The pride for my grandmother was evident in every word.
“You must approach the other families, mija. They will be waiting for you.”
Bewilderment whispered through me. “You want me to go meet them?”
“Why would that surprise you?” she rasped. “They are the root of Gaia’s flowering Gift. With them at your back, you have no need of the AFata, and with their support, no Assembly in the world could ignore you.”
“What would you have me do, tatarabuela?” I asked shakily. “Am I going there for tea and conversation or with a purpose in mind?”
She tsked. “Such sass.” A laugh fell from her lips. “We always were blessed with an attitude…” She sighed then. “You will encounter the others at the cardinal points. Some believe that you would find earth in the North, but, instead you will find water. In the South, they believe you’ll find fire, but you’ll find earth, and in the East, you shall find fire when most believe that to house wind. We westerlings should house water, but, as you know, we are wind. Sol and Gaia have a canny way about them.” More laughter tinkled into the vacuum. “Only in death can one appreciate their smarts.”
I scowled at that. “Why the misdirection?”
“For our protection, of course. We are the most precious of their lines.”
I heaved out a sigh when she went quiet on me. “That’s it? That’s all the clue you’re going to give me?”
“I have no need to give you more. Gabriella already knows their location, just as they know hers. Only four people knew your grandmother was truly alive. Her Virgo mate, and the heads of the fire, water, and earth lines… She could not keep herself hidden from them, not when she is the matriarch of the line.
“You will go to them, and they will be ready… as must you be. Now is the time to act, my child. Go with Gaia and know your family is proud of you.”
Tears instantly burned my eyes. She had no way of knowing how much that meant to me.
“W-Will I see you again?”
“Yes. Our time together is not over. Now go. You have much to do.” A light laugh tittered along the airwaves. “Oh, and mija, their seed will ease your suffering.”
Before I could die of mortification, I closed my eyes to blink, and when they opened again, I was back in the farmhouse. Back in the bedroom, sandwiched between my Virgo, their sweating forms clung to mine in a union that could not have been more perfect had I tried.
My ancestor’s words whispered into my mind, the purpose she’d given me resonating on a level that ran close to soul deep. Duty wasn’t something I’d had. Not like my mates. Family loyalty was the only thing I’d been taught, and I’d even turned my back on that when I was old enough to go to college and get away from all my kid brothers.
All my life, I’d considered my family a burden. All my life, I’d failed to trust them with the true me. The saddest thing of all was the fact that a part of me knew that, if I could live my life again, I’d live it no other way because I knew my mother wouldn’t either.
She’d still end up with so many boys for sons in an attempt to have another daughter who was a better witch than me.
And I’d never be able to trust her with the true me because what I was threatened her very existence.
Guilt, unease, and the inherent belief that I was as selfish as she was shimmered through me when I turned on the mattress. The second I did, Seph grunted and turned with me, not stopping until every inch of my back was connected with him.
He didn’t care, at least not in his sleep, that we were sweating buckets in the tropical climate. He didn’t care that tomorrow we’d be glued together, and I couldn’t find it in myself to care either. If anything, he brought me comfort, dispelled the thoughts that were sprinting through my mind, and eased the inherent ache deep within me.
The sensation of fire ants running under my skin was tamed with him so close and Matthew and Daniel just scant inches away, and I knew, without my great-great-grandmother’s warning still drifting in my ears, that somehow, the biggest challenge ahead of me lay in holding off the Rut until the duty to my line was done…
But she’d had faith in me, and that meant I had to have faith too.
❖
Daniel
The second she’d claimed him, I’d felt it.
Deep in my bones, in my soul, I’d felt it. There was a bond uniting us, tying us together. It had seemed to sink into my DNA, merge into my being.
I’d closed my eyes at the feeling, aware of the sensation, but aware, also, of something else.
Of something more.
If I’d tried, really tried, I could feel what Riel was. Could experience the satisfaction Seph was experiencing. It had been bewildering, but more than that, it had been intoxicating.
My tongue had felt thick in my mouth as I’d allowed the sensations to permeate my being, and instead of getting riled up, I’d been awash with the feeling of satiation, of relaxation and comfort.
Bizarre, to be sure, but it had felt good. Right. That was the only way I could describe it. Like I’d been waiting to feel this way all my life.
As the connection had settled, I’d sighed, releasing some of these sensations, but mostly letting them percolate. Almost like letting a fine red wine aerate by leaving it to breathe, that was how I’d felt.
When Seph had sagged into Riel, his body coming to rest atop her, I’d felt the drugged delight whirling around his system. Had felt it and experienced it myself. As he’d slumped to the side of her, I’d glanced at Matt, had seen his eyelids were heavy, and that he looked just as dopey as I felt. Both nodding at one another in agreement, we’d come to the mutual decision that we needed to be on that bed too.
I cast my clothes aside, leaving only my briefs on as I climbed onto the bed. I flung myself back, let myself get comfortable, and the next thing I knew, it was the next morning and there was a whistle sounding from somewhere in the bedroom.
Blinking, I stared up at the ceiling. Shards of sunlight penetrated the heavy shades, allowing bright bands of gold to streak along the uneven surface.
“What the fuck is that whistle?” Matt rasped groggily.
Riel moaned. “Sounds like a phone. Shut it off,” she mumbled, turning her face and hiding it in the closest available object, which happened to be my arm. She lifted it like it was hers then placed it over her face to hide from the relatively small amount of light that filtered into the room.
My lips curved at the ridiculousness of the position, but I didn’t move. I liked how at ease she was with me, how she felt she had the right to do that—and Sol, if she didn’t, then I wasn’t sure who did.
When Seph scrambled off the bed, he grunted, prompting me to tip my head forward so I could monitor him. He glowered down at his screen then grumbled, “Father?” as he answered it before immediately starting to pace back and forth at the foot of the bed.
Matt shuffled on the bed too, hitching higher so he could sag against the pillow, and when that didn’t work, he hooked his arm beneath his head to prop it up as we watched Seph’s one-way conversation.
“Can’t you just send me the coordinates?” Whatever Noa said had him rolling his eyes. “Google sees all. Unless you’re managing to hide from satellites, then they’ve caught the location on camera.”
He rolled his eyes again then pulled the phone away and put it on speaker.
“—if you think we’d allow Google access to the Assembly’s HQ then you’re insane.”
“Is it hidden with magic?” Seph volleyed.
“No.”
“Then how can you hide it?” he grumbled. “Father, you’re showing your age. Are you at the Assembly now?”
“Yes.”
“Then send me your live location.”
“What’s that?”
Seph’s nostrils flared. “Is Christopher with you?” At my cocked brow, Seph mouthed, “His PA.”
“Yes,” Noa mumbled. “I’ll ask him.”
“When you send it, we should be there s
oon. Okay?”
“That would be appropriate considering this meeting is for you,” Noa replied dryly. “We only met last week. My fellow Assemblymen are not content with my drawing them away from their games of bridge and golf again.”
“Semi-retirement is a tough life,” Seph groused wryly. “Thank you, Father, I’ll see you shortly.”
As he cut the call, he stared down at his screen and nodded in satisfaction as he received a message with what he needed.
“We’re good to go,” he said, his focus on Riel.
“What time is it?” she mumbled.
My lips twitched. “Don’t you want to save the witches from the Fae? Should time matter?”
“Time always matters when it’s morning.” She peered at me from under my arm, shifting it around so I could see one eye. “You’ll learn that any time of the morning is too early for me.”
I snorted. “It’s your ill luck then that you’re fated to be with three Fae.”
She moaned. “I know.”
The Fae were notorious for being early risers. Our days didn’t commence as humans’ did at eight or nine in the morning. We were often awake at four and heading to our offices at five, preferring to work to Sol’s hours rather than Gaia’s as was the way with the rest of the world.
“Come on, lazybones,” Matt retorted, slapping her on the ass. “We need to get moving.”
A grunt escaped her. “How come you haven’t asked me what the plan is?”
I tensed. “You don’t know what the plan is, do you?”
That had her wagging her finger. “That could be considered a fair point.”
My lips twitched. “Do you know some of what you’re doing, at least?”
She sighed. “I didn’t, but things changed last night.” As she curved upward, I forced my gaze away from her tits and up to her eyes—in my defense, her tits fit my palms more than generously. They were mouth-wateringly hot. And I’d have to be a real douche not to appreciate such a sight first thing on a morning. “Well done for remembering where my face is, Daniel,” she mumbled, but I saw the twinkle in her eyes and grinned at her with no apology.
“What happened last night? Aside from the Rut?” Matthew demanded, evidently intent on getting to the subject at hand. Good old Matt. Always ready to keep us in line like we were rebellious sheep and he the shepherd.
She blew out a breath. “That wasn’t the Rut.”
Matt frowned. “What do you mean?”
“What do you mean, what do I mean? That wasn’t the Rut.” A frown appeared on her brow. “Makes sense, really. I was hot and horny but not overtaken with need. Not like how you’d imagine when the word ‘rut’ comes into play.” An interested hum escaped her at the thought, and I barely refrained from heaving out a sigh in response.
“How would you know?” I asked instead of huffing at her.
She swallowed. “You know that day? With the meteor?”
“How could we forget?” I replied wryly.
“Not like you can forget something that makes you turn shit invisible,” Matt pointed out.
“Or the day you think you’re going to die,” Seph grumbled.
“Yeah, well, I woke up and we weren’t here. We were somewhere else.” Her scowl appeared again. “I don’t know where, just that we were in the middle of the ocean. It was so blue,” she murmured, her voice waning.
I frowned. “You remember that? We were there for barely any time at all.” Just long enough to kill a prime warrior, but because she’d fallen asleep for all that time in that aftermath, I guess I figured she’d forgotten about that.
She licked her lips. “I remember we made it through a portal but as we crossed from Linford’s home to wherever we were, I had a vision. I guess that’s what you’d call it. It wasn’t like a glimpse into the past or the future, it was just—well, it was nothing. I’ve never been anywhere so utterly without light in all my life.” The breath that exhaled from between her lips shuddered through her, and she grabbed the sheet that had, over the course of the night, been pushed down to the baseboard at our feet.
Dragging it up and higher over her body, she cuddled into it, and I reached for her, tucked my arm over her shoulder and murmured, “Hey, what is it?”
“Just… that place. My tatarabuela was there. She was warning me. Telling me about how I was going to change. She showed me the warrior.”
“You pointed at him,” I murmured, remembering Riel’s struggle when we made it onto the tiny island in the middle of nowhere.
“Yeah. Because she guided me.”
“You’re only just telling us this now?” Seph remarked, his scowl firmly in place.
“There’s been a lot of other stuff to discuss first, and I’m only telling you this now because of last night. She visited me in my dream.” She raised a hand and rubbed her temple. “She warned me that the Rut was coming, and I’d only be able to stave it off for so long, but before I did anything, I had to—”
“Had to what?” I questioned uneasily when she broke off.
When she explained about the first families, I knew I wasn’t the only one gaping at her. I didn’t even have to look at the others to know that.
“You’re from one of the first families?” Seph rasped, staggering forward and plunking himself down at the side of the bed. He didn’t even care that he was sitting on my foot, and the fuck of it was, I didn’t care either.
“Apparently,” she murmured, tucking a loose lock behind her ear. “This is the first time I’ve heard of it, but she said that we have to visit each one and they’ll know what to do.”
“How do we know where they are?”
“She said my grandmother knows. That she’s always known, and that they’ve always known she still lived too.”
I sucked down a breath. “Why?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I even want to know either, but on our first meeting…” When Riel cleared her throat, it wasn’t because her voice had gone, instead, it was because I figured she was trying to work out what to say.
She closed her eyes and on a low hum intoned,
“’Sol’s stone brings peace not war, but to connect with it, on the islands our daughter must be.
“Where Kou morphed into a harbor forged of pearls, she will surge into the air, her wings aloft, her magic at the ready.
“Gaia’s gift to her will drain the well of her power, but her reward will be worth the loss.
“She will change, but that change is a catalyst for more than we ever dared hope.
“The balance to be redressed, Gaia’s Way to overpower Sol’s with his blessing, but only with the second angel of our line.
“So mote it be.’”
“What in Sol’s name does that mean?” I ground out, finally tearing my eyes from her to demand it of my brothers.
Seph’s phone was in his hand, and as he called on Siri, the question he asked wasn’t exactly the one that was burning on the tip of my tongue, “Pearl Harbor, Wikipedia.”
I frowned at him as he began reading, tapping here and there on the screen before he shot us a look. “Honolulu’s old name was Kou.”
“That’s what you fixate on?” Riel grumbled. “Of all the shit I just said, that was what mattered to you most?”
He shrugged. “I was curious.”
Riel grunted in disgust. “My tatarabuela said I’d been fated for this since the day I was born.” She licked her lips. “Said that you’d been fated to be at my side throughout it too.”
I tightened my hold on her, and simultaneously, Matt reached for one of her hands and Seph, even though it was awkward, reached for the other.
With us all holding on to her, she released a shaky breath. “You’re not upset?”
Scowling at her, I mumbled, “I think I prefer it when you’ve more attitude than tits.”
She blinked up at me. “That has to be the weirdest insult ever.”
It was my turn to shrug. “Just calling it like I see it.”
/> Huffing, she mumbled, “Sexist prick.”
“Feel free to compare the size of my ego with the size of my c—”
“Let’s leave it there, shall we?” Matt groused. “I think we have more important matters to discuss.”
I cleared my throat. “True. I just don’t like to hear her talk that way. She’s not lesser than us. She sounded like she was scared we were going to disagree or something.” I twisted so I could look at her better, then I cupped her chin and tilted her face so I could look her square in the eye. “Riel, I accepted your claim for one reason only—not just because of kismet, but because you were made for me. Because you fit me better than anything or anyone else I could even begin to imagine.
“Kismet did have a hand in this, but that same celestial body that put us on this path also made it so that you have an attitude that won’t quit and a pretty large chip on your shoulder.”
“You had to ruin it,” Seph commented on a sigh.
I ignored him, carried on staring down into the weird, silvery-blue eyes that were pretty creepy to behold, truth be told. She’d gone from being the color of cafe latte with espresso brown hair and eyes to being the exact antithesis of that. All white hair and big, blue-silver eyes that were almost mirror-like in their reflective capabilities.
Those eyes of hers were proof that something supernatural had taken over her, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“I do have a chip on my shoulder,” she admitted softly, her eyes still on mine. “I appreciate your honesty, Daniel. I-I won’t doubt the bond again.”
“You should never have even begun to fret,” Matthew rasped. “He’s right, Riel. This goes beyond the superficial kind of relationship I think any of us are used to.
“We’re with you. Until the end. Come what may.”
She gulped, her gaze drifting from me to Matt and onto Seph. “That’s just it,” she whispered.
“What is?” Matt insisted.
“This is about making sure the end is far away in the distance, some years in the future, and not tomorrow or next week.” She shivered. “I’m not ready to die. Are you?”
The Ascended: The Eight Wings Collection Page 53
