34. Fact Cake has magical powers
Nevaeh
H iding behind a fallen tree trunk that’s covered with a patterned camouflage blanket, I take slow steps forward to get in range to shoot Harvey.
When Seiji suggested celebrating August’s birthday in a paintball arena, I never imagined it to be this fun.
A week back, as August and I were watching a movie together, there was a scene with a little girl celebrating her birthday surrounded by friends, balloons, and cake. When I peeked over at monkey, his eyes held such longing I just had to make it happen.
After a long day of ruffling through the paperwork we found on his pack, Angel found his date of birth, which coincidentally was coming up sooner than we thought.
We planned to have each member of our group present one idea so we’d have a variety to choose from, but let’s be honest: no one stood a chance against Seiji.
How could we have refused when he stormed in with a PowerPoint presentation packed with background music and pictures. In his presentation, he showed the Griari Empire of ancient dragons.
The dragon realm recently built a public gaming arena to boost inter-species relations and apparently they're the best in all realms now.
Since Horsemen have a good relationship with the empire, Anxo was able to secure a private arena for us.
Hazel is fuming, stomping everywhere because she has been shot seven times by yours truly.
We have been battling for the top spot the entire game and I bet she regrets teaching me how to shoot after the second time I shot her.
By now, I’ve shot Seiji four times, and Harvey five. The lovesick fool was so busy admiring Grace that he forgot the basic rule to never turn your back on your enemy.
How many times have I shot Angel? None .
Because I love him, and we don’t shoot people we love.
I’m about to scare the living crap out of Seiji, who is hiding behind an ugly green drum when my little monkey appears out of thin air and blocks my path.
We initially planned to not shoot August, just in case he felt bad, but after he burst out laughing on his first colorful splash, it was clear he didn’t mind getting covered in rainbow goo.
Glancing at the guns in my hand, he shakes his head in exaggerated disappointment.
The little man stares me down accusingly like I’ve stolen his last slice of pizza. Doing his best to act stern, August places his hands on his hips with a miniature gun hanging off his back.
“What’s with the look, kiddo? This isn’t cheating; it’s called strategy. No one said I couldn’t take an extra gun.” I try to convince him in a hushed whisper.
When we first got here and observed the setup in the middle of the woods, for a moment there, I worried it would trigger August about the night we escaped, but so far, I haven’t seen any signs of panic or stress.
August's eyes narrow, picking apart my lie.
“Okay, fine! Maybe they said no extra guns… but… but I’m doing this for our team!”
August sighs and pinches the skin between his eyes. Outstretching his hand, August silently asks me to hand over my extra gun. I'm stunned by how eerily similar he looks to Angel when my mate is also tired of my shit.
“Are you sure you want to be an honest player, kiddo? We can beat Angel. And think how much fun it will be to watch Hazel sulk. ”
I try to win him over to the dark side because it’s more fun here but he keeps blinking at me as if I’m the one acting ridiculous.
“Ugh, fine! You’re turning into mini-Angel with all those morals. Here, take away my chance to crush these truckers and make them wish they never challenged me.” I give up my extra gun, but not before I make sure he knows how much I hate it.
As if trying to remind me of our surroundings August throws his tiny hands in the air.
“Oh, I know it’s just a game wisebutt!” I whisper yell, crossing my arms and abandoning both my guns to sit cross-legged on the ground.
August pads over to me to kiss my forehead, cupping my cheeks in his little hands before grabbing up my extra gun and skipping away. Shit, now he will reveal my stunt to the dragons keeping score.
I'm watching him hop away, getting shot by colorful paintballs and giggling with every blast when a gun on my back makes me stiffen. I slowly turn to look over my shoulder, and my heart leaps to find Angel behind me, pointing his gun at me.
“You’re going to shoot me?” I gasp melodramatically, placing a hand on my heart and another on my forehead, fake crying a little to make it all the more heartbreaking.
A faithful lover turned enemy over a game of paintball.
How. Very. Tragic.
“Shut up, idiot. I came to kiss you before the game ended, but now I’m rethinking it.” Angel laughs and quickly kisses me when a loud alarm goes off.
The team behind the game walks in, and I want to be clear that I don’t have a problem with them. I mean, I didn’t until this particular woman walked right into Angel’s personal space like they were old friends.
“Hello again, handsome! We have the scores ready. You sure you don’t want me to bump you up.” She laughs in a high-pitched nasally voice. Her entire focus stays on my mate as if I’m invisible or some shit.
Grabbing my hand, Angel brings it to his lips to kiss my knuckles one by one. “Thanks, Lacy—”
“ Tracy ,” she corrects him, not taking her eyes off the hand Angel is holding to his heart.
“Sorry about that. My husband has trouble remembering names that are not important.”
Next to me, Angel fakes a cough to hide his laugh. Tracy’s whole face turns red, but this is on her. Hitting on a man who is clearly with someone, especially in a realm where mates are considered sacred, is appalling.
Don’t like the embarrassment? Check if the guy actually wants you before pulling out the flirting tricks.
She must’ve seen us kiss earlier or heard him introduce me as his mate in the beginning, but the woman was too busy drooling over Angel and making jokes about how he was strong enough to lift her.
I can lift her, too. I’ll even throw her. Far-far away .
When the dragon lady quickly scurries off without a goodbye, Angel turns to me with a smile so large I wonder if his cheeks hurt. This man loves it when I act like a crazy jealous girlfriend.
“Husband, huh? You know now that you’ve wholeheartedly accepted the idea, I’m going to wife you up real soon, sweetheart.”
Not like I’m objecting.
Judging by the giddy smile as Angel leads us back to the group, I know he is planning the details of our wedding in his head. Silly Angel.
I burst out laughing when I see everyone covered in bright pink—the color I was assigned.
Before the game, the guys were stupid enough to propose a girls vs. boys match. Of course, we won. As Seiji and Harvey grumble about their loss, Angel won’t stop whispering how proud he is of me.
Fates, I love my man .
Yes, I shot my own team member.
Why? Because it was fun and it made Hazel furious—a bonus in my eyes.
The flirty blind woman returns to ask if we’d like a picture to remember the day by and of course we agree.
In usual fashion, Seiji rants about how neon pink is not his color but agrees to bear the shame of this picture for generations to come because he loves us.
Angel comes to stand behind me with his arm around my shoulders, and August in front of me with my arms around him. Grace is on my right, while Seiji and Hazel are on my left. Harvey takes his place behind Grace, half hiding behind her.
The woman leaves to make four copies of the photo, and we disperse to change out of the jumpsuits given to us. Finding each other again, we wait for Angel to finish his quick meeting with the king.
He wanted to personally thank the man for providing extra protection and being so mindful of our predicament with Visha.
Hazel comes to stand by me in a loose-fitted black denim jacket over a short white jumpsuit, looking more relaxed than I’ve ever seen her.
Harvey is back to his trusty leather jacket and Grace is back to giving her mate ‘sex eyes’ .
Grace decided on a summer dress with sneakers. Earlier she asked Hazel to twin with her, and the siren snorted so loud I bet Uncle Lucifer heard it all the way down in Hell.
Just like he always does, Angel barged into the bathroom this morning while I was showering and left a short sky-blue summer dress that matched his shirt. He didn’t leave without a few kisses too but who’s objecting.
I came out of the bathroom to find him with his sleeves folded to the elbows and the shirt neatly tucked into his dark pants. I traced over his markings, all but drooling over him until Seiji ran into our room and pestered me to help him pick one of the four outfits he wanted to wear .
The fashion expert— Seiji made me say it —is sporting a light blue denim jacket decorated with symmetrical mirrors embroidered in colorful threads.
Looks like my positive feedback went straight to his head because Seiji is parading around like a celebrity waiting for the paparazzi to pop out.
For his birthday monkey insisted on wearing his favorite Disney sweatshirt with a dashing lion printed on the front. My little monkey is beaming with happiness, his dino clutched to his chest and I have to pinch myself to check if this is all a dream.
Seiji follows my gaze to where I’m admiring Angel’s muscular back and huffs. “So, you’re letting it go? That woman flirted with your man, and you won’t do anything about it?”
Why do I feel he is trying to get a reaction out of me?
“Angel didn’t pay her any attention, and she ran off when I introduced myself as his wife. There is no need to do anything.” I purposely don't tell him how I was close to breaking her nose earlier.
Hazel pipes in, “Couldn’t be me. If I had a man, and some bitch was trying to get all cozy with him, you best believe she would have three less fingers to count on and way fewer teeth in her mouth.”
I can’t help but slightly agree, but I’m trying to be civil for Angel’s sake. He is already stressed about mending fences with all the people Hazel has pissed off on our behalf. Causing a scene will only add to his stress.
The list Hazel handed over was four pages long.
Back and front .
I didn’t even bother checking the number of people on it, but I did scan some of the reasons.
While some were genuinely creepy and were asking for a good stabbing, the majority were Hazel offending them and then taking offense from their retaliation.
For example, when a man joked about how she was similar to his pet fish (the rare kind), she shot the tank to prove him wrong.
“Stop trying to instigate her, you troublemakers,” Grace chastises both Hazel and Seiji.
Grace is like the good tiny angel on your shoulder, and these two idiots are the devils with red horns and a pitchfork. In the movies, I love it when the little devil wins, but in reality, it’s better to listen to the angel in white.
We spend our evening walking around the Griari empire and touring the nearby shops before picking a quiet restaurant to cut the cake and have dinner.
Huddled before the restaurant, everyone is bouncing with excitement, and Angel and I can barely suppress our emotions over August's first milestone with us.
I go to follow my friends inside when the familiar feeling of being watched stops me. To confirm it's nothing but my paranoia, I scan every face in the crowd that turns in our direction but find nothing suspicious.
Turning back, I take a step toward the restaurant again, when a spine-chilling feeling makes my Divine stir from possible danger. Turning my head in every direction, I look for the source of the goosebumps on my arms when a silhouette running past the thick trees surrounding us makes me freeze.
I try to make out who or what I'm seeing but the shadow camouflages its own darkness with the darkness around it, making a chill run down my spine.
“Hey, what are you still doing out here? The little guy is about to take a fist out of that cake.”
Hazel startles me, and the silhouette disappears faster than I can blink, making me question if the shadow was a tree playing tricks on my eyes.
“I thought I saw something.”
She sighs, “Trust me, I get it. I don't like being surrounded by a crowd either, but I’ve checked everything inside, so stop worrying and enjoy your son's day.”
Going inside, I see August buzzing like a monkey high on sugar. Grace asks him to make a wish before blowing out the candles. I bite my tongue at how ridiculous and creepy the whole human birthday ritual is and join the group in singing the song at the top of my lungs.
After handing Seiji a plate loaded with the biggest piece of cake, Angel gives me the last of it. Taking the plate to share with August, I’m halfway into my seat when a shaky whisper turns my body to ice.
“ Vove you, mama .”
It takes me a second to understand and more to beg every person in the room with my eyes to tell me I’m not dreaming—that the little boy beside me didn’t just say those words.
Right when the first tear rolls down Grace’s cheek, reality sets in. Seiji’s spoon slips past his fingers as he gapes at monkey to make sure he heard it right.
Clutching the back of my chair until my knuckles turn white, I search for Angel to confirm that my mind isn’t playing tricks on me again and August did just spoke his first words to me. With a slow, stunned nod, his glassy eyes take in the boy sitting with his head low.
He called me mama. Mama .
A small sniffle echoes in the silent room, breaking me out of my shock. When monkey wipes his nose with the back of his hand, my heart nearly stops beating from the hurt on his face... from my lack of reaction.
Carefully spinning August's chair, I crouch before him and hold his hands between mine.
“I’m so sorry baby, I didn't mean to make you cry. You just surprised me, and I just...” The crack in my voice betrays how hard I’m trying to keep the tears at bay. “Of course, I love you, kiddo.”
Wiping the tears off his chubby red cheeks, I kiss the hands engulfed in mine. When he still refuses to look at me and continues sniffing, I hate myself for freezing.
The thought of him finally talking to me makes my vision blur, but I need to keep it together until I fix this. I don’t want him to think I’m sad because of what he said .
“Remember what I always tell you? If you’re happy then I’m happy and if you cry, I’m going to cry too. And you know I can’t cry because I have a reputation to uphold.” At least that gets me a tiny smile.
August finally looks up with those bright blue eyes that pierce through your soul and asks, “Vo-love me?”
Cupping his tear-streaked face, I kiss his nose, which makes him giggle as he tries to break free.
“I do. I love you monkey.”
My reassurance calms whatever storm is brewing inside his head, and August leaps out of his chair and into my arms. I stumble back in surprise, but thanks to Angel and his preparation for literally everything, he is already standing behind me before I can fall back.
Grabbing my shoulders, Angel helps me up with the brightest smile on his face.
Glancing around the room filled with adoration and unshed tears, I take in my family as they shower August with love and kisses.
“I knew cake had magical powers!” Seiji cheers, making all of us burst into laughter, eyes shredding the tears we were holding back.
Angel engulfs me in a warm hug, peppering kisses on August’s face, who giggles so hard Angel has to support my grip on the little guy before we all fall back.
“Papa, I talk now!” August squeals and I frame this moment in my memory forever.
After kissing his nose, which August tries to hide under his hand, Angel swiftly takes my lips for a heart-stopping kiss, which doesn’t work well, seeing how we both can’t stop smiling.
Lost in my Angel’s eyes, it takes me a second to register the movement from the corner of my eye.
Seiji is about to stick his fork into my cake when my head snaps to him. Caught red-handed, I expect him to back off, but to my surprise, my famous murderous glare doesn’t work. He is about to take a huge bite when I use my most powerful weapon.
Pleading with my eyes, I beg Angel to save my cake before the bratty princess can clean my plate.
One look from Angel and Seiji turns to hide behind Grace, who generously offers to share hers, much to her mate’s annoyance.
“You know he is more terrified of you than me, right?” Angel doesn’t even try to hide his amusement, softly caressing the back of August’s head on my shoulder.
“Not anymore. That leech has crawled his way into my heart and isn’t scared of my threats anymore,” I mutter grumpily. I’m losing my touch .
“You love him.”
It’s not a question. I don’t have to spell it out for Angel to know how much these people mean to me.
“I do. It’s so not good for my health or my reputation.”