by Raine Thomas
Quincy had largely taken over the sisters’ medical care. He had worked in several different fields of medicine while on the human plane, and during his studies as a young Corgloresti had learned everything he could about human anatomy and medical science. He considered it an honor to assist them, and a perfect way to respect the memory of his best friend.
That evening proved to be one that Skye weathered well. She was alert and bubbling with enthusiasm as they made their way back to their rooms with their siblings. The game had been another overwhelming success.
“We’ve made so much progress in just two weeks,” she said as they reached the corridor housing their rooms. “I can hardly believe it. I even heard several Estilorians using contractions today.”
He thought about that as Gabriel opened the door to his and Amber’s room. They all filed inside, as the sisters were hungry and wanted dinner. Now that he thought about it, there had been several contractions used that day among the younger groups he had taught. He hadn’t even registered the change. It made him frown, wondering what else he might have missed.
“I’m pleased with how things are going,” Gabriel said, giving Amber a considering look before he held his hand over the table and conjured up a meal of chicken and dumplings, one of her favorites. “But we have quite a bit more work to do.”
“Oh, sure,” Skye said, waving a hand in agreement as Caleb produced macaroni and cheese. She beamed when she saw it and gave him a look that made his heart trip over itself. “It’ll be weeks yet before everyone is near ready enough to face the Mercesti. But it’s still great to see the improvements.”
“While we’re on the subject of progress and work still to do, there’s been something I’ve been thinking about,” Olivia said, scooting the bowl of spaghetti James had conjured for her closer so she could twirl some of it around her fork. “The Mercesti will be using cursed weapons against us, right?”
“Definitely,” Gabriel said.
“Well, four of us are now immune,” she said. Then she glanced from Gabriel to Caleb. “And two of us aren’t.”
There was a moment of silence as they all considered this. Gabriel caught Caleb’s eye.
“You’re going to suggest that Caleb and I infect ourselves so we can develop an immunity,” he said at last.
Chewing her spaghetti, she nodded soberly. She exchanged looks with Amber and Skye.
“We still have the arrow,” James said, looking at his brothers. “We can do it in a controlled environment. It won’t be pleasant, but it would be wise.”
Pursing his lips, Gabriel nodded. “Fine. Let’s get through dinner first.”
Since none of the brothers were eating, they turned the conversation to some of the things they had noted about their trainees that day. By exchanging their observations, they could be aware of individual strengths and weaknesses as training continued. Caleb noticed that Skye was unusually quiet as she picked at her food.
After the meal was finished and the dishes cleared, Gabriel brought forth the arrow. It sat in the center of the table, untouched, for a long moment. All of their gazes focused on it. When Caleb glanced at Skye, he saw that her eyes were already shining with tears.
He knew those tears would, in part, save his life, so he wasn’t sure whether to be comforted or even more worried than he already was.
Okay, not worried. Afraid.
He and Gabriel shared another look. They both knew the pain to come was going to be excruciating. It took a lot of nerve to willingly bring that kind of punishment on oneself.
“We’ll have to let the curse take hold enough that our eye color starts to change,” Gabriel said, not looking away.
And now, out of the corner of his eye, Caleb noticed a tear trail down Skye’s cheek. Taking a deep breath, he nodded.
Gabriel reached for the arrow and held it by the shaft in his left hand. He positioned it with his right palm poised over the top tip. Understanding, Caleb held his right palm out. Gabriel set the other tip on his palm. When the sharp arrowhead was between their palms, Gabriel pressed down with his hand and then yanked the arrow free.
They both looked at the seemingly harmless stripes of blood now lining their palms. And felt the fires of Hell start to course through their veins.
“Okay, guys,” Amber said in a voice that wavered. “We all know how it hurts. No need to be macho about it.”
Caleb didn’t really understand what she meant, but he guessed she was saying that they wouldn’t think any less of him and Gabriel if they showed their pain. That wouldn’t be a problem. He could barely think over the agony radiating through his body. Trying to consciously hold his reactions back would have taken too much energy, even if he had wanted to try.
He instinctively held his fist tightly clutched against his body, doubled over at the waist as he tried to fight the pain. Gabriel was in a similar position. He wasn’t sure if the choked cries and moans came from him, Gabriel, or both of them, but they were the only sounds in the room.
Finally, when he truly didn’t think he could take another second of the torture without blacking out, someone pried his hand from his body and there was, at last, blessed relief.
His next fully aware sensation was of Skye sitting in his lap with her arms wrapped around him, crying against his neck. He blinked as a sense of normalcy returned and brought his arms up to hold her tight against him. He breathed in her scent…strawberries and cream. It helped ground him. He realized his breathing was harsh and irregular and consciously focused on getting himself back under control.
Gabriel did the same as he clutched Amber. This time, when he and Caleb exchanged looks, they nodded in mutual understanding and respect.
Eventually, everything calmed down. Skye didn’t leave Caleb’s lap and, strangely, Amber didn’t leave Gabriel’s. Caleb guessed they both needed the close contact as much as their husbands did.
“We should extend the choice of whether to do this to the other elders,” Gabriel said after the prolonged silence. “And probably anyone who will be on the front lines.”
They all nodded their agreement. Now that they all really knew what it meant, it seemed awful to extend the option to anyone else. But knowing they would never have to risk dying from such an injury—knowing they could save lives by offering it—took the decision out of their hands.
“Tomorrow,” Gabriel said. “And it will be one of the hardest days of our lives.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Skye didn’t get much sleep that night. In fact, she spent most of it awake, crying. She couldn’t seem to stop herself. The tears just continued to fall.
She woke Caleb up twice during the night. She needed that vital connection with him, as though somehow their physical joining would reiterate to her raging emotions that he was still there.
That he hadn’t died.
He seemed to understand, as he always did. She would forever marvel over the fact that he understood her so well when they were so very different. He didn’t say a word. Simply loved her as she needed him to.
She finally fell into an exhausted slumber shortly before dawn. When she again opened her eyes, he was awake and stroking her hair. It had grown to below her shoulders thanks to Zayna.
“Mmm,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “Time is it?”
“A little after eight.”
“Eight?” she repeated, lifting her head and looking at him incredulously. They were usually up and out of the room before six. “Eight o’clock?”
He made a noise indicating agreement. “Meaning you had less than four hours of sleep.”
She frowned and started to push away to get out of the bed. “We have to get down to the courtyard.”
Pulling her back, he said, “No, we don’t. We’re taking a break.”
Now she blinked and wrinkled her brow. “A break?”
“You’ve heard of those,” he said, shifting so he could move their pillows behind his back and then adjusting them both into more reclined positions. “Bri
ef spans of time during which you aren’t expending energy.”
She narrowed her eyes. Her terrible night’s sleep had her edgy and irritable. “Don’t joke around. I need to be down there helping counteract the curse.”
“You’re not listening. We’re taking a break. All of us. No training, no ballgames, no counteracting curses.”
“Oh.” She considered that for a moment. Then she allowed herself to relax a fraction and eased into a sitting position beside him. His arm remained around her shoulders. “A break.”
“We haven’t had one in two full weeks. We need it.”
She started fiddling with the sheet. “So this isn’t because I wigged out over…last night?”
His hold tightened. “Skye, I’m sorry we didn’t go about that a bit differently. I’ve been thinking about how it must have been from your perspective. We made you wait through your meal knowing what was to come. And I didn’t even think to ask you if you agreed with the decision.”
“Of course I did,” she replied automatically. “It was the smart thing to do.”
“Still, I could have arranged it separately with Amber so you didn’t have to be there. In fact, I should have gone to her instead. She’s—”
“Stronger than I am?” she interrupted, feeling her shoulders straighten with pride and anger.
“Not in love with me,” he finished, looking down at her.
Realizing she was merely making matters worse with her irritability, she slumped and nodded. She focused her gaze on her lap and continued to fiddle with the sheet.
“I remember how it all but killed me to see you under the effects of the curse,” he said. “And yet I did what I did last night without much thought to how it would affect you. It was careless of me, and I’m very sorry.”
Swallowing hard, she twisted and turned to sit with her legs tucked beside her, her right hand braced beside his thigh so they were facing each other.
“Thank you for the apology, but it isn’t needed. I would’ve been furious with you if you had done that without me there.”
“But you wouldn’t have spent the night weeping.”
She realized that was really the crux of it. He couldn’t bear to know he had caused her pain, regardless of the positive outcome. Trying out a smile, she said, “How do you know that?”
He didn’t return the smile. She knew he would beat himself up for a while yet. His love for her wouldn’t let him do anything but. It made her sigh and wonder, “Do you ever ask yourself how we got to this level of feeling for each other so quickly?”
“No.”
She tilted her head in question.
“I’ve been bound to you in some form for almost nineteen years,” he explained, lifting his hand from the bed to capture hers. “And I’ve come to realize that my love for you began the moment Gabriel announced my name for the pairing. I didn’t know it, of course, but it’s all much clearer now. It’s like my love for our children. It started the moment I realized you were pregnant, and it will continue to grow as they do. And when they’re born, it will crystallize.”
She was quiet for a long moment, simply enjoying the swell of emotion he had just created. For a male of few words, he always made the ones he spoke count.
“So…a break, huh?” she said at last. “What’d you have in mind?”
The traitor was perplexed.
The sisters and their Gloresti hadn’t come down from their rooms that morning. Any break in routine was cause for concern, but for them to not participate in the day’s training, especially when it was obvious there had been much progress among the trainees these past weeks…
It made no sense.
They are giving the sisters the day off.
Frowning at the conveyed thought, the traitor stood with arms crossed and watched a nearby training session, trying to avoid drawing any attention.
A day off? For what?
To rest. I have heard through the thoughts of the elders that pregnancy causes exhaustion, particularly in the earliest stages.
Then you have confirmed they are all pregnant?
Yes. This morning. I picked it up when the elders were communicating to everyone why the sisters were not present.
The traitor’s interest was caught. Then it is time.
Yes, it is.
Caleb saw to it that Skye slept another couple hours before truly rising for the day. While she showered, he collected a few things from their bureau and placed them on the bed. Then he walked into the bathroom. Their shower was surrounded by tinted glass. Steam rose to the ceiling above where the glass ended. Skye’s off-key singing bounced off the walls, filling the room with energy.
Grinning as he listened to the lyrics, he walked over to the shower’s opening. “‘My life would suck without you?’” he quoted.
She screeched like a trapped hen.
“Holy light, Caleb—don’t do that!” she shouted, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes and clutching a hand to her chest. “You just took a year off my life. Didn’t I tell you before about Psycho?”
“Human movies,” he said, shaking his head. “They implant strange ideas.”
She glared at him, then collected some water in her hands and flung it at him. Her glare quickly turned into an impish grin when she registered his surprise. Then her eyes widened.
“What are you doing?”
“Undressing,” he responded as his shirt hit the floor. “That was a direct challenge.”
And the next time she squealed, it was in peals of laughter.
They finished showering together and dried off in the bathroom. He redressed in the shorts he had been wearing and then followed her into the bedroom to get a dry tank. He realized she was staring at the items on the bed.
“Picking my clothes for me now?” she asked, then paused. “Is that my bathing suit?”
“We’re going on a picnic with our family,” he answered, stroking her shoulder. “Sebastian and Caoilinn have cleared the spring for us and arranged for brunch. Gabriel, James, and I all thought you and your sisters would enjoy swimming.”
She flashed a brilliant smile at him. “Well, that sounds amazing! I’m liking this break more and more.”
He knew that was true when she got ready in less than five minutes. Rather than commenting on the change in routine, he took her hand and led her through the adjoining doors to Gabriel and Amber’s bedroom, where their siblings were waiting for them.
“‘Bout time,” Amber said, looking up from her hand of cards. “I’m starving.”
“I seem to recall you doing a lot of sleeping the first couple months of your pregnancy, too,” Gabriel said, pushing her arm with his elbow and winking at Skye.
“I don’t think they were sleeping that whole time,” Amber muttered, prompting a round of laughter around the table.
Caleb noticed Skye’s cheeks had turned pink. She rolled her eyes and said, “Come on, let’s go eat and swim. Then I can make fun of Amber’s belly, since it’ll be poking out of her swimsuit because she’s getting too big to do much more than sleep in the bedroom.”
Everyone got to their feet with more chortles of laughter. Their good-natured ribbing of each other continued during their trip to the spring. Caleb enjoyed every smile that blossomed on Skye’s face as they walked through the sunshine. He was glad that his brothers had agreed with him that they all needed this time off.
Sitting on a large blanket in a shaded glade beside the spring, they partook of the brunch prepared for them by Sebastian and Caoilinn. They ate sandwiches, slices of apples and cheese, and yogurt with granola and honey, washing it down with fruit juice or water.
When they were done, Gabriel waved his hand and everything disappeared. The sisters pulled off their outer clothing, having put on their bathing suits beneath it. After grinning at his brothers, Caleb pulled off his tank as they did the same with theirs. Their wives all gave them surprised looks.
“What’s up?” Amber asked with a confused frown.
“
We’re going swimming with you,” Gabriel answered. He walked up to her and rubbed the roundness of her belly. “Wouldn’t want you to sink to the bottom like a cannon ball, you know.”
She swatted his hand away, but snorted out a laugh despite herself. “We’ll see about that.”
They had a great time. Caleb had never gone swimming for enjoyment before. Skye and her sisters were eager to show him and James how entertaining water play could be. First they taught them games played by human children, claiming they needed the practice for when their own kids got old enough. Marco Polo proved quite entertaining to him, especially with the noise of the waterfall making him strain his senses to try and find his targets without being able to see them. After a while, they had Gabriel produce a ball so they could play some water volleyball.
They ended with a round of Chicken that had Olivia and Skye trying to knock each other off their husbands’ shoulders and laughing like loons, after which the sisters all claimed exhaustion. They climbed out of the water and headed to the blanket. Soft, colorful towels awaited them.
“You can change on the other side of the waterfall,” Gabriel said, kissing the top of Amber’s damp head. “Two minutes.
“If you’re not back by then, we’re coming after you whether you’re dressed or not.”
Although Gabriel’s warning had been issued in a light tone, they all knew he meant it. So Skye peeled off her bathing suit the second she was behind the waterfall, quickly slipping on her clothing as her sisters did the same. The wave of exhaustion that had hit her a short while ago now had a low-grade headache starting behind her eyes. She realized that she was sweating even though the air felt cool against her skin, and her stomach felt funny. Was she getting the flu? Food poisoning?
