Montel rolled his eyes, exasperated at having to defend himself again. “I already told Bastien, she’s okay. We took what we needed. She’s a little thing, so of course it laid her out. She knew what she was getting into, and she’s fine with it. Our princess is no scared child.”
Draper didn’t pay Montel any attention, but moved to the bedside and smoothed my hair back from my damp forehead. “Baby Rosie, are you alright?”
I managed a small smile up at him. “I’m alright, and it’s been decades since I was a baby. You worry too much, big brother.”
“Ah, don’t you know? Worrying’s what I do when it comes to you. You’ll always be my Baby Rosie, no matter how old you get.”
My vision swam, and suddenly there were two of him. “How’d I get so lucky?”
Draper kissed my forehead before he turned to Bastien and Montel. “Is everything else ready? Are we just waiting on my spirit?”
Bastien straightened and moved over to the basin of blood. “Give me a couple minutes to make sure it’s all in place. Take your time and do what you need, because when it’s time to use your spirit, we have a small window.”
Draper nodded, and I expected him to start performing some kind of hocus pocus ninja action to ready his spirit for… whatever it was supposed to do. Instead he laid his head down on the pillow by my side and pulled me into his arms so that my head rested in the nook of his outstretched arm. His lips pressed to my bandage with a small grin. “Just like when you were a baby. If you bumped yourself when you were learning to crawl or walk, I was the one with the magic in my kiss that healed you.”
I glanced down at my bandaged arm. “Well, would you look at that? I’m all better. Must be magic.”
His arms tightened around me, and his smile vanished. “I want you to listen to me, Rosie. Listen close, okay?”
“What’s wrong? You look upset.”
Draper’s voice quieted to a whisper. “If anything happens to me, I have a small fortune buried in the Lost Village. It’s behind my old place of business, buried deep thirty paces south of the tallest tree.”
My eyes widened. “Why are you telling me this? You’re going to be fine, right?”
“Of course I am. Now, listen. If something should happen to me, I want you to dig up the money and keep it.” He swallowed hard and looked deep into my eyes. “Don’t forget me, Pumpkin.”
My eyes wetted with emotion I didn’t want to deal with right now. “Drape, stop it. You said you’re going to be fine. Why are you talking like this?”
He ignored my question and rolled on his side so we could snuggle nose to nose. He brought my hand up between us so he could kiss my fingertips. “I have letters I wrote you all in my desk. Make sure you, Lane, Urien, Gwen and Damond get them and read them after I’m gone.”
It was then I saw the fear plain in his eyes. Whatever we were about to do was dangerous, and Draper was very much afraid of the fallout. “No. You’ll deliver the letters yourself when you wake up.”
He held my hand to his cheek as his dark lashes fluttered shut. Even though he was far older than me, he looked like a scared little boy. “Tell Lane that I was lost without her, and that she’s always been the mother I needed. Tell her I love her, and that I don’t want her to be sad.”
I tried to sit up, but my body was still too weak. “Bastien! Bastien, what are we about to do? Draper’s talking like he’s never going to wake up, but that’s not true, right?”
Bastien’s closed expression when he turned around didn’t give me much hope. “Of course not. Draper’s going to be fine. He might sleep for longer than he’s comfortable with, but he’ll wake up. I was scared my first time, too.” His eyes met Draper’s. “Your spirit’s going to regenerate, brother. Sleeping isn’t as bad as you’re thinking.”
“Of course it’s not bad! Draper, are you afraid to sleep?”
Draper nodded, anguish pulling his features downward. “Urien slept for twenty-one years when Morgan stole part of his spirit.”
“I thought Morgan poisoned Dad! What are you talking about?”
“To weaken him, she stole part of his spirit. Then the poison sealed his fate. He couldn’t recover because the poison blocked his spirit from regenerating. That’s why I can’t let Urien do this. I know whoever did this to our land is counting on Urien forfeiting his own spirit to the cause. I know they’re counting on him to weaken himself so they can slip more Hemlock to him and keep him under.” He blinked away tears that I could tell embarrassed him. “Don’t let anyone do that to me!”
I flung a clumsy arm around my brother. “Draper, no! Honey, we won’t let anyone near your body. No one’s gunning for you. They won’t even know it was you who donated your spirit.”
Bastien nodded. “We’ll keep Urien locked in the castle, so the cloaked idiot, or whoever’s behind this, thinks he’s weakened. That’ll make sure no one targets you. Plus, I’ll post Link in here with you. He won’t let anything past that solid door, you hear?”
Draper let himself indulge in a few muted shudders before he nodded. “Okay. Yeah. If Urien’s hidden, that’s best. Thanks, Bastien.” His chest moved unevenly, and I could tell he was still freaking out. “Watch her for me. I mean, more closely than any other assignment you were given throughout your whole career. I don’t care that Avalon needs Rosie; I need my sister. I lost her once, Bastien. You can’t begin to understand what that was like. I won’t go through that again.”
I combed my clumsy fingers through Draper’s black hair, kissing his forehead and shushing his worries so he didn’t have a full-blown panic attack. “Honey, honey. It’s alright. I’m not going anywhere. I promise. I love you. I’ll be so super safe. I’ll be boring. It sounds like I’m not doing anything except letting an entire province suck on my finger for the next day or so.” My nose crinkled at the visual I still hadn’t made peace with. “I’ll keep Bastien with me the entire time.”
Draper nodded with his eyes squinched tight. He held onto me with the desperation of a child seeking out comfort from his mother. Draper had been alone for so long; it was unrealistic to expect he’d escape a heavy dose of neurosis. He held onto me, holding me around the waist while I stroked his hair, his cheek, his arm. When he finally spoke again, it came out a pained whisper. “Know that I love you, and I always have. You were more precious to me than my own sister. Try as I did to be a good brother to Gwen when she was adopted into our family, she dismissed me the second Duke Henri did. That adoring look in your eyes when you greet me? Don’t ever let that fade. I need that. I need to be the hero in someone’s eyes, instead of always being the villain or the waste.”
My expression darkened as Bastien and Montel came near us with the bowl, wearing grave looks of their own. “You listen to me, Draper. You are not a villain, and you’ve never been a waste. A girl needs her big brother, so you’d better not take more than a half hour cat nap. I mean it. I’ll come up here and lay the smack down if you just lie around here all day and keep me waiting.” I frowned at him. “And don’t think that because you needed a nap means that you get out of helping out around here. That wall still needs building, mister.”
Draper managed a slight chuckle. “You’re strict.”
“I love you.” I didn’t know how else to comfort him, so I went back to a childhood I couldn’t remember, and pulled out the song he’d made up to sing to me when I’d been young and inconsolable. “‘Climb all the mountains, run off when you’re grown, but for now, little boy, my song is your home.’”
He reached over and stroked my cheek, fondling a curl that called out to him. “Always my sister.”
I nodded once, and then swiped at one of his tears with my thumb. “Always my brother.”
18
Loose Ladies Love Link
“I’ve never in all my years thought my daughter would grow up to disregard my wishes completely. I was perfectly clear, was I not? I told you both that we would use my spirit, but you went ahead and did what you thought was best,
ignoring the fact that I know the dangers far better than you.”
It was minute ten of my dad’s tirade, and I’m not sure what amused me more – that we’d broken through the polite getting-to-know-you stage of our relationship with all his yelling, or that Bastien and I had actually pulled it off. “I feel like you’re hungry. Bastien gets crabby when he’s hungry, too. You want me to go grab you something from the kitchen?”
This only steamed Urien’s grits more. “I’m not ‘crabby’, child, I’m outraged!”
“Hulk, smash!” I roared, pounding my fists on the table. I pointed to his face as I turned to Bastien. “Do my eyebrows look like that when I get pissed? I don’t know how you resist me. It’s totally adorable.”
Bastien sniggered, but had the decency to cover his mouth and turn his head in an attempt to conceal the disrespect I was determined to get away with. He cleared his throat when Urien’s nostrils flared. “Apologies, your majesty. We only used Draper’s spirit because yours is still on the mend. The three of us were afraid you would fall back into a deeper sleep than we could pull you out of.” Before my dad could rage some more, Bastien added, “Plus, using your spirit is exactly what whoever poisoned the wells would expect us to do. I’m sure he’s just waiting for you to be incapacitated so he can make his next move. Your kingdom needs you.”
Dad’s head bowed, his chin moving from side to side in frustration. “That was not for you to decide. You sacrificed my son on a mere assumption.”
I was sitting with my legs crossed atop the marble coffee table in the study. All the rooms seemed oddly long – rectangular instead of square. I was tossing a tennis ball-sized rock I’d found from one palm to the other, chuckling to myself about how easy it was to get my dad’s goat. It was fun getting to know him, testing his temper to see how far it would bend until he devolved back into the puppy I adored.
Yeah, I might have some issues with authority.
Bastien puffed out his chest like a soldier and fashioned his hands to the small of his back. “Draper wouldn’t hear of you sacrificing yourself. Either way, it’s done. You can take out your anger on me, sir. It was my idea.”
“And a foolish one, indeed. Well done, taking the blame. You know I can’t very well throw an Untouchable in the dungeon.”
“I’ll go if you send me. I have no problem bowing to your authority.” Bastien quirked an eyebrow at my dad when he added, “When you’re not suicidal, that is.”
Urien clenched his jaw. “I wasn’t going to die.”
“All due respect, but Rosie deserves to have as big a family as she can get. I won’t let anyone take away something good from the princess, not even you. Draper will heal far easier.”
I caught Bastien’s eye and smiled, tossing him the rock so we could play catch. “You love me. I see it.”
Bastien was enjoying our reunion, especially the fact that it was all on display for my father. “You know I do.” His churlish grin had a touch of bashfulness to it. He was declaring himself to my dad, as well as defying the king in the same breath. It made us both a little giddy.
Dad was not amused. Or at least he wanted us to think he wasn’t amused. Either way, he wore a frown of deep displeasure, his arms crossed over his broad chest. “Link is watching over Draper’s body?”
“Of course. And the magical goodness potion with my blood and the spirit and whatnot is on its way to the wells. Montel and Mad are delivering it now. Once they get back, I’ll go to the Town Square and start letting people suck on my fingers.” I turned my chin toward Bastien. “Oh, can you round up some of the Wildmen? If they can use their panpipes to keep the people calm while they wait in line to get the cure, that would be helpful.”
“On it. Great suggestion.”
My dad frowned at us. “If only anything in Avalon was easy these days. You two have rendered me completely useless in saving my people.”
I caught the rock Bastien tossed me, and then stretched out my arms to him. “I feel like you need a hug. It’s gotta be hard when we don’t let you get the life sucked outta you. I mean, now you get to, I don’t know, bring order to the nation like a chump. Rough break. Come here, buddy.”
Dad shook his head at me, though I could tell he was trying not to smile. “You’re trying to pass your insubordination off as a joke, and it’s not working.”
“Yes, it super is.” I tossed the rock to him, grinning when he caught it without meaning to participate in the levity. “Not for nothing, but I love you. Sort of getting attached to you being upright. I’ll be as insubordinate as it takes to keep you with me. If you don’t like it, well, you know, I don’t care.”
Bastien barked out a laugh that made tears form in the corners of his eyes. It was the best kind of crying on him, and I was glad I got to witness it. When he caught wind of my dad’s disapproval, he instantly sobered. “Not funny, Rosie. Not funny at all.”
My dad’s eyes cut to mine. “I guess I should be used to you making calls like this ‘for my own good,’ Britney Spears.” The reminder of the fake name I’d used made me duck my head with a grimace.
It was the perfect moment for Montel to return, basin empty and a look of accomplishment on his face. “Looks like it’s time to round up the locals,” I observed. “Everything go alright?”
“Not the slightest hiccup, Princess. Madigan the Formidable sent out riders into the province, summoning everyone to the Town Square.”
“That’s my cue.” I took Bastien’s hand and hopped down from the coffee table.
I trotted up the steps and let myself into the bedroom where Link sat, guarding Draper’s body. The whole thing was super intense whenever anyone from Avalon slept, so I followed the laws of the land and made sure Draper’s nap was a peaceful one, keeping my voice to a whisper when I greeted Link. “I’m just washing up and changing. The well’s been cured, so now it’s just the people we need to worry about.”
“Grand. The sooner it’s over, the sooner we can all get back to normal life. Mad and I had such a good rhythm with the men we were whipping into soldiers. I don’t want to lose too many nights to this.” He glanced at Draper’s body warily. “Is he supposed to be this still? The times I’ve seen ye sleep, ye tossed and turned.”
I leaned over the mattress and saw that my brother’s chest was still moving up and down. “Yeah, that’s just me, though. Not everyone has such a hard time sleeping. So long as he’s breathing, he’s alright.” I slipped behind the partition with a clean dress, and took my work clothes off. I used the rag and the water pitcher to sponge myself off. “Hey, Link?”
“Aye?”
“Thanks for helping out so much. You’re not even from Avalon, but you’re giving up your time and energy to help get us on track. Super way cool of you.”
“Avalon’s not your home either, and you’re about to go stick your finger into the gobs of a whole province. If we weren’t here, what else would we be doing?”
“I dunno. Searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Eating Lucky Charms to your heart’s content? I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done without you and Mad back to help bring order to the chaos.”
“We won’t stay forever, but while we’re here, we don’t mind helping. Plus, we need to stay until we find the man who controlled Mad. Can’t have a git like tha running around, or we’ll never stop looking over our shoulders.”
I splashed a little water on my face, careful not to let any dribble into my mouth. “You love him.”
“Aye. I love all my brothers. Some more than others, sure. Mad and I’ve been through the most together, though.”
“I think you two are precious.”
“Jays, woman. Don’t go making a song of it.”
“How is it I’m one of only two girlfriends of an Untouchable?” I winced that I’d already moved Bastien back into the role of boyfriend in my mind. That one really snuck up on me.
“Why have one lass when ye can have them all?”
“Oh, you charmer.�
�� I smiled at Link’s brash nature as I toweled off. Then I threw the dress over my head. It was emerald, of course, but it had dusky pink lace embellishments along the hem and the bust. The fitted waist wasn’t too tight, but it definitely showed off the fact that I was a woman with an unabashed hourglass figure. The capped sleeves hugged the tops of my shoulders, with silver sheer fabric hanging down the backs of my arms like waterfalls.
“How about ye?” Link asked as I twisted my hair into a bun on the top of my head.
“What about me? I don’t need to bag all the lasses in the kingdom.”
Link snorted from his chair. “I mean how is it Bastien’s your first lad? Seems like Common lads are blind as a bat to let ye slip through their fingers.”
I chuckled and came out from behind the partition. “That’s sweet. How do I look? Will this fool them into thinking I’m a princess?”
Link grinned salaciously at me as he leaned back in his chair, not bothering to hold anything from his cheesy leer. I expected nothing less from the goofball. “Aye. It’ll fool them into following ye over a cliff, if tha’s your fancy.”
“Wow. That’s some dress.” I walked toward the bed to get another look at Draper, standing next to where Link sat.
Link picked up my hand, and gave it a little kiss. “Nah. It’s not the dress tha charms them. Tha’s just who ye are, Rosie.”
I squeezed his fingers in appreciation for his sweetness before my gaze fell to Draper. I bit down on my lower lip, trying not to worry over a silly little nap. It was all their building it up into something harrowing that had me on edge. Link and I entwined our fingers to hold tighter to each other as we watched Draper like the creepers we were. “He’ll be fine,” I ruled, needing someone to say it out loud. “He promised he would be alright.”
Broken Girl: A Fantasy Adventure Based in French Folklore (Faite Falling Book 5) Page 11