Chapter 2 - Luna
CHAPTER 2 - LUNA
G able surprised me by agreeing to come to the bar and meet up.
We got there early, Talon shaking off his caramel wool coat, exposing the navy blazer below that brought out his green-brown eyes. Cole came in the same attire as what he gamed in—jeans, and an olive hoodie under a puffer coat that made his skin even more tanned and delicious. They both rocked wind-blown hair from the gust outside. Thankfully, my hat kept my hair in place.
Just as my Frog Prince suspected, Blaze declined the invitation, preferring to stay holed up in his office or room. It killed my upbeat mood when I wanted to celebrate with all my men. Watching him slip away from us left me helpless to protect him from falling deeper into his depression.
Pendant lights, red brick walls, and hardwood floors warmed the atmosphere in the bar, which used to be the town’s gold store in the gold rush days. Bottles of various alcohol lined the shelves behind the counter, and a cook prepared light meals in the tiled kitchen along the left wall. Tables occupied the rest of the space.
Talon took out his wallet. “My shout for drinks. The usual?”
Cole nodded. “What about munchies? We can’t deprive our princess of food, can we, brother?”
My Frog Prince’s gaze dropped and heated the five degrees my body lost out in the cold. “Not if she wants to maintain those curves.”
I wiggled my hips from side to side, gifting him an even better view, relishing the attention, earning his hand cupping my ass.
“We all know you’ll eat all the munchies,” I teased Cole.
He chuckled and pulled out a bar stool for me at a raised table. “I wouldn’t dare steal from a princess.”
I snorted and hit his arm. “Then where does all my chocolate stash go?”
I was a little… okay, VERY territorial over my stockpile, especially during exam season, and needed cocoa and sugar to calm my anxiety and fuel my stamina. Come Monday morning, I’d implement strict rules again after slackening them over the winter break. Some things just couldn’t be shared.
“I know nothing.” Trust Talon to back his brother up, shoulders shaking as he made a beeline for the bar, leaving it to us to sort it out.
“I think the aliens beamed it up into their spacecraft for a long, interstellar journey.” Cole’s devilish smile burned away the cold in my body. “Or Hellcat’s been eating extra rations.”
“Nice try. He only eats rocks.” I grabbed the open pocket of his hoodie and drew him forward.
“Let me make up for my heinous crime.” Damn . That husky whisper and underlying carnal promise.
“You certainly will.” I took his mouth in a seductive kiss.
“Forgive me, Princess.”
I yelped as he twisted my seat to align our bodies, our knees scissoring each other’s, my hands on his arms and chest, his on my back and waist.
Talon’s return, depositing drinks on the table, snapped us out of our lusty little daze, and we leaned back. A bourbon and Coke slid my way, and a beer bottle rested in front of Cole.
Cole lifted his drink to make a toast and make the most of our victory, even if my other lover couldn’t be with us. “Here’s to our good fortune and ongoing success.”
Talon raised his beer bottle and clinked against Cole’s. “Cheers to that!”
I tapped my glass to make a triangle with my men’s. “Here’s to catching the traitor.” My men saluted and drank to that.
The celebration of my enrollment in classes next semester lost its luster when my bonded should have been restored alongside us. Blaze suffered PTSD from his traumatic event and bearing part of the serpent’s mark.
Both of my wrists bore snakes, one dark, one light. A balance of light and dark magick, Gable called it. I didn’t understand the Council’s logic, or the privilege afforded me. I was no psychologist, but I thought that occupying Blaze’s mind with teaching duties would turn around his mental state.
I hated my grandfather and Nelle for what they did to my lover, terrorizing him to the point where he didn’t want to leave the safety of the Academy. I took comfort in the fact that Queen Mean Girl got her karma and met with the devil in Hell, and that grandfather dearest was next in line.
Talon and Cole discussed the outcome of the Gildron’s meeting in detail while my mind circled on Blaze.
I shelved those thoughts for the moment when Gable wandered in, looking drawn and overwhelmed, his posture rigid, step devoid of his usual swagger, and cocky grin preoccupied. His arm and fingers were locked protectively around his sister’s shoulder, leading her inside. He jerked his chin at us and guided Mary in our direction. We hadn’t seen either of them in the ten days since rescuing her from the snakes, and his appearance today elevated my spirits.
It felt like an eternity since we last caught up. We kept in touch sparingly on the phone over the last two weeks. He had his hands full acclimatizing his sister to her new home and environment. I barely had a moment to breathe, thanks to the Guild sending me out for long stints, repairing the damage I made in the Veil to allow the djinn army to pass through to Earth. Penance I was happy to bear if it got Blaze back safely.
Mary squinted at the light, jerking at the laughter from another table, leaning into her brother’s body for protection. Wary, she glanced around the bar like she’d never seen the inside of one before, and my chest pinched with pity. Her skeletal frame, pale skin, and haunted eyes said life in the Brotherhood was cruel. Now she was faced with the daunting task of learning about a whole new world that existed outside of the only one she knew.
What a world of good her freedom made. Her lifeless black eyes were now the same stormy gray as her brother’s, the resemblance between them stronger, seeing them side by side in good lighting. The purple moons under her eyes faded somewhat, and pink crept into her deathly pale cheeks, giving her some color. Hollows in her cheeks filled out slightly with the meals Gable plied into her after years of starvation. She looked like a normal teen in denim-lookalike jeggings, a cream sweater, and joggers.
I just wanted to wrap her in my arms and tell her she’d be okay, but she didn’t know or trust me, and I didn’t want to scare her any more than she already was.
Excited to see my lover and close friend, I bound over to them. “You made it!” I stopped short of giving him a hug when Mary flinched back into her brother’s arms.
Gable’s text messages expressed how being outside of her normal environment was dismaying and challenging for her.
“Good to see you, love.” My cheer fell at the lack of his usual melody.
Right back at him. I gave him a fleeting smile and turned my attention back to his sister.
I moved slowly and folded my palms over her cold hands. “Good to see you, Mary. You look well.”
She jerked at my touch, pushing one shoulder back, the other forward, as if bracing for impact. Oh, God, what did they do to her?
“Princess.” She dropped to her knees, bent her head as if praying, and clutched my ankles. “Forgive me for looking at you.”
Patrons in the bar stared at the spectacle, whispering to their companions.
Gable bent down to pry her off me.
When I first met him, he told me I was royalty, and he could get his eyes cut out for looking at me. I’d never forget the way he purred his goodbye at me. “You’re worth losing my eyes for.”
Nobody was losing their eyes for me, least of all these siblings.
Gable extracted me from Mary’s grasp, and I knelt beside her and wrapped my fingers around her arm, lifting her to her feet. She came easily, weighing barely anything, her frame in desperate need of weight.
“Mary, you can look at me without reprimand.” I squeezed her hand to show her my benevolence. “I’m not my grandfather and won’t harm you. There’s no rules between us.”
Mary’s eyes flicked to me and back down. “Yes, Princess.”
That title was reserved for my men ONLY.
“Call me Luna.” I gave her hands a second pump. “Only Gable calls me Princess, and that’s for fun, not formality.”
Mary gave an uneasy smile. “Yes, Princess… I mean, Luna.”
Gable winked at me, and the ice in my heart from her hardship melted.
“Come and have a drink and some food.” I escorted her to the table with my men, and they vacated their seats, making room for the newcomers.
Mary flinched at them carrying two more seats to the table. Her eyes and body hardened at Cole’s proximity. She had reason to be wary of him when his magical blow killed her brother.
She tucked her head and retreated several paces. “I’m not worthy to sit here with you.”
I felt a pang of guilt that my relative was responsible for torturing her.
I dragged her to a seat and sat beside her, Gable taking the seat on her opposite side. “You are absolutely worthy. Your brother sits with me all the time. It’s no big deal.”
Gable mouthed the words, “Thanks, love.”
I pushed the plate in her direction, grabbed a tapas flatbread, dipped it in hummus spread to show her how it worked, and ate it. “It’s good. Try some.”
Gable did the same, smiling as he chewed, encouraging her to meekly reach out, snatch some bread and shove it in her mouth like a starved child.
“Try the dip.” I repeated my earlier motion, and she mimicked me, not because she was curious, but because I suggested it. I made a little “mmm” sound and she did the same. “What do you like to drink?”
“Water from the pig’s trough will do.” She said it so casually that it was obviously an everyday occurrence for her.
Horrified at her reality, I coughed. Was she punished for Gable leaving? Was he subjected to this treatment too? My heart cried out for the misfortune my grandfather’s subjects endured. I glanced at my lover, and he pressed his lips together and shook his head, telling me not to go there.
“I’m Talon.” My man stretched out his hand to introduce himself and break up the awkward tension blanketing the group. “I’ll get you some water.”
“Thank you, sir.” She nodded but didn’t meet his eye.
His formidable size alone at six-feet-six struck fear into the hearts of students. Hard features and an intimidating stare commanded authority and dread in equal measure. I appreciated his kindness when he only showed this side of himself to his closest circle. His sweet gesture gave space for Gable to comfort his sister in this strange and new situation.
Cole sipped at his beer, staring at her, uneasy at her presence, his conscience weighted down with guilt for accidentally taking out her brother. He hadn’t stopped replaying the misfortune over to me, blaming himself for following his first instinct was to protect me. I tried without luck to assure him it was an unfortunate accident.
We didn’t have more time to apologize or debrief with Gable or Mary over the accident when we left in a hurry to get back to the Academy, where the siblings were arrested and thrown into holding cells and questioned for twenty-four hours.
After their release, Cole wanted to call the runaway and apologize, sort things out man-to-man, mitigate any tension between them before it caused problems with my relationships with them. When I texted Gable to see if he was ready for that conversation, he shut me down, and I respected it.
By the way Cole pawed at his hair, I knew the time to address the elephant in the room had arrived. “I’m sorry about your brother.”
Collateral damage we expected when we marched the djinn army into the Brotherhood’s compound. We just didn’t expect it to be Gable’s family.
His pupils dissolved into fire, the hand resting on his thigh closing into a fist.
Talon set aside his drink, body rigid, ready to defend his friend if fists came. “We wish we could have done more for him.”
We all did, me more than anyone. I wanted to reach across Mary’s body to take Gable’s hand. “I’m sorry too. I promised to get them out and I failed.”
He tapped the top of his rings on the underside of the table as if expelling the nervous energy he’d fuel into hitting Cole. “It was always a risk, love. At least I’ve got Little Bug.” He crushed her to his side.
Cole downed the rest of his beer, seeking absolution in the bottom of a bottle. “I wish I’d done something else.”
“Like what?” Gable met Cole’s eye. “Luke was lost to his anger, and you freed him, as fucked as that is to admit. Don’t let it destroy you, mate.”
Gable was never one to mince words, and I liked his forthrightness.
Cole let out a long breath, got up from his seat, crossed to the opposite side of the table, and threw his arms around Gable’s neck.
Gable patted Cole’s arm and slumped in his hold, releasing the friction in his body. “We’ll have a funeral for him this Friday afternoon. You’re welcome to come.”
“We’ll be there.” Cole thumped Gable’s chest and let him go, sitting back in his seat.
I smiled, my heart lighter that Gable forgave Cole and resolved their strain.
Mary remained quiet throughout the exchange, and I started a conversation to put her at ease. “What are your plans now that you’re free of the Brotherhood, Mary?”
A premature question when she likely needed months of deprogramming, therapy, and time to integrate into her new life.
“I don’t know.” Her words tumbled out in a rush.
“We’re going to take some trips to the Blue Mountains and sightsee, aren’t we, Little Bug?” Gable’s nickname! Be still my heart.
“It’s beautiful up there.” I made a show of getting more food and urging her to eat.
She nodded but refused to meet my gaze, and I scrambled for a way to encourage her to feel comfortable.
“Here you go.” Talon gave Gable a beer and placed a glass of water down for Mary, making her flinch.
“Thank you, sir.” She picked up the glass, twisting it, staring at the water as if she’d never seen it clean in her life.
I went back to my previous question and posed it differently. “Will you learn magick with your brother?”
She squeezed the glass until her fingers bleached, telling me she wanted to put distance between her past and future.
Gable’s arm tightened around her back. “We’ve been talking about Mary finishing high school and going to college.”
He indicated that he and his siblings didn’t attend conventional schooling, as they were trained as servants to perform the will of the Brotherhood. Other children were enrolled and educated all the way through to college, obtaining regular jobs, assimilating with society as plants to bribe and intimidate my grandfather’s enemies.
“That’s what I did.” I dipped pita bread in the hummus. “My parents wanted me to have a normal life.” I wasn’t touching the irony of me ending up studying at a magick academy…
“Little Bug needs a birth certificate to enroll her into school.” I wasn’t surprised by Gable’s answer, given that my parents obtained fake documents for me, including a license with a different surname. “I’m getting fakes made up by Castor, my friend at the motorcycle club.”
“Friends in all the right places, huh?” I teased.
“You bet, love.” His dark lashes lifted, his smoky eyes going to Talon, Cole, then me, the meaning apparent. He considered us all his friends.
I wished I could lean into him and hold him. Later. His sister needed him more and vice versa.
Talon and Cole got the feels too, welcoming him into their brotherhood, sharing our good news with Gable.
My heart swelled with happiness that I got everything I longed for. A permanent home, stability, safety, boyfriends that I also considered my best friends, a boisterous and feisty bestie, not one but two pets, the blanks filled in on my heritage, and study at an elite magical academy. Something told me that Mary might come to be a close friend too, when she came out of her shell. I didn’t think my heart could get any bigger, but it did, and I was looking forward to starting my second semester at the Academy.