by Destiny, Sam
Kissing the side of Maya’s head, he got up, just pulling on his jeans and nothing more, knowing that his twin had seen it all anyway. He slipped out, finding the hallways dimly lit. There was no sunlight filtering in since the shutters had been closed for the day. He didn’t miss the sun any longer; if he needed to see something shine, he looked at Maya whenever he brought her a single white rose or that tea she liked so much from one of the cafés downtown. She was his sun, his stars, and his moon now. She was his everything and he was ready to do whatever was needed to get her to finally feel comfortable.
If he’d have to describe her feelings, he’d probably say that there was a shadow hanging over their happy cloud and Jaden didn’t like that at all.
He knocked softly, taking care not to wake everyone in the household, which was the burden of preternatural hearing.
Kaden opened, basically wearing the same outfit he did. It was crazy, but with his twin standing inside the room and him standing outside, it was like a bad mirror: Kaden looked a lot brawnier than Jaden remembered while he was still looking as healthy as they came. It was weird that suddenly Kaden was the serious twin, the intense one. Now though a smile cracked up his face.
“Nice outfit,” he grinned and then gestured for Jaden to enter with a simple nod of his head.
“You, too,” Jaden replied with humor in his voice, then he reminded himself that he was pissed at his twin. “What if one of those nights you were supposed to be with us, we would have been attacked? I couldn’t have saved Maya by myself,” he accused and Kaden’s shoulders instantly tensed.
“I had stuff to do. I didn’t think they’d let you and her go alone,” he admitted and Jaden sighed.
“Seriously? With all those Hellraise coming to have her blood, you thought the warriors had someone to spare? You were my backup. You left me hanging. You left her hanging,” Jaden growled and Kaden turned away from him. Something was very wrong, but just like Maya wasn’t speaking, Kaden seemed reluctant to offer any real information. “Does Maya know what you are doing? Is that why she is not mad at you when you put her second?”
Kaden’s head whipped around, his brown eyes firing daggers at Jaden. “Leave Maya out of this. She never will be second for… any of us.” Me. Jaden had heard it as clear as if Kaden had actually said the word. The break was too obvious and something started to nag at him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Something was very wrong with Kaden and yet Maya was as protective of him as his twin was of her.
“She knows, doesn’t she?” Jaden inquired again and Kaden combed his fingers through his dark, blond hair, leaving it messy. It was such a typical scene for them that Jaden almost saw hope for his twin. Maybe he was less lost than Jaden thought.
“Maya knows nothing. She has enough to deal with at the moment. I wouldn’t want to make me another one of her problems.” He was heartfelt and sincere, which reminded Jaden of something different that he had wanted to ask.
“How did you know she was feeling so terrible? I have that blood-link with her and I hadn’t realized it was that bad.” Kaden shrugged and looked away from his twin, but Jaden picked up a brow.
“I don’t know. It was in her eyes. There was this cloud hanging over her shining violet eyes. One look at her and I just knew,” he tried to explain. “Honestly, Jaden, there’s not a certain telltale. It was just something about the way she held onto me, you know? You probably feel it too, sometimes; you just don’t recognize it yet. It’s when she hugs you and she holds you like always, but then suddenly, she squeezes just that bit tighter. That’s when she wants to tell you something.”
It was as if Jaden had hit a brick wall and the impact had suddenly made him see clear. Since he had felt that, Jaden knew exactly what Kaden talked about.
His twin actually looked smug. “See? I knew you felt it before. There are more of those little signs. You just need to learn to read her better and I know you can do it.” Kaden gave him an encouraging pat on the back and Jaden went over to his twin’s clearly unused bed, sitting down.
“If I tried to make you tell me her secret, would you?” Jaden’s question made Kaden instantly swallow and he realized that there was something Maya was hiding. “And do you think she would tell me yours?”
“I don’t have a secret,” Kaden protested, but there was real heat missing.
“When did you start lying to me, Kaden? You were always the better brother.”
“That was until you broke my heart and my trust in you,” Kaden snapped, and Jaden buried his face in his hands, suddenly feeling terribly exhausted. He wouldn’t ever be able to forget that he hadn’t told Kaden about the fact that Maya wouldn’t be with them or that he had agreed to go along with it. The former was what Kaden meant with breaking his heart and the latter with what he considered breaking his trust. Kaden and Maya had bonded so instantly that Jaden had spent quite a lot of time pouting in jealousy, even though now she and Kaden hadn’t seen each other in more than three months, nothing had changed about that. Only now, Jaden knew there was no reason to be jealous because fate always got its way, and Maya was his Origin and devoted to him, just like he was to her.
“Next time you hear that you are going out with us, Kade, do me a favor and show.” He didn’t think that Kaden would tell him what was up or bothering him, and he had a warm, soft Origin in his bed that deserved his attention.
“Word on the street has it that Destra moved back into the city,” Kaden suddenly spoke just as Jaden reached for the door. They had looked for their Most Wanted a lot during the first few weeks, but eventually it just became obvious that she had stayed away. There was no telling if she knew that Jaden was alive or not. As it was, the Hellraise in the city couldn’t really tell him and his twin apart. No one knew for sure if they were still two, and Destra wouldn’t trust anything unless she saw it with her own eyes. He couldn’t believe that Kaden had information like that, and important one at that, and kept it from him. “It’s the reason I was a no-show. I was worried that if I rallied the forces for nothing, we could endanger Maya more. She refuses to stay at home or to send Cany to do the job alone and I couldn’t risk pulling any of you away from here and her,” his twin suddenly added, staring at a spot on the wall.
Jaden looked towards the same wall, knowing Maya was asleep behind it. “How sure are you?” he wanted to know, watching his twin again. If there were just the slightest hint that Kaden would lie to him, he’d go wild. Maya was the only thing that mattered.
“Not at all. I don’t trust the few insane vampires I met. They speak about great evil coming and precious blood being spilled, but then, all blood is precious to us,” his brother shrugged and Jaden didn’t sense any lie in him. Just then he realized that his brother was roaming the streets every night all by himself.
“Do you realize that this could get you killed?” he asked and Kaden turned back to him, his gaze steady.
“It’s better it kills me than you. You are mated, my brother, bonded to the Queen of the race. We can’t afford to lose you and, in the process, her.” There was pain in his brother’s eyes, so much that Jaden wanted to grit his teeth against it. The only problem was that he had no idea why.
“When was the last time you drank blood to sustain your strength? If you insist on being out there alone, I at least need to have peace of mind and know that you’ll be at your strongest.” Another one of those painful looks and Jaden closed his eyes.
“One of these days, Kaden, you’ll have to tell me. You know that you’re my bother, right?” It was a stupid question, but Jaden still had to ask.
“For eternity,” Kaden agreed and Jaden went back to him, standing there like a mirror image.
“Good, because I know as much as I had to make it up to Cupcake I had to make it up to you. Actually I still do, and I intend to follow through. Just know that you can always come to me, Kaden. You can tell me anything. Never, in my whole life, could I hate you, okay?”
There, how was that for getting in to
uch with his emotional side? He was acting all female and talking about feelings. It was what Cany had told him would help make Maya more his. Besides, it was the truth. Kaden would always be his blood, just like Maya. Kaden seemed frozen to the spot, so Jaden decided to leave after this rather embarrassing moment. When he reached the door, he could’ve sworn he heard his twin say something that sounded damn close to ‘never say never, brother.’
Cany snuck down to the kitchen, even though the house was silent. She knew that the twins both were in one room since she had heard them talk earlier, but now there were no noises. She couldn’t possibly close her eyes now, not after having known that not only she knew Kaden’s darkest secret, but he knew hers as well.
With the way things were, Kaden was unpredictable. She had no idea when he’d explode in a moment of utter pain and just spill it to everyone. Seeking comfort in food was such a human thing to do that Cany almost laughed out loud. As it was, her mother had hated this habit most about her. In fact, there was little her mother didn’t hate about her.
Which actually brought on the second reason that she wouldn’t find any sleep that day. The next night, she and Ryder would be going to see her family. She tried everything to go alone, but somehow there was no chance. The warrior was insistent when it came to her being accompanied and so far, she had managed to rearrange her schedule every time someone was going with her, but somehow it just never occurred that everyone was busy.
Just then she realized that the air behind her was moving ever so slightly and cue the third reason why she couldn’t get any sleep.
“You are awake. Again.” Cany closed her eyes as the warm voice settled over her like a blanket.
“So are you, Ryder,” she remarked and then steeled herself before turning. Each time she looked at the Queen’s brother, her hormones went crazy. Most of the time he angered her like no one else could, but sometimes, like those dangerous hours during the day, when everyone else was sleeping and she was with no one else but herself, then she wanted to curl her small body around him and have him make her forget all her worries. She wanted him to help her to forget her secrets, too. She didn’t have any experience with guys whatsoever, but she had read it all, had seen it all and, most of all, had dreamed it all. She had spoken to her friends about it and what to expect, at least to those who had snuck out to be deflowered.
“I heard you moving,” he explained, leaning in the door and crossing his arms. They were strong, obviously well trained, and would be the perfect thing to cage a girl like her. But no, she shouldn’t even think about that.
Because after all, there was problem number four, which usually had been far off for her, but got more prominent the more she was around Ryder.
“You are a liar,” she whispered with a smile and he pushed off the frame, sighing.
“Okay, I figured you’d be up again. I’m itchy, too, with the twins in the house,” he admitted, walking over to where she was seated on the counter. He reached his long fingers into the bowl of cereal she had just poured herself and made the little pieces vanish between his lips, his tongue sneaking out to lick away the last of the sugar remaining on them. Cany shouldn’t have been watching him that closely, but she couldn’t help it. She pulled herself together though, trying to remember what he had just said.
“Why? They seem pretty peaceful,” she commented and Ryder slowly nodded, then focused those emerald eyes on her, almost making her lose her train of thought another time.
“Something’s gotta give. Jaden won’t tolerate Kaden’s no-show-act any longer and, let’s face it; Kaden can’t stay away from Maya. She’s suffering and we both know it’s true. Someone should just tell Jaden –“
“Don’t you dare!” Cany instantly cried out. She’d never forgive him if he’d go through with that plan. And, frankly, neither would Maya. As if she didn’t have enough to hate him for. The relationship between the siblings was still strained and if she talked to the dark haired warrior, Maya was nothing but polite. Cany could see the pain in Ryder’s eyes each and every time, but she decided to not comment on that.
“They used to be my best friends. How in the world can you expect me to let them both suffer like this at the hands of my sister?”
And that was why Cany usually avoided him like a rash. She was in front of him in no time, poking her index finger into his well-defined chest. In fact, the feel of his beating heart under her hands was big enough a distraction to make her momentarily forget her anger and stare down on his shirt-covered torso. She wanted to flatten her palm against it just to get a little more of Ryder. Would he feel as she had dreamed? All well-trained, hard muscle that would ripple if she’d run her tongue over…
“Oh, if you don’t want me to take you here on the kitchen counter, you better stop the licking of your lip you have going on,” he rumbled, the tiny vibrations coming up against her finger and tearing her out of her haze. Only when she looked up, it was to meet lustful eyes that had darkened. The emerald was now the color of pine trees after rain which made her take a deep, uneasy breath.
He raised his hand and dearest Creator, Cany wanted him to cup her cheek, but she feared that one touch would cause sparks to fly and no one could live a life set in sparks, right?
Coincidence saved her though as she heard the rustling of fabric on the stairs indicating that Maya was up, too. Hell, couldn’t anyone in this household sleep? Then again, with both her guys here, Cany guessed the Queen was halfway mental.
“It’s not her fault, you fucking idiot. Your damn best friend would be dead now if the other two hadn’t done what they did. No one had a choice,” she snapped before leaving. Stepping away from him obviously cleared her head more than any swallowing could do. She spun around and left, not worried that the maids and kitchen helpers would clean up what she had left behind.
“My Queen,” she said, obviously startling Maya, who instantly grabbed for the silk robe above her heart.
“Jesus, Cany,” Maya mumbled.
“It’s Creator, remember?” Cany smiled, trying to lighten the mood, but Maya wasn’t even looking at her anymore.
“I’m sorry, I just didn’t see you,” Maya explained absent-mindedly and then started to pace through the foyer. It was the only space grand enough to satisfy the movement urges her Queen was obviously feeling.
“I can imagine. How are you?” Cany carefully asked and Maya raked her hands through her curls, almost looking as if she was ready to tear the beautiful dark strands out one by one. It hurt Cany's heart.
“I want to kiss him. That's what hurts me the most. I want to run up to Kaden and press my lips to his, just for once, hoping it'll tide me over however long it is until he shows up again. It kills me. Jaden doesn't deserve that, not after everything. Ugh, I shouldn't have invited Kaden to stay. He should've gone with his resolve to leave. Why didn't he?” She threw up her hands and Cany bit her lip to not make a stupid comment. The answers were way too obvious, but she guessed it wasn't exactly what Maya wanted to hear.
“Have you considered telling Jaden?” Cany whispered barely audible. She knew too well how good Jaden's hearing was. The Queen buried her face in her hands, sighing.
“I can't see a good outcome. Seriously. Jaden is possessive, how could ... hell, not even I would be okay if another girl comes around the corner and he loves her. And I know it's possible to love two people. I couldn't ever, in no scenario, accept him with anyone else. Look what kind of hypocrisy I'm displaying. By the Creator,” Maya all but sobbed.
“So, that's your ultimate outcome? In the wake of day, when you forget about everything; when you screw conventions and just go for what your heart tells you, that's what you ultimately want? Both of them?”
Maya just shook her head, hugging herself as if she was worried she'd break in two right down the middle and maybe she was.
“There is no way this can end good for all three of us, so I'm going to make sure that Jaden gets exactly the love and attention he deserves,” the Queen
explained and Cany wondered if she should open her mouth, then she figured she had stayed silent long enough and this was tearing Maya apart one way or the other. Challenge most likely wasn't the smartest way to find out Maya's thoughts, but definitely the quickest.
“You mean he deserves the way you break your head about going to see Kaden? You think he'd feel better knowing you only think about cheating on him instead of really doing it? You think Jaden would be less hurt if he found out what is going on down here? Dearest Creator, I think he deserves more than that!”
Maya turned around, fury and self-hatred twisting those Queenly features. “Don't you dare talk to me like that. Losing Jaden over this is not an option. In fact, losing Jaden over anything is not in the cards. I was ready to lay down my life for him when he didn't really want me! This -”
“- is exactly what I'm talking about, Maya. Be honest with him. Figure this out together.”
“I can't betray Kaden like that and I can't trust myself enough to be in one room with him and not...” Maya trailed off and shook her head.
Cany smirked. “Jump his damn hot bones?” she finished and thought she saw a smile ghost over Maya's lips.
“Something like that,” she admitted, but then returned to her pacing. Cany settled down at the bottom of the stairs, watching in silence. She didn't feel like it needed to be filled. Eventually, a body passed her and the Queen's mate joined her, pulling her against his large frame and making her all but vanish. Maya instantly embraced him back and it was obvious that he was whispering into the Queen's ear. As it was, the shine of the dimmed lamps gave the couple something haunted. The silk robe fanned around Maya's legs like the dress spirits were always portrayed with. Jaden's black jeans and equally black shirt hugged his lean frame. All that was missing was a sword on his side and a cloak on his back and he'd look like a medieval knight.