Uriah nodded. With a flick of his finger, his telekinesis sent the two shot glasses to the end of the counter for his brothers. “I should have waited and talked to you both… but when Izzy offered me her keys, I took the opportunity to get out of there.”
“It’s understandable,” Lothar said before shooting back his drink and shaking his head. “Is there anything besides tequila in this house?”
Kale chuckled. “The only reason there is tequila is because of me.”
Lothar arched a brow. “Yeah, I figured as much.”
Uriah grabbed a paper sack he’d set down on his way in and pulled out a bottle of Jameson, Grey Goose, and a bottle of something that looked awfully girly to Kale… “Does that say fucking Whipped Vodka?”
Uriah nodded and pulled out a two liter of Root Beer. “The sales lady said it was a good mix, taste like Root-beer floats.”
Lothar chuckled. “I’m sure it does. Anyhow,” he said, reaching for the Jameson. “So, do you want to talk about Mom?”
Uriah scoffed. “You mean, Freya, the banished Norse fertility goddess?”
Kale smiled. “That makes us demi-gods.”
“Makes you Loki,” Uriah joked.
“I do love a little mischief,” Kale agreed.
“Are you angry with her?” Lothar asked seriously.
Uriah shook his head. “How could I be angry with her? She fell in love, and she was a good mother to us. I wish we had known more about her—about our history, our family, and where we came from.”
“We can learn. There are plenty of texts on the Gods that came before the Fae.”
Uriah took a shot of the Grey Goose and nodded. “The other thing the two of you need to realize is that we all carry the blood of a fertility goddess. I don’t know what that means for sure, but since she had us in pretty quick succession, you two need to think about whether you want to have children who will be cursed as we are, and you need to talk to Holly and Kat. We may have just been lucky so far that we don’t have offspring out there.”
Kale and Lothar both furrowed their brows. “Well… maybe someday Kat and I will want children, but for now… we’ve got the situation covered.”
Lothar chuckled. “As a made vampire, Holly shouldn’t be able to have offspring, but her biology is mostly a mystery so we take precautions… Now, moving on from that, I’m pretty sure you met the Fates today and if I had to guess, based off what Bain told me, Lachesis was the one you were talking with.”
“That’s what I figured. The whole weaving destiny thing.”
“Yeah, and from what I learned on Moiria, she’s a pretty straight shooter and she really is on our side.”
Uriah took another shot of Kale’s patron. “That’s what I figured… which means that what is happening in our lands will only end when Jelena returns to her side of the Underworld… once that happens, I—” He took a deep breath and let the pain slither through his veins. “It means I really will never see her again. We broke the rules, but I really did love her.”
He held back the tears that threatened as Kale and Lothar both stayed silent, waiting for him to work through what he had never admitted out loud.
“I’ve loved her for over a century and I waited, and we behaved, never crossing the lines… until just before she died. It might have been easier to have never had her. But I held her, I made love to her, and now she’s gone. And we are on our own because I loved her. The sisters are cut off from us. Whatever role the Fates play, they still make the rules. And they decide how the Immortal Three live and the laws that define them. Now I need to figure out what it all means for me.”
“I’m sorry,” Kale said softly. “It isn’t fair.” He sighed and wondered if Uriah leaving without talking to him and Lothar had something to do with the curse playing out very differently for Uriah than it had for the two of them.
Lothar's head tilted toward Kale, and then his eyes locked on Uriah briefly before he shook his head.
Uriah smirked. “I know that move, Lothar, and I know you well enough, Kale, to know what you are thinking. I would never want this outcome for either of you, and I don’t hold any anger toward the two of you. My situation was far different than either of yours. I loved who I was never meant to; I guarantee Jelena wasn’t part of the destiny Lachesis wove for me.”
Kale nodded. “All right… so can we drink the night away with you, brother?”
Uriah nodded. “You bet… I might even let you talk me into a tattoo.”
Kale grinned, his baby face morphing impishly. “And some piercings too?”
The bottle of Patrón floated to Kale, and Uriah smiled. “I will draw the line there, brother.”
“Most anybody who has the smallest amount of sanity would have drawn the line on Kale quite some time ago,” Lothar joked. “I mean, really, the piercings?”
Kale grinned even wider. “My Kitten enjoys them.”
Uriah shook his head. “That sounds twisted, as most wouldn’t realize that your true mate’s name is Katarina and you call her Kitten… it just sounds like PETA needs a call.”
Lothar let out a bark of laughter; at least Uriah was smiling and throwing barbs at Kale.
“You wait… you’ll get an awesome piece of art and you’ll be addicted, then the piercings won’t seem so crazy.”
“A tattoo does sound like something I might be interested in, but I doubt I will come around on the piercings.”
Kale grinned. “Fine, let’s drink then, boys.”
Chapter Six
“Damn it, Kale.”
Kale, Lothar, and Uriah all grumbled at the sound of Kat’s voice ringing in their ears. Kale smiled as he cracked open a single lid and caught sight of Kat’s beautiful face peering down at him. Kale took a sluggish look around Izzy’s living room. Uriah was passed out on the smaller love seat, and Lothar was draped over the recliner. His gaze fell back on Kat and a smirking Holly behind her.
“What’s wrong, Kitten?”
She shook her head, suppressing a small smile. “It’s fucking one in the afternoon, for starters.”
Kale fumbled for his phone and clicked on the screen, sure enough it was 1:07. He set the phone aside and reached for her. Grasping her hand, he pulled her down to him and kissed her cheek. “I told you I wouldn’t be home last night.”
“Yeah, I know that.”
“Then why are you mad?” he pouted as he nuzzled her neck.
She slapped her hands against his chest and pushed back. With an arched brow, she gestured towards Uriah. “I’m guessing that is your doing.”
Kale didn’t bother to look at his brother. “He already had the alcohol when we got here.”
Kat sighed. “I’m not talking about the fact that you all got wasted last night… I’m referring to the fucking tattoo covering his chest.”
Kale’s brows rose, and details of the night returned… They’d finished off the bottles and made a run to the liquor store for more. On the way back, Kale contacted his personal tattoo artist and decided it was a good idea to stop in. Now, Uriah had an expertly applied piece of art. Daring a glance at his brother, he caught sight of the colorful bird on Uriah’s chest.
He knew there was no way he wasn’t getting the blame for this, but he asked her, “Why do you think it’s my fault?”
“Are you kidding me?” She again arched a brow at him. He just grinned at her. “Well, for one, it’s a tattoo, and for two, it’s a fucking phoenix. Who else would choose a bird of fire for a tattoo?”
Uriah was awake now, a light chuckle escaping his lips. “Kat?”
She turned to look at the now-stirring immortal. “Yeah?”
“I love you… but can you quit yelling at him? It’s hurting my head. The tattoo isn’t exactly a Phoenix, and it was my idea.”
She glared down at Kale. “Really? Or is he just covering your ass?”
Kale adjusted them so he could sit. “It was his idea… I pushed for some piercings, and he pretty much told me to suck it.”
/> She shook her head. “All right, I’ll quit yelling.” She looked back to Uriah, who was sitting and holding his head in his hands. “Should we have brought Bain or Izzy with us to heal that hangover?”
He smiled and looked up at her. “Nope, I did all of this to myself, I will heal on my own… so you don’t like my tattoo?”
She laughed. “I think it’s beautiful.”
The bird looked more hawk-like. A black bird with the color starting at its tail feathers in a vibrant blue, working up along its body to a rich red, with subtle flames on his wings that reached out over his pectorals. It really was a beautiful piece of art.
Kale cleared his throat, and Kat looked back at him. “What?”
“Quit staring at his chest.”
Kat laughed and stood. “Come on, Cree wants to see the two of you,” she said, gesturing to Lothar, who held Holly in his lap and quietly listened to the exchange.
“Is everything okay?” Lothar asked, as he and Holly climbed out of the chair.
“Yeah.” Holly smiled and nodded. “He just wants to go over some stuff with the two of you and Bain.”
Uriah’s eyes drifted between the two women. “What’s going on?”
Holly smiled. “It’s nothing, Uriah. Just a meeting about what the plan is for the next few weeks. He wants you to heal, and as part of that, he’s taken you out of rotation. So you take care of yourself, and we’ll come see you in a few days, okay?”
Uriah nodded. He felt bad that his brothers were still covering his ass, but he wasn’t sure he could go back to the Middle World right now. “Tell him I will check in with Lucas in a couple of days, and I can work this side of things.”
Lothar smiled. “You got it, brother.”
With those words, the foursome left. Uriah scanned the living room. Surprisingly, the house looked pretty good—only a few bottles and shot glasses still littered the coffee table. He left them there. He wasn’t a huge fan of drowning one’s sorrows, but he was giving himself a little leeway to do what he needed for right now.
Grabbing his bags, he headed up the stairs to the guest room that was really more Kale’s room, but where he would be staying. Dropping his bag on the bed, he headed into the bathroom. Staring in the mirror, he looked at the already-healed tattoo… it was something Kale would love, but it was more him than anything else he could think of. It was perfect. It was rebirth and starting over. A symbol of the next step of his life, a step he had to get on board with. He didn’t want to live in a constant state of mourning. He loved Jelena and always would, but she’d been gone for over nine months now. He knew for sure that there was no going back, and there was no future where they would be together.
With a sigh, Uriah started the water, stepping into the hot stream to wash away the pain and emotions of the past to start anew with what life would bring him. After running the hot water to cold, he stepped from the shower. With a swipe over the fogged mirror, he gave his appearance a once over. He looked tired, but his eyes seemed to have a little more life shining in them. He had to admit he felt better. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he emptied the contents of his bags on the bed and began putting his stuff away. He didn’t know for sure how long he would be here, but he wasn’t planning on living out of his bag.
After putting his things away, Uriah ran a brush through his hair and got dressed, then headed out of the room. He moved quickly down the stairs towards a sharp rap against the front door. He knew it wasn’t one of his brothers. They would have simply let themselves in, and it had only been a couple of hours since Kale and Lothar had left. Uriah forced a pleasant smile as he opened the door. He was greeted by the small frame of Izzy’s youngest sister. Her dark, coffee-colored tresses swayed in the wind as the beautiful woman’s sharp, tanzanite eyes grazed over him.
She sighed. “Uriah… where is Izzy?”
Uriah’s smile was a little more natural as he answered. “Nice to see you too, Marie, Izzy is at Bain’s.”
Marie rolled her eyes. “Isn’t she always,” she stated flatly as she peered around him to see the coffee table. Her brows arched as she caught sight of the bottles of alcohol that he, Lothar, and Kale had been drinking from the night before. Her gaze shifted back to his face and studied him closely. “I’m guessing that’s what has you looking a little rough today.”
Uriah chuckled. “I didn’t think I looked that bad.”
She scoffed. “Well, rough for you and your brothers is good by normal people standards. Now, can I come in?”
Uriah nodded and stepped aside, giving her access to the house.
“What are you doing here, Marie?”
“Well, I’ve been driving around for the past couple of hours trying to get a hold of my sister—wait, what are you doing here?” she asked as she folded her legs beneath her on the couch.
Uriah sighed. “I needed a place to hide out for a little bit. Izzy was kind enough to offer up her home.”
Marie arched a brow. “Hide?”
Uriah shrugged. “I needed to get away… What are you doing here?”
“Like I said, I’ve been driving around for a few hours now, trying to get a hold of my sister. I need somewhere to lay low. I didn’t want to go to my parents, and I certainly couldn’t go to Eppie’s. I knew Izzy wouldn’t be around, I also knew she wouldn’t care if I crashed here, but I couldn’t remember the damn security code. I got tired of driving, so I figured I would swing by and, wouldn’t you know it… I found lights on. So here I am.”
“Why do you need to lay low?”
Marie bit her bottom lip. “My car is currently loaded down with all my belongings, and Marko’s are littering the yard of our former residence.” She almost looked sheepish.
“Former residence?”
“Well yeah, I figured living with a cheating ass bastard wasn’t really where I wanted to stay, so it’s a former residence.”
Uriah thought back to the last barbeque Izzy and Bain had. Marie had been with her boyfriend… Marko. Uriah almost smiled as he thought back to that day. He’d noticed from the first time he met Marie that she was like a flame, sparking with mischief and a beauty that rivaled her sister’s. She was quick witted, vivacious, and very much in love.
“Marko cheated?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yep, he never struck me as a lying, slime-ball, asshat, but secrets don’t generally stay hidden for long. So what has you needing to lie low?” She was studying him again, and a small frown marred her pretty face. “You too, huh?”
He shrugged. “Not exactly. She’s just… gone.”
Marie reached for the bottle of vodka on the table and unscrewed the lid. “What did you do?” she asked before swigging off the bottle.
Uriah shook his head. She was so not like her sister. “Why would you ask that?”
Her face scrunched as she swallowed the alcohol. “Umm… well like I said, even on a rough day you look better than the average man. Girls don’t leave guys that look like you unless you give them a good reason… So, are you the lying slime-ball asshat in this situation?”
Uriah shook his head. “No, that’s not my style. She’s permanently gone.”
Marie tilted her head; it only took a few seconds for the meaning to sink in.
“Oh, fuck me. I’m sorry.”
Uriah couldn’t help but smile at her. Yep, that was something that would never fly from Izzy’s mouth. It was also something a beautiful woman shouldn’t go throwing around.
“It’s a serious personality flaw. I open my mouth and I don’t think before I let the words fall out of it. I’m so sorry, Uriah.” She wet her lips in a quick move that had Uriah’s mind creating all kinds of scenarios that involved her little pink tongue at his mercy. Shaking his head at the errant thoughts, he realized she was speaking again. “…I’m a good listener.”
He blinked. “Sorry, what?”
Her perfect brows pinched together. “Do you want to talk about it? I’m a pretty good listener.”
He shook hi
s head. Last night had been what he needed. He confided in his brothers and felt pieces of what he and Jelena had shared slip into a place where he could remember and move forward. He’d spent nine months mourning and now with a word from the Fates, it was time to move on and accept what was and wasn’t meant to be. He would always love her, but it was over and part of him felt peace at the thought. “Not really, it happened over nine months ago. However, it just really hit me that she’s not coming back.”
Marie nodded. “So what stage are you in?”
Uriah smirked and looked to the table with mostly empty bottles of alcohol. “Last night might have been testing and reconstruction… I may have indulged a little. Isn’t that part of stage six?”
Marie nodded. “I believe so… So have you moved into acceptance?”
“I’m close.”
She took two shot glasses from the night before and eyed the inside of them. Shrugging, she grabbed a bottle from the table and filled the glasses before handing him one. “Well, I’m afraid you’re stuck with me unless you plan to try and kick me out of Izzy’s home. So we might as well continue to work on stage six and hopefully, push you into stage seven.”
He took the glass, clinked it to hers, and shot back the sweet, clear liquid. Marie took her shot too, her brows furrowed, and she grabbed the bottle again to actually look at what she had poured them. “Whipped Vodka?”
Uriah laughed. Yes, they had gotten another bottle of the sweet vodka. “It makes a really great Root beer-float-flavored drink.
She shook her head with a smile playing over her lips as she poured them each another shot.
Chapter Seven
Uriah was laughing for the second night in a row. He’d found humor in the company of others. Marie was funny and animated as her voice carried throughout the room. She was also tipsy at this point.
“Why are you laughing at me again?” she asked as she set her drink down. She’d moved from shots to the Root beer and whipped vodka.
Uriah wiped some tears from the corner of his eyes. She had just finished telling him a story about her and her sisters when they were in high school… seemed that both Marie and Izzy hadn’t changed all that much since their younger years. Izzy had been focused and confident even when she was a teenager, and Marie had apparently always been spirited and uninhibited. She made herself known her freshmen year with her outspoken nature, and it gave her the confidence to take on the world. She was also just funny. The more she talked, the more Uriah wanted to hear her voice. The more she laughed, the more Uriah thought it was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.
Immortal Rapture: Immortal Heart Page 4
