Living with Embers: (Son of Rain #4)

by Michelle Irwin

  “Evie, please?” I begged, scrunching up the wig that had caused the drama and dropping it to the ground. I crawled across the bed to get to her, ignoring the queasiness in my stomach and the fact that I was completely naked. “Just listen. Please?”

  She stopped and looked at me. Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout and tears glistened in her eyes. The sight of her beautiful body completely naked made my body react even as I tried to will everything to stay under control until I’d had a chance to fix the situation.

  “Please?” I said again as I reached her. I grabbed her waist and guided her closer to me. “Just listen.”

  She stood in my hold, refusing to touch me but not pulling away either. It left me eye level with her just-showing belly, which served as a reminder that it wasn’t only for my own benefit that I needed to patch things up.

  “I panicked,” I said. “I can’t remember anything from last night, not after the wet pussies. The shots!” I added quickly to clarify. “After those, everything is a bit of a blur.”

  A mirthless laugh peeled from me, but I cut it off as the sound echoed through my throbbing skull.

  “A lot of a blur in fact,” I added. I debated raising the lack of her aura again, but it hadn’t helped the first time.

  Evie’s stance loosened a little, but she still didn’t move to put her hands around me or say anything to alleviate the giant gaping wound that had opened in my chest at first glance of the blonde locks.

  “Why were you sleeping in a wig anyway?” I asked, turning to look at where I’d tossed the offending item off the edge of the bed.

  “Because I was wearing it last night when I fell asleep,” she said, as though it was the most obvious answer in the world.

  “Okay, but why?”

  “You seriously don’t remember?”

  “Remember what?”

  She sighed. “Eth organizing strippers?”

  I narrowed my eyes as I tried to recall the moment that had happened.

  “I’ve got nothing,” I admitted, before scrunching up my nose as I considered that fact a little more. “I hate having nothing.”

  “He organized it with Rose and Isa apparently. They got me back into this getup so that we could surprise you. Louise even joined in and surprised Ben with his own personal lap dance too.”

  My stomach was already reeling, so the combination of my sister’s name and the words lap dance was just too much to cope with.

  “So you stripped for me?” I asked.

  She blushed.

  “Did you do it in front of everyone?” Within me grew a sudden urge to find my brother and Aiden and wipe the image of Evie’s body from their minds by any means necessary.

  “Of course not. We had a private booth.”

  “So you stripped for me, and I can’t even remember it?” It was my turn to pout.

  “Well, whose fault is that?”

  “Fuck!” I wished I’d had a few less cocktails or a few more glasses of water.

  “Well, yes we did that too.” She buried her teeth in her lip and dropped her gaze to my crotch. “And you had no performance issues or concerns despite your apparent state. In fact, I wouldn’t have guessed you were nearly drunk enough to draw such a blank this morning.”

  I pouted. “It sounds like I had the best night of my life.”

  “Well, it certainly seemed that way. But maybe not, if you can’t even remember that thing we did.”

  My eyes shot up to meet her gaze, which was far more amused than annoyed now. “What thing?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She winked at me.

  I was practically salivating at the thought at what we might have tried that was out of the ordinary. “Hell yeah, I’d like to know!”

  “Maybe I’ll show you again,” she said. Her voice was low and husky.

  My cock started to inflate as I absorbed her words. I nodded. “Yes, please!”

  “One day,” she said as she sauntered away. Her naked ass taunted me as she walked into the en suite of the studio hotel room we were in. “For now, I need a shower.”

  Damn!

  She disappeared, and after a beat, the water started.

  A beat longer and her voice echoed back to me. “Aren’t you going to join me?”

  I was at the door before she’d finished the question. Hangover be damned, I was going to enjoy a live action replay of what I’d missed out on the night before.

  AFTER OUR too-short shower where I hadn’t actually been able to enjoy a moment of fun with Evie—mostly because my stomach started to churn with new severity as soon as I was under the water—I was whisked from her side by Eth to prepare for the big day.

  When I recounted my morning problem to him, Eth laughed in a way that suggested he not only knew about it, but that he’d had a role to play.

  “But of course, you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” I accused.

  “Wouldn’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” He chuckled again.

  “Eth, what did you do?”

  “Nothing.” He gave me an overly innocent glance. “I simply made you a mere mortal for a night, like the rest of us.”

  “What?”

  “I just gave you a little something to take away your fae sight so you could have a little fun with your stripper.”

  “What?” My voice was louder this time. “How could you do that?”

  “It was pretty easy, actually. You drank everything that was put in front of you.”

  “That’s not what I mean. How could you risk my life that way? After everything Dad did to Lou.”

  “There wasn’t a risk, dude. It’s well tested and mostly harmless.”

  “Mostly? How’s it work exactly? Has it made me . . . less fae?” If the enchantments made anyone able to see and interact with the fae world, would whatever he’d given me be the same, only opposite? The enchantments had changed me for good. Would I ever get my vision back?

  “Nah, it just restricts your vision and ability to go to the ethereal plane. It doesn’t change your DNA or any of that shit. It doesn’t protect you from charms or attacks against your fae blood.”

  “And how long is it supposed to last exactly?”

  “Shouldn’t be any more than twelve hours. So it should wear off anytime now.”

  By the time we arrived back at the court, my normal vision had thankfully returned, and I wondered whether the trick Eth had played had been part of the reason my night was pretty much a blank. He said it had been tested, but had those tests included alcohol?

  Within an hour, Eth and I were in front of the court standing in front of our small group of family and friends as I readied myself to recite vows I’d taken to heart and locked away tight in my memory from the first time I’d heard them. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face as I realized that Evie and I would never again have to doubt each other’s emotions.

  The moment she walked down the short, grassy aisle to meet me was the happiest of my life. Because we were hidden by fae enchantments, she was able to be herself and she looked like one of my visions of her come to life. Confident and smiling, unbeaten despite all the odds we’d faced. Her hair was loose, cascading around her shoulders in flame-like tendrils that were dazzling in the sun. Her dress was tight over her growing boobs, but then fell loose enough to mask her expanding stomach.

  When she reached her hand out to hold mine, I was certain of one thing: we loved each other and our happily ever after was just beginning. Nothing could possibly hurt us anymore because we both knew we would always find our way back to one another.

  After the ceremony, there was a feast in the great hall of the court, and Evie and I were the guests of honor. Every fae in the court visited our table to bestow their blessing on our union.

  “Too many more blessings, and our baby’s baby will probably bear the court’s goodwill,” Evie said to me with a chuckle at one point.

  “No one wants to be the one who failed to wish you good fortune,” Mom whispe
red to us in response.

  “We know,” I said as Evie placed her hand on my arms. “It’s really not a complaint. I’ve just never been so . . . well, so blessed.” She met my gaze and smiled, letting me know that she wasn’t talking about the fae gifts.

  After the feast, during the dancing, we made a quiet retreat to our room. For the next two days, we were left completely alone. Eventually though, real life and the realities of living in the fae court caught up with us. By that time, things were already well underway for our move to our new house.

  I couldn’t wait until we could share our own private space again like we’d shared in Sweden—albeit with the concession of having to agree to a fairy ring in the forest near the house in case Mom or the guards needed to reach us in a hurry. It was an agreement I was all too happy to make. If our tenuous grip on the Rain hierarchy in New York fell, I wanted to know that Evie could be whisked back to the safety of the court in next to no time.

  The day I took Evie through the fairy ring to the little house, it felt like we were coming home, even though we’d never lived there before. We’d finally reached the “one day” we’d promised ourselves, and each other, for so long.

  Nothing could go wrong.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “WHY ARE YOU dragging me away from Evie again?” I asked Eth as I met him by the fairy ring in the forest beside my house. It was the third time in as many weeks that he’d coerced me into leaving Evie’s side to run a Rain mission. “What does the Rain want now?”

  With every inch that Evie’s stomach grew, I became more desperate to stay home to ensure her safety. Each hour I had to be away from her was a source of worry and stress. The only thing that kept me from running to her side was the fact that Evie wanted to keep the world safe for our daughter too. That required sacrifices, and it was a burden I had to carry.

  At least going on missions was easier than the thought of letting Evie help. Not that she wasn’t still capable of kicking ass, but she wasn’t as quick as she had once been.

  “Not the Rain this time, bro. Mom wants our help with an internal matter.” He waved his hand toward the ring. “After you.”

  When we arrived on the other side of the ring, Aiden was already waiting.

  “What’s happening?” I asked.

  “An Unseelie infiltrated our court,” Aiden said. “She hurt good fairies and now we are going to see that justice is served. Fiona believes that you might be interested in learning more of our customs. You shall now bear witness to a Tribunal, it is a great honor.”

  Eth and I both nodded. We had agreed to learn more about the fae—about our heritage—and this was part of it. Eth and I followed Aiden through the court until we were in an area I was unfamiliar with.

  When we entered the room Aiden directed us to, we were greeted by Lou, Mom, a stranger with a sickly orange aura and matching wings, and another male fae who glowed faintly silver.

  The fae with the silver aura—Adley as the court psyche informed me—turned to view us, and it was clear on his face that he didn’t welcome our intrusion.

  “Must those three be here?” he complained loudly as his glance traveled a lazy arc between Lou, Eth, and me.

  “Those three are my fledglings and they must all learn the ways of the court,” Mom responded without missing a beat or raising her voice.

  “They add so much guilt to the room,” he grumbled before turning his back on us. “It is much harder to get a clear reading.”

  “I am sure a skilled Tribunal such as yourself will have little issue distinguishing between old guilt that is no longer relevant and the recent crimes committed by certain parties in the room.” Although Mom’s voice was still gentle and level, her tone invited no argument.

  He sighed before casting us all another weary glance over his shoulder. It was the first time I’d ever seen any member of the court pay Mom anything less than full and absolute respect. Mom moved over toward Eth and me.

  “I apologize for the Tribunal,” she whispered. “They can be a little difficult to comprehend at first. However, their particular skillset is rather important when determining appropriate punishments for crimes committed against the court.”

  “How does it all work?” I asked.

  “Adley will read the intruder’s history and will use that knowledge to weigh her guilt. Once it is established that a crime has been committed, the appropriate punishment will be assigned.”

  I nodded my understanding, but more questions flooded in behind the first. “So, how does—”

  “If everyone could please keep their voices down,” Adley said, turning to glare at me.

  I raised my hands in surrender and stopped talking.

  “It would be nice if you could stop your thoughts as easily,” he muttered under his breath.

  That I can’t help with.

  “Which is exactly why there should be less people here,” he said, looking at me. “It is quieter that way.”

  “I think I’ve seen enough to understand,” I said. The fae was unpleasant, and being near him was giving me a headache. From the sneer he gave me over his shoulder, I guessed the feeling was mutual.

  When I left, I wasn’t surprised when Eth followed me out of the room, but it did come as something of a shock when Lou did too.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Eth said.

  I scoffed. “That’s an understatement.”

  Lou just shrugged. “You do get used to it after a while.”

  “You’ve been involved with a few of those?”

  “Well, I’ve been shadowing Mom, learning everything about the court. I’m the eldest daughter, and there are certain responsibilities that brings.”

  “There’s a rehearsed speech if ever I heard one,” Eth said. “You can talk to us. Are you happy here, sis?”

  “Why don’t we go back to my room?” she suggested. “Talk like we used to.”

  Eth and I both nodded in agreement. Despite how many months had passed since the truth had been revealed for us all, we hadn’t had many opportunities to sit and talk as siblings, just the three of us. And in the time before that, we’d been fractured and split apart for so many years we’d all but fallen out of touch with each other.

  When we arrived back at Lou’s quarters—more a mini apartment than a single room—she poured each of us a drink.

  “Something Ben snuck in when he last visited,” she said as she passed Eth and me a glass each.

  “So, what’s the trouble in paradise?” Eth asked.

  “There’s no trouble. Not really. I shouldn’t complain,” Lou said.

  It was clear she wanted to say something more. “But?” I prompted.

  “But, well, it’s hard, isn’t it? Going from being what we were to being, well, this.” She waved her hands toward her wings.

  Although they were always visible to me, they’d become such an extension of her I barely noticed them anymore, just like all the other fae. When she pointed them out, I took a moment to realize just how insane the whole thing really was.

  “It’s been a lot to cope with. I just don’t know how to feel about it all. I only left the court once since . . . that day, and that was for your wedding.” She tipped her glass in my direction.

  “So leave,” Eth said.

  “It’s just not that simple. I don’t want to disappoint Mom.”

  “How would you disappoint her?” I asked.

  “What if I go outside and things go back to the way they were? I go back to being . . . the way I was.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There was a darkness inside of me for so long,” she said. Tears welled in her eyes. “What if being here, in Mom’s court, is the only thing holding it back?”

  “You were being manipulated by evil,” I said. “And he’s dead. He can’t hurt you again.”

  Her tears spilled onto her cheeks. “But what about Dad? He’s still out there.”

  I moved to sit beside her on the sofa and wrapped my arms around he
r shoulder, just above where her wings spouted from her back. The undercurrent of buzzing in my head and the ache over my skin struck me again—a reminder that she lived with that constantly. “He will never hurt you again.”

  “How can you know that?” she asked. It was clear in her pleading tone that she wanted me to give her guarantees, but I couldn’t. “How can you promise me that he’ll never come near us again?”

  “I…I can’t,” I said.

  “But we will be there for you,” Eth said, taking her hand in his. “If he even tried to hurt you, we’d be there.”

  “Where’s this coming from?” I asked. “We thought you were happy, otherwise we would have helped find somewhere else for you to live too.”

  “I am happy,” she said around her sobs. “I just . . . I just wish I knew why!”

  Neither Eth or I had to ask “why what” when her hand came to rest over her scars.

  “Because he was scared,” Eth said. “You saw what Clay went through to be with Evie. Dad . . . well, he was young, stupid, and scared. He wasn’t strong enough to fight for love.”

  I risked a glance at Eth and was almost relieved to find his attention focused on Lou. His words surprised me. Maybe they shouldn’t have considering his previous thoughts about how I’d changed him, but they were one of the biggest compliments he’d ever paid me. Perhaps the biggest anyone ever had.

  Unfortunately, they had the opposite effect on Lou, who looked at me with fresh tears. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know the truth. I never wanted to hurt you.”

  I shook my head and took her hand, despite the pain the action caused. “You’ve already apologized. I’ve already forgiven you.”

  “Has . . . has Evie? Do you think she will?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. The truth was, Evie and I rarely talked about my sister. Evie was happy that things had worked out the way they had. She’d even expressed some gratitude about my family being reunited, but I wasn’t sure that extended to forgiving Lou for the torment Evie had suffered. At least, not yet. “If she hasn’t already, I’m sure she will one day.”

  “And what about Dad?” Lou turned to Eth. “Has anyone heard from him?”