Chapter 16
North
The ground is covered with a thick layer of frost that I don’t intend to melt. I haven’t been able to shake the fear I felt on Juniper all night. Even with the photos she texted, I’m still a wreck.
Damn tricks.
I was walking up her street last night when I saw it—the troll hurling dead birds at Juniper’s window.
It had stopped when it saw me and tried to run, but Blaze hasn’t lost his speed, nor his rage.
I searched the house as he bound the troll, even more impressive in his nakedness, and when I saw how scared Juniper was, I almost appeared to her.
However, interrogating that fucking troll and getting rid of the sprites over at Hudson’s was my job for the night.
I’ll get my chance to hold and protect her, to lie in bed and stroke her hair while Blaze takes care of things on the outside.
Whatever needs to be done to keep her safe, we’ll do.
It’s still dark when I hear rumblings inside the trailer, just like yesterday morning.
My ears perk upon hearing Juniper kicking Blaze out, and I almost laugh watching him put his shirt and coat on.
She’s rolling her eyes and laughing like he’s refusing to go, and as I watch them share a deep kiss, jealousy cuts my heart.
Soon, I remind myself.
Fuck, so soon.
The front door opens. She shoves Blaze out, her beautiful laughter sounding over the chill, and gives him one more kiss.
“—next time,” she says when they part. “I just need to do this on my own. But soon.”
Blaze inclines his head and kisses her hand. “Okay. I’ll see you later.”
“Are you bringing the statues by today?” she asks.
“Yeah, I think Jasmine might kill me if I don’t,” he replies.
Juniper chuckles. “She will. I’ll see you.”
“Later.”
She closes the door, but Blaze doesn’t move off the steps until he hears her lock it.
I’m waiting two houses down in the street where I know she’ll lose sight of him from her window. He just has to make it that far before he can disappear.
The closer he gets, the harder his expression turns, and by the time he’s standing in front of me, there’s fire in his eyes.
He stops a foot from me, hands shoved in his pockets as if he’s hiding the icy flames on his fingers.
“Morning,” I say.
“How. In the fuck. Did the troll get here?” he snaps out.
I balk. “Easy. I thought we’d exchange greetings first. Hi, good morning, brother. Did you sleep well on your pillow of tits?”
Blaze gives me a look, and I huff.
“Right,” I concede. “Let’s go.”
Within the shadows, we walk back to Juniper’s house, the road steaming and snow drifting in Blaze’s wake. I’d tell him to keep his shit under control except I don’t think words would do anything other than piss him off more.
Juniper is putting Pack’s leash on when we hit her yard. The pile of dead birds is still beneath her window—frozen and covered with leaves.
“Thought you might want to take a look before we destroy it,” I say.
Blaze crouches down and picks one up, turning it over in his hand. “Bitch,” he hisses. “Stupid fucking…” His head hangs, and he straightens again.
The door opens and closes, Pack pulling Juniper out of it this time. They descend the steps and head toward the sidewalk out front, and this time, Pack only barks at us once.
As if she’s simply acknowledging us.
“What did you find out?” Blaze asks me.
“From the troll? You know they’re better at dying than talking,” I say, leaning against the house. “Zero self-preservation skills. I had a knife to his throat, and he spat in my hair.”
Blaze quirks a brow my way. “So you froze him from the inside out?”
“Obviously,” I answer. “Now, our sprite friends… Two didn’t seem so loyal to Mommy Dearest. That or they just wanted to live.”
“Too bad,” Blaze mutters.
“Unlike you, I actually remembered gloves,” I say, holding up my clean hands.
“Only because I forgot first. What did they say?” he asks.
“That Mother knows you’re seeing a mortal girl, and then it begged to go back to her and lie. Said it would tell her you’d stopped after you realized she was watching.”
“It wanted to be our messenger?” Blaze scoffs. “Why the hell would we trust a sprite?”
“Like I said. Self-preservation.”
A long sigh leaves him as he glances back into Juniper’s window. “Without her messengers reporting back, we’ll be hearing from her soon.”
“Did you find anything in the Codex?”
The way his mouth curves just so at the corner makes me squint.
“I know that look.”
“I don’t have a look.”
“You do. You have a ‘I found a loophole that’s going to piss Mother off’ look. I remember it. It’s one of my favorites.”
“It isn’t a loophole,” he says, smiling.
“What is it?”
“A way to give us time. Time to hide her, run. At least until we’re supposed to go back.”
“This would give us until March?” I ask as we typically return to the Nether Realm at the spring equinox.
Blaze nods.
“And what happens after that?”
His gaze moves to mine. “After that, my magic will be strong enough to take them. And I’ll have figured out a way to rewrite the Codex.”
Something about his plan makes my insides swell. Centuries, I’ve waited for this. For true freedom from their rules and punishments. To go wherever and live however I want to without someone breathing down my neck.
“You can do that?” I ask, hesitant to get my hopes up.
Blaze regards me, the tension in his shoulders sharper than my ice. “You told me yesterday that I’d forgotten what it was like to want it. I want this. I want her. Us. Everything.”
There’s magic and promise in his words. A vision like he can already see it. Taste it.
“What do you need from me?” I ask.
His crooked smirk is back, devious delight in his eyes. “I don’t need to push you, brother. You’re already falling for her.”
I scoff and shake my head, giving him a look of disbelief. “What? A mortal girl? No. No, you have that wrong—”
“North.”
“Okay, fine. I really fucking like her, and you have no idea how punishing last night was. That was goddamn excruciating. How do you live like this?”
Blaze chuckles, and the noise makes me even more frustrated.
“Don’t look so happy about it,” I snap.
“Ecstatic,” he taunts me.
I huff and grind my teeth. “Can’t believe I was out here dealing with smelly, disgusting trolls while you were what? Fucking her in the shower?”
He shakes his head. “She was spent. I helped her wash and brushed her hair. We sat up and watched movies after.”
“That’s all?” I ask, surprised.
Another laugh leaves him. “Aftercare, brother.”
The sound of my phone vibrating in my pocket grabs my attention. I take it out to look, and a smile I can’t stop graces my lips.
Juniper
Hi.
I blow out a breath.
Who fucking knew one little word could make my chest feel this heavy?
Morning, darling.
Did you sleep well or was cuddling my brother like lying on a skeleton?
I thought we could discuss something other than your brother this morning.
What did you have in mind?
I’m getting back from my walk in about an hour. Do you want to come over?
“Don’t look so eager,” Blaze teases me.
I flinch, having nearly forgotten he was standing in front of me. “This is your fault,” I grunt.
Blaze chuckles, and I send Juniper another text, letting her know I’ll see her then, before shoving my phone in my pocket and looking apprehensively at my brother.
“So. Tell me your plan.”