Chapter 19 #2
"Where did you even get that?”He shrugged as he ripped open the packet with his teeth and dumped the contents into his palm. “I bring my own provisions to parties.” He slowly raised his palm to his nose. “Don't you dare—" I started.
He dared. Ohhh, he fucking dared!
"SNORT!" he announced, as if the action needed verbal accompaniment. His eyes watered immediately, and he began sneezing violently, each explosive outburst sending puffs of orange dust into the air. "FUCK! MISTAKE! HUGE MISTAKE!"
I doubled over laughing, wings flapping uncontrollably and sending gusts of air that knocked over several more containers. "Your face!" I wheezed. "It's so... orange!"
Between sneezes, Faris managed to grab a jar of what looked like preserved fruit. He hurled it in my direction with surprising accuracy for someone whose eyes were streaming with cheese-induced tears.
The jar exploded against my chest, covering me in sticky purple... something. I looked down in horror. "Is this... beets? You hit me with fucking beets?!"
"Consider it a fashion upgrade," he gasped between sneezes.
I roared and grabbed the nearest object, which happened to be a large jug of milk, and charged.
Faris, still partially blinded and sneezing orange puffs, didn't move fast enough.
I tackled him off the island and into the remains of a flour sack, upending the milk jug over his head as we crashed to the floor.
We lay there in the epicenter of food carnage, both of us laughing like maniacs. The kitchen looked like a culinary bomb had detonated. Flour dust hanging in the air, potatoes scattered like landmines, and various liquids forming multicolored pools across the floor.
"You know," I said, picking a piece of beet off my chest, "I came here for food for Palmer."
Faris sat up, milk dripping from his curls, orange cheese still rimming his nostrils. "Palmer? The spirit witch?" He wiped his face with what had once been a clean towel. "The one who stabbed Asrael in the back?"
"That's my girl," I said proudly, then caught myself. "Well, our girl. Long story."
"I'd like to meet her," Faris said, standing up and offering me a hand. "Anyone capable of getting the jump on that bastard is worth knowing."
I took his hand and pulled myself up. "She's fucking incredible. And she'll be fucking hungry when she wakes up." I surveyed the wreckage around us. "Think there's anything edible left?"
Faris grinned, revealing those sharp fangs again. "There's always the bread I stashed."
"You sneaky bastard."
The surrounding mess was totally worth it—this was almost as fun as, well, that time Palmer let me almost knot her. I would be doing that very soon. Focus, Talon.
"You know what?" Faris wiped debris from his chest. "I like you. You're crazier than they said."
"Aw, people talk about me? I'm touched." I pressed a hand to my chest, accidentally smooshing a banana I'd forgotten I was holding. "Shit."
Faris laughed. "The stories don't do you justice. But seriously—" He gestured at the mess we'd made. "We should probably clean this up before—oh fuck, that cheese powder is still burning like a fire."
"What in Jupiter's name is going on in here?!" Ashland's voice boomed behind me, and I spun around, revealing Faris at the exact perfect time for him to sneeze out an orange cloud of mac and cheese dust directly in Ashland's face.
I'd never seen Ashland's face turn quite that shade of orange before. It was magnificent. Like a sunset made of processed cheese. Faris and I looked at each other with huge eyes. Fuck.
"Before you get mad—" I started, but Ash held up a hand, cheese dust falling from his face like demonic dandruff.
"Too late." His ice blue eyes locked onto Faris.
Faris gave an elaborate bow, somehow making it look both mocking and sincere. "I'm Faris, blood mage, mated to Saige, and apparently now a food fight champion." He straightened up and gestured at the chaos around us. "Though your boy here gave me a run for my money."
"He stole my bread!" I protested, then remembered why I'd come here in the first place. I’d been gone too long. "Shit! Is Palmer awake?!"
Ashland's expression softened slightly at Palmer's name, though it was hard to tell under all the cheese dust. "That's why I followed you. She's starting to stir."
My heart did a little flip. "Really? Is she okay? Did she say anything? Does she need—"
"Breathe," Faris interrupted, already gathering up the abandoned bread loaves and some fruit that had survived our battle. "Here. Take these to your witch."
"Fine," I sighed, accepting the food. "But this isn't over, blood bitch. I demand a rematch."
"Wouldn't have it any other way. Next time, I think we should go full out. My crew versus yours." He winked at me, then turned to Ash. "Sorry about the cheese thing. Heat of the moment, you know how it is."
Ashland looked like he very much did not know how it was. Faris wiggled his fingers at both of us, and then he disappeared. Before either of us could speak, Felix's voice crashed into my head.
'Get back here NOW. Palmer's awake and she's... different.'
My stomach dropped. 'Different how?'
'Just hurry.'
"Ash, we gotta go. She's awake!" We were back in the cabin in half a second, and Palmer was sitting up in bed, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. But that wasn't what made me drop all the bread.
Holy demon balls. Palmer was floating. Like, literally hovering a few inches above the bed, her hair moving in some nonexistent wind. But that wasn't even the craziest part.
Jasper was solid.
Not just visible but actually physically there, holding Palmer's hand while she levitated like some kind of sexy witch balloon. His form was still slightly translucent, but I could see actual color in his cheeks. Auburn hair, just like I remembered.
"What the actual fuck?" I whispered, bread forgotten at my feet.
"Language," Jasper scolded, and his voice... it wasn't that ethereal ghost-whisper anymore. It was real.
My eyes burned. Probably from all the mac and cheese powder still floating around. Definitely not because I was getting emotional about hearing my brother's voice properly for the first time in centuries.
"How?" Ash demanded, moving closer to examine them both.
Misha was already there, hovering protectively near Palmer's other side. "Her power is... different now. Enhanced. When she woke up, she reached for Jasper and..." He gestured at the floating witch and semi-corporeal ghost.
"I can hear you all, you know," Palmer said, her voice echoing strangely. Her eyes were still glowing, but now I could see they weren't just lit up—they were swirling with colors like the northern lights. Fucking beautiful.
"Bun-Bun, you're looking particularly floaty today," I said, because apparently my mouth had decided to just do its own thing. "Love the hair. Very witchy."
She actually laughed, which made her bob in the air like a cork in water. "Talon, you're covered in... food?"
"Long story involving a blood mage and some very aggressive fruit." I waved it off. "More importantly, how are you doing this? And can we keep Jasper solid? Because I have so many brotherly noogies to catch up on."
"I heard that," Jasper muttered, but his lips twitched.
Felix moved closer, studying Palmer intently. "This is more than just spirit magic. It's like... she's tapping into something bigger."
"The veil," Palmer and Jasper said simultaneously.
"I can feel it," she continued. "Like a curtain between worlds, but it's not just separating life and death. It's... everything. All the realms, all the magic." She squeezed Jasper's hand. "And I think I can manipulate it."
Well shit. That was both awesome and terrifying. Mostly awesome though. I mean, floating witch girlfriend, and solid ghost brother? Sign me the fuck up.
"Does this mean we can touch you now?" I asked Jasper, waggling my eyebrows.
"Touch me and die," he replied sweetly.
"Already dead, bro."
"I'll kill you."
"Boys," Palmer interrupted, but she was smiling. The glow in her eyes dimmed slightly, and she started to descend. Misha caught her before she could hit the couch, cradling her against his chest.
"Careful, kukola," he murmured. "You're still recovering."
I noticed Jasper's form was getting fainter, too. He looked at his hands with a mix of resignation and hope. "It's temporary. For now."
"But we can work on it," Palmer said firmly. "Practice makes perfect, right?"
"Speaking of practice." Ash stepped forward. "We need to figure out exactly what you can do now. And quickly. Because if you can manipulate the veil itself..."
"Scorpio will want that power," Rhodes finished.
I picked up the bread I'd dropped, dusting it off. "Well then, we’d better get our Bun-Bun fed and ready to head home." I tossed a loaf to Misha. "Because if anyone's going to help my ghost brother get his body back, it's going to be us."
Palmer's eyes met mine, and even without the supernatural glow, they held enough power to make my demon heart skip. "Us," she repeated softly. "I like the sound of that."
I fucking loved the sound of that.