CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE #2
He sighed and pressed his fingers to his temples as he stood up. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw that Cadi was still curled over her own display, leaning in so close that her nose nearly touched the glass as a single finger tapped out a rhythm only she could hear.
A tender smile captured his mouth as he watched her.
Gods, she was beautiful. Even from across the room, she somehow managed to steal the air from his lungs without even trying.
The pull to go to her and share in this search nearly won out.
Though, this was a far cry from any time he had ever dared to entertain the idea of picking out rings with her, and he wasn’t about to risk driving her further away.
So instead, he squared his shoulders, turned back to the glimmering case in front of him, and stared down at a complete loss as its contents mocked his inability to just pick a damn ring.
“Find anything?”
Elias jumped, his head snapping up to find Cadi staring at him. He hadn’t even heard her approach, but now, there she was, close enough for him to feel her warmth against his skin as she waited patiently for him to remember how to speak.
“No,” he said, gesturing to the case. “Who would have thought picking out a piece of jewelry would be so hard?”
“Most women,” she replied with a soft laugh. Her teeth tugged at her bottom lip as she studied him. The simple motion sparked a sting of longing; it was another habit of hers that he’d missed more than he realized.
She looked over her shoulder to the case where she had just been, and a slow, almost conspiratorial smile crept over her face as her gaze flicked back to him. Elias could tell she was planning something.
“And here I thought I was the indecisive one,” she said, “come on.”
Without waiting for his response, she moved back toward the other side of the shop. Elias chuckled, unable to stop the grin that worked its way free as he followed her. He could feel the stares of everyone around him as they watched them both with electric curiosity.
The small line between Cadi’s brows deepened as her eyes swept the display, her fingers brushing lightly across the glass almost as if she were cataloging every ring she saw, looking for something specific that was just out of reach.
Then, her features relaxed, and her eyes darted to him once before she straightened and waved to Mona.
“Could we look at that one?” Cadi asked, pointing to a tray of gold signet rings near the center.
“Of course, sugar,” Mona replied as she slipped the key into the lock to remove the black velvet pad and place it gently in front of them.
Cadi lifted one of the rings and held it out to him. Elias took it between his fingers, something about the simplicity of its elegant design calling to him. The band was cast in rich matte gold, and it tapered softly from a wide top to a narrow underside. It felt balanced, comfortable.
Right.
The cool metal glided smoothly over his skin as he slipped it onto the ring finger of his right hand. When he looked back to Cadi, he found a glimmer of hopeful curiosity shining in her eyes.
“It’s perfect,” he said, and for a moment he wasn’t entirely sure he was still talking about the ring.
She beamed, and a faint laugh tumbled free before her gaze lowered to her own hands, where a delicate glimmer caught the light.
Elias looked back at the tray and quickly found the place where the ring that now rested on his finger had just been. There next to it was another empty space. His eyes moved back to the object still held tightly in Cadi’s hand.
“Which one did you pick?” he asked.
A perfect shade of pink dusted her cheek as she slowly opened her fingers to reveal a small gold signet ring. The twin to his in every way.
“Looks like we’ll match,” she said with a small shrug.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the words died on his tongue.
There was so much he still wanted to say, needed to say, but all he could do was stare at her, the gentle blue of her eyes holding him frozen.
His fingers twitched as his already tenuous control threatened to splinter beneath the rising need to hold her, to soothe the scars he knew still lingered from that night.
A wistful sigh drifted from behind the counter, cutting through the moment to pull Elias’s attention to where Mona hovered above the glass case, her chin resting in her palms as her wings buzzed to keep her aloft.
“Y’all are about as cute as a freckle on a firefly,” she swooned, extending her open hand. “How ’bout I get these all fixed up for you?”
Cadi flashed Elias an amused smirk before they both dropped their rings into the faerie’s waiting palm.
Mona clutched the gilded bands to her chest with another dreamy sigh before she flew off toward the back room. The others followed close behind, with Kai bringing up the rear to take up a sentry position just inside the door in case of any unexpected visitors.
Elias stopped short, his eyebrows shooting up as he scanned the cluttered workspace.
Four triangular lamps hung from the ceiling, their light overlapping in golden circles across the concrete floor to illuminate the wooden benches that lined three of the four walls.
Metal tools and wires were scattered across the stained surfaces, and the apparent lack of any organizational system threatened to bring back the throbbing in his head.
Mona glided to the station at the far wall and perched herself on a metal stool amid a sprawl of engraving tools. Sera joined Mona where she sat, smiling as she accepted a pair of safety goggles the faerie thrust toward her. Her cheeks flushed when Mona’s fingers brushed over the back of her hand.
The more he learned about the quirky mythic, the more he began to understand why Sera was so drawn in.
Mona’s quiet chaos was right up the goddess’s alley, and he grinned at the way she seemed so uncharacteristically frazzled.
He had never seen her like this, and regardless of the firestorm that was his own love life at the moment, he loved seeing her so happy.
Plus, it gave him the perfect reason to be exceedingly annoying later when he teased her about it.
He found a spot along the workbench closest to the door that seemed to have the lowest probability of being stabbed by a soldering tool and leaned back, arms folded over his chest to watch Mona work.
A prickle of awareness walked across his scalp, drawing his attention to the middle of the room where Cadi still stood. Watching him.
He saw her weight shift almost imperceptibly, as if she were caught between wanting to take a step forward and staying where she was. The decision was hers, and always would be, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t help ease the door open.
Catching her eye, he let a soft smile drift over his lips and lifted off the bench just enough to inch his body to the side without making a show of it.
She kept her gaze trained on him, following his movements but still holding back from making any of her own.
He tipped his head to the side, gesturing to the now open space beside him.
The small flutter stirred behind his ribs at the tiny twitch of her mouth and her teasing eye roll as she moved to join him.
A high-pitched whir filled the air, followed by the sharp tang of burning metal.
Mona hunched over her work with Sera hovering close to guide every movement, ensuring each line and curve was perfect.
Cadi shifted beside him, inching her body closer and sending his pulse hammering when her arm brushed against his.
She didn’t pull away.
The muscles in his jaw worked, the effort to keep his reaction contained and respectful quickly becoming one of the most difficult things he had ever done. It would be so natural and easy to just let go, to lay his arm across her shoulder and pull her into his side.
The whirring cut off, leaving a faint ringing in the returned silence. Mona straightened, slipped off her goggles, and tossed them into the clutter before she handed the finished rings to Sera.
The goddess raised them to her face and turned each one carefully to examine the craftsmanship.
Not a single line could vary; each space and length had to be exactly the same before they moved forward.
Everyone watched her. Even the walls themselves seemed to hold their breath until at last her lips formed a satisfied grin.
She looked at Mona, squeezed her shoulder, and nodded her approval.
With a smile still fixed to her face, Sera crossed to Cadi and Elias to hand them their newly engraved sigil rings.
Elias leaned forward into the cone of light radiating from the ceiling to study the lines etched into the metal, daring to let a seed of hope take root.
Unlike the drawing back at his apartment, this protection felt stronger, more permanent.
“Now for the fun part,” Sera said, bringing Elias back into the room. “Who wants to go first?”
Elias blew a soft laugh through his nose at the playful eagerness in Sera’s tone before he turned to where Cadi stood fiddling with the small ring in her hands.
“Do you want me to go?” he asked, grabbing her attention.
Cadi looked between him and Sera, then shrugged. “If you want. Or I can. Either way really.”
“You can go first if you want—”
“Ugh, you two are so irritating!” Sera groaned, grabbing Elias’s wrist and yanking him forward into the glowing circle that would form their makeshift ritual space. “There. The decision has been made.”
She held out her hand for Elias’s ring, her expression and movements so serious that he had to fight the urge to fidget beneath the gravitas. As he looked down at her outstretched palm, the sudden temptation to both rile her and break the tension quickly won.
He wrapped his fingers around hers and gave her hand a firm shake, grinning at the muffled snort of laughter that drifted from behind him.