Dia frowned and looked at me before she reached out for me, and I bit back a small smile and took her into my lap again. "No crying, Mama," she said and patted my cheeks with a small pout on her face. "Stop tears."

I bit back a small chuckle and blinked back some more tears that wanted to fall before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "I am trying not to cry, Dia," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, and blinked some more tears. I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat some more while I looked at Avery.

Avery pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn't say a word while she stared at us and then looked toward the spot where her mother stood.

Michael cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Does Carter know?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I shook my head no while I pressed my lips into a thin line.

"It's... been suggested that he doesn't know either," I said and wiped my eyes a little before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "Well, at least, for right now."

"Why not?" Avery asked and folded her arms across her chest while she raised an eyebrow in question. She scowled and narrowed her eyes while she looked at me. "My mom is his first mate."

"But I am his true mate, Avery," I said before I sighed and shook my head, moving a hand through my hair and across my face. "Yes, we are each other's second chance mates, but we are each other's true mates."

Avery opened her mouth to say something before she closed it when Isen cleared his throat and patted the table to get her attention. She looked at Isen and narrowed her eyes but stayed silent with a scowl on her face.

"Do not start nor finish that sentence, Avery," he warned and narrowed his eyes further while he scowled.

"Isen," I warned both out loud and through our bond, but the Dryad didn't even look at me or give me any indication that he heard me.

Avery pressed her lips onto a thin line and stared at the Dryad. She didn't say a word while she looked at him, and I could tell that she wanted to but didn't.

The back door opened again, and we looked that way to see Sam by the door, taking off his boots and looking like shit with twigs and leaves stuck in his hair.

"Sam?" I asked and stood, shifting my daughter so that she was still in my arms. I pressed my lips into a thin line while I stared at him, worried about my cousin's friend.

Sam paused in taking off his boots and looked at us with wide eyes and a large gash on his head that was slowly healing. He didn't say a word while he blinked and looked at us before he looked at me again.

"Goddess, Sam, what happened?" I asked and handed my daughter off to Isen before I walked over to where Karen kept a first aid kit so that I could take care of his head wound. "Are you ok?"

Sam set his jaw and shrugged before he finished taking his boots off and stepped in with socks that had multiple holes in it. He didn't say a word while he closed the door behind him.

"Samuel," I said again before I walked over to him.

Sam shrugged and pressed his lips into a thin line before he cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "I have been better," he said and took some debris out of his hair. "Why?"

I shook my head and pressed my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word and gestured for him to sit down in the chair that Isen had pulled out for him.

Sam bit back a small sigh and shook his head before he sat down, not arguing with me because he knew that I wasn't going to allow him to. "Are you all ok?" he asked and looked around while he noticed that everyone looked grim. "What happened?" He looked at me again.

"We'll talk about it later," I said with a shake of my head and started to take care of his head wound. "What happened to you?"

"Well, there was a hiccup," Sam said and closed his eyes while I took care of his wound, "and I got thrown down a cliff."

"Thrown?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

Sam sighed and was about to shake his head but stopped when I growled. "Fine, I was tackled and fell down a cliff," he said.

"Does Jo know?" I asked and raised an eyebrow while I finished with his head before I patted his shoulder and walked over to the sink so that I could wash my hands.

"Well, she knows that I was asked to help out with the Associan group and was grumpy that she wasn't called to help, but she doesn't know about this," Sam said with a small shrug while he grimaced.

"And are you going to tell her?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"No, and please, do not tell her," Sam said before he shook his head. "She'll kill me."

I bit back a small scoff and rolled my eyes. "Did you tell her that you weren't going to get hurt?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yes," he confirmed with a nod. "I promised her that I wasn't going to get hurt and that I was going to keep on making sure that her cousin was safe."

I rolled my eyes and scowled before I finished washing my hands and dried them. "I am able to protect myself, Samuel," I said, earning a scoff from Isen. 'Shut. It.'

Sam frowned and narrowed his eyes while he looked between the two of us. "What is it?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "What happened to all of you?"

I bit back a small sigh, trying to decide if I should tell him that my sister was back or not.

"Go ahead," Alexia said softly, and I glanced at her from the corner of my eye before I looked at him again. "I don't think he will be able to do anything, and he does care about you."

I hesitated before I subtly nodded and licked my lips. "Ummm... my sister is back," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "She is back from the dead as a ghost."

"Really?" Sam asked and raised an eyebrow in question. He looked around the room before he looked at me again. "Where?" he asked and cocked his head while he studied me. "And why?"

"She is in the corner near the back wall," I said and nodded toward the corner where my sister stood with her arms across her chest, and he looked that way before he looked at me again with a blank look on his face.

He didn't say a word and slowly blinked while he looked at me, and I bit back a small sigh and shook my head.

"There is someone there, Samuel," I said, biting back a small sigh. I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "I can promise you that."

"Ok," he said before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He pulled another piece of branch out of his hair and wrinkled his nose. "Will she tell Jo?" he asked and looked that way before he looked at me.

I looked at my sister before I looked at him, biting back a small smile. "I don't think so," I said and shook my head. "I mean, I don't think Jo will be able to see her." I looked at my older sister, and my sister grimaced and shrugged.

"There is a chance that she will," she said. "When you two see each other again, we can test that out."

I bit the inside of my lip and cleared my throat. "Go ahead and take a shower, Sam," I said and gestured for him to leave the kitchen. "Aso, throw that stuff in the trash before you do so."

Sam bit back a small smirk and slowly nodded. "Yes, Mom," he teased and stood. He looked at Avery. "Do you see how she is bullying me?" he asked and raised an eyebrow, and Avery bit back a small smile and shrugged while she grimaced.

"Samuel," I warned and narrowed my eyes. I scowled and set my jaw while I stared at him, and he snickered and nodded before he did what I told him to do.

"Just make sure that no one comes in, please," he said and tossed the stuff into the trash before he started to walk to his room. "I don't want anyone to see me buttnaked."

"They won't be seeing anything though!" Isen exclaimed, and I couldn't help but bite a small snort. "So what are they going to be seeing?"

"Apparently nothing," Sam called out but not turning to look at us. "And I hope to keep it that way."

And with that, he didn't say another word and went to do what I told him to do while Isen barked out laughing.

Oh, Goddess, save me...