Chapter 57 Unexpected Kindness
UNEXPECTED KINDNESS
RAE
The clearing dissolved around me in an eruption of fractured light.
One minute, I sat on the altar that would be my deathbed, staring at Lymsrana in confusion as the guys each placed a hand on me.
The next, my stomach lurched and the world tilted, wrenching me through a sea of shattered stars and cosmic debris rivaling the beauty of the Aurora Borealis until everything went white.
I staggered onto familiar hardwood as my living room came into focus.
Everything looked as if time on Earth had paused until our return. The laundry basket with dirty clothes sat untouched on the kitchen counter. An open bag of chips lay abandoned on the sofa. The scent of a neighbor’s grill drifted through the cracked front window.
I took a step forward—aiming to do what, I didn’t know—when my legs gave out.
Ash caught me around the waist. “Easy,” he whispered, and Ezra grasped my forearm as I found my footing.
I looked up at Ezra in question.
Something flickered in his arctic-blue eyes that I couldn’t read. I knew he wouldn’t explain, and I was too afraid to ask.
He broke eye contact and released my arm once Ash steadied me.
Zeke spun and pulled me into a tight embrace, startling me.
“Easy,” Ash said, chuckling. “She may still be hurt.”
Zeke thrust his arms out, holding me at arm’s length, examining me from head to toe. “Did I hurt you? Are you okay?”
Relief washed through me. He hadn’t changed despite all we’d been through.
I laughed, my shoulders relaxing. “I’m okay for now.”
He pulled me into his arms again and squeezed me tight, burying his face in my neck. “I’m so glad you’re not dead. I knew you were special, Rae. I knew it.”
Cyn sucked his teeth, flexing his fingers at his side. The crack of his knuckles set my teeth on edge.
I didn’t know whether he wanted to fight me or rip Zeke away from me.
“Maybe you should…” I wriggled and he released me. “Cyn,” I whispered.
He angled his head, lines forming between his brows.
I couldn’t say more. Like Ash said, they needed to figure it out themselves.
“Cyn’s fine,” Zeke said, turning toward him. “Aren’t you?”
Cyn slid his tongue piercing over his lip, biting on the bar, his posture tighter than a bowstring.
Ash huffed. “This is going to be about as fun as listening to Rhistel kissing Cornaith’s ass.”
I looked at him. “What?”
He flicked his chin at Cyn.
“You can’t deny Quinfina’s words,” Ezra said, leaning against the wall, hands tucked in his pockets. His next words were so soft I almost didn’t hear them. “None of us can ignore the truth now.”
“Whatever. She’s our Nyrith. I get it, okay? But I don’t have to accept it.” He stalked toward me, and Zeke stepped back. He leaned in until our noses almost touched. “I don’t have to accept you.”
“Cyn,” Ash warned.
“No. No one has to accept the bond.” He looked me up and down, lip curling in disgust. “Even if you’re my mate and not human, something isn’t right about you. I won’t be manipulated.”
I swallowed the hard lump in my throat as he turned, crossed the kitchen, and walked out the back door.
Zeke stared after him, shifting from foot to foot.
“Go check on him,” Ash said, giving Zeke what we all knew he needed.
He paused to squeeze my hand. “He’ll come around,” he whispered, then rushed out after Cyn.
I didn’t know what Cyn believed he saw in me, but I didn’t manipulate him or anyone else.
But what if I were missing something?
I hadn’t known my family’s history. All my life, I’d feared the same “mental illness” that plagued the women in my family would consume me too.
It was clever deceit crafted by the Shyrlivi men in my bloodline. I couldn’t call it cruel; I wanted to believe they meant to protect us with their glamors.
But what if more lies existed? Could Cyn sense them?
I didn’t understand how their—no, our species worked.
Could we detect magical deception? Glamors, illusion magic?
I turned to Ezra. If anyone could answer my questions, it’d be him.
I’d learned fast he was the princes’ leader, and after meeting his father, I understood why. Ezra would someday head the council as Elyrdin’s leader.
He stared at me without a word, waiting for me to speak.
He never pushed me. Never said more than necessary. Sometimes it felt like he studied me for weakness—or for an opening to strike.
I shuddered.
His brow arched.
“Can you… or well, can we sense magic? Or illusions? Like you did with Shane,” I asked, proud I didn’t stumble over my words under his intense stare.
He crossed his ankles as he considered my words.
Ash sat on the edge of the sofa. “Why are you asking that?”
“What Cyn said.” I crossed my arms. “He thinks I’m doing something on purpose, but what if there’s more we don’t know? I mean, I didn’t know I was more Shyrlivi than human, either, but here we are. What if there’s more?”
“Quinfina said glamors hid your identity and all the other women in your family so no one would find you.” Ash looked at Ezra, brows furrowed. “What do you make of it?”
“It’s worth considering. Though I advise against bringing it up around anyone in Elyrdin,” Ezra said, meeting my eyes. “I’m sure Father will deliver a broadcast to our people to explain what happened.”
Ash scratched his beard. “Shit. The cameras.”
Ezra inclined his head. “The cameras continued to roll, and I don’t know how much footage they captured after the staff collapsed. Enough to cause unrest, I’m sure.”
“I don’t get why anyone would watch a televised execution.” I pushed my hair out of my face.
“Different cultures,” Ash said, offering me an apologetic smile. “But not everyone watches. I wouldn’t watch if I didn’t have to be there as part of the Elyrdin Guard.”
“Father will mitigate the damage, but if anyone discovered you have more secrets, I can’t predict the fallout,” Ezra said, steering us back on topic.
“I don’t need to give them more reasons to kill me,” I mumbled.
“It won’t happen,” Ash said. “It’d hurt us.”
Right. Mates.
I’d forgotten Quinfina said killing me would kill them.
“Keep it to yourself. Don’t even speak of it to the council.” Ezra pushed off the wall.
I looked up at him. “Why not them?”
A twitch in his jaw told me he was grinding his teeth.
He stepped closer, my breath stalling as his whisper brushed my ear. “Don’t trust my father.”
I gaped as he stepped away into the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle.
Ash chuckled at my expression. “What’d he say?”
Ezra took a drink of water and set the bottle on the counter.
His curious, cold gaze studied me—as though I were a butterfly right before he plucked my wings off. A shudder ran through me, and the corner of his mouth upturned slightly, as if my unease amused him.
“Rae?”
I wrenched my gaze away from Ezra to Ash. “N-nothing. Nothing major.”
Ash hummed, glancing at Ezra, who hadn’t stopped staring at me. “That so?” He nodded. “If you say so.”
Ezra placed his hands on the counter and looked between us. “We have a week to settle whatever affairs you need to handle before we must return to Elyrdin.”
I groaned and pressed my fingers hard into my eyes until spots appeared.
All I wanted was a long, hot shower and to strip off the clothes I’d worn for days. The pants over my shorts were already dirty to start with.
“I don’t know what I’m gonna tell Maya, Trudy, or even Diane.” I peeled off the dirty pants over my shorts.
Ash’s brows rose, then dropped when he saw the shorts.
“My aunt and uncle won’t be a problem. With Grandma gone, they won’t notice if I go missing.”
They barely noticed when she was alive.
“If you don’t want to lie, why don’t you just tell them you have to move far away?” When I gave Ash a flat look as I carried my pants to the basket, he added, “What? It’s the truth, at least.”
“On such short notice? ‘Hey y’all, I need to move away all of a sudden. Can’t really talk about it. Sorry. Later, bitches!’” I threw my hands up with a huff of laughter. “That’ll go over real smooth.”
Ezra’s lip twitched, surprising me. “None of that is necessary.”
We looked at him, and both asked, “Why?” at the same time.
“Lymsrana spoke to me before we teleported,” he said, eyes on me. “She already placed an illusion spell to influence those you know on Earth.”
“Do what now?”
“They believe you’ve moved across the country, with planted memories of helping you prepare for the last month.”
I gripped the edge of the counter as my eyes burned.
I didn’t know whether I wanted to cry or scream.
Logically, it made sense. But I was so tired of people running my life. And now I might never see my friends again.
“I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” I whispered, staring at a crack in the counter.
Ash crossed to my side, brushing his fingers through my hair. The touch comforted me, but hollowness ate at me.
Ezra sighed. “You can still say goodbye.”
I lifted my gaze to his.
“I ensured Lymsrana placed a condition on the spell.”
Ash leaned his hip against the counter, continuing to stroke my hair. “What condition?”
“The day we leave, you can say a proper farewell to your friends.”
“How?” I shook my head. “If they believe I’ve already moved slap across the country…”
“They believe they helped you pack, and you’re officially leaving in a week. Until then, you’re making final preparations and can’t visit or work.”
“Oh,” I whispered, picking at the edge of the counter.
“Does that satisfy you?”
I glanced up at him. “Um…”
Ash chuckled.
Ezra pinned me with that unwavering stare, giving nothing away.
“That’ll work,” I mumbled, breaking eye contact. “Thank you.”
The unexpected kindness threw me off.
Ezra had never been cruel, but he wasn’t the kindest man either.
Still, he’d gone out of his way to have Lymsrana alter the spell for me, anticipating my need to say goodbye without my ever saying a word.
Anyone would want that, sure, but he hadn’t factored in my family—who I didn’t want to speak with. It made me wonder how much he’d paid attention in his short time on Earth with me.
I cleared my throat and stepped away. “I’m gonna go take a shower and start packing, I guess.” I looked between them. “The food in the fridge is probably spoiled by now, so I’m gonna order pizza after. Anything special you want?”
“What you got before works for me,” Ash said, then glanced at Ezra. “Do they have wings or something?”
I nodded. “Yeah, why?”
“Barbecue sauce,” Ezra said, picking up his water bottle for another drink.
Oh shit. “I forgot. You don’t like pizza,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m sorry.”
“All things considered, I didn’t expect you to retain that sort of information.”
Ash smiled at me. “Zeke likes extra cheese. Cyn will eat whatever you give him.”
“Pizza isn’t pizza without extra cheese. Okay, I’ll order two large and some barbecue wings for Ezra. Anything else?”
“Go shower, Little Blackbird. I’ll bring the food up when it gets here.”
I shook my head, still not used to someone wanting to take care of me the way Ash did.
Part of me wanted to push back and refuse the care I could so easily lose—like I almost did days ago. But a bigger part of me wanted someone to take care of me for once.
I needed to find the balance between accepting care and pushing back for independence.