The Rise of Fortune and Fury

by Sawyer Bennett

  My sister walks my way, eyes pinned on me, and she doesn’t look back at her home or Amell for one final farewell.

  “I’m ready,” she says.

  I smile. “Me too.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Finley

  It’s way too awkward… Zora’s homecoming to Carrick’s condo. We’re met by Zaid, Titus, Rainey, and Myles, and I can tell Zora is immediately and completely overwhelmed. She doesn’t handle introductions well, and I’m not sure if there’s just a shyness about her, an inherent distrust in everything so she’s naturally standoffish, or she just doesn’t care to get to know people.

  Zaid, Titus, and Myles merely smile when I introduce them.

  Rainey tries to rush forward with a hug. I give a hard shake of my head, causing her to screech to a halt, which is good because Zora is already treading backward to avoid the contact.

  Of course, she runs right into Maddox, who steadies her with a hand to her back. Whipping around, she hisses, “Get your hands off me.”

  Maddox, ever the happy-go-lucky demi-god and not about to be put off by a prickly human, grins and winks. “You know, women clamor to have my hands on them. You should count yourself lucky.”

  I think Zora might be offended, or maybe confused because I don’t even know if she understands the ways of men and women, but she must know something because she rolls her eyes.

  This relieves me because it means she can hold her own, but then I catch something on Maddox’s face. It’s not mere teasing or a hint of flirting. I see something deeper in his eyes when he looks at Zora, and I register a genuine interest in her.

  As a person.

  More accurately, as a woman.

  And that is not good. The last thing Zora needs is the complication of an interested Maddox in her already-shaky start to life in the Earth realm.

  I swoop in to diffuse things. “How about I give you a tour of the condo? Just me and you,” I add, so she knows the whole gang won’t be following.

  She nods gratefully.

  Turning to glance at my friends gathered in the kitchen, I suggest quietly, “Give us some time.”

  The tour of the condo doesn’t take long, despite the enormous size. I start down in the secret library, explaining mostly about Carrick being a demi-god and what that means. Her knowledge of things outside the Underworld is somewhat limited, although I can tell Amell has told her some things over the years.

  For example, in the library, she pulls a book from a shelf—written in English—and starts reading a few paragraphs. “Amell taught me,” she explains, and then shocks me further. “I’m fluent in four other languages.”

  Which maybe shouldn’t be shocking. I imagine there’s not a lot to do to occupy the time in the Underworld.

  We avoid the kitchen on the rest of the tour since everyone is waiting there. As one might expect from someone who lived underground their entire life, Zora is captivated not by the luxuries inside Carrick’s condo, but by the views outside. It’s a fortuitously sunny day, and the Puget Sound sparkles like diamonds. The sky is clear and blue without a cloud in sight. From the southern part of the condo, I point out Mt. Rainer in the distance.

  “We can go out soon to explore the city,” I say, her wondrous sighs at what she sees outside the windows exciting me. I’m sure Carrick will call it unwarranted and dangerous, but I’m not missing out on showing my sister everything.

  “Let me show you the rest of the condo,” I say, then lead her around the perimeter. I take her to see the bedroom I share with Carrick, Maddox’s room, the man cave, and the other guest bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms before ending up in the suite I had occupied before moving into Carrick’s room.

  “You and I wear the same size clothing,” I explain after we enter, pulling open the closet doors. Before we left, I had put half of my clothes in here for her. “These are all yours to wear, and we can shop for more.”

  Zora barely spares them a glance, poking her head into the bathroom. I don’t have it in me to satisfy my curiosity just now as to what her bath facilities were like, but I take great joy in showing her how the shower, bath, and toilet work.

  When she follows me back into the bedroom, I turn to her with an eager smile. “What would you like to do first? Want something to eat? Want to go out and explore? The Space Needle is a must for any visitor. Oh, I know… a spa day. We should do a spa day together.”

  Zora frowns in confusion, and I’m sure I’m speaking what must be akin to a foreign language. “Actually,” she says in a detached voice. “I think I’d just like to be alone for a while. This is a lot to take in.”

  Guilt flushes through me as I realize I’m throwing way too much at her too fast. My zeal and excitement to have my twin here is overshadowing the fact that my sister might be slightly traumatized by her sudden change in circumstances. I need to back off, but I’m sure as hell not leaving her alone.

  Smiling apologetically, I step forward slowly and take her hands in mine. I can feel her instinct to jerk back, but I hold tight. “I’m sorry. This has got to be incredibly overwhelming to you, and I’m not doing a good job at easing you into things. So let’s slow down a bit.”

  “Maybe after I rest a bit—”

  “I’m not leaving you, Zora,” I admonish, then lead her over to the bed. “We can talk. Get to know each other. Or we can sit here in silence while you absorb things. But you’ve been alone far too long, and that’s one thing I’m not budging on.”

  “You’re going to stay by my side indefinitely?” she asks, one beautifully shaped and pale white eyebrow cocked.

  “Not indefinitely,” I reassure her with a chuckle. “But for the next few hours. Let’s just talk, okay? And we can talk about whatever you want. No pressure at all.”

  I point to the bed. “Pop a squat.”

  Zora’s eyebrows knit in confusion.

  “Here,” I exclaim as I move around the bed. “Like this.”

  I hop on the bed, fluff a pillow up against the headboard, and lean back against it. Stretching my legs out, I cross them at the ankles and pat the space beside me. “Come sit.”

  She’s not as exuberant in popping her squat, but she manages to settle herself up against the headboard, clasping her hands together on her lap as she looks around the room. “Are these typical living conditions?” Zora asks.

  I snort, shaking my head. “No. This is one percent of the one percent.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  I really have to stop using cliches with her. “Carrick’s home is not typical at all. He’s incredibly wealthy, and everything here is very extravagant. I’ll take you to my house sometime. It’s probably more representative of the average person.”

  “Which I’m sure is still far superior to the living conditions in the Underworld,” she murmurs.

  “Actually, we do have many places in the world where it’s pretty awful. The Earth realm is not without its problems, but it’s so much better than where you were since we have sunlight here.”

  Silence falls between us, and I realize sitting side by side is not conducive to meaningful conversation. I rise and reposition myself further down the bed where I sit cross-legged, facing Zora.

  “Can I ask you a question about Amell?”

  When Zora nods, I’m surprised. For some reason, I thought he might be an off-limit topic until we got to know each other better.

  “I was really surprised he suggested you come, which told me that he cares for you.” I pause because I’m just setting the background for my real curiosity. “What did he say to you right before we left?”

  Zora’s expression is bittersweet. “He told me to give you a chance.”

  Yup. That definitely proves that he cares for her. And now I’m just being nosy. “Do you have feelings for him?”

  I don’t get an answer. Instead, Zora looks down at her interlaced fingers. While I wait for her to decide what she wants to share, I remind myself to keep an open mind. Everything I know about Dark Fae te
lls me that Amell should be cruel, evil, and incapable of caring for Zora. But I’ve learned that nothing is as it seems when it comes to the fae and other immortals.

  “It’s hard for me to describe what I feel for Amell,” Zora admits, and it’s quite the admission. It means she’s conflicted and vulnerable, and Zora has strived so hard to maintain a tough exterior. “He’s done a lot for me over the years.”

  “Are you two… um… intimate?” I ask cautiously. Because Zora is a beautiful woman, and Amell is about as gorgeous as a fae can be.

  “If you are asking if we have sex, then yes… we’re intimate.” She’s very matter-of-fact, yet there’s not a hint of fondness regarding the relationship they have.

  The Underworld’s equivalent of friends with benefits? I don’t ask for clarification, letting Zora tell me only what she’s comfortable with. As it stands, I have no clue how she was treated as a baby, a toddler, a child, a teenager, or a woman. I don’t know if she had protection or if she was allowed to be used the way she was when they pumped her full of magic.

  Hell, I’m not sure if I want to know the details because I’m afraid they’ll be too horrible for me to process.

  Regardless, Zora will tell me when and if she’s ever ready.

  “I have an idea,” I say with an encouraging smile. “How about I tell you about myself?”

  “Okay,” she says, although I’m dismayed over the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. She does sit up straighter against the headboard, though, and crosses her legs Indian-style to match mine.

  I don’t start my story from the beginning, which would mean talking about how she was stolen and replaced with a changeling for twenty-eight years. I also don’t want to hit her with the fact our parents are dead.

  So I start at my early adulthood—considered the now-mundane part of my life—and prattle on about my failed attempt at college, my job jumping and inability to measure up to my perfect sister, and finally how I ended up at One Bean as a barista and then became the owner. I go on far too long about coffee and its importance to Seattle. This leads into a bit of a geography lesson for her, but when I see her eyes starting to glaze over, I shut my yap to give her time to digest.

  She narrows in on the lynchpin that bridges my old life with my current one. “And what of Carrick? What is he to you?”

  A low laugh bubbles out as I look down at my lap before giving her my eyes again. “He’s everything to me. My entire life. My reason for living.”

  Confusion flits across Zora’s face, almost as if she can’t understand those types of feelings.

  “Perhaps I should tell you our story from the beginning,” I suggest softly. “And that will sort of lead into how I came to find out about you and why we’re trying to stop Kymaris from taking over the Earth realm.”

  Zora nods. “Okay.”

  “But first,” I say slyly, rolling off the bed. “We need major snacks for this. I’ll be right back.”

  Before leaving the room, I give a backward glance at her before nodding at the closet. “You can change into some more comfortable clothes if you want.”

  Her gaze moves slowly to her left, and I leave her alone as she considers.

  In the kitchen, everyone is still there, waiting on some news about how she’s settling in. All eyes turn to me expectantly.

  “I’m just here for food,” I say as I rummage through the pantry for chips.

  “I’ll make you a charcuterie board,” Zaid announces, grabbing my elbow and pulling me out of the storage closet. “And deliver it to Zora’s room for you both to share.”

  And… I’m not going to argue with that. Gratefully, I smile and move to the fridge, grabbing some water and two Cokes. I don’t drink soda—those are actually Maddox’s obsession—but I want Zora to try one.

  “Well,” Rainey drawls, grabbing my attention. “How’s it going?”

  “Slowly,” I admit with a tiny sigh. “She’s overwhelmed. This is a lot, so I’m just slowing things down and talking at her pace. I’m letting her tell me what she wants. Right now, I’m blathering on all about Carrick and me.”

  Carrick smirks knowingly, and I roll my eyes.

  “I would suggest you all disperse and go about your day,” I tell the crowd. “I’ll be with Zora the entire time.”

  “And tonight?” Carrick asks suggestively.

  “I might have a slumber party with her,” I quip and shoot him a wink, which makes him laugh.

  I wouldn’t really do that. Zora would think it was so weird her first night here, and I’d miss Carrick too much.

  But maybe we’ll get there.

  I leave the kitchen and my friends behind.

  The love of my life behind.

  I head back into Zora’s bedroom so we can continue to get to know each other at whatever pace she’ll allow.

  * * *

  It’s almost midnight when I creep into the bedroom I share with Carrick, but the creeping is unnecessary. He waits for me in the bed, sitting up against the backboard and reading a book. He’s shirtless and the sheets are pulled up over his hips, but I can tell he’s naked underneath.

  It’s how he always sleeps, although I still prefer one of his t-shirts. I like the comfort his smell brings me.

  Eyes lifting, Carrick puts the book on the nightstand. “All talked out?”

  I yawn as I move to my side of the bed and flop onto it, rolling to my back and coming to rest beside him. I stare up at the ceiling. “I’m totally all talked out. Meaning, we really only talked about me.”

  “Understandable,” he says, flipping to his side and leaning on an elbow to slightly hover over me, forcing me to look at him and not the ceiling. “You’re going to be far more open. She’s going to be closed tight as a clam. You have to give it time.”

  “I know.” The whine in my voice isn’t flattering. “It’s just… we don’t have a lot of time. The new moon is around the corner, and I’ve lost twenty-eight years with her. Not only am I trying to make up for that, but I’ve also got to learn how to break through the wall she’s put up around herself.”

  “I have faith in you.” Carrick dips his head, then brushes his lips over my forehead. “So what exactly did you two talk about?”

  I scoot up onto the pillow, rolling to my side to face him. He drops down to his pillow, too, our arms both curled under ourselves for support. “I fed her light information first. Me as an adult, dropping out of college, all the jobs I’ve had, and then finally my rise through One Bean to owner. Kept it simple and let her ask questions if she was curious to know more.”

  “And was she? Curious?”

  “She was,” I reply, taking note of the relief I feel now like I felt earlier when she showed genuine interest. “Eventually, she got around to asking about our parents. That led to talking about the changeling ceremony. I could tell she was relieved the daemon that stole her had frozen them, so they had no clue what had happened.”

  Carrick nods. “Making it clear she was not forsaken or abandoned.”

  “Exactly,” I concur. “She knew there was no one to save her.”

  “Save her from what is the question,” Carrick murmurs thoughtfully.

  “We most certainly didn’t get into that,” I say with heavy regret. “But it’s what I really need to know. I need to know what was done to her, so I can help her overcome it.”

  Eyes locked on mine, Carrick brushes hair behind my ear. “You’ll get there, I promise. I think over the next few days, you two need to spend some focused time with each other. Keep it laid back with no pressure for her to talk about anything if she doesn’t want to. She’ll eventually open up.”

  “And you know this how?” I ask skeptically.

  Carrick smirks. “Five thousand years of living. You learn a few things about people.”

  “Your wisdom is indeed unparalleled,” I commend with a grin.

  His smile back isn’t playful. Instead, it borders on lecherous as he moves back up to his elbow to loom over me. “Want to see w
hat else I’ve learned in five thousand years?” His voice is a deep rumble that I feel throughout my entire body, but most concentrated between my legs.

  “I thought I’ve already seen all you had to teach me,” I tease, scooting in closer.

  Carrick’s eyes start to glow as he runs his gaze down my body, sucking his lower lip in between his teeth. “One thing I’ve learned is foreplay really shouldn’t be marred by the painstaking and often awkward task of clothing removal.”

  I don’t immediately comprehend what he’s saying until, with a wave of his hand, I’m suddenly as naked as he is. I can’t help but laugh in delight. “What else did you learn?”

  Carrick rolls partially over me, pressing his palm down into the mattress at my ribs and caging me in. His head hangs low, lips just out of reach of mine. “I’ve learned that magic can be used in foreplay.”

  And without him touching me in any way, it feels as if a thousand tongues and fingers are between my legs.

  I groan, my back arching and my legs spreading as I’m probed, prodded, licked, and sucked while Carrick remains perfectly still and watches me closely for a reaction.

  I manage to pry my eyes open, staring at him helplessly as pleasure takes my body hostage. Magical touches are felt on my breasts, my clit, between my ass cheeks, and inside of me. Within just moments, I’m wracked with an orgasm that shreds me to pieces.

  “Fuck, that’s beautiful,” Carrick growls.

  I’m delirious, only half aware Carrick is pushing my legs apart and driving himself into me. My legs automatically wrap around his hips, my arms around his neck, and I hang on as he fucks me as if his life depends on it.

  I feel like my life depends on it, too.

  Our lovemaking is turbulent as I dangle from the slim ledge of a precipice, afraid to fall without him. But then Carrick drives deep, gathers me tightly in his arms, and buries his face in my neck as he unleashes inside me.

  So… I let go.

  I fall into bliss with him, cherishing this moment in my heart because I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.