24. Ash
24
Ash
“ A re you going to explain why the fuck you smell like her or do I need to beat it out of you?” My powers returned to normal throughout the night but I didn’t want to stop watching her sleep so we didn’t arrive back in the Forsaken until this morning.
Of course, Azra found me here to tell him what happened. His voice sounds tired, Brielle’s situation has taken a toll on him. He isn’t used to things being out of his control.
“You can try.” I wink at him where he is sitting in my home at the other end of the village. He sighs and stares out of the window.
“For the first time in my existence, I truly don’t know what the fuck to do. I can’t lose her.” I haven’t seen this countenance from Azra since he told me about our sisters dying in the war and Celeste falling.
My chest aches for my brother because I know the agonizing pain of losing someone horrifically. I guess a small mercy was I didn’t slowly watch her die like he is with Brielle.
I let out a sigh and began to explain everything I told Andrea last night. The bond with Caroline, the scars Andrea and I both have now, how I don’t deserve her but will try every day to prove myself to her.
“Why have you never told me any of this? Do you think so little of me that I wouldn’t show you the correct sympathy?” His brows pinch.
“It wasn’t that I thought you wouldn’t comfort me the best way you could. You did a great job at it not even knowing what happened. I never wanted to revisit those memories. I thought maybe if I never spoke about them, they would turn into a horrible nightmare that never happened.” I run my hands through my hair.
“I understand. Just remember, we are family and we are here no matter what.”
“Are we going to kiss now or…” I smile as he rolls his eyes and grabs the small pillow sitting on the couch beside him and throws it at me. I dodge it as we both laugh.
Our laughter dies as he stands and walks to the door. Andrea will be performing the ritual tomorrow night and I know how worried he is about it not working. We are all worried.
Regardless of how Brielle came into the family, she is still family.
“Celeste is summoning me. Brielle is awake.” He opens the door and stops before walking out. He only turns his head to the side, “Brielle doesn’t need to know about you and Andrea until all this is over. She can’t take on much more after Willow’s passing.” Without saying anymore, Azra walks out and shuts the door behind him.
The sun is just about to set when I arrive at the manor. I find Celeste in her usual place in the garden. Her light blue gown is bunched around her as she sits on a sheet.
It’s always like encountering a baby doe when you approach her. So soft and delicate. Her blonde hair is loose in waves down her back. The scars from her missing wings peek through her icy blonde locks. Shooting pain targets my heart at the sight. Her beauty still could crumble empires.
Kings from everywhere around the world would shower her in jewels to even have the chance to talk to her when we first fell. Celeste, being the kind one, would allow it for the sake of their feelings. I, on the other hand, killed everyone that looked at her slightly inappropriately.
She looks so different from our late sisters. We don’t speak of them much but we all miss them dearly. Especially Celeste, they were her best friends. We were all very much an unlikely group, but we were family and that’s all that mattered. The guilt we all carry for the things Celeste has gone through still weighs my brothers and me down.
“I can hear you breathing,” Celeste mutters without turning to where I am leaning against a hedge admiring her beauty.
Laughing, I walk toward her and sit, being careful of my wing placement. She continues to read her book for a moment longer and then side-eyes me.
“It took you long enough to figure it out.” She smiles and looks back down at the pages of her book.
“Like you knew.” I huff a laugh.
“I would have had to be blind not to know, she is just like her.” My sister finally shuts her book and stares at me intently. Her deep blue eyes read mine. I sometimes forget she was once close with Caroline as well. “Don’t self-sabotage, Ash.”
Her light brows furrow as she places a gentle hand on my shoulder. Her thumb moving back and forth.
“What have I done to deserve such a great sister?” I sarcastically smile and bat my eyes.
“Absolutely nothing.” Celeste rolls her eyes and nudges me. She stands and dusts off the skirt of her gauzy gown. I never questioned why she still wears the same attire that was worn when she fell.
We try not to ask her about that time.
“Stop looking at me as if I am a piece of glass at the edge of a table. Azra is the same way sometimes, and it drives me absolutely insane. The only one that treats me normally is Torin because he is a dick.” She grabs her book and starts walking to the house. My mouth is slack with shock, she is normally not this short-tempered.
Fuck. Brielle has worn off on her.
“Celeste?” A small voice calls out from behind us. My sister’s back straightens as I turn on my heels to greet whoever is in our garden.
I’m met with an equally delicate creature as Celeste. Her pointed ears stick out from her mousy brown hair. The freckles sweeping across her cheeks match her light brown eyes.
“Grace, I didn’t think you were coming by today.” Celeste clears her throat and steps beside me. My eyes slide to her as the air around us shifts. I feel my sister tense as she swallows. Her heart thumps quicker as she smiles at the fae before us.
“I finished training early.” Grace gives me a tight smile and I tilt my head at the underlying conversation here. My eyes bounce between my sister and the being that seems to have captured my sister’s attention.
My brows flick up and I clear my throat.
“Can I come find you later?” My sister asks sharply.
“Of course. I’ll start dinner.”
“Great.” My sister gives her a tight smile and a quick nod before turning toward our home. My brows pinch and I awkwardly wave to Grace before she vanishes.
Rushing to catch up with Celeste, I wrap my arm around her neck and pull her in, kissing the top of her head. Whatever that was, I know she isn’t ready to talk about it so I decide not to pry. I continue the conversation we were having before her visitor and sprinkle in a little brotherly reminder.
“We are just protective of our little sis, that’s all.” I release her and she sighs and laughs. “And you are right, Torin is a dick. I can’t wait to tell him you said that.” Reaching forward, I open the door to the manor and signal for her to enter the kitchen first.
Sniffles fill the area when I shut the door. Leaning against the island, Andrea quickly wipes her tear-stained face. My gut turns at the sight of her upset. My skin tingles and the shadows start swirling.
“Are you okay?” Celeste rushes to her, grabbing a tissue on the way. Andrea laughs and takes the tissues.
“I’m fine. Probably just hormonal.” She laughs again while wiping her eyes and looks toward me. Andrea’s eyes are an even brighter green when they are glossy. “What are you doing here?” she asks not to be rude. Her tone is more of actual curiosity. A sliver of her stomach shows beneath her light pink sweater and before the start of her pleated gray skirt.
“I’m here for you , little bird,” I answer and step forward. Her eyes immediately dart to Celeste who is still worried beside her.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell.” Celeste imitates zipping her lips and smiles. “Have fun!” She shouts behind her as she turns to walk upstairs.
Andrea crosses her arms over her chest and glances back at me. The tip of her button nose is slightly red from her crying.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask, approaching her. She shrugs her shoulder and peers down. I place my knuckle under her chin and pull up until she is looking at me again. “It’s okay to talk to me. You know everything now.”
She nods as I wipe away another tear that is rolling down her flawless cheek.
“I miss home,” she utters just above a whisper.
“Well, I have just the thing.” I smile and run my hand over her beautiful sun-kissed curls. My arm wraps around her waist.
“Where are we going?” Andrea asks as she grips my shirt, bracing herself to vanish.
“Looks like you are about to find out. Consider it our first date.” I smile. My shadows swirl around us, blurring the real world. Seconds later, lights reappear and the cool wind settles around us.
Andrea’s eyes are still squeezed closed well after her feet have settled on the ground. She only opens them once she hears me laughing.
“It helps with the nausea if my eyes are closed and I don’t see all the swirling, okay?” She rubs her stomach before her eyes snap to mine. “Do that again.” I tilt my head not understanding what she would like for me to repeat. “Laugh again, I’ve never heard your laugh.”
Something glimmers in those emerald eyes that causes me to chuckle again from how adorable she is. A large smile blossoms on her face.
“I will laugh myself sore just to see that smile.” My hands cup her face as I lean down and gently kiss her perfectly soft lips. It isn’t until I pull away that she realizes where I have brought her.
“What is this place?” she asks in awe.
“Fabrics imported from all over the world. After you arrived, I heard a few of your conversations about how much you love making clothing of your own. So in the weeks I was gone, I collected as many as I could and stored them in this shop for you. Everything is yours, the shop, everything.” Her mouth slackens and a small gasp escapes. My heart picks up speed as she remains silent for a few long moments. “I hope you like it. If not, I can get more of what you do like. We can?—”
I didn’t have a chance to finish my words before she crashed into me, her lips pressing against mine hard. My hand wraps into her hair and her legs wrap around my waist while my other arm holds her in place.
Our kiss becomes messy and frantic for what feels like hours and seconds at the same time. When she pulls away, tears swell at the rim of her eyes.
“No one has ever done something like this for me.” Her little chin quivers and it cracks my chest right open. She could convince me to burn down realms with that one glance.
Smiling, I slide her down the front of me until she is back on her feet.
“I figured if you were going to fall in love with me for something other than my good-looks, this would be where to start.” Scrunching her nose, she pushes my chest and begins exploring. Her hand ran over each row of rolled fabric. Celeste has done such a great job color coding. She insisted she help.
“You’ve been watching me?” she asks over her shoulder, tracing the gold threading of a fabric I found in India.
“You caught that, huh?” Leaning against the table, I drop my head and peer at her through my brows.
“Why didn’t you just come in? I felt you there. I always felt you… watching.” Andrea turns and looks at me. My heart skips a beat just from her stare. All I can hope for at this moment is that she feels an ounce of the longing I have for her.
Although I know her soul, I am a stranger to her. She has lived a life for twenty-four years I know nothing about. Any chance I had to get to know her, even from a distance, I took it.
“I knew you would never love me. I figured this stuff, the bond, would have freaked you out and you would have run.” The shadows begin swirling again. My body tenses as her eyes bounce around them.
“Why does that happen? You mentioned it in the woods but you never told me why.”
“After I lost her, I did everything I could to find out if the spell worked, if she was out there somewhere. I made deals I’m not proud of with things Lucifer himself keeps locked away and hidden.” I try to shake away the memories of the awful creatures that had me do their bidding for decades. “They just stayed around after that.” I look away from her, not able to see such innocence after the wickedness that still flashes through my mind.
“Does something trigger them? I noticed they aren’t always around.” She winces.
“You aren’t prying, I will tell you anything you want to know, little bird.” I step closer to her. “But yes, certain things trigger them. Since you’ve been here, they like to come out more often.” Her eyes squint.
“If you’ll tell me anything I want to know, then why do you call me little bird?” Her arms cross, pushing her perfect tits up, showing more skin in her V-neck shirt under her sweater. I clench my jaw to keep myself from ripping it off.
“You’ve always been a little bird locked in a cage.” Andrea’s green eyes glimmer in the flickering candles around us. “And I intend to let you out.” Leaning down, I press my lips against hers. Testing how far she is willing to take this.
Her hands slip into my hair while pressing her body against mine.
That is the only signal I need.