“Shhhh, what are you talking about? Come, let’s talk.” Anne guided Aster into the kitchen, and she gestured for Gage to follow. A fresh pot of coffee brewed, filling the air with its rich aroma. They sat down in a dining nook surrounded by windows, and it seemed as though the area was filled with sunlight and glowed like they were in a sun globe.
Gage sat down next to Aster and took her left hand while Anne sat down on the other side.
“And who are you?” Anne asked him.
“Gage Bellows, ma’am. I’m, uh, well, I’m Aster’s mate.”
Surprise and shock registered on her face before she smiled at him.
“What good news to receive on such a sad day.” She reached across the table and placed her hand on top of their joined ones. “How remarkable that both of my daughters find their mates within days of each other—I’m so happy for you both. Now,” she sat up and withdrew her hand, focusing her attention back on Aster. “Your father and Sheriff Kasun need to talk to you and Gage. The sheriff needs to give full reports to the Court and Mayor Stuart. What happened today violated so many laws and risked exposing the town’s secrets. Then you two, streaking down Main Street like horny teenagers on spring break, didn’t help either. The cleanup and damage control are massive. Braden’s death and that other shifter, well, that’s the worst of all that happened. Your sister and Patrick are giving their statements now. Apparently, this shifter knew Reeve from Denver and followed her here?”
“Yes, ma’am. Damian was my alpha. I followed him here to stop him from doing anything crazy. Unfortunately, I got here too late. I’m so sorry about your son.”
Anne’s eyes shone with tears that she blinked away. Seemingly at a loss for words, she patted his hand and gave it a squeeze before glancing toward the entrance to the kitchen.
Mike McCabe limped into the room, and Aster looked up at him, preparing for him to chew her ass out. Instead he held his arms open. His face, already showing wear from years spent out in the sun on job sites, had aged in just the past few hours. Grief had already left its mark. Aster flew into his arms, and he wrapped her up tight in a bear hug that immediately transported her back to when she was a little girl who sought out her dad’s comfort. She always felt tiny in comparison to his hulking size. At over six-foot-two, with a barrel chest and shoulders broad enough to carry the weight of the world, “Big Mike” McCabe lived up to his nickname.
“Baby girl, I’m so glad you’re okay. When I saw you charge in to fight, I thought you were going to be killed, too,” her dad said into her hair, before stepping away and holding her at arm’s length so he could inspect her for any damage.
With the exception of a bruise on her shoulder from when she hit the ground, she was fine. Her father, however, looked like he had been in a fight with a tree shredder. His weather-beaten face was covered with scratches and nicks. A large gash over his right eyebrow had been stitched up. The black stitches resembled an insect perched above his eye. Thick brown hair, graying at the temples, curled around his ears, revealing the one missing lobe, a wound from years ago. He was a study of old and new battles. While they were shifters and possessed supernatural strength, they still healed at the rate of humans and retained scars from their injuries.
“Dad, I’m so sorry about everything!” Aster cried out. Seeing his injuries brought everything surging forth. She could have lost him, too.
“Hush, baby girl, it’s not your fault. Damian Stone killed your brother, not you. This isn’t your burden to bear.” He held her as she cried. Her face pressed against his polo shirt, which absorbed her tears. A hand came to rest on the small of her back, the warmth instantly seeping through her shirt, and she was already familiar with this touch. Her mate. Gage wanted to provide comfort too.
She stepped out of her dad’s embrace, and Gage moved forward to introduce himself, explaining his connection to Damian. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances,” he said.
“You saved Aster. Thank you. You’re one hell of a fighter. It couldn’t have been easy, going up against your alpha.”
Gage nodded in agreement. “I own a gym called the Sweat Box, where I train MMA fighters, plus I’ve been Damian’s beta for the past three-and-a-half years. We fought side by side countless times, but I never had to fight against him. For a split second, I hesitated, but when I saw Aster in danger, any hesitation evaporated. She’s all I care about now.”
Big Mike grinned at this comment. “Mates—it’s a powerful bond. One look at Aster’s mom, and I was done for.”
Just then, Reeve and Patrick filed into the kitchen, followed by Sheriff Kasun, who was hard to miss. While not much taller than her father, Sheriff Kasun was as wide as a refrigerator and solid muscle. Reeve’s right arm was wrapped in gauze, and blood had already oozed through—pinkish red stripes, an imprint of the claw marks concealed beneath. Her bottom lip was split and already beginning to scab over, and the beginnings of a black eye shadowed the left side of her face. Patrick hobbled in on crutches, his leg in an air cast, and his face didn’t fare much better than her father’s.
Aster wanted to run to her sister and pull her into a hug, beg for forgiveness, but she wasn’t sure if that would be welcome. Reeve made the first move and pulled Aster into a fierce hug.
“Forgive me?” Reeve asked, stealing Aster’s line.
“What for? I’m the one who’s been such a spiteful, petty asshole.” This admission made Reeve laugh, and the hug tightened.
“I did take your man,” Reeve said, and Aster shrugged. Now that she’d found her mate, the hurt and anger she had experienced earlier were long gone.
They separated, but stood side by side with their arms wrapped around each other’s waists, and their heads were tilted, resting against each other. With less than a half-inch difference in height and similar builds, and with their hair the same color, they could have passed as twins.
“Can we go talk?” Reeve asked. “I have something to tell you, something I should have told you a long time ago.”
“Of course.” As they left everyone behind in the kitchen and climbed the stairs, Aster tried to puzzle out what her sister had to say.
Her bedroom hadn’t changed much, and it was like stepping back in time. Her old twin bed still had the sea-foam green comforter and matching bed skirt. Framed pictures of her senior year were mounted on the wall, and miniature pompoms, in Havenwood Falls High’s silver and blue, hung on the bedpost, a memento from a homecoming game. One side of the room had a poster for AFI, her favorite band, and a family portrait taken when she was twelve, Reeve was fourteen, and Braden eighteen.
Seeing her brother’s smiling face and mischievous eyes made her heart ache. She sank down on the side of her bed, and Reeve sat next to her. She, too, was looking at the picture. They were all happy and whole then. Reeve had just started high school, and Aster was in middle school. This was taken before they fought all the time and before Aster’s jealousy turned into resentment. It didn’t even matter now, and looking back, all of it was so stupid. She had lost so much valuable time.
“Aster, I want us to get along. I really want to try. Now that Braden is gone,” Reeve’s voice cracked, and Aster looked over to see her sister crying. “It’s just us, you know?”
“I know. I want to try, too, and I’m done being jealous of you. I was an asshole.”
“You already said that.” Her laugh was shaky, but it was a laugh and a positive start. “I left Havenwood Falls for you. That’s what I wanted to tell you.”
Aster’s eyebrows rose, and she stared at her sister in amazement. “What are you talking about?”
“I knew you were miserable, and we fought constantly. I originally had planned to stay home and take online classes after graduating high school, but thought going away for college would give us the space we needed. So, Dad asked for approval from the Court for me to leave to attend UC Denver, but he petitioned to have the memory spell lifted so I could still come home and not forget anyone. I swore an
oath to never reveal Havenwood Falls or bring anyone back without the Court’s permission.”
“Reeve . . .” Aster started, but didn’t know what to say. Her sister’s leaving was an act of selflessness, which made her feel all the more selfish. It doesn’t matter anymore, she reminded herself. She leaned over and rested her head on her sister’s shoulder. “Despite how I acted, I always loved you,” she admitted.
“I love you, too.”
They sat together like that in silence, enjoying the moment.
“Braden would have loved to see this,” Aster said a couple of minutes later. “He was always stuck in the middle, trying to broker some sort of peace agreement between us.”
“Right? Like we’re the Middle East or something . . . brave soul for getting between two redheads, though,” Reeve said with a chuckle that faded into a sigh. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“Me, either.” This time they leaned against each other for support as they wept and mourned over the loss of their brother.
This is where their mates found them. Aster looked up when they walked into the bedroom. This was her first time really seeing them next to each other, and she marveled at how similar they were in build and coloring. They could have passed for brothers, with their sandy light brown hair and height. Gage’s upper body was more muscular and defined, but Patrick wasn’t that much smaller. Gage sat down next to Aster, and Patrick sat down next to Reeve.
“I gave my statement to the sheriff,” Gage told Aster. “Are you ready to talk to him?”
She nodded and stood up, grabbing Gage’s hand in the process so he’d go with her. She turned back to address her sister. “Thank you. See you downstairs?”
“Anything for you, sissy,” Reeve responded with a wink and teasing smile when she used the nickname from when Aster was really little. “We’ll be down in a bit.”
Patrick had a hand on Reeve’s thigh that kept creeping higher. The higher it went, the redder her cheeks became.
Aster rolled her eyes and tugged on Gage’s hand.
“We’re so out of here!” she yelled over her shoulder before shutting the door behind them.
Sheriff Kasun was waiting for Aster in the dining room. She took a seat across from him. The table had been recently polished, and the faint lemon scent clung to the wood. She clasped her hands in front of her, and they cast a blurry reflection on the finish. The sheriff regarded her with his piercing blue eyes that she had long been convinced could see right into people’s souls.
“Aster, first I want to tell you I’m sorry about your brother. He was a good man.”
Aster looked away, blinking fast to keep the tears at bay. Her throat ached from crying so much, and her head felt like it was full of cotton, her sinuses were so jacked.
“He . . . he was.” Aster winced when she said this, hating to refer to Braden in the past tense.
“Can you tell me when you first encountered Damian Stone?” he asked, his pen poised over his notepad.
Chapter 7
Court of the Sun and the Moon, One Week Later
The Court of the Sun and the Moon held their hearings in the basement of City Hall in a windowless, soundproof room. In homage to the founders, the only lights used were candles. Large glass globes hung suspended from the wood-paneled ceiling, and each held white candles. Flickering flames cast shadows that danced on the walls, which were decorated with murals depicting a timeline of Havenwood Falls’ history.
Aster sat at a table facing the Court, who sat on a raised dais, set up similar to a regular courtroom. Having all of the members of the Court, representatives of the town’s Old Families, elevated before her was an imposing sight, and Aster licked her lips nervously. She tried not to stare too long at Willow’s great-grandfather, Elmsed, who was the fae representative on the Court. He had lowered his glamour, so the arrow-shaped tips of his ears were clearly visible, poking through his silver hair. His nose was almost flat, and his long chin almost touched his chest. He had frosty blue preternatural eyes, even more piercing than Sheriff Kasun’s, and Aster felt pinned to her seat when his gaze fell upon her.
Aster was flanked by her dad and Gage, and Reeve and Patrick sat on the other side of Big Mike. They’d endured their inquisitions earlier, and the Court, anxious to not draw the proceedings out and potentially delay the Midsummers Night festivities, called them all into the room together for the verdict.
They all faced punishment for violating the rule prohibiting shifting in public. They had also been charged with engaging in a public fight in their shifter forms. Their actions had resulted in enlisting extra witches and mages to wipe devices and memories of any evidence.
Since Gage didn’t register when he first arrived in town, he was originally going to have to face punishment for that offense, but he didn’t know the rule, and he registered as soon as he became aware, so they threw the charge out.
“Aster Marjorie McCabe, please stand and come forward,” Elmsed ordered. Gage’s hand had been on her leg, and he gave her thigh an encouraging squeeze before she stood. On unsteady legs, she walked the few steps to stand in front of the court.
Mayor Barbie Stuart leaned over the dais; her body cast a shadow over Aster. The mayor was allegedly pure human, but the town’s comedians speculated that she had giant genes in her DNA. She was almost the same size as Sheriff Kasun, and everything about her was big, from her hair to her chest.
“Aster, what do you and Gage plan to do now? Are you going to stay in Havenwood Falls?” she asked.
This question surprised her. They’d been so caught up with Braden’s funeral and then the inquisitions that they’d never really talked about it. Gage was expected to return to Denver to restore order to his den. Since he was the one who killed Damian, he had inherited the leadership. The very thought of Gage leaving her behind while he took care of this business was as unpalatable as eating cockroaches. She turned around and looked at Gage. He, too, appeared surprised at the question.
“What happens if I choose to leave and go back to Denver with Gage?” she asked, facing the Court again.
“We discussed this. Eloise Sinclair predicted you would choose to go with your mate. However, this won’t excuse you from any punishment.” Eloise was a powerful psychic who owned Into the Mystic New Age Books and Gifts. She did psychic readings at the back of her store and ran a psychic fair every year. She had a steady clientele, because her predictions were accurate.
“If you leave Havenwood Falls, you can’t come back for two years, and we won’t remove the amnesia spell like we did for your sister. Your friends and family can’t contact you either, not that you’d remember who they were if they did make an attempt.”
Aster gasped and spun around to look at her father. His expression didn’t convey any emotion, but his hands were clasped in front of him on the table, and she noticed his knuckles turning white. Leaving now that her family was still reeling from Braden’s death was wrong, but staying behind and being separated from her mate wasn’t right, either.
“You know the rules, Aster, and you broke them. We can’t be lenient with anyone. Order needs to be a constant, otherwise we devolve into chaos.”
“What’s the punishment if I stay?” she asked.
“Gage engaged in a public fight in his cat form before even registering here, which sets a poor precedent for his den. He’ll be banished permanently, and you, Aster, will serve a three-month sentence in jail.”
Elsmed stared down at Aster with his frosty eyes. Sweat gathered under her hair as he stared at her. Beads slid down her neck and underneath her blouse, to collect at the small of her back. Neither option was ideal, but punishments weren’t meant to be easy. She did fuck up. On the surface, the second option seemed to be the better one. Being separated from Gage would suck and possibly be physically painful, like withdrawing from a drug, but how bad could three months be? His permanent banishment was an issue. She’d want to be able to come back for holidays and family occasions, especially o
nce they started having children. She wanted Gage to be included. Two years away from her home and the only place she’d ever lived was a long time. Sure she went on vacations, but always returned within the first twenty-eight days, before the amnesia spell took effect. What if after her two years was up she never felt the call to return to Havenwood Falls? Her family and her memories would be lost to her; all she’d have would be a new life with her mate. This was a risk with either option, though. Once she left Havenwood Falls and the amnesia spell kicked in, there weren’t any guarantees she’d ever make it back . . . unless someone compelled her to return.
“You have twenty-four hours to choose the punishment, Ms. McCabe. I think we’ve been more than generous, considering.”
She had a lot to think about, but didn’t have the time right then, as the Court had moved on to reading off the other punishments. Elsmed called Gage to the front of the dais, and Aster gave his hand a reassuring squeeze when he stood up.
“Mr. Barrows, you’re new to Havenwood Falls and therefore not familiar with our rules. The circumstances of your arrival are extenuating, however, secrets have been revealed, and a life taken in public. Granted, a wild animal attack story is plausible and easy to sell, but the supernatural community knows better. From what we’ve learned about Damian Stone, many have argued that you performed a service. Stone killed one of our own, and his punishment would have been death.”
Aster’s heart jumped at that statement. Did the Court plan on sentencing Gage to death—a life for a life? She squirmed in her seat, ready to leap up and protest if that turned out to be the case. Elsmed peered down his flat nose and bided his time, like he enjoyed drawing out the suspense.
Aster barely breathed as she waited.
“You won’t have the same fate,” Elsmed finally said, and Aster exhaled in relief. “Gage Bellows, the Court sentences you to pay a penalty of fifty thousand dollars, and you will be held in jail until the fine is paid. Additionally, the memory spell will ensure you have no recollection of your visit here. We expect you not to linger once your fine is paid.”
Fate, Love & Loyalty: (A Havenwood Falls Novella) Page 7