by Maribel Fox
“You gonna miss your family?” I ask Raj to break the quiet. I figure he can’t go back to Hell now. Whether we like it or not, this is our new home. I made my peace with never going back to Heaven a long time ago, but it’s still new for Raj. I remember how much it sucked to realize it was really gone. But with Raj, it’s not about Hell, it’s about his family. He always put more into the importance of family ties than I did. It was always a weakness of his that I was surprised he let exist.
“The individuals? Yes. The obligations? No. I will be glad to be rid of that.”
I chuckle, sticking out an elbow to nudge him in the arm. “Took a couple of Fae and some Angels to get a Devil to turn to lawlessness.”
He smirks, shakes his head. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Okay, what did you think you know?” Ava asks, bursting back into the bar, out of breath and wearing yoga pants and sneakers with the same oversized t-shirt she already had on.
I put down the broom, and Raj sets down the chair he’s flipping.
“Let’s go,” he says, waving us to follow him. I think about calling out for the other guys, but they’ll find us eventually or they won’t. No big deal. There’s no one left in the woods — Ava checked with the trees to be sure — so we’re safe from ambush.
“Remember when I asked about the large tree in the backyard?” Raj asks.
Ava shrugs. “Not really. There’s all kinds of big trees here, though. What’s special about this one?”
“Well…” he says, stopping.
Big is kind of an understatement for this tree. It’s massive. Huge in a way that doesn’t seem real. It’s almost cartoonish.
Ava tilts her head back and looks up at it, squinting into the starry sky to see the top.
“Wait a minute,” she says, looking around, still squinting. “This is… This is…?!”
“Yep,” Raj says smugly, smirking.
“This is what?” I ask, still in the dark.
“This is the stump!” Ava says. “Well, obviously not anymore, but… Holy shit.”
Raj nods. “Pretty sure this is proof you made the connection to Underhill. No way this is an Earth tree. There’s bound to be other signs around the forest—”
“Or around town,” I say, reminding her of the flowers Seamus and I had taken pictures of.
Raj nods. “I believe the tree’s roots are tapping into Underhill magic, bringing it up and feeding the town with it. As your power grows, so will Lupine Bay.”
Ava flattens her palm against the tree, closing her eyes, leaning in, greeting it like an old friend.
“What’dya say we get a bird’s eye view?” I ask, stepping in behind her, hands on her hips. “I’ve been aching to give these wings a good stretch.”
She turns around, eyes wide, lips slightly parted. “You mean…?”
“You afraid of heights, Ava?” I ask as she turns in my arms. I don’t even care that Raj is watching on right now. Maybe he can join in later. Despite what he insinuated before, I do know how to share.
“No,” she whispers, her lips only inches from mine. I slide my arms tighter around her, pulling her up against me.
“Then hold on tight,” I say, capturing her lips as my new wings expand, stretch, and flutter.
“What? Kush, you’re not going to— Kush!” Ava squeals, arms wrapped tight around my neck as I take off from the ground, pushing off hard, my wings working to pull us higher and higher.
It’s been such a long time…
I never thought I’d get to do this again.
Ava wraps her legs around me too, but there’s no need for her to cling, I’d never drop her. I’d never let anything happen to her. Hell, at this rate, she’ll be lucky if I ever take her back or let go of her at all.
She nestles her cheek in the crook of my neck as I fly through the trees, soaring through the woods that feel so much like home to me now.
“I figured you’d go straight for the bay… I thought you hated the woods,” Ava says absently, her fingers dancing down my chest, sending anticipatory shudders direct to my cock.
“You know, I didn’t really notice it, but I don’t anymore…” I say, one hand sliding down to cup her ass, pulling her tighter against me.
It’s not strange that I feel more at home in the forest now. This woodland Faerie Queen brought me back to life — in every sense of the word.
I still love flying though, that’ll never change. Especially not with Ava in my arms.
Epilogue
Ava
Six Months Later
Rue snaps her fingers, just like that, and all the Jack o’ Lanterns light up at once, all around the grounds.
“You’re getting really good at that,” I say, nodding, impressed with her progress. She’s still being cagey about this mysterious ‘teacher’ of hers, but I’ve had enough going on otherwise to not worry about it much. Rue tells me it’s all okay, and to trust her.
I do. If she finds trouble, she knows I’m there for her.
“Candles are beginner stuff,” she says grinning. “How in the world did you get so many of those things carved?” she asks, looking around, hands on hips. There’s probably at least a hundred carved pumpkins — ranging in expression from scary to cute, silly to angry, happy to… weird — decorating the B&B in all, on barrels, hay bales, anywhere we could find.
‘Festive’ is the word we’re aiming for. The forest is a riot of colors, trees turning all shades of yellow-gold, honey-amber, tangerine, red, plum — the list goes on and on. The air’s crisp and cool, the smell of spices drifting on the wind — Micah’s cider on the stove, I’ll bet. He’s really taken to cooking for everyone — says he always had to cook for himself before, but now it’s something he’s happy to share, it’s not a chore anymore.
That guy is still too good to be true, I swear.
And he’s super excited for the party because it’s his first chance to try out his hand at catering an event this large. He’s excited, but I’ll bet he’s probably a little nervous, too. I’ll be sure to check on him before the guests arrive.
“Believe it or not, I didn’t carve a single one,” I say, finalizing arrangements on the tables. Even though I’m mostly throwing this party for Ian because he won’t stop reminding me how I promised him I would, it also happens to be a very convenient opportunity to have a grand re-opening of Brigid’s B&B and The Shamrock.
Rue snorts. “Don’t tell me Homer did all of them?”
“He’s really into this holiday, apparently. Somehow he’s never noticed it? All these years traveling all over the world, and somehow the man is clueless to human customs and pop culture. It’s baffling. Adorable, but baffling.”
“So this is his first Halloween?” Rue asks, comprehension dawning in a big, goofy smile.
“Yeah,” I say, drawing the word out in mock-disappointment. “And he’s really into Jack o’ Lanterns it turns out. The faces amuse the shit out of him.”
Rue snorts again, shaking her head as she dumps a bucket of ice in the drink cooler. There’s half a dozen more where that one came from.
“Is Ian stoked?” she asks, hefting up a second bucket.
I frown, crossing my arms. “You know, I don’t know. I haven’t seen him recently…” That’s suspicious. Ian’s the one that asked — more like begged — for this party. I’d think he’d be bouncing off the walls with excitement.
“Oh boy,” Rue says, making a face.
“You got this handled?” I ask, feeling the same concern.
“Yeah, go ahead. This’ll be fine. Maybe I’ll rope one of your hunky men into helping me.”
“Eyes only, no hands,” I tease, hurrying away from the backyard where the party’s being set up. Her laughter echoes in the air after me as I head around the house.
It’s kind of crazy how nothing’s really changed between me and Rue. Maybe it’s because we’re both magic in our own ways, but she’s not even a little weird about me being with all four of my guys at once. Sh
e asks more questions about the specifics than I’m comfortable answering, but she always accepts it when I refuse to tell her something. Curiosity’s inevitable I guess.
I don’t have to think about where I’m going to find Ian. I already know he’s going to be at the pond with that horrible bird.
I don’t care what anyone says, it is not cute. It looks like a balding vulture with the teeth of a crocodile. The only time it’s remotely cute is when it shapeshifts and turns into a horse that gallops on the water — even then, it’s a little unsettling knowing the kind of diet it prefers.
Still, Ian loves the stupid thing, and since it hasn’t ever actually hurt anyone, I don’t argue with him keeping it. Of course, that means now he’s found this weird snake thing that Seamus says is harmless, but then he also says things like ‘if it bites ye, find the nearest loch for a dip quicklike’ which isn’t really very reassuring. We don’t have any lochs here...
I really hope that strange magical creatures stop appearing, or we’re going to end up with a whole deadly menagerie someday. I guess that’s one way to keep out unwanted guests.
“Ian?” I ask, picking my way through the brambly thickets of blackberries, nearing the pond.
“Hi,” he grumbles from the water’s edge. The boobrie is swimming in circles in front of him, snapping its monstrous beak. Ian tosses it a hunk of meat — beef it looks like — and the bird gobbles it up so fast I feel a little queasy. Then it swims forward and nuzzles its patchy forehead against Ian’s hand and I feel a little bad for thinking such mean things about it.
“What’s up?” I ask, heading closer to my brother. The bird doesn’t like that — it hisses and swims out to the middle of the pond.
“Nothing,” he says, handing me a piece of meat. I don’t really want to take it — feeding this thing is not something I’m excited to try — but there are sacrifices I have to make for him sometimes.
“I thought you’d be excited about the party. Didn’t you invite your friend— Oh, it’s about her, isn’t it?” I ask, waving the steak at the boobrie. It’s suspicious of me but interested enough in the offering to swim closer. It gets closer than either of us is really comfortable with, and I end up just tossing the meat to it, a white flag he gladly accepts in one gulp.
“We can’t have dances until middle school,” he says, frowning at the water.
“So, you thought a party would be a good substitute for a school dance, and you could invite the girl you like to go with you?”
Ian looks at me like he’s totally and utterly shocked that I could figure it out.
“How did you know that?”
I shrug. “Your big sister can be smart sometimes, you know.”
He makes a face.
“Hey,” I laugh, nudging him with the back of my hand. He laughs too.
“What’s the problem? Nervous about her coming?”
“Not exactly…”
I frown, trying my best to read between the lines but he’s not making it easy.
“You gotta help me help you, bud. What’s going on? What’s bugging you?”
He groans and hurls the last piece of meat as hard as he can. The boobrie takes off like a shot, and the meat never touches the water.
“I want her to like me!”
It’s really hard not to smile, to keep a straight face for his sake. I know to him this is very serious business, and I know his emotions are completely valid and real and hard to deal with at his age, but holy shit is it cute to see him flustered about a girl for the first time.
“And?” I ask, still not really seeing his dilemma. It’s nerve-wracking wondering if someone likes you back, I get that, but she said she’s coming to the dance with him, right? That’s already a success.
“And I asked the guys how to make her like me and they just confused me more and I don’t know who to listen to.”
“Ah.” I flop back onto the grass, patting the ground next to me. “Well, I’m a girl, maybe I can help. What’d they tell you?”
This should be good.
Ian sighs, settling in with me, his face contorted with conflict. Talking to your big sister about this stuff isn’t fun, I’m sure, but I think he’s pretty desperate judging by his wrinkled brow.
“Seamus told me if I pretend I don’t notice her she’ll like me more. But I don’t understand how that works. But then Raj told me I have to call her names—”
“He what?” I ask, sure I’m misunderstanding something.
Ian shrugs. “He said girls don’t like nice guys.”
“Oh my god,” I groan, burying my face in my hands. I’m almost afraid to ask, peeking through my fingers. “What did Kush say?” This is hilariously awful, and damage control needs to start ASAP, but I need to see how bad it is first.
Ian perks up for a minute, and I can already tell that Kush’s answer is the one he’s leaning toward — red flag already.
“He showed me a cool skateboard trick to impress her. He said girls like it when you do things that could get you hurt.”
“I hope he also told you that girls like boys that wear helmets and pads,” I grumble. “Which you always do, right?”
“What’s a century?” he asks, deflecting very suspiciously. I’m going to have to have a very serious talk with all my boys, it seems.
“What?”
“A century? It’s a number, right?”
“It’s a hundred, why?”
“A hundred?!” Ian cries. “Micah said I shouldn’t date until I’m at least two centuries old. He means two hundred?”
I can’t stop myself from laughing at the obvious catastrophe this is for him. Laughing doesn’t comfort him though, and I pull him into a hug.
“Look, we’re going to get this sorted out, okay? How about we have a family meeting? I think maybe they didn’t explain things very well and I don’t want you to be this worried during your big dance.”
Ian hugs me back quickly, already showing signs of growing too old — too cool — for these little signs of affection between siblings. Gotta enjoy it while I can.
We go around and round the four guys up, gathering in the living room. Seamus and Raj take the two armchairs, while Kush and Micah sit on the couch. I stand in front of them all, hands on Ian’s shoulders from behind, and they’re all four looking at me expectantly, with the obvious impression that this isn’t a good announcement.
“Ian was just telling me about all the advice you guys gave him for dealing with his female friend,” I say, glaring at each one of them in turn. “Are you serious? Ignoring her? Negging her? She’s seven, Raj, are you insane?” He at least has the decency to shrink back, his shoulders coming almost up to his ears, like he’s a retreating turtle. “And you two,” I snap, waving at Kush and Micah. “Endangering himself? Celibacy? What. The. Hell, guys?”
“’Spose that weren’t the best advice I gave ye, lad,” Seamus says bashfully, scratching the back of his head.
“My methods are a bit… extreme for your age,” Raj concedes. “I had forgotten to take that into consideration.”
“Dude, my man, always remember that girls like a guy in one piece, with all his working parts. Listen to your sister and be safe,” Kush says.
Micah shifts in his spot.
We all glare at him.
“What?” he asks. “Celibacy is a viable option.”
“You’re impossible, you know that?” I turn away from them, kneeling down to eye-level with Ian. “Look, these guys don’t know what they’re talking about. They only managed to get one girl between the four of them. This girl likes you, doesn’t she?”
Ian shrugs, biting his lip. “I dunno.”
“Well, she said yes to coming to the dance with you, didn’t she?”
“I guess.”
“That’s something then. Do you think she’d do that if she didn’t like you at least a little?”
He makes a face. “I dunno… I guess not?”
“Exactly. And what have you done to impress her
or make her like you so far? Have you done any of the stuff these guys have said?”
“No.”
“And she already likes you?” I say, emphasizing it. “You think maybe you don’t need to do any weird stuff because she likes you for you?”
Ian’s not sure, not making eye contact.
“She’s right ya know,” Kush says. “The hardest part is getting her to agree to go out with you. From there, it’s all smooth sailing.”
I nod and squeeze his shoulder. “And on the off-chance it’s not, when you’ve got a question about girls, ask a girl. If it’s too weird to talk to me about it, ask Aunt Rue. These guys give terrible advice. Don’t listen to them.”
“Hey,” Raj protests with a frown.
“No. You do not get to appeal. You especially.”
He pouts, crossing his arms, eyes gleaming. I’m probably going to pay for that tone later. Pay for it with knots looped around my wrists, his wicked tongue driving me wild…
When it comes to Ian, I am the authority, no doubt. When it comes to the business, the household — all of that is where I’m in charge.
In the bedroom though? There Raj gets his revenge. I know that look all too well, and it sends a shock right through my system.
“You’re going to be fine, kiddo. I promise. Just remember to have fun, okay? That’s why you like this girl, right? Because you have fun with her?”
Slowly, Ian nods. “You are pretty good at this girl stuff,” he says his surprise so genuine it’s offensive. I don’t take it personally, though. He’s just a kid, and he’s dealing with a lot, growing up so fast. “I’m gonna go get ready,” he says, hurrying off down the hall toward the apartment.
The apartment that’s growing and getting some additions.
Back before — before the fire — the B&B was part of a much larger property. The fire that killed my mother destroyed everything but this house, but now that money’s not an issue and I’ve got a steady supply of attractive laborers at my disposal, the house is growing again.
That’s why there’s a grand re-opening. With the four guys living with me full time, there was no room left for actual, you know, guests. Finally, we’ve got that all sorted out. Every guy still has his own room — and yes, they’re still catered to their individual tastes, even more so now — but we’re all in the same area of the house, separate from where the guests sleep.