Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
brENTON
I hurried to Alastor’s side, wrapping my fingers around his wrist to feel his pulse.
His eyes fluttered open, and he pushed me away weakly to brace an arm over his eyes. “Don’t hover . . . fae.”
Relief scraped down my chest. “Too late. Javi and I have appointed ourselves as your nursemaids.”
A rough laugh scraped from his throat. “I could use some of that herbal tea.”
When I shifted to rise, Finley placed her hand on my shoulder. “I’ll make it. Or we could use the healing properties of my magic.” Her voice came out soft, timid, as if she expected him to reject her offer.
“Leah’s magic was never able to ease my headaches.” Groaning, he closed his eyes. “We can try, though.”
Javier’s hand rested on Alastor’s shoulder, and Alastor gave him a faint squeeze in reply.
“I’ll make the tea,” Javier said, eyes red and shining with tears he still hadn’t let out.
“Don’t coddle him too much or he’ll come to expect you to play the doting nurse round the clock,” I said, forcing a grin although my chest clenched.
But this was what Alastor had chosen. Life and all its mess over peace.
Alastor managed another small, ragged laugh and opened his eyes to glare at me. “Make me laugh again, and I’ll sacrifice you to the sea.”
“Then you’ll have to contend with Teddy.” This time, my grin was more genuine.
“Ugh, Teddy.” He groaned, mouth twitching at the corners. “She’s going to kill me after my brush with death.”
Javier smiled faintly, shaking his head as he left the tent with Willow, excusing herself after him.
Silence settled in their absence, pressing in until the only sound was the rough drag of my exhale.
“I didn’t think you were going to come back,” I said.
Alastor met my gaze, tired and unguarded. Pain lingered behind his eyes, but the honesty shining through made my stomach twist.
“Neither did I.” His voice was raw, and his hand trembled when he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
I swallowed hard, wondering how much it cost him to return.
“Why don’t you discuss this later?” Finley whispered, her voice steady but kind, while her magic already sparked at her fingers. “Let me see if I can ease some of the pain.”
I shifted beside her. “Want me to join you?”
She hesitated long enough for doubt to creep in. Did she blame me for Alastor, too?
Her gaze met mine, uncertain but unflinching. “Do you want to? My magic—”
“Yes, Lolli,” I said, reaching out to brush my fingers across hers. “We do this together.”
She searched my face and nodded.
Her magic threaded with mine in a way that felt too natural, too right. The moment our magic touched him, something unfamiliar tore through our bond. Death clung to him, not new but like an old companion. It had been wrapped around him long before this.
His pain dulled, the sharp edges smoothing into exhaustion. His lashes fluttered, and when his eyes opened again, they held something distant. “You feel it too, don’t you?” His gaze held mine before he closed his eyes again. “An otherness is in you now. Death’s claimed you, too.”
Finley’s hand trembled where she fisted it over his chest, but I couldn’t look away from him, from what he’d uttered.
Before I could ask what he meant, the tent’s flap swept open. Javier returned with a steaming cup in hand, the faint scent of herbs filtering through the air.
“Got the tea,” he said quietly. “But he’s back to sleep.”
I clapped Javier’s shoulder, willing the unease away. “Finley and I can finish taking the headache away. Why don’t you get some sleep?”
Javier’s shoulders straightened in a stubborn line. “I’m not leaving him.”
“I wouldn’t expect otherwise from you.” I handed him the blanket I’d used through the night and pointed at an empty spot for him to sleep.
Once he lay down, I turned back to Alastor. His breathing was steadier, and some color had returned to his skin as he sank deeper into the blanket.
Finley’s wide searching eyes met mine, unrelenting and full of questions.
Once we eased Alastor of his pain, I reached for her and smiled when she took my outstretched hand. Together, we slipped out of the tent. Outside, the early morning stretched wide and quiet with only the flickering of lights from distant firepits and lanterns.
I guided us to our tent, which was only a few paces from Alastor’s. Everly waited for us, her hands tucked beneath her arms.
“How is he?” she asked, her worried gaze tracing over Alastor’s tent. “I heard him when he spoke to you.”
“He’ll live.” I rubbed the heel of my palm against my chest, where I’d felt his decision waver until he chose life. “Did you hear what he told me?”
She dipped her head in a slow nod. “What does he mean there’s an otherness in you?”
“I don’t know.” The words trembled from me, and I wanted to swallow that indecision back.
“Whatever claim Eiran thinks he has on you, he can’t have you.” Determination lined Finley’s pretty features, her soft lips set firmly, while her eyes flared white until the hint of the hazel I was still getting accustomed to disappeared.
I tugged her closer, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her temple. “I love being your damsel in distress,” I murmured against her.
I caught her hand when she swatted my chest and brought her knuckles to my lips.
“I’m serious, Brenton,” she said.
“You’re the only one who has any claim over me, Lolli. I’m yours.”
“Gods, you’re such a romantic.” Despite Everly’s gripe, one side of her lips tilted in a half smile. “You’re supposed to save those lines for when you’re in trouble.”
“Nah.” I nuzzled the side of Finley’s throat simply because I could. “I think I’ll wax poetic and declare my love every day.”
Everly shook her head, quickly making her way to her tent. “Put up your protective shield if your declarations are going to be loud.”
Laughter shook through me while Finley buried her head against the curve of my neck.
“I can’t believe she said that,” she whispered, her breath warm and teasing against my skin.
“Before meeting Teddy and Ryenne, she would’ve never implied such a thing.” Although I spoke quietly, humor threaded each word. “They’re bad influences.”
For a few beats, Finley’s magic stirred, humming beneath my skin as if it’d always been there. I rubbed my hand over my arm, not exactly chilly but simply aware of the magic that lived within me.
“Do you feel it?” she asked, watching my movements with caution.
The smile I gave her was soft. “Every heartbeat.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, but her fingers trembled. “I don’t ever want you to feel trapped by this. By me. If it makes you uncomfortable, if it—”
“Stop.” I took her hand, pulling her closer so she couldn’t retreat.
“Nothing about you makes me uncomfortable.” I tipped her chin up.
“Not one single thing about you makes me want to retreat.” I pulled her closer, until our chests nearly touched, until the heat from her body threaded through my pulse.
“I like it. I like feeling you inside me. I already told you, I’m yours to claim, and that’s what this feels like.
Like you’ve wrapped yourself beneath my skin and staked your claim.
And it makes me want to return the favor”—my voice dropped lower, rougher—“and mark every inch of you as mine. So every realm remembers where you belong.”
Even in the dim light, I saw the way her cheeks flushed. “Brenton . . .”
“Finley.” I cupped her cheek. “I’ve always been yours. This just carved that claim deeper.”
She looped her hands behind my neck, pulling me in closer. My hand slid to her lower back, holding her there, and then she kissed me. Fierce and unyielding. A mirror of the vow thrumming between us. Not a whisper of a kiss but a claim.
A guttural sound rumbled against her mouth, half groan, half growl, as my grip tightened against her back. Her magic flared beneath my skin, coiling with mine, clutching and claiming as we did each other.
She pulled back, her lips swollen as she smiled at me. “Okay.”
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then nudged her gently toward the nearest log bench by a dwindling fire. I added more wood.
“So about your list,” I teased.
She blinked up at me, confused until I pulled out the folded piece of paper from my pocket, the one I still had from the previous morning.
“Shall I read it aloud?” I waved it in the air.
Her eyes narrowed as she drew her shoulders back, as if she were bracing for me to laugh. I sat beside her, my thigh brushing hers, and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. The tension bled out of her, softening as she tucked herself against me.
“You know I’d never make fun of anything important to you, right?” I asked.
She pressed her nose into the curve of my throat, her warm breath ghosting across my skin. Then she flicked her tongue across my skin, and a groan escaped me before I could stop it.
“I know,” she said, her tone quiet and uncertain. “It’s just that some of the things on my list are foolish. Things everyone else already does, but I’m too afraid to try.”
“I haven’t read it yet, but I already know none of them are foolish,” I said, skirting a finger across her arm. “I hope some of them are fun. Silly, even. And I hope you let me do them with you.”
“There’s one in particular I want you to do with me.” A smile wrapped itself around her words.
“Anything you want, Lolli.” I teased the words against her ear. “I’m yours to command.”
The sound she made in response wasn’t just a laugh, but a soft, startled giggle. It was only the second time I’d heard it, and just as unforgettable.
“There’s this thing I learned about from humans in the region I was stationed.” She reached for the list and pointed at it. “It’s called a manicure and pedicure. A female I befriended spoke about it at length, and it sounded delightful.”
I tilted my head, trying and failing not to grin. “What exactly does one do for a manicure and pedicure?”
She stretched out her palm to wiggle her fingers. “Someone would paint my fingernails and toenails.”
“Paint them?” I echoed, mock confusion coloring my voice enough to make her eyes sparkle, but Ryenne painted her nails often enough that I was at least familiar with the idea. “You mean to tell me that humans decorate their claws?”
She shook her head.
I took her hand and pressed a kiss to the tips of her fingers. “If this manicure and pedicure involve anyone else touching you, they should know I’ll be right there supervising. Closely.”
Her laughter lit up the night.
“So you’ll do it with me?” she asked.
“As soon as we get back to Niev, I’ll find someone to do it for us.” I tilted my head, pretending to look thoughtful. “You’re not going to make me paint mine some soft pastel color. I feel like I should wear something striking and bold.”
Her laugh came louder, brighter. “The males don’t have to get color. Some just have their nails cleaned and shaped. Some even get massages for their hands and feet while they relax.”
I arched a brow. “Massages, hmm?”
She nodded, eyes bright. “Hot water, oils, scrubs. The female who told me about them said it feels like the world melts away for a little while.”
The way she said it made my chest tighten. There was a wistfulness there, threaded through her smile. Like she could already feel what it might be like.
I shifted closer, running my thumb over the back of her hand, tracing the crystals of her bracelet. “Then we’ll make it happen. Whatever you want, Lolli.”
She hesitated, her gaze drifting away for a few beats. When she looked back, her voice was softer. “Maybe . . . maybe Everly would like to go too.” She drew in her bottom lip, her gaze now on her lap. “And maybe Teddy and her girls, if they want to.”
The image hit me like sunlight breaking through clouds; Finley surrounded by the people I loved most. She wanted to include them.
A slow grin pulled at my lips. “Would you rather make this a girls’ day? They do that a few times a month with mimosas and music while the males and I watch the younglings.”
“No, no,” she rushed out, gripping my hand tighter. “I want you there. Maybe eventually a girls’ day if . . . if they like me.”
A low, dangerous growl rose from my chest, cutting through the night. “Finley,” I rasped, voice raw. “I’d choose you over them. Every time.”
Her eyes widened, but she loosened her grasp on my hand.
“If you want me there,” I added more gently. “I’ll be there. I’ll even talk Elias and the others into coming. Can you imagine Alastor with fancy nails?” I paused to take in her laugh. “We’ll make a day of it. Would you want Etienne there, too?”
Her breath caught, and I wondered if her mind went back to that quiet, painful confession from days ago, that she’d felt like she was abandoning him.
“Yeah,” she said softly.
“Then we’ll make sure he’s there too.”
I tapped the list she still held. “Come on, let’s see what other trouble you have planned for us.”