Liam said with a mischievous smile on his lips. "Make him work for it," he finished with a roguish wink.

"Madisyn, I have something to ask of you," I said as someone knocked on the door.

"Yes?" she asked and I could see she was internally struggling with what I'd just told her.

"Danu is my mother, but she can't interfere or help me to physically protect my children. I am a part of her, but you, you're my mother. Or at least I hope you still consider me as your daughter. You've held me in your heart and even though I'm not of your blood, I was hoping you'd still be my mother."

"Oh. Of course," she wiped at her eyes and hugged me again, and I smiled at her effort to hide the emotion.

"My children need a grandmother who can interfere and be there when they need them. One who can show them love and help us to direct them on the right path. I have no idea what it means to raise a child, and I have three of them now."

"Three?" she asked, pulling back to look at me.

"Two boys and a girl," I smiled at her bewildered look.

"That's unheard of!" She gasped and then smiled. "Lasair, we have three more grandchildren!"

Lasair didn't share in the joy. I could see him calculating the chances of all three being accepted by the land.

"That's another thing," I said as I read his mind accidentally. "We have to unite the Fae to help us take our babies to the Tree, and Danu will need to draw on all of your powers to bless them and, if they survive, they should begin the healing process for other babies in this world, and also help to heal the damage the Mages and Faolan have done."

"You have my oath as your father and as the Blood King that we will do whatever is needed to save our grandchildren, and that Faolan is forever banned from my Kingdom."

"There's one more thing I need to ask you about," I said softly.

"Yes?" Lasair asked.

"Cailean, why does he still protect me?" I asked wanting to know exactly what part this man had played in my life.

"Cailean was part of Faolan's guard before he brought you to us; however he has not been seen since you left the Blood Kingdom so he was not able to be reassigned. If he has been protecting you, you will have to ask him. What I can tell you is that he is devoted to you; that much was apparent when he brought you back to us, and he is the type of man who'd willingly lay down his life to protect those he chooses to guard."

"He almost did; he was there fighting for me when Faolan and the Mages tried cutting me open to take my babies. I want him; I want him to protect my children as fiercely as he fought for me. He should be rewarded for what he has done and I'd like your permission to give it to him."

"You really are a Queen," Madisyn said softly. "He is yours; may he protect your children as fiercely as he protected my daughter."

The knock sounded again and this time the door opened and Ristan stuck his head inside. "It's time for the Blood King and Queen to take their places, so we can begin the proceedings."

"Thank you, Ristan," I said as I smiled at my parents. Danu may be my actual mother, but Madisyn had grieved for my loss and had done what only a true mother could have. She sacrificed me for the greater good, and she'd taken my loss to heart. She loved me, and I could feel it.

Chapter Fourteen.

Ryder had taken his Horde King form and was seated on his throne as the assembly watched him. It was as if they looked for a sign of weakness, which was common with the Fae, but it upset me that we had deal with treachery on a daily basis from his own people.

Like Claire.

She was seated in the front as if she was a guest of honor. I watched, cloaked in invisibility glamour, as she smiled seductively at Ryder. The woman had absolutely no brains. If I'd faced the Horde King after trying to kill his offspring, I'd be suspicious of why he'd invited me to the presentation of his children.

Not her; she wore a bright red dress which barely contained her breasts, and was smiling at Ryder, who was ignoring her. The old adage of wearing a red dress to a funeral popped into my mind and I wondered if she thought that she could just sex Ryder up and he would forget about what she had done. Zahruk was at Ryder's side, as was custom as Ryder's second-in-command, and the crowd was growing restless as they waited to see what was going to happen.

I looked around the crowd from my vantage point, and spotted the Dark King and Queen, along with Adam and his brothers and sister, all seated in the front row, right beside my own family. The Light King and Queen were seated on the other side, with some of their own offspring in attendance as well. Ciara was beside them, with a few of Ryder's own family, including his mother, who was mentally unaware of what was going on. I was planning on getting through to her, and had asked Ryder to bring her out of the pavilion for this. She needed to see us, and it was time she came back from where she was hidden inside her mind. She'd been seated at the far end of the aisle, in case something set her off; so that Aodhan could easily get her out if he needed to.

Alannah, Ristan's mother, had come as well. I figured she was here for the show, and while Ryder didn't really trust her, I knew Ristan would stop her if she tried anything. She had wanted revenge on Alazander in the worst way for too many years and, to me, had seemed content with his demise and appeared to understand that Ryder was not the monster that his father had been; he was his own man, and a better one at that. He fought for his people, not against them.

The babies would be presented to the world soon enough, and I feared it. They were so tiny and defenseless. These were creatures that would use them for gain, and an example would have to be made. It was a slippery slope we were climbing right now as the Fae tended to prize ambition and 'stacking the deck in their favor,' however the actions of a few went beyond ambition and we would have to show them that any attempts to harm our children would be punishable by death.

I watched as Ryder stood and called Claire to the throne. She smiled and swayed her hips seductively.

"Claire, you were a part in actions that have led me to believe you would do anything to have what you want. What do you have to say for yourself?" Ryder's voice echoed through the entire hall.

I'd thought her treachery was just for me, but it went beyond it to my children. She wasn't just insane, she was delusional. While I had been with Danu, Claire had been treated to one of Ryder's little nap sessions and would never remember the interrogation she had gone through with Ryder and Zahruk. Just as Ryder had done not too long ago with me, he and Zahruk had gone rummaging around in her mind so she was fully unaware that her dreams and plans of treachery had been ferreted out and documented. She now held no secrets, and she had no clue of it.

"I'm a woman who desires you, yes, my King," she said saucily. I could only see her back, but even I could tell from the smacking of her lips that she was laying the lust on thick.

"Is that all?" Ryder asked with his body held stiffly, unmoved by her declaration.

"I've served you well, many times, and plan to do so now that the Blood Princess is no longer in attendance to serve my liege's many needs. I'll even watch over your children and love them as my own," Claire continued.