Jackson stabbed a strawberry from my plate and brought it to his mouth. I had the last of them, having dumped the bowl over my plate before the twins got their second helpings. He tried to steal another, but I forked it on the other side.
“Back off,” I warned him, pretend growling. “Mine.”
Falin started playing footsie with me again, clearly hearing my growl.
I kicked Falin and moved my plate away from Matthew.
Jackson stole a strawberry slice.
“Hey,” I said.
Jackson sucked the syrup and juice off the tines of his fork. “Don’t be selfish, Evie-baby,” he said, leaning close to me and whispering into my ear. “You’re ours and we have to share.”
I stabbed as many slices of strawberries as my fork could hold and stuffed them all in my mouth. My mother gave me the look as strawberry juice trickled out of one corner of my mouth. I shrugged my shoulders, she knew what the twins were like, and caught the drop of juice on my finger, sucking it off.
Falin’s foot froze, then slid up my leg again.
“Just for that, we’re going to tickle you every time your arrow misses the target,” Jackson threatened.
“On the feet,” Matthew added, my weakest spot well known to them.
“We’ll be outside,” I pointed out.
“The lawn is soft. You will be barefoot first arrow that misses,” Jackson promised.
“That’s not fair,” I said.
“Life’s not fair,” Matthew said, repeating my mantra.
I elbowed them both off of me and quickly finished my pancakes, growling again when Matthew eyed the lone strawberry left and quickly stabbing it.
Your weakness is your feet, Baby?
Wicked feet captured one of mine and tickled along the inside of my foot. I fought to keep still.
Your greatest weakness was worth suffering the car ride over here, Brat.
Aeric was still talking to my stepfather, but boy, he could multitask.
“I’ll clear the dishes,” I offered, kicking free of Falin.
I snuck in another cup of coffee in the kitchen while loading the dishwasher. There was a percolator at my apartment and I had even splurged at a fancy coffee shop for beans, but it never tasted quite like at home. My stepfather was an evil genius, and his coffee was the perfect bait. I would stop by every morning just for a cup, but luckily, he hadn’t figured that he could fish me home with his coffee yet.
“Evie-baby, where are you hiding?” Jackson called as he walked slowly down the hallway. His heavy footsteps were so different than the light-footed Fae, although he was playing with me, stalking me loudly.
I gave him what he wanted and dashed out of the kitchen to my bedroom. The heavy footsteps boomed after me.
I slammed through my door and leapt onto the bed. Both twins found me, flanking my exit options. My heart raced and my sides heaved with the unexpected exertion on top of two cups of coffee. I did my best to watch them both out of the corners of my eyes.
“That wasn’t the breakfast you promised us,” Matthew said.
“It was breakfast,” I stated. “The terms of surrender were for breakfast, nothing else,” I reminded them, shifting from foot-to-foot. I wondered if I could beat them by jumping over the foot of the bed and running back out the door.
“We want to renegotiate,” Jackson said, moving closer.
“You already ate the breakfast,” I said, exasperated with them.
Matthew had one knee on the bed already and his twin mirrored the move. “We still have something you want, Evie-baby,” he threatened.
“What’s that?” I said, bending my knees a bit, preparing to jump away.
“Silence during the car ride,” Jackson said.
“At least, not telling your new boyfriends anything embarrassing,” Matthew said.
They were almost in arms range. I jumped.
“What makes you think I won’t embarrass you back?” I shouted.
I ran smack into Aeric’s chest, making my victory short-lived. He caught me before I could fall backwards.
“Running away, again?” he asked.
How come you didn’t invite us to play, Baby?
“Let’s get going,” I said, wiggling out of Aeric’s hands. “Can you drive, Jackson?”
Jackson came up behind me and grabbed my hand, tugging me through the two, taller Fae. He wasn’t quite able to meet them eye-to-eye, maybe an inch or two shorter, but that didn’t stop him from glaring at them for interrupting our fun.
“Grab the keys, Matt. I have our sister.”
I tugged my hand from Jackson’s grip. “I’m sitting in the back with Aeric and Falin.”
Falin grabbed the hand I had freed and wormed his way between Jackson and me. “Do you want the middle?”
“Don’t you think we should give the middle to Aeric because of his car sickness?”
Matthew caught up with us. “The front seat is best with an open window.”
“I’m fine in the back,” said Aeric.
Matthew shrugged. He probably wouldn’t want to be stuck in the back. All the guys were tall, but my brothers were bulkier with football bodies.
My mother met us at the side door leading to the garage. She was sitting on her walker. I bet she hadn’t done that until Falin made her more comfortable. I wasn’t convinced by his methods, but the result was worth it.
“Be back soon,” I promised, giving her a hug.
She squeezed me back. “I like your friends,” she whispered. “Thank you for bringing them over.”
I pulled back and saw a glimmer of tears in my mother’s eyes. Bringing over friends shouldn’t be such a big deal, but it was for me. “You worry too much,” I said. “There’s four more of them to boot,” I warned her. “Plenty of friends.”
“Don’t let your brothers scare them off.”
Falin smiled. It still was scary with all his piercings. I don’t think Falin had a nice smile even when he was content. My mother didn’t seem to be bothered by it.
“We won’t let her brothers torment her too much,” Falin told my mother. He may as well have pledged to protect me, she looked so pleased.
One more hug and we were out the door, ready to squeeze into the jeep. I got in first and then Aeric and Falin, with the two of them discreetly touching. I buckled up out of habit and then slipped my shoulder strap off, so I could lie on Aeric’s lap. It wasn’t comfortable, but they could hold hands under the cover I provided.
Will you do this when we get home, Brat?
I supposed he meant to lie on his lap. “If there is a massage involved, then yes,” I said.
“What did you say?” Matthew asked, turning down the music.
“I said I have a sore shoulder and asked Aeric for a massage.”
“I can rub you later,” Matthew offered. He gave the best massages, harder than I thought I needed but afterwards, my muscles turned into putty and I slept all night.
“After archery,” I said.
He promised me at the same time Falin spoke in my mind.
Don’t let him massage near your Mark.
He didn’t say why not, but I would take his advice when the time came. I didn’t want anything to happen to my brother.
The guys knew what they were doing so buying more weapons didn’t take long. We picked up targets and more strawberries on Aeric’s insistence. Wait till he found out that they weren’t the chemical-free, organic ones my parents bought. More for me.
Shockingly, we got to Walmart and back without having to pull over once for misbehaviour. The Fae were quiet, answering questions from my brothers with one-word answers and a few grunts of acknowledgement from Falin. Focusing on glamour in the car took all their concentration and I tried to misdirect my brothers’ attention to me instead.
“Has Mom had any further falls?” I asked as we were getting close to home.
“She wouldn’t tell us if she had one out of sight, but none that we’ve seen,” Matthew said. He wa
s right about my mom. She wouldn’t want to worry the boys, and my stepfather was included in that group.
“Is she using her walker?” I asked.
“Yes,” Jackson said, turning onto our street. “Dad took a couple of weeks off work and he is following her around like a mother hen -her words- to make sure she doesn’t try to balance on one chair leg atop a kettle atop stacked plates, pots and a spoon to get chocolate from the top cupboard -his words- so she’s always had the walker when she is around us.”
I was picturing my stepfather wearing an apron and pecking behind my mother, and then, something out of a Disney movie with dishes stacked on a precariously tipping chair and my mother standing on one foot reaching out before it all came crashing down. It was more funny than scary seeing it as a cartoon and I laughed.
“I get the chocolate if they divorce,” I declared with silliness.
Jackson pulled into our driveway and parked. Both twins looked at each other and then back at me, levelling me with the saddest faces. This was not the first time they pulled this on me, twin little cherubs quickly learning how to get their way from a grumpy older sister.
“They’ll separate us!” Matthew cried out.
“You two will be together,” I said, refusing to smile.
“Our dad will get depressed, stop showering and grow a beard,” Jackson forlornly added.
“He’ll look manlier,” I said.
“We have to do a twin switch,” Matthew said with a dramatic sigh.
“It’s the only way to stop our parents from separating,” Jackson agreed. “I’m Matthew from now on,” he announced. “You can tell because I have a mole in a secret spot.”
“Can we get out of the car?” Falin asked. It sounded pained.
“Yes,” I said, shoving. Aeric groaned and called me something under his breath. I was close enough to hear.
“That’s mistress bunny-itch to you,” I whispered in his ear. “You’ll call me it after I spank you and thank me for every swat.”
Falin must have used the charm to spy on my whispering because he choked back laughter.
Aeric loomed over me once we were out of the car. It was intimidating and he did it purposely.
We’ll see who’s bending over for spankings when we get home, Brat.
The Fae sure had been quick to call my apartment home. I still had the option of a locksmith, but then, they would hang around outside and pester me until I finally let them back in again. With the wings that Falin and Dain sported, it wasn’t like they needed the front door, anyway.
I ignored Aeric and snagged Falin’s hand to give it a quick squeeze. He was looking paler than usual. I didn’t know how much power it used to glamour them both in the car, but I suspected a lot. That was on top of getting very little sleep since I had woken him with my prison break attempt.
If we’re playing spankings later, we really should wait for Dain, Baby.
I dropped Falin’s hand. He was a big boy. No need for me to coddle him.
The twins grabbed the weapons and targets. We left the strawberries in the trunk. Everyone walked around the house to the backyard, the Fae getting a better idea of the scope of my parents’ home. It was on the back of a quiet court with no houses behind, just a ravine and conservation forest beyond for acres.
“Where should we set up the target?” Matthew asked.
Aeric pointed out three areas he wanted targets. He had grabbed his own bow and arrows from the trunk of Baby and had them strapped on his body, looking very much the Fae archer. He peered towards the sun and then held his hands out to determine where would be the best spots to place targets for us beginners. I could see him calmly picking off murdering orc with well-placed arrows.
“Is he good?” I asked Falin.
“Perfect,” he answered, coming behind me and grasping my shoulders. “Sit,” he ordered. I felt his thumb brush over my invisible bite.
“I want to try archery, too,” I protested.
“It’s not ready yet,” Falin said, pushing me down.
I ended up sprawled on the ground between his thighs. He began to rub my shoulders.
“You don’t have to massage me,” I said, although it felt good. “I was just making it up about being sore in the car.”
“You’re tense,” Falin said, massaging hard enough that I knew I wasn’t getting away.
Matthew had looked over at us and I could tell he wasn’t happy. I would have to offer to massage his shoulders to make up for it. He liked getting massages as much as giving them.
“How can anyone be perfect at archery?” I asked, trying not to moan with pleasure.
“He’s Light Fae,” Falin replied as if this explained it.
“I know that,” I said. “Tinkerbell isn’t a perfect archer, although Peter’s pretty good.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Fairies and magic,” I said, not adding on that it was made-up fairy tales. Magic was all supposed to be make-believe.
“I don’t know what kind of Light Fae you were hanging out with before us, but they’re given a bow at birth like Dark Fae are given an iron sword to test their mettle. The bow glows with their power unless they glamour it.”
“Where’s your sword?” I asked.
He thumbed his bite on my neck again. “I told you I don’t need weapons,” he whispered near my ear.
Why hadn’t he been given a sword like all other Dark Fae? I wanted to ask, but it felt like pushing too far.
“Will this be a beginner’s lesson in archery for you, too?”
“Do you want to make a bet?” Falin asked, finally stopping his massage short of leaving me a puddle of goo.
“On what?”
“Who will hit the most targets?”
“Just us or everybody?”
Falin chuckled.
Now, who is thinking like a Fae?
“All you have to do is get your arrow into one target to win, and if I miss one target, I’ll lose,” Falin offered.
I had no idea of his experience, but given the bet terms, I had to trust he was expert. He was taking a chance on me, however, especially since he had left it open to interpretation about the targets -distance, height and size.
“Agreed,” I said, feeling I got one up on the usually sneaky bastard.
Do you know what I want to do to you when I win, Baby?
I turned over on my hands and knees and smirked at him. He was going to lose no matter how I had to cheat.
“Don’t be thinking of prizes before you lose,” I said.
He smiled his scary smile. “You just made a bet with a Dark Fae without knowing the costs.”
“I know the outcome,” I taunted. I crawled a little closer to him.
You’re lucky I’m so drained right now, Baby. Because otherwise, I would glamour us from sight and kiss your mouth shut.
“Don’t blame me if you can’t keep up,” I said, putting one hand on his shoulder to push myself onto my feet.
Falin groaned.
My mother’s walker squeaked across the patio.
“Behave yourself,” I warned Falin, giving him a hand up.
He took it and slid himself to his feet, letting me feel every inch. Geezus, he was tall. He turned to my mother.
“Would you like to take a quick zip around on this fine afternoon?” Falin asked.
“There’s a steep hill over there,” my mother pointed out, sitting down on her walker.
A day of archery and riding up and down hills like she was in a go-cart. I’m pretty sure this was all against the doctor’s orders, but it was completely like my mother.
“If you break her, you buy her,” I told Falin.
“She’s already contracted to me,” my stepfather said, taking a seat on the patio swing. “Wedding vows of obedience and fidelity and all that jazz.”
Falin had been warned twice now. He took the hill with reckless abandon anyway as he sped my mother around the property.
“Come, sit down,” my
stepfather said.
I took a seat on the opposite side. The swing was one of the double, covered ones that could hold at least four people. I began to realize my mother had set me up.
“Are we having a talk?” I asked.
“The boys told me you were playing games online only,” my stepfather said.
“I lied,” I said.
“Apparently, but why?”
“They’re weirdos,” I said.
My stepfather laughed. “I thought that would be a prerequisite to being your friend. No boring people allowed.”
“The boys are worried that you and mom are getting a divorce.”
“I’ll separate her from the walker before she gets ready to file the papers.”
“When is her doctor coming back?”
“He flies in on Monday and will see her Tuesday.”
“She hasn’t had any more falls?”
“Another trip in our bedroom, but we had a throw rug and I got rid of it. I asked for an occupational therapist to visit tomorrow and review our house for safety.”
“If you install grab bars and a raised toilet seat, you’ll definitely be getting a divorce. Separate bedrooms at the least.”
“I’ll let the doctor tell Charlene what the OT recommends.”
“Coward,” I told him, but I understood.
“So, do I need to give you the talk?” he asked.
I thought we were past that topic. I fought back a blush. My staid stepfather had given his sons boxes of condoms, what exactly would the talk entail for me?
“I’m too old for the talk,” I said.
“I didn’t think your first boyfriend would have more piercings than you,” he said.
I had my ears pierced, once. Not exactly a high count. “Falin is not my boyfriend.”
“Aeric is not your type.”
“I never dated anyone. I don’t have a type.”
“Okay,” my stepfather said, backing off. “If you want the talk, or you have questions, you can come to me.”
I gave him a piqued look. What the heck?
“Your mother remains the best person to have such talks with, but I realize you may have difficulty telling her your own problems right now,” he said, not looking at me but over at my mother.
I appreciated the privacy. It let me get my reaction under control.
No Faerie Tale Love (Faerie Series Book 1) Page 17
