Chapter 18
“You’re bleeding, but it’s not bad,” I say, smoothing the gauze back over Jacques’s wound.
He slits his eyes open, looking down at his chest, and nods. Not too concerned, he relaxes again, reaching for me. Still naked, we cuddle up together, and he runs his fingers up and down my back. I put my leg over his and comb my fingers through his hair.
Being able to heal while sleeping is amazing. Lifesaving. I can’t rush the guys to a hospital if they get injured, and my medical know-how is limited to first aid performed in the house. I know the guys want to be human again, but if I start chipping away at the curse, am I putting them in danger?
Jacques’s hand drops to the mattress, and I push up on my elbow, watching him sleep for a moment. Curling back up against him and hiding under the covers would be nice. It’s too early for me to actually sleep, but getting something to eat and turning the TV back on sounds so tempting right now.
But I can’t give in to temptation, no matter how innocent it is.
I have work to do. Carefully, I move away from Jacques and tuck him back in.
Turning on the ceiling fan, I get dressed and gather up the dishes, taking them down into the kitchen.
Stomach grumbling, I go to the pantry, too lazy to make anything, and grab a granola bar.
“How is he?” Hasan asks, striding in from the living room.
“He’ll be fine. Sleep speeds up the healing process or something.” A glimmer comes to Hasan’s eyes as he considers my words. “That does not mean you get to be reckless,” I add.
“I’ll do my best.” He gets something from the fridge and goes outside to keep watch around the house. I tear open my granola bar and sit at the table, looking over everything I have laid out for the spell. The floor creaks behind me, and I see Thomas’s reflection in the window next to me.
“Want to be my guinea pig again?” I pick up one of the quartz amulets and run my fingers over the smooth stone.
“What is that?”
“A guinea pig is a rodent, but the phrase means to be a test subject or the first person to try something new.”
“Oh, and sure. What am I trying?”
“The concealment spell.” I turn around, expecting to see Thomas’s face light up with excitement. Frowning, he strides forward and lays his hands on my shoulders.
“Why don’t you take a night off?”
“I don’t do nights off.”
“I’ve noticed.” He massages my muscles and my eyes fall shut for a few seconds. “It’s going to catch up to you.”
“It hasn’t yet.”
“Not recently.”
I turn around, eyeing him. “What do you mean?”
“You get tired and behind and I know you can’t be happy.”
“Fine. That might be a little true, but we have some very pressing issues right now.”
Thomas sits in the chair next to me and takes my hands in his. “You deserve to have fun, Ace. Taking time off for yourself isn’t a bad thing.”
I drop my gaze. “I know.” Having a hard time relaxing isn’t anything new and is probably one of the reasons I’ve had a hard time making friends over the years.
Dedicating my life to work is admirable and all, but doesn’t make for a good social life.
Deep down I know why I was so hesitant to stop and relax before: I didn’t want to realize how lonely I was.
I didn’t want to give the void in my heart time to ache and remind me how pathetic my life had become.
That was true then, and now my life is anything but pathetic. I’m not lonely. Being with the guys makes me happy.
“You’re right.” I look into Thomas’s blue eyes. “I do need to have fun. So…what should we do?”
“Drink and watch TV? I wish I could take you out to a restaurant like they do in movies.”
I shift my eyes to the table again. “Maybe you can.”
“The concealment spell.”
“Yes. If we can hide your wings, you can come out with me.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” Beaming, he lets go of my hands and picks up the crystal. “Let’s do this.”
I hold my hand over the bowl of herbs and close my eyes. Thomas sits in front of me, and Gil is next to him, curiously watching.
“With this charm, I conceal your wings,” I repeat for the third time, and reach inside the bowl, curling my fingers around the crystal.
It grows hot in my hand, and a jolt of electricity passes through me and into the stone.
I open my eyes just in time to see it glowing blue for a few seconds before fading.
“Okay,” I say, turning to Thomas. “I think it worked.”
He pushes his shoulders back and leans forward, letting me slip the crystal over his head. It falls against his chest, and nothing happens.
“Motherfucker,” I mumble, pursing my lips. “I really thought it would—”
Thomas touches the crystal and the blue light inside it comes back in a bright flash, passing through his fingers, up his arm, and to his wings. Encased in blue light, they flicker a few times, and then disappear.
“Oh my god.” I stand up so fast I knock over the chair behind me.
“Holy shit, you did it,” Gilbert exclaims, jumping up to walk around Thomas.
“Yeah,” I say, too stunned to form a coherent sentence. Thomas flexes his shoulders and then reaches behind him. He turns, showing me his back.
The wings are gone, and in their place are tattoos on his back in smooth black ink. Blinking rapidly, I shake myself and extend my hand, flattening my palm over his back.
“Can you feel this?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Thomas answers, and rolls his neck. “I forgot what it’s like to not have those fuckers attached to me. It’s weird.”
I lean in, looking at the tattoos. Gilbert is right there with me, just as stunned. I trace the lines with my finger, and Thomas lets out a breath.
“Fuck it feels good to have my back rubbed.”
“I bet,” I say with a laugh. “Take the amulet off.”
“Already?”
“Yeah. I need to test something.”
Thomas turns, and with a frown, he pulls the amulet over his head. The same blue light flickers through him, and his wings are back. I take the amulet from him and give it to Gilbert, who eagerly slips it over his head.
The same thing happens.
“You did it, Ace,” Thomas says, not taking his eyes off his brother. “It’s amazing.”
Nodding, I go back to the table and pick up the second crystal. “Let’s see if I can do it again.”
“Here,” I say, pulling shirts and shoes out of a shopping bag. “I guessed on the sizes and can run back in if they don’t fit.”
Thomas pulls a black T-shirt over his head. “It fits.”
“Good.” I reach over the center console of my Charger and pull the price tag off. “Now let’s hope the shoes fit too.”
Gilbert smooths a navy blue Henley over his chest and stretches out his arms. “It’s strange having clothes on again.”
Twisting so I can reach into the backseat, I undo the top buttons on his shirt. “It looks good on you at least.”
He flashes a cheeky grin and looks curiously at the shoes.
I tear open a package of socks, and a few minutes later, the guys are dressed and ready to go out.
Jacques was still sleeping when we left, and Hasan was stunned and a little unnerved when I had him try on the amulet.
I’m getting two more crystals tomorrow so they all can have an amulet, though something tells me Hasan isn’t too eager to go without his wings.
We drive downtown, and while the guys have familiarized themselves with modern times through TV, it’s nothing like seeing things in real life. We park and get out, slowly walking down the street so they can take it all in.
Gilbert walks a little ahead, and Thomas takes my hand. They’re alike in most ways, but Thomas is the more affectionate one, I’ve noticed.
“I don’t know how busy this place is. It might take a while to get a table,” I say, stopping in front of a restaurant. “It’s new and popular, and people from work are always saying how good it is.”
“Give it a try?” Thomas asks. “I don’t care if we wait for a table.”
Gil goes ahead, holding the door open for me. He’s like a kid on Christmas morning and it’s so damn adorable.
“Hi,” the hostess says, running her eyes up Gilbert’s muscular body. “How many?”
Gil has no idea what she’s talking about, but he doesn’t let it slow him down. He flashes a smile, making the hostess blush. “How many do you want?”
She giggles and plays with her hair, not caring that his question makes no sense.
“Three,” I say, and Thomas tightens his arm around me. I give her my name and she motions to the bar. “You guys don’t have IDs,” I whisper, and look at the bar. The bartender’s a woman. “But that might not be a problem tonight.”
There are two seats open at the bar, and I take one and Gil takes the other. Thomas stands behind me, with a hand on my shoulder.
“This is better than I thought it would be.” Gilbert moves his chair closer to mine.
“You haven’t even had a drink yet.” I turn to him, smiling, and he puts his hand on my thigh. “Flash that same smile at the bartender when she comes over. Technically, she should ask to see your ID, but not everyone does when you look older than twenty-one.”
“And if she does ask?”
“Say you forgot it and don’t order alcohol.”
The bartender mixes a drink, casting her eyes in our direction. She looks at Thomas standing with his hands on me, and makes the connection we’re a couple. She can tell Gil is his twin brother and assumes he’s single.
With a smile, she comes over and gives us a drink menu. “I’ll be right back.”
“I don’t know what these are.” Thomas reads over my shoulder.
“To be honest, I don’t either.” I scan the menu. “I’ve never heard of half these drinks. And I don’t know much about your time period. What did you drink? Wine? Mead? Vodka’s been around for a long time, right?”
“Wine, and sometimes cider,” Thomas answers. “But not like the sweet stuff you got.”
I laugh. “So nothing sweet for you guys. Maybe try an Old Fashioned. It’s made with whiskey.”
“Old Fashioned,” Gilbert repeats. “Interesting name.”
“The Bee’s Knees is even better,” I say with a smile. “That’s what I’m getting. I don’t really like the taste of alcohol and it sounds like it’ll be sweet.”