Chapter 21 #2
Kat fell asleep first. Her wolf took over around midnight and followed Callum around, until he joined the card game so she could curl up at his side. She was out almost as soon as she snuggled up with him.
Dare was out second, snoring in the closet next to a big plastic tub of Merrily's shoes.
Merrily fell asleep third, in the middle of the card game, with all of my shadows draped over her back like a blanket. I took her place in the game, when Liv waved me over.
Callum crashed a few minutes after Mer did.
Niall took Callum's place in the game at his mate's groggy insistence, and she passed him the phone before passing out.
Niall and I continued the game until he only had a few cards left.
"Mind watching the camera?" he mumbled to me. "I don't know how you're still awake."
"Sure. I don't usually sleep much."
Niall slid the phone closer. "Incubus thing?"
"Yeah."
"Fuck. Sorry."
"It's all good. Mer makes it easier." I dragged a hand lightly over her back. She stirred a little, moving closer to me with a cute, sleepy sound.
"Just wake me up to take the camera when you're crashing," Niall said with a massive yawn. "I'm gonna shift."
He didn't wait for a response, his skin rippling as he shifted into a large panther with thick, black fur, and snuggled up next to his mate. She moved immediately in her sleep, turning until they were chest-to-chest, and draped an arm over his furry back.
I dropped my cards and put the phone where I could see it before pulling my own device from my pocket. There were a dozen messages I hadn't replied to in the past few days.
I answered Mia's and Charity's, updating them on the situation with the vampires. Then I maneuvered to the text Rae had sent me.
I'd thought the message was strange when I got it that morning, and had been in the middle of something, so I hadn't answered it.
It seemed less weird, now.
Rae
What do you know about Darius Scorch?
Me
Not much
What do you want to know?
Dots appeared as Rae typed out an answer, but disappeared after a few seconds. The same thing happened a couple more times before her text came through.
Rae
Idk
I’m curious for some reason
Me
About what?
Rae
Him, I guess
Me
You’re never curious about people
Rae
Unless you send me to murder them
Then I like to know why
Me
Don’t kill Scorch
Rae
Wasn’t planning on it
What’s he like at the Cabinet meetings?
Me
Chill
Sleeps through some of them
Plays games on his phone with Liv through others
Only speaks up if Mer and Callum need backup, but most people don’t question them, so that doesn’t happen often
Rae
Are the fae good to the people they're with romantically?
Me
They never dated before their mates as far as I know
Rae
But they're good to their mates?
Me
I’m not exactly an unbiased source
Rae
I know
Why do you think I’m asking you?
Me
Callum put himself between me and Kat when I broke into his house
Liv has been bragging about Niall’s painting skills for years, and they’re all over each other
Mer showed up at the office building and dragged me to a hotel room she booked last night so I’d get some sleep after the vampire stuff
Rae
K
Me
Are you interested in Scorch?
Rae
Idk
He was kind of fun to be around when I hung out with him, and everyone else left me alone when he was there
I stared at the message for a solid minute.
Rae didn’t like being around people. It was quite possibly her loudest character trait. She barely tolerated me, and after a few hours, she would disappear and tell me she needed a break from socializing for a week.
She didn't think anyone was fun to be around.
How the fuck had Scorch gotten on her good side so fast?
Rae
Hello?
Me
If you liked being around him, you could try to hang out with him again
Rae
I have to research him first
What if his whole thing is an act?
Me
The fae struggle with their magic too much to pretend
Rae
I did see Merrily have a panic attack in the back seat of the car, so I guess it’s probably true
Me
What?
Rae
She was fine
Darius knew what to do
Me
What did he do?
Rae
Gave her headphones and threw a blanket over her
Me
Thank fuck
I thought you were going to tell me he held her, and I’d have to kill the first person you’ve liked in ten years
Rae
It’s more than ten years
I didn’t like people even before the vamp king tried to kill me
I grimaced.
Despite my humor, her confession was important. Rae didn’t talk about her time in the cellar that had been her prison, or even just as a kid.
She was intensely private, and I’d never tried to push her for information.
Rae
How would I go about trying to hang out with him again?
Me
I think he only hangs out with people after he’s bargained with them
Rae
Well we’re obviously not soulmates, so I can make a deal
He offered to bargain with me for sex, I could take him up on that
Me
Do you want to?
You’ve never been interested in sex
Rae
Not sure
Me
His magic makes people feel good
It could just be getting to you
Rae
I didn't feel his magic
My forehead creased.
Me
You sat next to him at the fight, I’m sure you felt it
I’ve felt his magic from across the room at a Cabinet meeting while he was asleep
He's fucking potent
Rae
I didn't feel it
Maybe he was trying not to hit me with it, or it’s because my shadows are keeping me alive
Me
I don’t think he can do that, and I don’t know why your shadows would change anything
Rae
Well what’s the other explanation?
I debated what to say. I couldn’t tell her Darius was interested in her, or that the other royals thought she might be his soulmate. It would be breaking their trust.
But it would also be breaking her trust not to.
What the fuck was I supposed to do here?
"Why do you feel stressed?" Merrily murmured into my mind, sliding a hand lightly over my thigh as she slid closer to me.
"Rae said she never felt Dare’s magic while they were hanging out. That shouldn’t be possible, right?"
The wrinkles in her forehead were deep. "No. She was sitting right next to him in the car and in the fight. His power leaks out constantly, and it affects people of all sexualities and types, making them feel good in one way or another."
"She wants to know what other explanation there is beside him keeping it under control the whole time."
"There’s not. Unless they really are fated." Her eyes opened, her bleary gaze flicking to Darius across the room. "Why is she asking?"
"She says she likes him. She doesn’t like people, Mer. Half the time, I don’t even think she likes me. She just trusts me, and she doesn’t trust anyone else."
"But she likes Dare. And she didn’t feel anything from his magic?"
"Right."
"Holy shit."
Rae
You’re clearly falling asleep
We can talk tomorrow
Bye
Fuck.
Just… fuck.
"We should get involved, right?" I asked Merrily, looking at Dare before looking back at Mer. She looked pale, in the room’s soft lighting.
Her eyes met mine. "I don’t know. What do you think?"
"I don’t know either. If we get involved on either side, we’re breaking someone’s trust. She mentioned making a deal with him. If we give it time, it might happen naturally."
"That’s probably the best call. He didn’t want anyone to interfere, anyway."
"She would be pissed if she thought I was talking to him about her behind her back, too."
"Then we stay out of it," Mer whispered. "If they don’t find their way to each other naturally, we’ll intervene."
"Agreed."
She took my hand and lifted it to her lips, kissing my knuckles lightly. "You need to rest."
"So do you."
"Snuggle with me. We can sleep together."
"I can’t. Told Niall I’d babysit his security footage."
Her lips curved upward a little. "Here." She held her hand out for it.
I gave it to her. Liv had the phone plugged in, but the motion really tested the reach of the cord.
Merrily turned the volume up even louder, and hit a few buttons. "It’ll record everything to the cloud. No one needs to stay awake. It’s loud enough that we should wake up when the wolves do, anyway. I set an alarm too, so we’ll be up before them."
"You always have a plan, don’t you?"
Her smile widened. "Usually."
"What’s your plan with me?"
"I already finished all of my plans with you. Now my plan is just to be your mate, I guess."
"Sounds nice." I eased myself down to the carpet beside her and pulled her to my chest. Our amusement faded as quiet set in.
I had no fucking idea how to process that Rae might be Scorch’s mate.
Guess I’d figure it out if we got there.