CHAPTER FIVE
JACE
“I want to take the next step with Ember, but I don’t know how.”
I say as I close my brother's door, he glances up from his laptop, giving me an odd look that I don’t really understand, which is odd between us; we are normally in sync.
“When you’re making out or whatever, or even tell her you want more but don’t know what she likes – she’ll help you, or I can tap in and join”, he wiggles his eyebrows at me, but I’m already shaking my head.
“No, I want our first time to be just us. I just don’t want her to think less of me, as I have no idea what I’m doing.” I hang my head. Creed goes to say something, but the door slams open,
“Jace, your clothes are on your bed, the Elders have been spotted two towns over, and not that I was eavesdropping, but Ember won’t make fun of you. Remember, one of her mates is Jenson.” Miles states while walking to Creed's closet,
“He’s right. Just talk to her, I’m jumping in the shower.
” Creed pats my shoulder on his way past, and I wince when I realise he was lying in bed naked on his laptop when I walked in.
I head to my room to get changed. I contemplate showering; if we all smell fresh as daisies, they will know something is off.
“Miles, I am not wearing that either. Come pick something else, or paint-splattered dungarees are what I’m wearing,” Ember yells from her room.
Miles flies out of Creed's closet, dumping clothes on the end of his bed and charges with a fierce look that would even have Nikoli quaking in his boots. I eye the clothes he has given Creed to wear, thankfully, Miles hasn’t given us matching, but mine do seem on the smarter side than Creed's.
As I go to head down, Miles and Ember are still bickering.
“Miles, I would be more comfortable in slacks. I’ve seen the guys walking past, and NONE of them is close to matching the cocktail dresses you keep trying with me.” Lily brushes past me, where I’m standing at the door, and I lean on the frame, watching as Ember and Miles glare at each other.
I have slacks and a button-up, but I was given Vans to wear.
Creed was given cropped jeans and a maple leaf print linen button-up.
Lily is wearing a Maxi dress with autumn leaves falling on it and a row of trees around the base.
Lily comes out of Ember's closet with a pair of Dungarees with feathers all over, a royal blue tank and a pair of blue DCs.
“Get changed, then I will do your hair while Miles does simple makeup.” Lily uses what I’ve come to know as her teacher's voice. I see Miles' shoulders drop, and he mumbles out.
“I don’t want them to look down on her.” Lily pats Miles' cheek, making him look at her.
“If she were in a cocktail dress or anything too fancy, they would know she had run upstairs and changed, which could then make them think she was hiding something,” she speaks softly as Ember steps into the bathroom to change.
“You’ve made the rest of us seem casual but befit of our rank, if you put Ember in something she isn’t comfortable in, that’s going to show, plus, if things turn bad, she can’t kick ass in a tight-fitting cocktail dress without flashing her panties,” I say softly but with a smile at the end, Miles nods and I get a small chuckle from him as he starts putting away Embers dismissed clothes.
Lily braids one side of Ember's hair, adding more feathers.
Kodi and Bas bring in and secure the slide that Kodi made for her, leaving most of Ember's wild curls free, probably knowing Ren will undo it all if too much is controlled, Miles gives her some winged eyeliner, a brush of mascara and some lip balm after passing Ember a Royal Blue pair of prop glasses he heads out to check everyone else, she turns to me and smiles shyly, she doesn’t like being centre of attention but keeps finding herself there.
“You look beautiful, Luna”, I lean down to whisper in her ear,
“Next time, you stay with me.” I pull in a shaky breath,
“I would like us to seal our bond, but I’m nervous and don’t know….”
She cuts me off with a peck to my lips,
“We will work it out together,” She whispers. Then, she grabs my hand with another peck, and we head downstairs.
“They are at the gate, and it’s all of them, plus their guards,” Luc states when we are halfway down, then sticks two fingers in his mouth and whistles, which is followed by whoever is still upstairs shutting doors and following us down, Ember grabs a sketchpad out of a draw, which seems to have appeared all over the lodge and sits down and starts to draw the lake, the more she does, the less her handshakes from her nerves.
Ren sits on one side of her, and when I notice Brayden twitching, I move so he can sit on the other.
He gives me a thankful smile, and she bumps her shoulder into him, her eyes not leaving what she is doing.