Dad canted his head. “What do you mean?”
I groaned, hating that Sky was right. “Nothing important.”
My father crossed his arms and angled his attention at Jada. When he did that, I knew without a doubt the secret would come out. They’d needle me. Mom would bother and harass me. They’d ask my cousins to ferret it out. They’d text Rodrigo until he spilled it and—
“I stalked Gabriel to Virginia last Thanksgiving and took photos of them to the provost to try to break them up. I’m not even supposed to be within one hundred yards of him. I’m on probation.”
Or Jada could just give herself up. Holy shit.
Heads swiveled, and the older adults in the foyer silenced.
Eventually, Mom’s gaze traveled from Jada back to Skylar. My girl didn’t back down, features jubilant and gloating.
No one had ever said fae were humble about their victories.
When no one else broke the awkward silence, my father cleared his throat. “Skylar, please accept my apologies for the disgraceful conduct that has transpired since your arrival. This entire incident has been a great dishonor, one which I will go to any length to rectify.” He bowed, back stiff. “I apologize on behalf of my wife and for my own apathy.”
“Ryuji—” Mom began, only to snap her mouth shut when my father aimed a hard look at her. He never apologized for anything. Ever. And he looked mad—no, more than mad. I’d inherited my dad’s chill personality. Instead of raging and storming around, a passive-aggressive hurricane raising hell like Mom, I became quieter and let it simmer.
I waited for the Twilight Zone theme to play, and when it didn’t, discreetly pinched my thigh to wake up. Had another baku gotten ahold of me? Only a dream demon could create a reality where my father made Mom shut up.
Finally, Miss Sophia hissed, “Jada Marjorie Harrington, we will discuss this at home.”
“Yes ma’am,” Jada replied in a meek voice. “I’m sorry, Gabriel. Sorry, Skylar. Ama, go back to your daddy.” She slipped her fingers under Ama’s little pink feet. The parrot stepped up, but when I reached for her, she bit me hard enough to draw blood again and flew away upstairs to Alex’s room.
Shit.
Jada headed out without a backward glance. Her mother turned to mine and took her hands. “I’ll see you later, Angela. I’m terribly sorry about all this.”
“Tomorrow for tea,” Mom replied.
Clasping Skylar’s hand in mine, I guided her upstairs. Before we made it to my room, Teresa intercepted us in the hallway.
“Omigod. I heard everything. I can’t believe Daddy stood up to Mama.”
“Yeah. Me either.”
That wasn’t what remained on my mind though. I needed to get Sky alone. Less than a minute ago, the woman of my dreams had professed her love for me.
And there my sister stood, oblivious to the fact that my heart pounded inside my chest faster than a herd of stampeding buffalo. I needed to talk to Sky now.
“We can talk about this later, Teresa.”
“I haven’t finished showing Skylar the rest of the house. We wanted to wait until the drama was over to see if you were going to whisk her away to a hotel.”
“Ter—”
“Anyway, Gabriel’s room is down the hall from mine, but Mama probably plans to put you in the drafty guest room on the third floor where our family ghost lives.”
I sighed. Teresa was right.
“A ghost? Seriously?”
For fuck’s sake. “I don’t think Sky needs to know everything.”
But the look on my girlfriend’s face said, “Yes, yes I do.” Her eyes grew wider and wider, and any hope I had of dragging her away disintegrated into the wind.
“Yeah. Mom puts everyone there when she wants to keep an eye on them. Mostly so she can make sure you two don’t fuck like rabbits. She thinks you’re going to get knocked up and Gabe will have to give up her dream of him getting his master’s in business like her.”
“Goddammit, Teresa. Can you keep anything to yourself?”
“I would never do that to him!”
Sis ignored me. “Hey. You don’t have to defend yourself to me. I just think it’s a little shitty that Mom was asking Jada when she and Gabriel would have kids when they last came home together, but she’s terrified of him being a dad now.” Teresa shrugged.
Sky wilted. “Terrified.”
“Seriously. Don’t even worry about it. Our parents are ridiculous. They’re every ethnic stereotype you can imagine. Mom and Abuela lit candles when Gabriel put Jada out of his car and decided they were done. Then Dad started shouting all this family responsibility and honor stuff, like that was really going to make him decide to put up with her crap.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Huh? Why are you apologizing for our dysfunctional family? It’s not a Gutierrez family reunion if there isn’t gossiping, backstabbing, and ulterior motives. We get real Game of Thrones around here, but without the incest. That’s why the Fujimoto ravens are here from Japan hunting for suitable mates from the Rodriguez side of the family. Fresh genes for the pool.”
Teresa kept talking, but I stopped listening.
“I need to speak with Sky alone. Thanks. I’ll take it from here.”
“But—”
I dragged Skylar down the hall and into my room. There, she looked around, drifting from the bookshelf to the TV stand. “It reminds me of your school apartment. I guess I thought you’d have way more stuff here.”
My brows shot up. “I do.”
“Hard to tell, it’s so super clean and minimalistic. Like an anime character’s bedroom.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No!” she blurted. A cute blush stole its way into her cheeks. This girl was adorable. I loved her. And I seriously felt like an anime character now that she brought it up, as many times as unspoken declarations of love flitted through my mind. If my life were in manga pages, girls would be screaming “kawaii” every time my thought bubbles popped up in a frame. “Sorry, everything I say is coming out wrong, isn’t it?”
“No, I get it. You thought maybe my room on campus was clean because of school and I’d be a bit messier here, but the truth is, I enjoy organized space. Did you ever look into Rodrigo’s? Laundry everywhere and books piled on the floor. I really have no idea how he found anything in that mess.”
“Heh. Yeah.”
Silence fell between us again, made all the more awkward by the strangely quiet house. I didn’t hear a peep from downstairs, and Teresa had closed her bedroom door. Alex, too.
So I closed mine, praying my whole family wasn’t lingering around with ears open. Waiting for something to happen.
“So, did you mean what you said out there?”
“I…” Sky resembled a deer in headlights, going so still I wondered for a moment if she was even breathing. Then the breath whooshed out of her and she dipped her head. “I did, yeah. Every word.”
Was it possible for a person’s heart to gallop right from their chest? Because that was how I felt. Every instinct I had urged me to finish my claim, fueled by my quickening pulse, but I resisted. It was too soon.
Trying to gather my thoughts, I looked down at my feet for a while, hands in pockets while I rocked back and forth from heel to toe. “Skylar, you know, this last year with you has been…”
Amazing. Busy. Tumultuous. There were too many words to describe it yet none of them seemed to truly encapsulate what I wanted to say. More, I didn’t want every raven ear in the house to eavesdrop on the moment.
“Alexa, play Skrillex.”
Skylar’s wary look deepened when the device turned on and launched into a track just below ear-splitting volume. Loud, but not uncomfortable.
And it wasn’t remotely romantic. She deserved flowers and wine, sushi and a moonlit flight. Anything had to be better than this, but it was what it was.
“Sorry. There’re too many ears in this house.”
“It’s okay.”
/> One step bridged the gap between us. I took her trembling hands in mine and wished I knew what was going on in her head. “I have enjoyed every day of this last year with you. And no amount of money or threats from my folks is changing that. I love you, Sky.”
As I waited for a response, any response, my chest hurt from holding my breath. And even though she’d defended me only minutes ago, it seemed my crazy mind kept turning over the worst-case scenario. Seconds felt like hours.
“I think I’m going to faint now,” Sky whispered, tears glittering in her eyes.
“Here, sit down.”
I guided her to the bed and she sank down on the edge, sucking in a deep breath.
“Sorry, I just need… For a minute there I thought…” She swiped her eyes. “This wasn’t exactly how I pictured telling you, you know? Your mom probably hates me now.”
“She’ll get over it.” I settled beside her and slid my arm around her waist. “They all can. I’m not dumping you or taking any of their crazy, desperate offers.”
“But—”
There was only one sure-fire way to shut Sky up when she became a babbling mess, and I gladly took advantage of the knowledge, capturing her lips in a kiss. The tension in her spine released and she melted against me, warm body pressed close. I broke away first, lungs starved for air, and smiled at her dazed expression. Nothing boosted my ego more than making my girl speechless.
When she leaned in and kissed me again, all the bad shit faded away. People joked all the time about how fae were addictive, and it was true, because I couldn’t get enough of her. Except Sky was the only fae who invoked that feeling in me. Her smiles, her kisses, her touch. Just being with her was enough.
“I’d planned to wait until Christmas,” I said between kisses.
“Hmm? Wait for what?” She brought my mouth back to hers and started another kiss, her body soft and pliable, and her scent enveloping me. It seemed only natural to guide her back against the bed.
“To tell you how I feel.” My lips traced down her throat, until I reached her pulse point and lingered over the fluttering beat.
“W-why Christmas?”
I paused. How did I tell her I’d planned to pop the big question to her around the holidays now that I knew her parents adored me? I didn’t want to spoil the surprise, so I changed the subject. “Jada’s parents tried to offer me a dowry, you know. But I don’t think any amount of money can replace you.”
“Dowry sounds so old-fashioned.”
“Ravens are pretty old-fashioned.” Cuddling with Skylar was always great, but there was a certain comfort in doing it right after confessing my love for her. Finally. “Let’s hide here for a while until someone comes looking for us. If it makes you feel any better, my cousins are anxious to meet you and don’t have any prejudices.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had nefarious ideas in mind,” she teased.
“Maybe.”
All the tension was gone, my fears swept aside now that we’d both finally spoken the words that had been building up inside me for months. We could deal with separate rooms, and it was probably better that way, but nothing said we couldn’t hide in here while awake. And I was very awake, blood rushing through my veins at a feverish pace. The music was loud enough to keep any eavesdroppers oblivious and guessing.
“How many cousins are we talking about? I didn’t throw you to all my relatives, you know. Just wait till we go to Italy.”
I nipped her collarbone and glided my hand down her thigh, coaxing one leg over my hip. “A lot of cousins. Three from Dad’s side. They flew from Osaka to meet the Morales bear family that married into the Gutierrez family. There’s a few dozen mortal cousins here for the Gutierrez reunion.”
It never failed to amaze me how well we fit together. And that was with our clothes on. One leg wasn’t enough, so I nudged her to wrap them both around my hips. She hooked her ankles behind my back and squeezed, keeping me close.
“I wish I knew Japanese. Do you think they’ll like me? Will you teach me to speak the language? Is there really a ghost in the attic?”
“Immersion is the best teacher. We can go next summer together or after your graduation maybe....” A nice trip, maybe even a honeymoon. If I became more anxious, the goddamned box in my suitcase would burn a hole through my clothes. But New Year’s seemed a long way off, and so did Christmas. “They’ll like you just fine, and yes, Grandmother lives in the attic. Are we playing Twenty Questions?”
Rather than answer, Sky tugged my shirt, untucking it from my pants. She traced her hands over my abs, plunging my mind straight into the gutter. My muscles tensed beneath her exploring touch and my cock strained against my jeans. For the next few moments, I devoted myself to making her breathless, losing myself in kiss after kiss, because as long as we were in this house, that’s all I would be able to get. Even though I wanted much, much more. My single taste of her in New Orleans hadn’t been enough to sate my animal half.
“Why do I have to sleep with a ghost?”
“Because all of the other guest rooms are taken and you’ll have to barter with someone else if you want a swap. I mean, I love you and all, but I’ve put in enough years with Obaachan. She’s a really sweet old lady though. Usually.”
“Uh huh.”
“I promise you won’t have to live a Japanese horror movie with The Grudge for the week.”
“I love that movie, but I’ve only ever seen the American version.”
Of course she did, and it was one more reason why I adored her. “You’re in luck. I have a copy of the original Ju-on if you’re interested.” And all the other movies that followed in the series.
“Yes!”
Score. And one more reason to hide away from my enormous family during our week in Texas. Only Teresa liked scary movies.
“It’s settled then. I’ll take you upstairs later for an introduction.”
“Fine, I’ll sleep with the ghost of your granny on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You start my immersion thing right now and tell me sweet, sexy stuff in Japanese.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Japanese sweet talk should commence.”
“Honestly, Japanese isn’t romantic like Italian. Your dad kinda puts anything I could do to shame with all of his ‘bellissima’ this and ‘dolcezza’ that when we were there. Pretty sure you were born from a less goth Morticia and Gomez Addams.”
Her quiet giggle wormed its way right into my heart. Content with her warmth beneath me, I nuzzled my face against her throat while she squirmed.
“I’m glad I brought you home. Maybe now they’ll realize I’m serious about you.” And maybe, just maybe, there was a chance of my family accepting our engagement. I’d already paid hard-earned money for the ring, saved over the course of many weddings, bridal shoots, and birthday parties during the year.
“I’m pretty serious about you, too. Even if you do have feathers and are the worst sort of barrette thief.” Her green eyes twinkled with mischief.
There was something different about things now and I didn’t know if it was our shared sentiments or the fact that we were on my bed, pressed close and snug. So close it was impossible to hide how much the mere touch of her aroused me. Fuck. My dick was as noticeable as a steel spike in my jeans.
Sky tightened her legs around me and raised her hips. Yup, she noticed it. Groaning against her ear, I gave in to temptation and let my fingers wander beneath her sweater, skimming the lace trim on her bra at first, before creeping beneath it and touching bare skin. Just cupping her warm breast in my hand and squeezing contently. She sighed. One stroke from my thumb beaded her nipple tight.
Every time I had her alone and put my mouth on her, the beast inside me demanded I take the opportunity to fulfill my claim and make her mine. I fought against the temptation, my dick so hard it hurt.
Delicate fingers nudged my chest, and Sky unhooked her long legs. “As much as I’
d love to see where this goes, I promised to be on my best behavior while at your house. And I have very naughty thoughts in mind, so…maybe we should turn the music off and head downstairs? Or at least to Teresa’s room. I like your sister.”
“Do we have to?” I sighed, kissed her one more time, then pushed up one elbow to gaze down at her. “All right. I guess we can hang out with my sister or something. Since when are you the responsible one?”
“You’re rubbing off on me.” Then mischief glittered in her eyes again. As much as I teased this girl, nothing warmed my heart more than when she put a devilish grin on her face. “Unless, of course, you really wanna scandalize them with bunny-humping, baby-making activities. I just figured I’d like to salvage some sort of relationship with your folks.”
I shot her a dirty look. “I wasn’t exactly thinking about my mom just now.”
“Trust me, I wasn’t either.”
I sighed, almost wishing I’d followed through on the threat to get a hotel.
15
A Tale of Two Grandmas
Obaachan must have sensed us coming. She floated down through the attic door and greeted us at the top of the stairs. As a ghost, she appeared to be in peak physical health and wore a lovely kimono, her long silver hair pinned up with ornamental jade hair sticks. Her spiritual form shimmered in desaturated shades closer to gray with mere hints of the vibrant and rich hues she’d favored during life. Her ghostly body lacked physical substance and appeared partially translucent.
“So you are the new girl who has caused such a stir in our home.”
Sky stiffened, but my grandmother only smiled at her, appearing as serene and friendly as ever—the exact opposite of my mother. “I didn’t mean to.”
“I know you didn’t.” Obaachan studied Skylar for a moment. “But it was quite enjoyable, I must say. Nothing upsets Angela more than not having her way. It’s been educational for her. Learning she does not own her adult children taught her a lesson in humility. Come. Come join me.”
Then she ushered Skylar inside and spent the next hour doting on my girlfriend, treating her to sweets from her stash of Japanese goodies she saved for only her favorite guests. Though unable to eat them anymore, she enjoyed giving them to visitors.
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