Chapter 62
“I see you still enjoy tormenting your brother,” Lucky says, hiding his chuckle into his wineglass.
Meanwhile, Louis sits at the head of the table, pink at the tips of his ears. The conversation around us has returned to full volume, but I keep my voice low to save him more embarrassment.
“It’s character building,” I say. “He’s head of this family now that our parents have retired. He needs to be able to keep calm in the face of frustration.”
It’s a lie; I simply like teasing my older brother until his face matches the drapery in his room. Lucky smiles knowingly.
“Do you still disappear into the forest when he bothers you?”
The mention tickles me. “I can’t believe you remembered that.”
“I forget nothing you’ve shared,” he says, and his gravity pulls my heart ever closer.
“You spend summers in the fields and your winters in the study. Which brings me to this.” He passes me a scroll.
There’s no room to open it, so Lucky explains, “It’s a map of the new world.
Now that the seas are safe, I’ve been helping to document the new routes.
Wait until you see the ship, Mia. It’s fantastic.
And the water …” He clasps a hand to his chest. “When the light hits it in the morning, you’ll swear you’re still dreaming. ”
Sterling is wrong; this is the boy I remember. Spirited, teasing. A smile that rivals the sun.
“Sailing suits you.”
“It’ll suit you too, I think.”
You suit me, I want to say.
Sterling, who has spent the evening acting as a silent sentry on my other side, leans forward to address Lucky. “I’ve heard there are rapids by the south islands. How did you navigate the area without taking damage?”
I could hug him again for putting in the effort. I know it’s only because I asked, but it still means everything to me that he would.
“Who says we didn’t?” Lucky replies, a teasing glint in his eyes. He tucks a lock of hair behind his ear. “I won’t lie; it was difficult, but I have an excellent crew, and they deserve all the credit for delivering me in one piece.”
“What was it like?”
I smile down at my plate. This is exactly what I hoped for. Sterling is as curious as they come, even more so than Lucky or me, but he rarely lets anyone see.
“Incredible,” Lucky says. He leans closer, placing his elbow on the table, until the two of them form a barricade around me.
It’s intimate. “I’ve never experienced anything like it.
The rush … it’s indescribable. There were times I was sure we would flip, turn so far over that the sea would block out the sun. ”
“Any man who thinks he can best the ocean is a fool,” Sterling says, a wry smile twisting the corner of his mouth.
“A swordsman and a poet,” Lucky says, his voice low. “What other skills should we know about? I bet you’re excellent with your hands.” He reaches forward, brushing his finger along Sterling’s knuckles.
Sterling’s fingers twitch before he pulls his hand away.
He says nothing.
“Sterling has many talents,” I say, reaching for my water glass. My pulse is racing. “And few equals.”
When there’s no reply, I look up to find his eyes on me while Lucky looks between us.
“Curious why you’re not joining us on the journey back tomorrow, Sterling.” Lucky picks up his glass and takes a sip. “I must admit, I’m disappointed. Why would you stay while Mia leaves? Do you value your vow to her so little?”
Hurt cuts across Sterling’s expression as surely as a blade, but before he can answer, a scream rings out from beyond the house.
Both men stand in a rush.
Even Louis is at attention, already storming toward the door. “Get Mia out—now.”
More screams call out, indecipherable, except for one phrase—in the sorcerer’s name—and my blood runs cold.
“Come,” Sterling says, his dagger drawn.
Damn. I left mine in my room.
“I’ll keep you safe.”
“We both will,” Lucky says, taking my hand.
Sterling looks like he’d rather swallow glass, but he agrees.
We move quickly to my rooms, Sterling leading and Lucky behind, keeping one hand on my back the whole way. I expect them both to leave me when we arrive, but they don’t, and the tension follows us inside as Sterling closes the door.
Wonderful. A possible madman outside and two stubborn ones locked in with me.
The fire has shrunk since I left, and tending to it calms my mind as I add fresh wood and stoke the flames.
“Do you think he’s returned?”
It shouldn’t be possible. My parents promised me. They saw him turn to ash with their own eyes.
“No,” Sterling says from the other side of the room. He has been guarding the door since we entered.
Lucky is closer and cups my shaking hands between his. It helps. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but even if it isn’t, we won’t let anything happen to you.”
It can’t be a coincidence. There has been no sign of unrest in over a year, but the night before our wedding, a stranger appears, calling out the name of the man who attempted to destroy us all?
“Promise me you won’t go out there,” I plead, slipping my hands free to grip at Lucky’s clothes. “I just got you back. I can’t lose you. I …” What if this is a sign of worse to come? There may be more men tomorrow, and I’ll never get to tell him … never get the time back. “Lucky, I love you.”
“Oh, love.” He cradles my face in his palms, lifting my face so I can see the truth ring out in his gaze. “My heart is—and has always been—yours.”
The kiss is a relief. Years of longing released in the breath between us, in the eager press of his lips on mine. I don’t let go—I can’t—using my hold on him to bring us closer together. I never want to be parted again.
Let evil return. I will not let it separate us.
A knock comes at the door, pulling us apart. Sterling gives us enough time to separate before inching it open. It’s a relief to see Louis on the other side.
“Some of the farmers’ sons broke into the distillery, and this was their idea of a joke. They’ve been taken home now. Nothing more to worry about.”
Oh, thank God.
“Best we all get some sleep before tomorrow,” he says and excuses himself.
“Well,” I start, unsure of what to do now.
Neither Lucky nor Sterling makes a move to leave.
“After you,” Sterling says, waving Lucky toward the closed door.
“Be my guest.” Lucky steps between us. “Unless you’re worried about leaving us alone?”
Silence.
“Or perhaps jealous is a better word,” Lucky adds.
Nothing.
I’m frozen in place as Lucky steps closer to Sterling. Even from a distance, it’s clear how hard he is breathing.
“I wonder,” Lucky says, “what do you imagine we would do if you left us? Would we stop at a kiss? A touch? Can you picture it?” He comes to a stop, less than an arm’s length left between them.
All at once, I notice they are the same height. Eyes, nose, mouth … all aligned. I know how soft Lucky’s lips are, and now I want nothing more than to see them fit between Sterling’s own.
Separately, they’re handsome, but together …
I’m entranced.
“Which of us would you be more envious of?” Lucky asks.
The tension snaps. Sterling surges forward, gripping two large fists of Lucky’s tunic, their faces a breath apart. “Why are you so insistent on this? It’s none of your business.”
Despite the snarl aimed at him, Lucky is undeterred. “Because I recognize the fight in your eyes. I’ve been there too. Don’t pass up on the chance of happiness that is being offered to you.”
Carefully, as though the floor is littered with broken glass, I make my way to them. “Is it true? Are you truly jealous?” I can hardly believe it.
He lets Lucky go, dropping his head. “It does not matter. You are in love with another, betrothed, and I have accepted that.” Sterling’s words are rough, torn from him.
“I wish you’d said something. I didn’t know … I thought …” My hands tremble. “I’ve loved you in some shape or form ever since we met. I buried it because I was certain you’d never feel the same, but it’s only grown, and my only consolation was that I wouldn’t have to decide between you two.”
“You’re wrong, Mia.” Sterling comes over, cupping my cheek. “No one could love you more deeply than me.”
“Why would you have to decide?” Lucky says, surprising us both. A smile plays on his lips. He toys with Sterling’s collar, and I clearly hear the hitch in Sterling’s breath. “Have us both.”
Then Lucky kisses him.
* * *
Ahhh! They did it, they kissed!
I hear wedding bells (go to 63)