Chapter 18 King #2
“Ego.” Sky slipped out of my embrace. “What are you doing here?” He hugged his cousin, then stepped back and gripped his biceps. “And what are you wearing?”
Ego’s face was completely done up like a makeup palette had exploded on it.
His cheeks and eyes were all glitz and glitter and complemented the finger-tousled, freshly fucked look of his hair, and the painted-on teal jeans with an open furry teal coat that was only zipped up a couple of notches right above his naval.
Huh. I hadn’t known he had barbells through both nipples.
Not that I should have. I only had eyes for his cousin.
“I told you. I had to go back to the city to finalize some details for this mini-tour we’re doing in the Midwest, and I had to shoot a video and get some social media content done. While I was driving into the city—”
“Don’t you mean as you were driven into the city in the car that you paid to come get you?” Scotty asked, shooting Ego a disdainful look as he walked past him to put the syrup and fruit salad on the table.
Ego faltered for a few beats, but continued, “I asked Delaney how much we could make happen in twenty-four hours.”
Scotty went back the other way, mumbling under his breath, “Because of course everyone should have to rearrange their schedules for the popstar.”
Ego’s lips twisted into a frown, and wanting to redirect the conversation since Sky was starting to look upset with Scotty, too, I said, “Delaney’s your personal assistant, right?”
He smiled at me, looking grateful that I’d taken an interest in his life—or maybe even just that I’d actually been listening when he’d talked to me before. “She is. She literally runs my whole world. I’m not sure what I’d do without her.”
“Well, she must be awesome because you hadn’t even been gone twenty-four hours yet,” Sky said, looking pleased to have his cousin back so quickly.
“Right? I’ll have to leave next week for that tour, but I don’t know, I wanted to be here and…” He trailed off as he glanced over at Scotty.
Based on what Sky had told me about Scotty’s reaction to Ego geeking out over ghosts, I got the fear of not wanting to mention wanting to hang out with them. I also understood the excitement and awe.
“Dude. I don’t blame you. Do you know how much time I’ve spent out at the pond since I found out there were ghosts? I just want to hear all their stories and keep them company at the same time.”
Ego moved closer to me. “I’m so sorry I thought you were some weirdo.”
Jetty barked out another laugh, and I flipped him the middle finger. “I get it. You had no idea I wasn’t talking to myself for hours at a time.”
“But still.” Ego shrugged. “You’ve all been so kind to me, and I think I’ve kinda been a jerk. I didn’t mean to act snobby or anything, but…I guess I was kind of jealous that you all had gotten so close to Sklyar. Like, I was psyched for him, but it made me feel even more lonely.”
From the direction I faced, I saw the startled expression on Scotty’s face at Ego’s admission, and I hoped that meant he’d give the guy a little grace moving forward.
Sky opened his arms to his cousin for a big hug, and I saw why my man had gotten so upset with himself for not asking to let Ego in on all of this stuff sooner.
His cousin needed people—a place to belong.
And wasn’t that what Willowhope Manor had come to mean for all of us?
Sky pulled back and blew out a breath. “Okay, so…I have more to tell you, and I need to make it quick before our guest comes down.”
Ego’s eyebrows shot up. “What else could you possibly have to tell me?”
“Patchy, come here, boy,” Sky called out. The pup had followed on the heels of Booker when he went up to his room. At his master’s request, he appeared in Sky’s arms—a patchwork of colors.
“Uh.” Ego looked around like he was waiting for someone to jump out and reveal how Patchy had just mysteriously materialized. “How did you…”
Sky kissed the top of Patchy’s head. “Go back to Booker now. I don’t want him to get too nervous being alone.”
As quickly as he’d appeared, Patchy disappeared out of sight.
“Sky?” Ego asked. A million questions in that one word.
Sky grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the table, across from Jetty and Chance. Elyse and Gran were on opposite ends of the long table, and Marc patted Ego’s shoulder with a mumbled, “I’m going to get you a nice cup of tea.”
“So…magic is real,” Sky said.
Ego turned and looked over his shoulder at me. “Does he mean the ghosts?”
I shook my head, laughing, then pointed at my gran. She had one palm up with a flame dancing on top.
Then Elyse did the same thing.
“What the hell?” Ego asked.
“I want to play,” Chance said, conjuring his own flame.
Sky hummed. “I’ve started fire. I wonder if I can.” He lifted his own palm and stared at it, concentrating.
“Sky?” Ego asked, starting to sound concerned.
Taking the couple of steps to where they sat, I rested my hands on Sky’s shoulders. “You got this, sweetheart. I know you do.”
Within thirty seconds, a flame danced on his palm, too. Sky beamed up at me, then looked between his mentors and best friend. “Did you see that? I got it.”
Ego’s gaze bounced between them all, then he turned and looked across the kitchen to where Scotty was plating up food. “Is this real?” he asked.
“Why are you asking him?” Sky asked. “I’m sitting right here.”
“Because he’s the most skeptical person I’ve met here.” He waved Scotty’s direction. “And you’ve got…like, there’s a flame on your palm.”
Elyse laughed. “Chance and Sky are in training, Ego.”
“Training with who?” he asked, sounding a little wild. He hadn’t passed out yet like he’d done when he found out ghosts were real, but it looked like he was having a hard time with magic. Or maybe it was with his cousin being able to conjure it.
Gran tilted her head like she was listening to something we couldn’t see, then she nodded her head once.
“Okay, Booker will be down any second, so we have to get you on the same page as quickly as possible.” She pointed back at herself.
“High Priestess.” She pointed over at Elyse.
“Clairvoyant.” Her finger moved to Chance.
“Psychic medium.” Then on to Sky. “Tether.”
“A what?”
“A tether. King’s a Dreamwalker, and I’m his tether when we’re in the Dream-veil. We’re also soul mates.”
“Do what now?” Ego’s voice rose.
“You know, like fated mates,” Sky said excitedly. “We have matching tattoos.”
“You got a tattoo?” Ego screeched.
“He’s talking about our birthmarks. We both have the same one on our inner thigh.”
Ego turned in his seat so he was facing me. “The crescent moon?”
I nodded.
“Holy shit.”
What else could I do but nod again before Sky began the crashiest crash course ever on all things paranormal in Willowhope ever.