The Moth and the Flame

by Reid, B. B.

  By the rigid set of his shoulders and the questions the blonde’s parents plied him with, I deduced that Ever wasn’t just dumb—he was up shit creek without a paddle. I was fighting back a grin as I wondered how he hoped to get out of this when I felt the weight of someone’s attention. Across the table, Claire openly studied me and didn’t shy away when I met her gaze.

  Did she know?

  How could she? The chances were one-in-million that we’d meet. Especially since she had no idea I existed. If it wasn’t for that goddamn photo, I’d have no idea that that I was sitting across from my father’s parents, sharing dinner with them as if I’d done so all my life.

  The turkey was carved and the dishes served, and soon, everyone was too busy enjoying their meal to talk. The respite, I learned, was only momentary when Claire peeked at me before whispering something to her husband. He nodded and turned his gaze on me, although his eyes didn’t hold the same curiosity that his wife’s did even when he spoke.

  “Young man, I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure. I’m Bart Kelly, and this is my lovely wife, Claire.”

  “Wren,” I said, careful not to give my last name. It didn’t seem to matter when I noticed Thomas’s head swivel my way. What were the chances he’d know who I was when I had no clue who he was other than what I’d read online?

  “Wren,” Claire echoed with a soft smile. I couldn’t help returning it with one of my own.

  “An unusual name,” Bart remarked with a frown. My smile dropped, and he tried to mask his distaste with a forced chuckle.

  “Like the songbird,” Claire said gently.

  “Yeah,” I breathed out. My chest was tight, and I had the sudden urge to stand and take her in my arms when her eyes turned glassy.

  “And how do you know Ever?” Bart inquired before I could freak everyone out.

  “From school,” I answered automatically as I stabbed at a piece of turkey. Ever had already coached me on what to say. It only bought us a few days but one crisis at a time. Glancing at Lou, I found her already watching me. “We both go.”

  “Ah, the academy. One of the finest schools in the country. I wouldn’t have guessed.”

  My fork paused mid-air, and just as Bart began to squirm under my hard gaze, I felt a small hand curving around my thigh. It was comforting and not the least bit sexual but…I got hard anyway. I didn’t dare look Lou’s way and risk blowing our cover by kissing her senseless. Ever’s father was under the impression that Lou and I were siblings and that our parents were celebrating their anniversary out of the country. I would have snorted if I wasn’t busy trying to skin Bart alive with my glare. Lou’s hand squeezed my thigh, and just like that, my anger faded. I went back to eating, and so did everyone else.

  The rest of dinner was uneventful, and after dessert was served, Jamie stood and raised his glass of water like it was champagne. “I’d like to make a toast,” he announced with a grin.

  While everyone’s attention left their sweet potato pie and went to Jamie, I glanced at Ever across the table. His jaw clenched as he stared up at his cousin, and I knew whatever Jamie was about to say couldn’t leave his lips. I reacted without thinking, and with stealth that I’d honed over the years for the wrong man, I had my gun out and pressed against Jamie’s kneecap. The table hid what was happening and the reason for Jamie’s sudden silence. I nudged his knee, indicating that he should sit the fuck down.

  “Jamie?” Thomas prompted when he just stood there. “Your toast?”

  I nudged his knee, suggesting that he should sit the fuck down instead. He blinked a few times before tucking his lips inside his mouth, fighting a laugh. His eyes twinkled with amusement, however, as he met Ever’s gaze. “Well played,” he mouthed to him, making Ever frown in genuine confusion. “To family,” he said before retaking his seat.

  Ever looked at me quizzically, and I shrugged my shoulders. I couldn’t tell him what I did much less why I did it. I just knew that I didn’t want anyone fucking with him. And maybe a little had to do with the fact that I just didn’t like Jamie for catching Lou’s eye. Miles was interested, but at least it was always one-sided.

  I hurriedly took a sip of my water, cursing myself for the jealousy that made me feel like a bitch.

  Once the plates were cleared, everyone scattered to the four winds, and when no one was looking, I slipped into the family room and stopped in my tracks when I found Ever standing alone in the dark. The only light came from the fireplace, and the flames allowed me to see that he was glowering as he stared down at the picture in his hand. My heart twisted in my chest. I still hadn’t considered the implications of his father knowing mine, but it explained why I’d felt connected to Ever all along, and how small the world was that we lived in.

  Closing the door, I met his gaze as I inched closer. I could barely keep from sighing in relief when I saw the person in the picture.

  Evelyn.

  “Something wrong?” he asked me when I just stood there like a statue.

  I looked around the room, making sure we were alone before I answered. “We need to talk.”

  DINNER HAD BEEN…INTERESTING. THE moment the Montgomerys said their goodbyes and the Kellys retired to their room, as did Thomas and Rosalyn, I cornered Jamie outside on the veranda. “What the hell happened in there?”

  Since I’d snuck up on him, he glanced at me over his shoulder before turning back to puff on a cigarette. “Your boyfriend is a nosy son of a bitch. That’s what happened.”

  Even though I hated the very air Wren breathed right now, warmth spread inside me at hearing him be called mine. “He threatened you?”

  “Oh, yeah.” I thought Jamie would be upset, but when he turned around and leaned against the white pillar, he was grinning. “I like his style.”

  Crossing my arms, I shook my head. Boys really are stupid. “Why did he threaten you?”

  His dark eyes perused me slowly before meeting mine. “You tell me.”

  I shrugged as I looked away. “I don’t know.”

  Jamie laughed, and I knew it was at me. “Try again.”

  My arms dropped, and my hands balled into fists. “I don’t!”

  “I heard him say you wanted to fuck me, pretty girl.”

  “And you believed him?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I believe. You’ve already got his attention, kitten, but he’s stubborn. Batting your eyes at me won’t be enough to make him do something about it.”

  Huffing, I stuck my hand on my hip. “Let me guess…I should sleep with you?”

  Jamie’s smile was wolfish—as if he wouldn’t hesitate to eat me up if given half the chance. Taking a pull from his cigarette, he blew the smoke in my face. “Not unless you really want to, my little overachiever.”

  I coughed and waved the smoke away. “Well, as it turns out, I don’t need to flirt with you to get what I want.”

  He choked on his next pull, and it took him a few seconds to recover. “Damn,” he said hoarsely though I could still hear his awe. “That was fast.”

  I shrugged. “Not really.”

  Jamie grinned even wider. “Been chasing that dick for a while, huh?”

  “Shut up,” I growled.

  “There’s no shame in it,” he said. “Not all guys want a girl who’s timid and blushes every time his dick is out.”

  I cocked my head to the side. “What about you? What do you like?”

  He smirked as he flicked his cigarette butt over the side and pulled out another. “I don’t give a fuck as long as she’s willing.”

  “And that Barbie doll with the long legs and amazing ass? She didn’t seem all that interested to me.”

  Jamie snickered. “How do you know she had an amazing ass?”

  “It was hard to miss it in that dress.” The rose gold sequin number she wore looked like it had been painted on. Jamie couldn’t take his eyes off her, and although she’d kept her gaze averted, I’d known by the ramrod set of her spine that she was aware.

 
“You’re nosy, too,” he observed, and I could detect a hint of jealousy in his tone.

  “What’s the matter?” I teased. “Afraid of a little competition?”

  Yawning, he stepped around me and headed inside. “If you can melt the ice around her heart long enough, then I tip my hat to you, little Lou Who.”

  “Don’t call me that,” I said as I followed him into the entry hall.

  “Make me,” he tossed over his shoulder as he started up one of the curving staircases.

  I wanted to follow him and do just that but thought better of it. Instead, I hooked a right and headed for the family room where I last saw Wren sneaking inside over an hour ago.

  It was only a matter of time before I got bored giving him the silent treatment. Besides, it was hard not to think about what happened this afternoon. I was sore, and I was pissed, but I still wanted more.

  However, when I stepped inside the room, I found it empty. And when I looked out the window, I saw that the lights to the guesthouse were out. Maybe he’d gone to sleep?

  Preferring to pretend that I’d run into him by chance instead of him knowing that I sought him out, I sank onto the couch and crossed my arms. I couldn’t even find it in me to care that I was actually pouting.

  I didn’t notice when I was no longer alone until Four plopped down next to me with a huff and interrupted my brooding.

  “Thanks for wearing the dress.”

  “Thanks for tricking me into wearing it,” I replied dryly. Four had worn distressed blue jeans and a T-shirt that said ‘Hell is a gift. Here you go.’ much to her mother’s immense displeasure. Thomas hadn’t said a word and Ever only grinned.

  She smiled and winked. “It looked better on you than it would have on me anyway.”

  “True.”

  Snorting, she curled her feet underneath her. “So that went better than I thought it would,” she said conversationally.

  “What were you expecting?”

  “Oh, some screaming and shouting. Maybe a little blood spilled. Nothing major.”

  I couldn’t help laughing despite my mood. “Why?”

  “Because Jamie was there, and he lives for torturing his cousin.”

  “Any particular reason?”

  She looked away and sighed. “No.”

  “Right,” I said, letting her hear my skepticism. I’d learned too many hard-core lessons in my short seventeen years to be that gullible. Fuck what Wren thought.

  Four had been the one to find me when Wren walked away from me yesterday, but neither of us had felt like pouring our hearts out. She ended up calling over Tyra, who had been more than willing for both of us. Still, I knew something was bothering Four, and I knew she wouldn’t be able to hold it in forever.

  “Claire was nice,” I said to fill the silence.

  “Yeah, I think it’s cool that the Kellys still visit Thomas even though their son is dead.”

  I frowned at that. “Why are you so certain he’s dead? Not even his mother knows if he is or isn’t.”

  Four stilled before quickly sitting up. “What are you talking about?”

  “Claire said she hadn’t seen him in thirty years. She talked of second chances like he was still alive.”

  Her forehead wrinkled. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I felt bad for her.”

  “But that doesn’t make sense,” she argued. “Why would Thomas lie to Ever about his best friend being dead if he wasn’t?”

  I shrugged and poked my lips out. “Maybe they fell out.”

  With a troubled look, she walked over to the mantel and selected one of the many picture frames. I was surprised when she handed it to me immediately after. I took it with some hesitation and only glanced at the three men posing for the camera before looking back up at her questioningly.

  “Take another look,” she urged. “Does anything about that picture strike you as odd?”

  Granting her request, I studied the photo more closely. “Yes.” My voice was calm when I was anything but. The beard was gone, and he looked twenty years younger, but I’d recognize those eyes and that cocky smile anywhere.

  “And?” Four prodded.

  I pointed to one of the men standing next to Thomas. “I know him.”

  “What?” Her gaze flitted back and forth from me to the picture. I could tell my answer hadn’t been what she was expecting. “How?”

  I studied the picture as the ball in my stomach tightened. What were the chances that this ghost and the one stalking Wren were one and the same?

  It couldn’t be. Their world was a long way from the one Wren and I lived in. It had to be a coincidence.

  But Wren had said Ever used to be Exiled, so maybe we weren’t that different, after all. Maybe all of our paths had crossed once before, and now it was happening again.

  “That’s his father,” I told Four.

  She perked up immediately. “Ever’s?”

  “No…Wren’s.” I pinned Four with my gaze. “Why would you think he was Ever’s father?”

  She gulped as she shifted restlessly. “Because it seemed odd that Ever has a cleft chin when neither of his parents do.”

  I mulled that over before shaking my head. “It’s strange but not impossible. Bart and Claire don’t have one, either.”

  “I know.” She exhaled as if a weight had been taken off her shoulders. “I’ve never been so happy to be wrong in my life.”

  “No one can blame you. Besides, cleft chins aren’t that common, and it is weird that Thomas’s best friend just so happens to have one as well.”

  “What are you saying?”

  I smirked up at Four, who suddenly looked nervous. “Probably what you’re thinking.”

  “Ever told me that his mother walked out on them four years ago. You don’t think…”

  “That Thomas found out the truth and kicked her ass to the curb?” I shrugged. “If he lied about his best friend, he might lie about his marriage.”

  “But if Ever isn’t his son, why keep him around? Why not send him away too?”

  “You don’t stop being someone’s father after fourteen years just because a DNA test tells you that you aren’t.” If only my parents had the same sentiment. I handed her back the photo, and she returned it to the mantel.

  “What do I do?” she asked me when she turned back around.

  I lifted my hands and gave her a bewildered look. “What can you do?”

  “Ever needs to know.”

  I shook my head. “But he doesn’t need to hear it from you.”

  She shoved her fingers through her hair and started pacing. “But what if Thomas just keeps lying to him?”

  I tilted my head to the side and squinted. “You took one look at that photo and knew something wasn’t right. Ever’s been looking at it his entire life. If he hasn’t started asking questions by now, it’s because he doesn’t want to know the answer.”

  She whirled around to me, and her mouth formed an O. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “I am,” I said with confidence.

  Four then charged across the room, and when she stood in front of me, she planted her hands on her hips. “Did I hear you say that Sean was Wren’s father?”

  I flinched, cursing my big mouth. I wanted to deny it, claim that she was hearing things, but the look Four gave me told me not to even try it.

  So after telling Four all about my trip to the mountains, seeing Fox murder an innocent family, and how Wren’s father had later saved from me from his goons, I swore her to secrecy. I might have even threatened to slice her from temple to tit if she ever broke her silence. I still hadn’t told Wren that his father was very much alive and wasn’t sure I ever would.

  “How long do you think you can keep this a secret?” Four prodded. “Wren saw the photo of his father. He freaked out and went for a drive.”

  So that was why he’d been acting so weird earlier.

  Why hadn’t he told me?

  Ever burst into the family room before I coul
d think of the answer. The crisp white shirt he’d worn to dinner was unbuttoned and opened wide, displaying abs and a chest that rivaled Wren’s. His gaze went straight to Four. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

  I realized he must have gone upstairs anticipating that she’d be there waiting on him, which explained the undone shirt.

  Four crossed her arms and pursed her lips. “Your bed you mean.”

  “That’s what I said.”

  “Ever…it’s like seven o’clock.”

  Crossing the room, he lifted Four over his shoulder. “Come on,” he said as if he hadn’t heard her. “I want to go to bed.” He started for the door, but when Four mentioned that she was keeping me company, he stopped and regarded me. “Harlan’s waiting for you in the guesthouse.” And then he was gone with Four trying to reason with him the entire way. He clearly didn’t give a damn who might see them.

  Sighing, I stood and started for the door.

  Time to face the music.

  When I stepped inside the house, I didn’t find Wren waiting for me as Ever had claimed. Instead, I heard the shower running from one of the bedrooms. Deciding to repay Wren the favor of surprise, I plopped down on the edge of the bed and waited. He emerged ten minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist and a startled look on his face the moment he spotted me.

  I knew then that Ever had been a big, fat liar.

  He probably would have said anything to get into Four’s pants sooner.

  “Ever said you wanted me?”

  He laughed and shook his head. “I told him I’d come to get you in an hour or two. I guess he wasn’t willing to wait that long.”

  I glanced down at the carpet and mumbled, “Lucky girl.” Standing, I started for the door, but an arm around my waist pulled me back, and then the door I tried to escape through was slammed shut.

  “She’s not as lucky as me,” Wren whispered, lips at my neck.

  I barked out a laugh that was dry and humorless. “Spare me the whiplash, Wren, please.”

  Spinning me around, he pushed me against the door and trapped my hands above my head in a punishing grip. “I’m just trying to protect you, Lou.”