CHAPTER TEN
A few hours later, Jade received the call. Galan was on his way back to Haven with the Highborne law books. There had been no trouble and nothing about my situation came into the conversation. Spirits lifted at the thought I might once again be able to count on my brother, I left Samuel to receive the books and sought out Elora to thank her for the baking.
When I arrived in the receiving area outside Jade’s kitchen, Elora sat engrossed in a book.
“What are you reading?” She jumped and let out a little yelp of surprise. “Apologies, I never meant to startle you.”
Elora laughed. “No apology necessary, my attention was definitely elsewhere.”
I looked at the black lace bra flung over the lampshade on the cover of the book and smiled. “30 days. What is it about?”
She swept a loose bit of hair out of her eyes and behind her flushed ears. “Lexi gave it to me and insisted I read it. It is about a girl whose husband passed to the After and the sexual adventures he left her to explore once she was ready to move forward. It is from the Human Realm but it seems the loss of love translates to any race and any realm.”
“I know naught of the Human Realm but a love like yours and Cameron’s shall forever stand as the perfect example. Even if it failed to last a lifetime, you were blessed to share what time you did.”
She nodded and handed me the book. “Your age of eligibility is newly upon you. I remember the excitement of it. How badly I wanted to know about males, their bodies, my body and all the adventures in store. It must be even more confusing for you, living in a new place with so many males of different races to consider. Take it.”
“But Lexi meant it for you.”
“I have read it.” She winked and refused to take it back. “Three times over. Allow your imagination to wander, child. Consider what sexual adventures you might like to have. And if you ever need to talk or ask questions, I shall be here.”
I Flashed to the Dens with Kobi and Cowboy as my escorts and Elora’s book tucked in my bag. Was I ready for sexual adventure? As a female Highborne, it was my privilege to call for males to tend to me. Pleasuring a female was an honor to males and would be a welcome invitation.
At least in our village.
I wondered how the customs in the Realm of the Fair differed. Did I have it in me to proposition a male? I eyed the two males close at hand. Kobi, lanky and dark. With his piercings and the black outline of his dark eyes, he was exotic and dangerous. Cowboy, broadly muscled and blond. His charm and humor warmed my heart. Both attractive in their own way. Both highly regarded by females if their banter was to be believed.
“Lia, sweetheart, see anything you like?” Cowboy’s drawl stretched out the words as his smile widened. He was teasing me. He caught me blatantly staring at his body and was teasing me.
“Apologies. I, uh.” I glanced around. “Oh, we are here.”
The main entrance to the Dens was located in a jagged rise of Haven Mountain, a few hundred feet above the level of the castle and Jade’s home. The doors were not visible from a distance, inset and hidden in the shadowed contours of the rock formation. What was visible from the Academy grounds was the wide, flat ledge winding around from the east-facing entrance.
Encompassing almost the entire circumference of the peak, this ledge was the only access point into the royal home of the Alpha Were and his charges. Heavily guarded by Were-males, technology and magic, the plateau was the farthest point of access for Bruin’s home by Flashing or climbing.
On the first day of my stay there, Samuel explained how he and Julian worked their collective magic on the extensive network of caves burrowing into the mountainside. The security had to be impenetrable before Bruin would consider allowing Mika to move in. Between Samuel’s powerful enchantments and Julian’s prowess with all things technological, the Dens was an impenetrable fortress.
“Honey, we’re home.” Cowboy’s lazy drawl echoed off the rock face as we rematerialized outside the main doors.
According to Mika’s Eduda, Grandfather Hawk, the main entrance faced east to welcome the rising sun for good fortune. And as the platform wrapped around the peak in varying widths, he and Mika created small vignettes of interest connected by gardens all the way around.
The plateau at the entrance was bare, for security purposes, but as you wound your way south, they had an herb garden, then a prayer and meditation landing facing the west and then an area with a gazebo and hanging gardens near the north vista. Samuel and I strolled the whole path two nights past and it took us over an hour to reach the end and return.
As my escorts and I rematerialized, Bruin stepped away from his conversation with two Were guards and met us as we approached the main doors. Bruin kissed the top of my head and held out a fist to bump knuckles with his friends. “Wolf, Demon, you boys want a drink?”
“Can’t,” Kobi said. “We’re on rotation tonight. Just making a special delivery before we take off.”
Cowboy pulled out a small, red package from the pocket of the plaid shirt he wore loose over his white muscle shirt. He removed two cigarettes and handed one to his Demon friend.
Bruin frowned. “I wish you guys would give that shit up. It’s gonna rot your insides.”
Kobi laughed, propped the cigarette in his mouth and held up his index finger. A flame burst from the tip of his finger and he lit his vice before letting Cowboy do the same. “Lost cause, Bear. Demons are rotten to the core.”
“True, d’at,” Cowboy tipped the rim of his hat and jogged to the door, exhaling a sweet-smelling cloud of smoke as he left. “Give me ten to shower up and grab my gear.”
Kobi turned back to Bruin. “Hey Bear, you got a minute?”
“Sure, whassup?”
Kobi tilted his head to the side and walked the two of them to the rail at the far edge of the plateau. With heads close, they spoke in hushed tones. It was far enough for privacy from the lion guards but, where the Were sense of smell was superior to an Elf’s, my hearing was far too acute not to overhear.
In an attempt not to be rude, I focused my attentions on the scenery below: the trees blooming with April life almost obscured the roof of Jade’s manse and the Academy grounds beyond. I walked along the rail, watching the sun sink low in the sky, shivering as it took the warmth of the day with it.
Moments later Bruin’s phone went off. “Yes, she’s here, Samuel.” Bruin winked at me. “They’re here too . . . Okay, I will . . . Later.” Sliding the device into the pocket of his ripped jeans he chuckled.
“What did Merlin want?” Kobi asked, exhaling a stream of smoke.
“He was supposed to get a call-back saying Lia arrived.”
Kobi exhaled. “Like the Wolf and I were going to leave her in the forest somewhere and forget to bring her home? Gimme a fucking break.”
I shivered as a gust of wind lifted my hair and swirled up my skirts. Though spring was upon us, the wind still blew cool. Instantly, a fitted hide jacket dyed the most perfect plum wrapped around me. The gray fur lining rubbed against my chin as soft as Faolan’s underbelly. “Gratitude, Bruin. It is beautiful, but you need not fuss. I am well enough.”
The Bear-King strode over and eased my hair out from the furred collar, letting it fall to my back. “Castian appointed Samuel your guardian, but you’re my family now. I gottcha, little sista.”
The soft, rhythmic chuffing of wood being planed around the plateau caught my attention. “If the two of you will excuse me, I would like to spend some time in the butterfly garden watching Grandfather Hawk work.”
The evening before, Grandfather explained the Native beliefs surrounding butterflies. If I were to capture a butterfly, make a wish and release the creature, it would carry my wish to the ears of the Great Spirit. What would I wish to be different? So many things.
Bruin gestured for one of the lions to follow.
I knew enough not to argue about the security. Other than inside the locked doors of Jade’s home, the Dens or the Fae palace, I had been escorted by one hulking warrior or another every moment since Abaddon made his appearance. Like it or not, anonymity was a luxury the lost heir to the Queen’s throne would never enjoy again. Rubbing the center of my chest, I headed around the side of the plateau.
Mika and a feline female were working amongst the second perennial garden along the path. When Bruin’s mate saw us come around the bend, she straightened and tossed her chestnut braid behind her back. “Hey Lia, how’d your day at Jade’s go?” She winced as she arched her back and stretched from side to side.
“It went well.” I knelt on the stone wall bordering the plants and gathered her cuttings. “Samuel and Galan are working through the Highborne laws to determine what weight Abaddon’s claim holds.”
“Really?” she said, brushing off her khaki pants. “The two of them in the same room? So, who’s there to break it up when they start killing each other?”
I rubbed my hands together to dislodge a dusting of dirt and stuffed them into the pockets of my new jacket. “Reign arrived before I left, presumably to get an update on the research. More than likely he was inserting himself into the situation.”
“Smart man.”
I brushed my cheek to bring her attention to the dirt smudge on her own.
“So, what’s next?” She asked, pulling off her gardening glove to clean her cheek.
“Samuel said we would hit the books early tomorrow until he had to go to the castle mid-morning. He is performing a mock duel for the fifth-year wizarding students. Did you know this class of Academy students is considered some of the strongest wizarding stock in three centuries? The things they can do are incredible.”
“A mock duel sounds fun. Who’s he going up against?’
“Another Talon wizard. An attractive Asian woman who has been filling in now and then in Samuel’s absence since the explosion.”
Mika’s smile grew stiff. “An Asian Talon who wields magic? Did you catch her name?”
I shook my head. “I saw her practicing but did not wish to disturb her. Very talented. She moves with Elven grace and uses two bone-white sticks instead of a wand.”
Mika cast a glance back toward the main plateau giving off a low growl, deep in her chest and the unmistakable sulphur scent of anger. “That would be Katsu. I hadn’t heard she was teaching at Haven.”
Taking the basket from my hands, she pushed it toward the blonde feline at her side. “Lia, this is Ceri, the newest addition to our little family. I don’t think you met her at breakfast.”
I greeted the female, wondering if I should apologize to Mika for whatever I did to anger her or mayhap I should apologize to Ceri for waking the cubs last night. “Merry meet, Puma. What a blessing you shall be to your Alpha and Ursa.”
“It’s my honor,” she said.
Mika moved us further around the path to where her grandfather, G-pa Hawk—as Cowboy and the other Weres called him—was working on the second of three totems he designed to watch over their new home.
My step froze mid-movement when I saw who was watching him. The weeping girl from the forest tree lay on one of the reflection benches, her leg swinging.
Hawk extended his clasped hands along the log in a long smooth stroke. Curls of wood leaped from his drawknife and landed beside his fringed moccasins. When he caught sight of us, he straightened and flipped his wiry gray braid to his back just as his granddaughter did. “A man is blessed by the spirits to share the company of one beautiful lady. What have I done to deserve the attention of three?”
Mika giggled and kissed his forehead. “You’re such a flirt, Eduda.”
I chuckled, tightening my collar as an icy gust invaded our circle. “You mean four, Grandfather.” I strode over to the girl and sat next to her when she sat up. “It is nice to see you again. Apologies, I do not recall your name? You are . .?”
The girl stared from behind shaggy brown bangs, her turquoise eyes fixed and focused. You can really see me? Hear me?
“Yes, of course. Are you well? We met before, remember. You helped me phone for aid.”
Only the buzz of bees could be heard in the silence which descended. Looking to the raised brows and blank faces surrounding me, I wondered if someone said something and I failed to respond? My ears warmed to their peaks.
Grandfather Hawk’s weathered face broke into a wrinkly, copper grin. “You see my spirit guest. I have long sensed her but cannot see or communicate with her myself.”
“Spirit guest?” Mika said, her voice tight. “You didn’t say anything to me about us hosting spirits here in the Dens.”
Grandfather lifted a hunched shoulder and blew a puff of sawdust from the muzzle of the bear he was carving. The fresh earthy spice of red cedar bloomed in the air. “She is a gentle soul, merely keeping an old man company while he putters in the yard. I would like to know her name, though, as I cannot address her properly when she does visit me.”
Mika stood behind her grandfather, her hand squeezing his shoulder. “Yes. I’d like to know who she is too.”
The girl seemed as perplexed by the whole interaction as I. How was I able to see her when no one else could? “Who are you, my friend?” When she gave me her name I repeated it for the group. “Her name is Gemma Arthfael.”
“I’m sorry, who?” The warm bronze of Mika’s indigenous heritage drained from her cheeks. She leaned past the elderberry bush and the liquid in her belly splashed to the soil. Ceri rushed to her Ursa and pulled her hair back.
Just as her knees buckled, Bruin materialized and gathered her to his chest. Cowboy and Kobi Flashed in right behind him, daggers drawn, eyes sharp.
Bruin scooped his mate into his arms, leveling a harsh glare over the group. His usually turquoise eyes flecked gold, becoming more amber by the second. “What happened? Mika’s emotions flipped off the charts.”
All eyes turned to me.
Bruin lowered his gaze. “Lia girl? What did I miss?”
“I’m fine,” Mika said, scissoring her legs. With her protestation, Bruin had no choice but to set her down. Even still, he kept his arm curled around her waist. “I uh, we had a bit of excitement. That’s all. And it didn’t sit well with my salmon sushi.”
Again, Bruin’s golden glare scanned the group.
Despite knowing Bruin was a male of worth, I was wary of his bear. The animal side of him was aggressive and dangerous. His huge, bulging arms, his thighs, thicker than my waist, were strong enough, fast enough to overpower a threat to him or his beloved Ursa. No. The last thing I would want is to anger his bear.
“All is well, my son,” Grandfather Hawk said, setting down his adz to exchange it for a chisel. “There are many mysteries in the ways of the Earth Mother. It is not our place to question the why but endeavor to understand what comes.”
Bruin blew a deep breath from his cheeks. “And what has come, Hawk?”
Mika placed her palms on Bruin’s broad chest. “You know how I hear voices on the wind?” His shaggy, brown hair bobbed as he nodded, looking like he was soon to explode. “Well, Lia has a spirit gift herself.”
“I’m listening.”
“Lia seems able to communicate with spirits.” Bruin’s eyes narrowed on me, but Mika continued. “Do you remember the girl she spoke to in the forest before she found Jade?”
“Of course, we searched, but there was no trace of her.”
“Because she is of the spirit world.”
“She’s a ghost?” Bruin’s attention focused so solidly on his mate that I felt as though we were intruding on their privacy. “And what about her upset you so much? What the fuck’s that look for, Mika?”
“This spirit says she’s your sister—your twin, Gemma.”
Bruin paced the great room, his heavy, thumping strides eating the floor in a frenetic circuit. Around the four couches set in a square, past the line of barstools tucked under the granite surface, past the doorway to the corridor . . .
“Bullshit,” he said for the tenth time since he’d ushered us inside. He stormed behind the bar running the length of the far wall and banged a glass down. “My twin passed with the rest of them. She transitioned to the After with my parents and all our people.”
He sloshed a liberal amount of amber liquid into the glass, swallowed it, then repeated the process. “No way could Gemma shadow me for fourteen years and I never feel her or know she’s there. No. Fucking. Way.”
He gave up on the refill approach and lifted the bottle straight to his mouth.
“Isn’t it at least possible?” Mika asked.
Bruin looked first to her and then to me, his eyes filled with a feral fury. “Gemma was half of me. We were more than littermates. When those Scourge—” He growled. “When they did what they did to her, a huge part of me died too. I don’t know who this ghost is, you see or think you see, but it’s not my twin!”
My resolve withered beneath his golden glare.
I am so, you stubborn asshat. She went on in colorful detail, yelling at her brother.
I drew a deep breath and edited her message. “She says she passed three days later—after everyone crossed over.”
Bruin’s growl rumbled deep and long. “I remember.”
I twisted and untwisted my finger around the tail of the scarf I wore. “She says she could not leave you alone and injured. She needed to stay, to ensure you were well.”
Bruin’s eyes pinched closed as his head dropped forward. “No. Gemma is with my parents Behind the Veil. That’s been the only fact to give me comfort all these years. They’re together. My family is together.”
Wrong. Gemma said. Most of them are together.
No words would make this easier. I ignored the ghostly objections and said nothing.
Bruin continued to brood and drink, spiraling deeper into whatever nightmare he was reliving. Mika and I stood in silent vigil.
“Whoa, who died?” Samuel surveyed the large room and stepped in. His gaze narrowed on Bruin, shifted to Mika and me, and then Cowboy and Kobi by the door. “Ye all look like yer sailing the good ship Holy Shit. What did I miss?”
Bruin’s growl filled the room, the vibration sending pictures rattling on the walls and the stained-glass shades chinking and chiming around the light fixtures.
“Right, Bruin’s pissed and getting faced. Anyone else?” Samuel’s expression darkened as he stared at me.
“I upset Bruin.”
“Oh, baby.” Bruin slammed the empty bottle on the granite counter and stormed around the bar, his claws extending from the tips of his fingers. “You haven’t seen upset yet but it’s coming.”
Back off, Bruin. Gemma lunged from the sofa only to have her brother pass through her ghostly form. Don’t let him intimidate you, Lia. His bear is just broody.
“Stand down, Bear.” Samuel stepped before me.
The tension in the room crackled. Hostility singed my nostrils as harsh words volleyed and collided in the air.
Gods, what had I done?
“Enough!” Mika intercepted her husband and sent him back toward the bar.
My chest constricted, compressing until spots danced in front of my eyes. My trembling hands failed to untie Mika’s scarf wrapped around my throat. I needed air.
Samuel turned and pulled me into his embrace. The moment his arms wrapped around me, the dam inside me broke and I began to cry.
“S’all right, shhh.” His fingers sunk deep into the length of my curls. “Whatever it is, we’ll make it right.”
I closed my hand around Castian’s medallion and the trembling in my body eased.
Samuel drew back, his face etched with anxiety. “Now, tell me what’s happened?”
As Mika and I filled Samuel in on the discovery of my bizarre gift, Gemma sank back on the sofa and covered her face with the sleeve of her cable-knit sweater.
Samuel joined Bruin at the bar and, by the end of the story, he too clutched a bottle of spirits. “And yer sure it’s the same lass ye saw the day Jade was attacked?”
I nodded.
“And has it happened before . . . seeing the dead? Other than that time?”
I shrugged. “At Tham’s ceremony, we were given the ability to say our goodbyes, but . . .”
“But what?” Samuel set down the bottle.
“I saw Cameron, Aust’s sire. I thought I imagined it, but at the river later Cameron spoke to me. Cowboy was there.”
All heads shifted toward the doorway and the Oklahoma wolf raised both his hands. “She was talking across the river, but I thought she was sounding off. She had a pretty rough spell right before. Didn’t blame her for letting off steam.”
“But before that, nothing’s happened like this before? In yer village? As a bairn?”
“No. Nothing.”
“Because it’s bullshit,” Bruin huffed.
Gemma huffed back. Take your head out of your hole, you stupid bear.
Samuel looked to the other Talon Enforcers in the room. Could it have something to do with the soul capture spell? Her spirit was trapped in the Nether Realm for weeks. Maybe it did something to her, changed her somehow?”
Kobi blew a great gust of air from his cheeks. “I suppose it’s possible.”
What sort of aberration was I?
Cowboy leaned against the back of a leather sofa. “Would visiting Alyssa help? As keeper of the afterlife, and Galan’s partner in the whole protector of souls industry, she might know something.”
“Enough about the how,” Bruin snapped. “I want the why. Why the hell is this female ghost saying she’s my sister—and why is she here?”
Gemma growled and leaped to her feet once more. I’m not just saying it, you stupid, stubborn bear. I am your sister. Swinging the pillow she clutched in her hand, she batted him in the side of the head. His hair flounced when the cushion collided with his forehead and he stood there stunned.
“How’d you do that?” Bruin asked, touching his forehead.
“I did not. Gemma did. And she insists she is, indeed, your littermate.”
Gemma stood beside her brother, hands fisted on her hips, her foot tapping the floor. I’ve been communicating with you for years but you’re too rock-headed to realize it.
“Bullshit,” Bruin said again, once I relayed the message. “I would’ve noticed if I was being haunted. Besides if she can hit me with a pillow, couldn’t she lift a fucking pen?”
Oh, like it’s that easy. It’s fleeting. A passionate explosion of strength. It’s not like I can write a letter. Gemma threw her arms to the air. Ask him how many times he’s been hit in the head by a cupboard door when he’s acting like an insufferable jackass.
“She says she has, indeed, made attempts to communicate with you, but it is a fleeting burst of strength. She said something about cupboard doors hitting you in the head when you are being . . . difficult.”
Bruin’s eyes widened. “That’s her?”
Gemma sighed, rolling her turquoise eyes. He’s as thick as a tree trunk. Tell him that.
My mouth dropped open and I shook my head. As much affection as I held for Bruin, he was the Were Alpha and King of the most volatile race in the Realm of the Fair . . . next to the Centaurs.
Gemma laughed. Okay chicken, ask him about the chick flick marathons and eating Chunky Monkey.
When I finished reiterating that message, Bruin looked non-plussed.
Mika burst out laughing. “Ohmygod that’s hysterical. I love this girl.”
Bruin navigated the room with the grace of a drunken Grizzly bear—verily because he was one. “Why didn’t she go?” he asked, his voice a rumble deep in my chest. “Gemma should be with our parents and our sisters, not following me around for decades alone and unseen.”
Samuel stepped behind me and squeezed my shoulder.
Gemma strode right in front of her unknowing brother. I hid Father’s signet ring during the raid and promised him Bruin would become the true and rightful king.
Bruin sank to the sofa, elbows propped on knees, his face buried in his strong hands. When he exhaled and brushed his shaggy brown hair from his face he looked resigned. “Where,” he asked. “Where did she hide the ring?”
With the excitement of the day over and Bruin and Cowboy off making plans with Reign, I slipped away to get ready for a quiet evening in my room. Gemma left to shadow her brother, wanting to be party to all the details of the recovery of their father’s ring. Bree was out on her run with Aust. Mika and Grandfather Hawk were stargazing off the northern vista. And Ceri rounded up the cubs and corralled them into the nursery for bath, stories, and bed.
For once, all was quiet in the Dens.
“May I come in?”
I glanced in the vanity mirror, drawing my brush through the lengths of my curls. Samuel had changed out of his slacks and white collared shirt and instead wore jogging pants and a black t-shirt which clung to him in delicious definition. With his shoulder leaning against the doorjamb to our shared ensuite and his bare feet crossed at the ankles, he was just about the most intriguing male I had ever seen.
I cursed the warming of my insides and refused to think about it further. I had only read the first few chapters of Elora’s book and already my mind and body were awakening to erotic new ideas. “You are always welcome.”
“Even when I act like an angry arse?”
I fought a smile and continued brushing. “Yes, even then.”
Pushing off the doorway he strode into my room and stood directly behind me. He gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze and sighed. “It wasn’t yer fault. This morning I mean. I was angry, aye, but not with you.”
I set the brush on the vanity surface and straightened it until it aligned perfectly with the spine of the comb. Sorting through the tangle of colored elastics in the little dish, I chose an ice-blue one to hold my night braid.
As Samuel waited for my response, he took the elastic and began dividing my hair.
My breath caught. The act of a male aiding me for bed was something Galan had done my whole life. Samuel repeating the same actions was vastly more intimate. “It felt as though your anger was directed at me.”
“Gods, yer hair is like silver silk.” He worked his fingers, twisting, dividing, and weaving. “I used to do this with my little sister. Braiding her hair was the only time she’d sit still long enough for me to do anything with her. She’ll not remember it, for she was a wee lass when I left, but I used to sneak into her room after chores and braid her hair for bed.”
When he reached the ends, he twisted the elastic around to hold the braid together. “I hadn’t thought about that in years, but that’s my point, isn’t it?”
“In truth, I have no idea.”
He rested his hands on my shoulders and smiled. “Ye trigger something inside me, Lia. Something protective. As an older brother, I was never truly angry with my sister, just like I could never truly be angry with you.”
I blinked and forced my gaze to meet his in the mirror.
“What happened this morning caught me off guard, ye see? I was dreaming and when I woke . . . it was a bit of a shock. I got bent outta shape and that was wrong. You dinnae want what happened any more than I, right?”
I did. I shook my head. “It was a mistake. Like you said.”
“So, we’re still friends? I’m yer guardian and you are my charge, aye?”
I nodded, my throat too tight to speak.
“Grand, so we’ll forget all about it and carry on with me staying with ye to keep the nightmares at bay. No fault. No foul.” He stepped back and glanced at my bed. “But to be on the safe side, maybe you could wear a nightie to bed. Just to keep things simple.”