15. Sadie #2
Jinx opened her mouth, probably to rip my last shard of self-esteem to shreds, but Jess slapped a hand over her sister’s face.
Before I could gloat, Aran slapped me on the top of the head. “Stop provoking the vicious, but entertaining, small child.”
“Ow, I was just speaking my truth.” I groaned, face burning as I realized my younger sister was lying next to me silently, ruby eyes wide.
So much for being a paragon of wisdom and maturity.
Aran harrumphed.
Still raring for a fight, I snapped at her, “At least I’m speaking my truth and trying to do something about our circumstances.”
Aran ripped the sleeping mask off and glared at me with steel-blue eyes. She had her mother’s gaze.
“Sadie, sweetie pie, you want my truth? You want to know how I ripped out my mother’s heart and ate it?”
“Um.” Suddenly, I was hyper aware that I’d been acting immature and there were four impressionable young girls, and one beautiful ferret staring at me. “Maybe another time?”
I tried to move my head to indicate to Aran that we had an audience.
Just because we needed therapy didn’t mean we needed to completely traumatize the next generation.
Aran’s expression was unfocused. “When I stared down at my seizing mother, an endless burning rage overwhelmed me, and I thought about all the ways she’d hurt me.
Ice daggers erupted from my nails, and I shoved them through her back until her sternum cracked.
I ripped her beating heart out through muscle and bone. Then guess what happened?”
“No?” This felt like a trap.
“What happened?” Lucinda asked quietly. The four girls stared at Aran, enraptured.
“After I consumed my mother’s raw, beating heart, it sounded like a male stood behind me and praised me. When he spoke, it was pure bliss.”
Aran paused, breath ragged, as her chest heaved. “It was euphoric.”
My heart rate spiked.
Suddenly, Aran blinked and shook her head.
“When I turned around, there was no one there. I don’t know what the voice in your head said, Sadie, but I can guarantee you that I’m not fire. It was ice that burst from me, and I knew in my bones that I could produce a shit ton more of it with the right motivation.”
Shuffling forward slowly on the bed, I wrapped my arms around her in an awkward hug and asked, “This is good, right? You’re a water fae?”
Aran laughed. “No, I’m not. As the princess, I learned our realm’s history three times over. No water fae has ever had ice claws. Plus, they manifest with more water abilities than ice. I’ve tried, and I still can’t manipulate water.”
“Well, there is good news,” I said.
Aran’s voice was uncharacteristically small. “What could possibly be good in our lives?”
“We’re both hearing voices. So we’re equally unwell.”
A light laugh burst from her throat, and she wrapped her longer arms around me tightly.
Her happiness was infectious, and soon we were both giggling and holding on to each other.
Jinx’s voice interrupted our revelry. “Lucinda, my respect for you has plummeted now that I’ve spent time with your sister.”
Lucinda replied, “I get that.”
Jess sighed. “I wish I were hearing voices. My life is so boring.”
“Remember when Jinx would just whisper stuff in our ears all night? That was basically like hearing voices,” Jala said, pink eyes wide.
“Good point.”
I pulled away from Aran and lightly punched myself in the forehead with my fist. “No one is going to hear any voices going forward. We are all normal, functioning females with bright, happy, not-concerning-at-all futures.”
Aran puckered her lips in disbelief, and I pinched her.
“I’m manifesting it.”
“Good luck with that. You’re no witch.”
Before I could launch a million questions at Aran about witches, because I was still shook that they existed, Jess climbed across the bed and gave me and Aran a hug.
Before I knew it, we were all hugging. Jala had even pulled Jinx into the pile.
Big touchy-feely morning for all of us.
You knew things weren’t well when everyone started embracing.
The shadow snake twirled around my fingers and projected images of love and support, and my heart hurt at the reminder that Cobra was no longer attached to it.
I sent it back an image of me hugging it, and it gave a little zing in return.
I gave it pets and whispered under my breath, “How did such a rude man make such a sweet snake?”
The snake twirled with glee as I dragged my fingers across it.
Jess interrupted my melancholy thoughts. “I know Jax is my brother, but don’t worry, girl. I will cut him.”
“I appreciate that and hope it won’t come to that,” I said honestly and smiled at her.
For the first time since the sacred lake had revealed I was an alpha, I was surrounded by females.
It was nice.
“So, what’s the plan for today?” Aran asked.
“Well, the don said we begin the second trial, so that should be fun.” I pretended to smoke an imaginary cigar and made a finger gun. “Gang life, am I right?”
Everyone looked at me with concern.
I pretended to blow a smoke ring with my cigar and pondered where I wanted to get “Loyalty” tattooed.
Definitely across my face like a badass.
“Sis, we should come with you,” Lucinda said eagerly. “I have…” she trailed off but didn’t finish her sentence.
“You have what?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Lucinda said quickly, but I got the sense she was hiding something.
I opened my eyes to ask more questions, but Jala cut me off, her pink eyes large with excitement. “Yeah, we can make sure the guys are nice to you. Plus, we have some skills that might be useful.”
I thought about Aran’s eyes going black, Jinx shrieking, Jess and Jala protecting Jinx, and Lucinda being a mini me.
For a second, I considered bringing them along.
Then I remembered they were still teens and Aran needed to keep a low profile.
Also, as the two semi-adults, it was our responsibility to keep them safe.
“No, I’ll figure out schooling for you guys in this realm.” I tried to speak with authority, like I was a leader they could look up to and not someone who’d just been screaming about hearing voices.
“School sucks,” Jess blurted. Jala pretended to cry, Lucinda flopped back with a moan, and Jinx showed her teeth. I couldn’t figure out if she was smiling or snarling.
“Love the passion. I’ll be sure to inquire about theater programs.”
Aran studied her fingernails. “At your guys’ age, I was being set on fire nightly and paraded around ballrooms with bloodthirsty fae. Grow up.”
Jinx turned to Aran, her dark eyes large and sharp on her pale face. “And now you’re hiding like a coward, disguised as an unattractive male, and sleeping in the same bed as your best friend because you’re afraid of the dark, flames, and blood.”
Aran gasped.
Jess chanted “fight” under her breath.
Aran arched her brow. “Excuse me. I will have you know that I am very sexy. The voice in Sadie’s head even told her so.”
“Um, it definitely didn’t.”
The tension dissipated as everyone realized Aran was not about to rip out one of Jinx’s organs and eat it. Although, weirdly, my gut told me Jinx would put up more of a fight than the fae queen.
I pursed my lips and debated giving some type of inspirational speech about how we all had each other and we would be all right. Even though the men were mad at me and it low-key felt like the world was ending.
Aran farted. Loudly.
The girls screamed.
I left the room.
We were all fucked.
Dead.
Aran could handle the four teenage girls. She clearly needed to practice leadership if she was ever going to run an entire realm, because I hated to say it, but I was getting big “reign of terror” energy from her.
My mood soured further when I walked into the foyer.
All four men stood at the front door.
Instantly, the scent of sugary cinnamon made my mouth water.
“You’re late,” Cobra snarled with menace.
“And you’re ugly.” I still needed to work on comebacks.
Ascher’s tattooed jaw clenched tight. “So, Princess, you decided to show up?”
I turned to him slowly.
It was one thing for Cobra to act like an annoying psycho, but it was something else coming from the great betrayer.
I stared Ascher down until a light pink stained the tops of his cheekbones, and his scowl fell. Like he was thinking about our history and knew he’d just fucked up.
Before I could say anything, Ascher pulled the door open and guided me through with a light touch on my lower back. His cheekbones were still pink, and he avoided eye contact.
I let him lead me outside.
The day was overcast, everything shadowed in gray, and a dreary drizzle soaked my skin and saturated the mansion’s perfectly manicured green lawn.
Xerxes twirled his blades in his hands and pushed past me as he stalked down his walkway.
The intoxicating scent trailed behind him like a cloud of ambrosia.
Jax didn’t speak.
“Opening doors for her now, are we?” Cobra sneered from somewhere behind us.
I didn’t bother to respond, and Ascher kept his hand on my lower back.
On the street, a beta in a suit was leaning against a red supercar, waiting for us.
Tall skyscrapers rose in the distance, the tops still hidden in the clouds. I wasn’t sure the realm even had a sun.
When I got to the car, Ascher opened the door, and I squeezed myself into the back row so I wouldn’t have to sit near the men.
The car jumped forward, and the force of the acceleration pinned me to my seat.
My hair whipped around my face, even though none of the windows were open.
Outside the window, the world passed by in a blur of dreary colors.
When we finally came to a stop, the driver simply said, “The don is waiting for you inside.”
The pit in my stomach returned.
Ascher held open the door for me, and I stumbled trying to climb out.
Jax’s warm hand wrapped around my bicep. “Be careful.” He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something else, but Cobra sneered and grabbed his arm.
He tugged him forward. “Come on, don’t waste energy on her . She’s made her decision.”
I made a point of walking forward and elbowing past Cobra. “You’re being childish.”