14. And the Award Goes To…
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AND THE AWARD GOES TO…
DEKE
T he front door opened, and I turned to see Thanatos fill the opening with his mate held at his side.
Both were thankfully clothed.
His gaze was guarded, and he kept his voice low so Aurora couldn’t hear. “Last time you were here, you said you knew who you were.” His gaze flicked to Aurora and Victoria on the lawn, then back again. “And you poofed back with her. Yet she’s not screaming, crying, throwing up.”
“People don’t mean that literally,” his mate said before looking at me. “He’s been scrolling TikTok.”
“So many videos, so little being said.” He shook his head and then seemed to struggle with how to phrase his question. “So if you know… And she… What’s it you think…”
I stayed alert and just as guarded as I spoke because, for all I knew, it was his awareness that was impaired. “My mate and I both know I’m Famine, part of The Four.”
He rocked back, his voice low. “You really do know who you are. In all I had planned for, this wasn’t the reunion I expected. And not just because of what you interrupted. However…” His black eyes narrowed. I remembered them being the same color as mine, but in the sunlight, I could see thin lines of silver mixed with the darkness. He still wore his hair long, the dark blue, gold, and white-blond hairs—the same white-blond as his mate—hanging past his shoulders. His trimmed beard held the same colors. “Do they not have cell service where you live? Payphones? 1-800-Collect, dial it today?”
My brows lowered at the reminder of the annoying commercials from decades ago. “I don’t think calling collect is a thing anymore. Or payphones, for that matter.”
“Don’t mind him,” the woman with the nearly white hair interjected, touching his abs. The slight contact was enough to visibly relax him. “He gets a little, uh, possessive. Plus, he’s still working through what is around and what’s outdated. Like coming to terms with the fact Nu-Wave Ovens aren’t in every house.”
“Because it’s a brilliant idea.”
“Lula and Chase gave us one of the extra Instant Pots they got as a wedding gift.”
“It’s not the same.”
And now this isn’t the reunion I expected, either.
“The only thing I saw was your ass,” I told my brother honestly. I’d feel the same protectiveness if I put myself in his place.
With the way Aurora felt about me, I didn’t have to worry about them seeing her naked because I also wouldn’t be seeing her naked.
The rest of the tension left my brother’s body, and he closed the distance between us to pull me into a hug. “I worried we’d never find you, brother.”
At the thick emotion in his voice, my own words came out rough as I forced them through a throat clogged with relief, renewed anger, and happiness.
And guilt.
So much fucking guilt.
I’d given up finding them.
I’d given up .
Gripping my upper arms, he pushed me back to study me. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”
His mate gasped suddenly, and Thanatos went alert, scanning for danger.
“Sorry, sorry,” she rushed out, pointing at the space between Thanatos and me. “Didn’t mean to ruin the moment. But look. Oh, she’s way cuter than Tom. Please don’t tell Juno I said that, but Tom… He’s not cute.” She tipped her head. “Or maybe he’s so ugly, he’s kind of cute. He has a lot of issues. And I’m not just talking about his piddle problems. He’s always panting like he’s one moment away from passing out, and his breath is hot and smelly. Plus, his tongue just hangs there and gets dried out. It’s weird. Not like this beauty.”
I looked at the yard to see Aurora’s curious gaze swing from me and Thanatos to the woman, her expression morphing from confusion to confusion and horror.
She wasn’t the only one.
“Uh, is Tom Juno’s mate?” I asked, surprised she still went by Juno.
Has she been alive all this time, too? Were we constantly ships passing in the night? Why didn’t I feel her?
“Judas Priest, I’m really putting my best foot forward here,” the woman muttered, her cheeks flushing. “No wonder you’re both looking at me like I have two heads. Tom’s her dog.” She moved closer to Thanatos so she could clutch the sleeve of his hoodie and drop her forehead against his arm as she closed her blue eyes. After a long moment, she lifted back up and smiled. “Let’s start over. We can pretend you didn’t see us having… Yeah. And we can also pretend I’m not as awkward as a boner at prom and that I have some manners. Hi, I’m Denny.”
“Deke,” I said before amending, “or if anyone has mentioned me, it’s probably been as Dubhloach.”
“You really do know who you are,” Nate repeated.
“And trust me,” she cut in, “they’ve mentioned you. You’re a big topic of discussion. Deke, got it.” She gestured up. “I named him Nate when he was just a stalker voice. Lenuson is Lennon now. And Juno is Juno.”
Thanatos—or Nate, apparently—dragged his amused attention from his mate and raised a brow. “And she means that literally. Little has changed with our sister.”
Somehow, that didn’t surprise me.
The stalker voice part, however…
Denny’s gaze lowered just as I felt Aurora move from the lawn to climb the stairs. She stopped on the top one and positioned herself where she could be seen but was still partially blocked by my body.
Assuming her position was strategic, I didn’t shift out of her way.
I don’t want her to be uncomfortable.
But I can’t say I’m not relieved she’s dealing with it by seeking me out rather than booking it down the suburban street.
The familiar suburban street…
Before I could ask where we were or place why I recognized the area, her hand gripped the back of my flannel, and she gently pushed me. I took a wild guess at what she wanted. “This is Aurora. And the dog is Victoria.”
“Nice to meet you.” Denny leaned over to see around me and flashed a friendly smile. “Can I pet her?” Her words were a breathless run-on. “And before you get all matey about it, I was referring to the dog, not Aurora.”
“Did someone say matey?” A woman stepped out onto the porch as she spoke. “Naughty girl, have you been visiting the helm room in Novel Idea? I didn’t peg you for a tentacle pirate porn girly—pun very much so intended.”
Nate crossed his arms. “I thought we agreed it’d be best if you waited to come over?”
“And let you be the first again?” Juno held up her hand and dramatically counted off as she ranted. “First to find his mate. First to get his memories. First to uno-reverse his soul curse. First to be tallest.” She glanced at the top of my head and then back to Nate before shrugging. “Well, not anymore, but still. Why did my siblings get all the height?”
“This again?” I muttered since we should’ve been focusing on the other more important things she’d said.
Her green eyes widened, likely because she was surprised I remembered the constant—and senseless—point of contention. “Yes, this again. Would it have killed the powers-that-be to take an inch or two from each of you and give it to me?”
“Then you wouldn’t be fueled by disgruntled short spite and those ridiculous sugary coffee drinks, pixie,” a stoic man behind her pointed out.
At his calm voice, my sister deflated and grinned. “This is true. Never mind that last one. But the rest still stands. I’m not missing out on being first to hear about my brother.” Her attention shifted behind me. “And his lovely lady friend.” Her panicked and apologetic gaze shot to me. “I didn’t see her.”
“It’s fine,” I said before basically repeating what I told Thanatos. “We’re both aware that I’m Famine, and she’s my soulmate.”
“Oh, thank the gods. That would’ve been awkward.” She grinned up at me. “They might’ve been stingy with my height, but powers-that-be were certainly generous with our mates, weren’t they?”
I lifted my chin because she wasn’t wrong.
“And she might actually be shorter than me.” She turned to subtly fist pump before spinning back to introduce herself. “Also, hi, I’m Juno.”
“This is Aurora,” I said.
“And look at that cutie. We’ll have to do a doggy playdate. What’s its name?”
“Victoria.”
“I already told them about Tom… And they thought I was describing your breathing-challenged mate,” Denny tossed in.
Juno’s man scoffed. “I don’t snore that bad. I don’t think anyone does.”
Her lips tipped, but Juno’s focus remained on Aurora. “This family reunion probably seems insane. And it is. Totally and completely batshit crazy. But we’re also nice, I promise. Are you from around here? How long have you known my taller and more annoying brother?”
When my mate nudged my back again, I answered, “Georgia. And a week.”
Juno’s hyperactive happiness—or possibly her high since she acted like a few of my employees after their breaks—dropped to a zero in an instant. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and she glared at me like I was scum.
And she wasn’t the only one.
Her mate’s neutral expression hardened as he studied me with eyes that were nearly the same shade of green as my sister’s, just with the addition of brown.
A coincidence? Or a mate thing?
Even Nate and Denny suddenly looked guarded again.
“There a reason you won’t let your mate answer for herself?” Juno snapped at me like I was a misogynistic, controlling prick.
For the love of damn angels.
Picking up on the tension in the group, Aurora shifted to step out from behind me. I reached back and gave her hand that still held my shirt a reassuring squeeze.
If she decided she wanted to talk eventually, it would be when she felt comfortable. Not when my hot-tempered sister forced her into it.
“Because she doesn’t speak. She communicates by writing.” Since it wasn’t their business—and I still didn’t know her reasoning—I left it at that.
With her hand still in mine, I felt Aurora’s hard shiver. I wasn’t sure if it was the cold weather or the frigid exchange, but I shook off my flannel and handed it back to her anyway.
“Huh. So this is what my own foot tastes like…” Juno murmured.
Denny bumped shoulders with her. “If it makes you feel better, they showed up in the living room when we were in the middle of having sex, so you didn’t have a lot of competition for best first impression.”
“No, just most douchey.”
“Is this a good time to chime in that we also came right away? Because I’d kind of like to swoop in now and take that easy win,” the brunette from my backyard chimed in as she stepped out of the house with a man at her back.
Lenuson .
Standing on the porch with all three of my siblings, those thin threads in my chest grew to thick ropes as our connections strengthened.
After all this time.
We’re together.
As we were always meant to be.
I wasn’t the only one feeling the magnitude of the moment. Despite the fact she’d just been two seconds from trying to kick my ass, when Juno came at me, it was for a hug and not to throw punches. “Sorry, I got distracted by thinking you were a dickhead for a moment there.” Her voice was choked when she shared, “We had no clue how to find you or if you were even here. We were so helpless. It’s not a feeling I’m used to.” She made a noise somewhere between a laugh, a hiccup, and a sob. “It fucking sucked.”
I squeezed her, breathing in the relief, happiness, and fullness—hers and mine. Plus, the cotton candy. That part was just her. “Know the feeling.”
She leaned back. “You do? What happened? Where have you been? What have you been?”
“On the porch with my nosy-ass neighbors probably isn’t the best place to get into this,” Denny pointed out. “Mr. Johannsen and Mrs. O’Leary both separately complained about how rude my recent party attendees were.”
Juno pushed away from me and turned her glare to Denny. “You threw a party and didn’t invite me?”
“No, I had those soulless assholes break in to try to steal our notes,” she said, making unease prickle in my gut even though no one else blinked at it. “And instead of calling the cops or trying to help, they assumed I was throwing an afternoon rager and made a lengthy list of what to complain about. Apparently, while those dicks approached the house, one littered. I’m now being held culpable for that heinous crime.” Denny rolled her eyes. “I’m just glad Mr. Johannsen didn’t send me a certified letter with an invoice for a cleaning fee.”
So much has happened that I’ve missed.
Now I get what Aurora meant about conversation whiplash.
This is going to be harder than I expected.
With Juno out of the way, Lenuson moved forward and pulled me into a thumping embrace like Thanatos had. And just like when Thanatos had, relief, renewed anger, happiness, and guilt surged through me.
We separated, and I got my first good look at him without his mate in front of him. His dirty-blond hair was cut neatly, and his hazel eyes were bright with happiness—brighter than I’d ever seen them. Unlike the casual way the rest of us were dressed, he wore slacks and a button-down shirt that was topped by a white coat. An emblem was embroidered on the chest.
“Doctor. I’m shocked,” I deadpanned since it was the least surprising thing about the entire situation.
“Over and over and over again,” he bizarrely said before his mouth curved into a frown.
“What?”
“His sabbatical starts in a couple of days,” Juno said, “and the big softy is sad.”
“Better sad than putting my patients at risk.” He shook his head as he scanned me. “I can’t believe it’s you, Dubhloach.”
At his awe, my guilt grew until I thought I’d collapse from it.
Choke on it.
Drown in it.
That time when Aurora moved, I didn’t stop her. She stepped onto the porch and pressed close to my side. I wondered if she could feel my shame by the way her worried eyes were aimed up at me. Even Victoria was silent as she put her furry head against my torso.
I pushed the emotion down and focused on the moment.
So much has been stolen from me. I won’t let them have this, too.
I gave her a smile I hoped was reassuring. Then I gave her a bigger one when I saw she’d put my flannel on over her hoodie.
And then I thought about how I would give my left nut to see her in just that flannel with nothing underneath.
I looked away before I got an uncomfortable hard-on and was forced to leave before I even spoke to my siblings.
Clearing my throat, I told Lenuson and his mate, “Everyone calls me Deke. And this is Aurora.”
The dog in my mate’s hold gave a little bark.
I rolled my eyes but added, “And Victoria.”
“I go by Lennon now. This is Lilith.” He stepped to the side to wrap an arm around his mate.
Without him in the way, her blue eyes widened as she inhaled sharply. I assumed it was with excitement about the dog like Denny’s gasp, but her gaze was leveled squarely at Aurora.
My mate immediately lowered her flushed face, and I had no doubt she’d been able to feel my shame because I could suddenly feel hers. The intensity of it knocked the breath from my lungs.
“Hey,” I whispered to her, unsure what was happening.
Lilith cringed. “Sorry, that was rude. And you probably think I was being dramatic because of your eyes, which I wasn’t. Not that they aren’t breathtaking. They’re unique and mesmerizingly lovely, and now I’m probably making you even more uncomfortable. Great, I lost the easy win for best first impression.” Her tone might’ve been light, but the way she stared at Aurora wasn’t. “It’s just… golden.”
Aurora lifted a shaky hand to touch the long length of her golden hair.
“No, your aura. It’s the most beautiful gold I’ve ever seen. Vibrant and illuminated.” Her lips tipped down, and her voice was filled with confusion when she added a whispered, “But also cloudy…” At Aurora’s matching frown, she quickly amended, “Not in a negative way. Iffy, bad, or even outright evil is smudgy. This is… cloudy. There’s no better word for it.”
Aurora gave an equally puzzled shrug.
“Well, obviously.” Juno gestured to us. “Her name. His tattoo. Wait.” She leaned closer to scan my exposed arms. “I’m guessing that’s real and not a temporary one you got from a mechanical rat, pizzeria, and children’s casino with your tickets from the Skee-Ball game. How’d you get ink to stick? The one time I tried, the whole thing wiped away like it was done in cheap, waxy crayons. All that pain for nothing. Which, honestly, was just as well because I was under the influence of some powerful gummy bears, and the homage to Loki’s scepter was probably a little, uh, phallic.”
Everyone looked at her with growing confusion the longer she spoke.
Except her mate.
He shook his head but did it while smiling at her like she was adorable.
Never seen anyone look at War that way.
Everyone examined my tattoo, Aurora, and then back, trying to work out the link between the two—myself included.
It wasn’t my area of expertise, but I was pretty sure there was a princess with the same name. And my Aurora was definitely pretty enough to be one. Animals seemed to flock to her, too.
But I had no idea what that had to do with a tattoo.
At the staring, she pushed in closer to me.
They’re your siblings.
Your long-lost siblings.
Play nice.
Ahh, fuck that.
Before I could tell them to back the hell off, they’d already picked up on her discomfort. Everyone’s attention shifted as they moved—and talked—at once.
“Let’s go …”
“Lots to discuss…”
“This calls for drinks…”
“Ohhh, I’m thinking pi?a coladas. You got cherries?”
They headed inside, but I banded an arm around Aurora’s waist to keep her in place. Once it was just us, I lowered my head so she could whisper if she wanted. “You doing okay?”
She nodded, but then it went sideways until it was more of a bobble.
“It’s a lot. And sorry, baby, it’s about to get even heavier. You need a break, just squeeze my hand, and I’ll take us home.”
Even with my stooped positioning, her voice was so soft that I had to strain to hear it. “Can we make it something else? I might do that just because it makes me feel better.”
I couldn’t help it. My chest and ego both puffed at that small thing. It was good to know that despite her complicated feelings at being mates, my touch comforted her.
Would’ve been a fuckuva lot better without those complicated feelings, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
And when it came to Aurora, I’d sure as shit beg.
“Pinch me instead,” I suggested.
Her smile bordered on a little too gleeful for my comfort. “I can do that.”