Chapter 64 Aerin
AERIN
Aerin collapses into her chair at the dining table after arriving back from the gym. Reyna drops down next to her, laying her head on the table, still breathing heavily from the jog home.
“I might never recover,” she complains, rocking her forehead back and forth against the wood.
Theo snickers into the fridge, examining its contents before he begins pulling things out. Aerin thanks her past self for purchasing groceries, otherwise they wouldn’t have the ingredients he’s dumping out of his arms onto the countertop.
Khortland kisses Reyna on the head as he walks by, but she waves him off.
“Just wait until tomorrow,” Emrys comments, coming back from the bedroom where he and Malice vanished the minute they made it through the door. Aerin narrows in on his wet hair and fresh clothes.
Had Malice and Emrys just showered together? No. They must have taken turns. Right?
Reyna groans at the prospect of another grueling workout tomorrow.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to walk tomorrow,” she complains. Emrys joins Theo in the kitchen, starting on another part of the meal.
“You’ll be surprised how quickly Fae bodies heal,” Aerin tells her. With this Reyna perks up, looking at Aerin with interest.
“I’ll heal quickly too?” she asks.
Aerin shrugs, if Reyna can see and hear like Fae, it makes sense she’ll heal like one too.
“I guess we’ll find out,” Aerin replies.
Malice enters the kitchen, also freshly showered and changed. He grabs the spoon from Theo’s hands.
“Out, go shower before your stench ruins breakfast.” Theo glares at the Dragon-Fae momentarily before trying to snatch the spoon back.
Malice is too fast, holding it out of his reach.
“Go,” he orders in a hushed tone. Theo seems to contemplate the order, before turning to look at Aerin with a shit eating grin on his face.
“Oh no,” Aerin hedges, already holding back a laugh. Theo rounds the counter and approaches her at the table holding out a hand.
“Let’s go, stinky, time to shower.” He grins at her. Aerin rolls her eyes but lets him pull her to her feet.
“We will eat without you, so if you want breakfast, your asses better be back at that table in five minutes,” Malice warns as Theo drags Aerin down the hall.
Aerin looks back at the Dragon-Fae and shoots him a smile.
Malice’s almost happy mood immediately turns sour; he frowns down at the stove as if it’s done something to personally offend him.
Theo tugs Aerin the rest of the way to her room, not bothering to shut any doors, before turning on the shower.
He yanks off his shorts and underwear in one swift motion, stepping out of them completely nude to wrap his arms around Aerin, her back to his front.
He plants a chaste kiss on her cheek before making eye contact with her in the mirror.
“I like them,” he concludes, a smile on his face.
“Even Malice?” Aerin asks, surprised. She anticipated conflict between Theo and Malice. It seems like Malice has conflict with every one of the males, at least initially. While Emrys has obviously grown on him, Aerin’s still unsure where Malice stands with her, let alone the others.
Theo seems to have had the opposite effect as expected.
Instead of strife, he brought balance. His joking nature and ability to let everything roll off his back seems to make Malice loosen up just as much as it annoys him.
Malice in this slightly relaxed state, seems to have the same effect on Emrys.
Somehow, they are more balanced with Theo here, not less.
“Especially Malice. That asshole is prickly as hell, and I love it. I can’t wait until I know every last one of his buttons.” Theo lets Aerin go with a smile and opens the shower door.
“He seems different with you here, good different,” Aerin comments, letting her thoughts trail off as she strips out of her sweaty gym clothes and joins him. Other than errant touches they shower quickly, getting dressed just as fast.
They make it back to the dining table as Malice, Emrys, and Khortland set the food down. Reyna is still sitting in the same spot. She grimaces at Aerin when they return clean, and as if in apology, she says, “I couldn’t do it, couldn’t get up.”
Half the room chuckles. Aerin pats the Human on the shoulder. “It’s okay, we’ll allow you to smell at breakfast, just this once.”
“Thank you.” Reyna sounds relieved.
Aerin takes her regular seat, to the right of the head of the table where Reyna sits. Theo sits on her other side, Khortland across from her, and Emrys to his left. Malice takes the other end, ensuring enough room for his wings. Each seat has a cup of coffee, and the food smells amazing.
Aerin doesn’t hesitate to dive into her food.
“Your manners never cease to amaze me, Princess,” Malice comments. Aerin notices the way he serves Emrys before himself.
“You do not want to get between her and a meal,” Khortland jokes, placing food on his and Reyna’s plates.
Aerin’s mouth is already full when she flips them both off, which earns her a boisterous laugh from Theo. Conversation dies until each plate is all but empty.
It's only after stuffing her face Aerin realizes they are all looking to her. Aerin tucks a leg under her butt, straightening her spine, like flipping the switch from cozy roommate to actual leader. The others seem to straighten in response.
“I think we need a debrief. We need to get on the same page and make a game plan of where to go from here,” Aerin announces. She’s met by nods around the table. Theo squeezes her thigh in support before his hand falls away.
“Okay, so here is everything we know,” Aerin starts, she holds up fingers as she begins listing things off.
One: There is a prophecy of a Phoenix breaking The Curse of Altrios. The Witches think Aerin is going to be that Phoenix.
Two: Aerin is not full-blooded Fae. Her father had her with a Wolf held in Vitus’s dungeons. This Wolf was murdered by her father after Aerin’s birth.
Three: The Witches told Aerin she needs five bonded-mates, advising Aerin to be bonded to them as soon as possible, due to some impending threat.
Four: Something is going on in Keylar that neither Vitus Hale nor Oberyn Tolvare want the public to know about.
It takes almost an hour for them to sift through it all, to decide what is important and what is unimportant. To add together everything that everyone knows. Malice tells them of Bruin’s warning before leaving the gym. Theoden tells them about murmurs of unrest from Rogues in the West.
The most contention comes during the discussion of bonded-mates. Khortland is suspiciously quiet. Though Theo immediately shares the information he has on the Mer binding ceremony.
“Absolutely not,” Malice objects, wary of her safety during the ceremony.
“Mal—” Aerin starts but he only shakes his head.
“I said no.” He holds steadfast.
“You’re not her keeper,” Theo snaps back at the Dragon-Fae. Vicious eyes turn to the Mer, narrowing. Everything about Malice tightens, pulling back like a coil about to explode.
Instead of responding to Theo, Malice looks at Aerin again. The look he gives her feels like a threat. The look he gives her feels like an ultimatum. The blood-bond in her side goes from a dull ache to a piercing pain that has them both wincing, breaking the stare.
Aerin turns to Theo. Already reading the apology on her face, he shakes his head disapprovingly before falling back into his chair, arms folded over his chest.
“Unbelievable,” Theo grumbles. Aerin sighs. Malice sits back as well, smug.
“As well as the bonds, we have the Pack magic to worry about,” Emrys says, trying to ease the tension.
“The Alpha told us the Pack magic would require three members,” Malice shares.
“There is no way I can handle another Wolf in this house,” Khortland murmurs.
“Yeah, Gods forbid you become less of a dick,” Emrys snaps, glaring at the Fae. Aerin still doesn’t know what happened between them yesterday nor does she care to. She refuses to be their babysitter, even if Emrys snapping at Khortland is out of character.
Malice places a hand over Emrys’s arm where it rests on the table.
“About that,” Reyna pipes up. It’s the first time the Human has spoken since their discussion started. “I have a theory.”
As the only other Rogue at the table, Aerin supposes the Human may have some insight that could be worth listening to.
“My lessons in healing included all creatures, not just full-magic creatures. I learned a lot about Wolves and Pack magic because their connection to that magic is integral to the way they heal. Pack magic is tenuous, picky, almost sentient. Some Alphas have even described being able to speak to their magic, hold conversations…” Reyna trails off, looking at Aerin as if she’ll suddenly reveal the Pack magic has been speaking to her all along.
Aerin shakes her head. There is no sentient magic in her head. In fact, Aerin rarely feels the Pack magic at all. Reyna’s hope seems to falter a bit, but she continues. “Pack magic is not cut and dry; the laws are flexible.”
“So, you’re saying we don’t need a second Wolf?” Emrys asks.
“I’m saying, I think the Pack magic has already accepted a third,” Reyna explains. Brows furrow around the table while understanding blooms across Emrys’s face.
“Malice,” he concludes, looking from Reyna at one end of the table to Malice at the other. Reyna nods. Aerin already knew; she’d just been hesitant to explain it.
“My theory is that once each of you becomes bonded-mates with Aerin, the Pack magic will accept you as well. Binding not just Aerin to each individual as the Core of the Bond Group, but all the individuals to each other.”
The theory is digested in silence.
Theo finally asks, “So, you’re telling me I’m going to end up linked to him?” gesturing to Malice.
“Theoretically,” Reyna says with a grimace.
“I think she’s right.” Malice finally speaks up.
“I guess that’s one problem solved,” Aerin comments, leaning back in her chair.
Aerin had attributed all her uneasiness around the fragility of her and Malice’s relationship to the blood-bond, but there is a possibility it is the Pack magic, similar to what Soren described with Ash.
Is it driving them to make things right? She rubs her ribs absentmindedly.
“Well, what do we do now? Today?” Khortland asks after silence falls across the table again.
This, Aerin does have an answer for.
“We research,” Aerin says. “I have access to Echelon.”