by Ivy Asher
“I would say that’s cool with me, but really that depends on these guys,” I tell him, gesturing toward the tribunal.
The cleric looks at me, confused.
“They may vote that I need to die,” I explain, and the guy suddenly looks like I just slapped an ice cream cone out of his hand.
He whirls on the tribunal. “You cannot do that,” he orders them, looking a little surprised by his own vehemence.
“You will not presume to tell us what we can and cannot do, cleric,” Port snarls at him, and the cleric takes a step back and tucks his book into his side.
“You would be making a tremendous mistake,” the cleric states, and he flashes a glare at each one of the members of the tribunal in turn and storms out.
The room goes quiet for a minute.
“I agree with him,” I offer unsolicited, my thumb pointing toward the door the cleric just stormed out of.
Torrez barks out a laugh that morphs into a cover-up cough. No one says anything still, but Naree’s narrowed eyes tell me all I need to know about her thoughts on my opinion. Fuck. I think we need to come up with a plan for getting the fuck out of here before the Tribunal comes to a decision. The way they are looking at me right now does not bode well for me and the guys at all.
I move to get dressed when a pounding on the door starts up. I jump in surprise as the insistent booming sound invades the quiet room. Ory rushes to see what it is, a sword suddenly in his hand and his feathers bristling at his back. He flings the door open, and a stout man comes stomping in.
“What is the meaning of this?” Wella demands.
The new guy unrolls a parchment and takes a deep breath. “Vinna of the First, you have been summoned by the First. You are to be immediately escorted to the First House, where you will be reunited with your people and claim your rightful place. Anyone causing a deviation from this order will be seen as committing an act of war against the First House and will be dealt with accordingly.”
The stout man stops, rolls the parchment back up, and then just waits like none of this is a big deal and he didn’t just come in here saying shit like claim my rightful place or it’ll be an act of war. Dude just fucked with all the I’m not a threat, don’t kill me vibes I’ve been putting out this whole time.
Who is this guy, and what the hell is going on?
21
“This is not done,” Port bellows, and for a guy that looks like he just finished puberty, he sure can go purple with outrage. “How dare the First interrupt this tribunal and make such ludicrous threats!”
The stout guys responds by opening the parchment again and reading it word for word.
Nope, definitely didn’t imagine that whole claim my rightful place part.
“You tell the First—”
“Port, sit down before you say something that your whole House will come to regret,” Wella commands, and I’m surprised when Port actually listens.
He looks like he’s chewing glass as he sits his grumpy ass in the chair, but he does it nonetheless. Wella turns to the others.
“Are there any other pressing questions that need to be addressed?” she asks.
The stout dude unrolls his parchment again and reads it. Naree rolls her eyes, and Mote gives an outraged huff. Port gets even more purple but stays quiet. I look to Sabin and find the same confused expression that I know I’m wearing too.
“Fine, we are done with this Sentinel for today,” Wella announces, but the acid in her tone as she does—and the looks on the other tribunal members’ faces—scream that she’s not fucking happy about it.
I glare at the stout invader. If this guy, or whoever sent him, causes the tribunal to hate us even more than it seems they already do, there’s going to be a reckoning.
“Come with me, Vinna of the First,” the guy commands.
“Sure, just give me a minute to get dressed, oh, and figure out who the fuck you are and where you’re trying to take me,” I tell him with a glare and a look that says come the fuck on.
What does he do? He opens the damn parchment up and reads it again.
“Is there someone else here who doesn’t have a broken record for a brain that can tell me what the hell is going on?” I ask, turning to the angry tribunal members.
“Your family and House want to meet you,” Sauriel explains, like it’s all just as simple as that.
The answer feels like a punch to the chest. I turn to Sauriel as the last word leaves his mouth. Sabin’s and Torrez’s heads both snap in his direction, and we all just stare at him in shock.
“Tawv told us who your mother is. Clearly, they have found out too, and…” He gestures to the Sentinel stuck on repeat. “Would you like to meet them?” he asks me.
Panic and excitement flash flood through my veins, and I’m not sure what to say. Yes, I’ll meet them if you promise they’ll be nice to me? No, they can fuck off for leaving my mom to rot with Adriel instead of looking for her? My mouth is dry, and my chest feels heavy. I know I need to say something, but all I can think is…how much is this going to hurt? Can I withstand another cut or another blow from people who should give a fuck, but probably won’t?
My eyes move from Sauriel’s red-gold gaze to Sabin’s forest green one. I’m trying to be strong and not show how rattled I feel, but I feel fucking rattled.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” I admit to him, and a knowing and comforting smile spreads across his face.
“Are they good people?” Torrez asks.
“They are,” Sauriel responds.
I snort at the same time Port does. “By whose standards?” I ask as I give Port the side eye.
“The First, I’m sure you could guess from the name alone, is the oldest House of our people. They are powerful,” he supplies, pointing to the parchment-holding guy and toward the tribunal.
Yeah, I get that they might be the kind of people that say jump and everyone around them asks how high. I look from Sabin to Torrez, still unsure of what to do.
“It’s your call, Witch,” he tells me unhelpfully.
I chuckle when Ory and Naree both give a little gasp at Torrez’s pet name for me.
“If they hurt you, we’ll fuck them up,” Sabin states simply.
Sauriel turns to him, a hint of outrage in his eyes, and then turns to Torrez like he thinks he’ll find more reason there. Torrez shrugs, brushing off Sauriel’s obvious displeasure with Sabin’s statement.
“We will,” he backs his compeer up, and my heart swells with gratitude and appreciation.
I swallow down my nerves and apprehension and take a deep calming breath. “Okay. I’ll meet them…not that I really have much choice in the matter,” I grumble, looking over at the parchment-holding messenger.
Sauriel turns to me, and it seems to take him a minute to process my acquiescence. I can see him practically shake off Sabin and Torrez’s threat and collect himself. He pushes out of his chair. “If it is okay with the tribunal, I will escort you,” he announces.
Wella gives him a slight dip of her chin, and he steps away from the round table.
“It’s okay, I have some of my Chosen outside; they can take me,” I tell Sauriel, ignoring the panic in my voice.
“I think it would be best if I accompany you, Vinna,” Sauriel states cryptically.
Sabin and Torrez move to stand up too, but Naree shakes her head. “Sabin, you have to stay until the tribunal ends questioning for the day. Teo, it’s your choice if you want to stay or go, but another representative cannot be called in your place,” she tells them.
I look over at my guys. “It’s fine,” I reassure them, even though I couldn’t feel further from it. “Bastien and Knox are just outside. They’ll make sure I’m good,” I tell them.
Distractedly, I wonder if I should change? Get it together, Vinna, you don’t have any clothes other than the black armored shit the Sentinels handed over. I run my fingers through my hair and then roll my eyes at myself. It’s just your mystery family that
probably won’t like you anyway, not a first date. Calm the fuck down, crazy.
“Thank you for your time, Vinna of the First,” Mote tells me, but her sneer and the way she says of the First makes it clear her thank you is really more of a fuck you.
I nod absently, dismissing the jab. All I can focus on right now is all that could possibly go wrong meeting this so called family I apparently have. Ory and the other guard again move to each of my sides, and the doors to the room open on their own to let us out.
Knox and Bastien snap up from where they were leaning against the wall, bored.
“That was fast,” Knox observes, elbowing the other Sentinel out of the way so he can stand next to me.
“Yeah, we’re going on a field trip,” I state cheerily, but even I can hear the worry in my tone.
“Where?” Bastien asks me, looking at Ory and Sauriel like he’s assessing which is the threat that needs to be dealt with first.
“Oh you know, just your everyday run of the mill family reunion,” I chirp like a sick bird.
“Family reunion?” Knox repeats, confused.
“Well, shit,” Bastien mutters.
“Yep, that about sums up what’s happening inside,” I confess.
“We’ll fuck them up, Bruiser. You say the word, and you’re out of there,” Bastien reassures me, and I laugh.
“Sabin and Torrez said the same thing,” I admit on a laugh. I link my fingers with Bastien and Knox and take a deep breath. I immediately feel better with them here.
“Safe word is pineapple,” Knox announces, and I choke on another laugh.
“Where the hell did you get pineapple?”
The tips of Knox’s ears go red, and the sight immediately piques my interest. “Uh…read it in a book once.”
“What the fuck kind of book were you reading with safe words in it?” Bastien questions.
“It was about a cupid and these genfins which are like fairies or something. You should read it; you’d laugh your ass off,” Knox informs him, and Bastien shakes his head. “Don’t knock it before you try it. Sabin is the one who gave it to me.”
“Well, if it’s Captain approved, it can’t be that out of control,” I joke, and Knox snickers. He brings my hand up to his mouth and kisses my palm. “You know he’s not nearly as prudish as you tease him for,” Knox razzes me.
My mind immediately goes to the intensely hot and deliciously dirty shit Sabin whispered in my ear as we fucked early this morning while everyone was still asleep. I smile at the memory and release a contented sigh. Knox and Bastien both laugh and give me a knowing smile.
“Ready?” Knox asks me as Sauriel and the messenger guides us out of the castle.
“As I’m ever going to fucking be. Here’s to hoping no one needs an ass kicking.”
“Spoil sport,” Bastien teases, and I laugh.
We don’t go far from the gates of the castle. It appears that the home of the First is just down the street. It’s massive, which is no surprise, and guarded as much as the palace of the Sovereign is. That does surprise me though. It’s a pretty strong indication that not all is right in the land of Tierit. Which is further supported by what went down in the tribunal room just to summon me here. What are these Sentinels guarding against? Knox’s and Bastien’s gazes skim the sentries, and I can tell they’re wondering the exact same thing.
We make it through the gates and up the pathway that leads to the mini palace the First occupy. There is a small orchard of some sort within the walls, and I notice that peculiar football shaped fruit growing that caught my eye when they first brought food to us in the castle.
Sauriel stops suddenly, and I almost slam into him. Knox pulls me back just in time, and I flash him a thankful smile and turn forward to see what has Sauriel stopping in his tracks. We stand at the bottom of the steps that lead to the front door. At the top stand two white haired Sentinels. The man and woman watch us like they’re spellbound.
Sauriel and the messenger bow to them, and then the messenger scampers off. The woman gasps as her eyes land on mine. A hand flies to her mouth, and she shakes her head slightly. Her white-hued pixie cut is stark against her deep olive-toned skin. Her lilac eyes well up, and I watch as the grip she has on the man’s hand tightens to what looks like the point of pain.
The man stares at me, his lips parted in shock. He doesn’t seem to notice the death grip his companion is giving him as his teal eyes trace over me.
“You really are hers,” he states gently. “I know they told us you were, but I couldn’t hope…”
“Until now,” the woman whispers, quickly wiping at a tear that’s escaped her vibrant purple eyes.
I stand tall, not sure what to do or say. My heart hammers in my chest. It’s clear they know Grier, but I have no idea who these people are to me. I have no clue how to feel about the way they’re looking at me right now. Knox and Bastien tense and step forward when the man takes a step down toward me. He freezes.
“We would not hurt her,” he defends, looking at my Chosen like he’s affronted by what they just did.
“With all due respect, we don’t know you, and that has not been our experience here,” Bastien states simply.
The white haired man sort of reels at Bas’s statement and looks around like he’s not sure how to respond. His teal eyes land on Ory and light up.
“Ory, you know them, please reassure them that they’re safe here,” he commands.
I snort and step forward, Bastien and Knox moving aside for me. “He was one of the first to attack us. His reassurances will fall on deaf ears,” I inform them, stepping around Sauriel and up the steps.
“Hi, I’m Vinna,” I offer, and I hold a hand out in greeting.
The woman is too overcome with emotion to say anything, but the man eyes my outstretched hand and then places his fist over his bicep and bows to me. I’m stunned by his actions. I’ve only seen other Sentinels give this gesture in the presence of Tawv and Sauriel. Why the fuck would this dude be giving it to me? Ory hisses, and I turn to find him staring at what’s happening in shock.
The woman suddenly bows too, and I watch, confused as tears drip from her eyes to the cream stone of the stairs. Her emotion reaches out to me on some visceral level, and my throat tightens. They both straighten at the same time, and I’m suddenly wishing I hadn’t come up here to stand with them. This is fucking weird, and I don’t know what to do.
“Good greetings to you, Vinna. I am your Tok, and this is your Marn,” the man informs me, and his voice fills with emotion.
They think these words should mean something to me, I can see that in their eyes, but I don’t know what the hell they’re saying. I look to Sauriel, my eyes pleading for him to help me make sense of what this means.
“This is your mother’s mother and her father,” he tells me kindly, and the light bulb goes off.
“Ahhh, I got it,” I announce, and I turn back to my maternal grandmother and grandfather. I’ve never had grandparents before, so I have no idea what the fuck to do. I clear my throat and shift my weight a little. “I’m sorry about your daughter,” I tell them. “I never got to know her, but I’ve been told she was incredible.”
“She was,” Marn agrees, and her eyes are so fucking sad that I ache for her. “You look like her,” she tells me on a whisper, and Tok wraps an arm around her and pulls her into his side. He kisses the top of her head sweetly, and the loving gesture warms me.
The two of them take a moment and just lean on each other. Their grief is palpable, and I feel like I’m intruding on what has to be a very painful and difficult moment. They lost their daughter. I know she’s my mother, and I grieve that loss in a way, but it’s different. They knew her. I miss what I picture a mom would have been like, but they know the sound of her laugh, the things that made her smile. They saw her first steps in this world and probably watched her leave the barrier, holding onto hope that she would come back to them. Their loss, in a weird way, feels greater in this moment than mi
ne could ever be. I mourn the idea of what she could have been to me; they mourn who she was.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell them again, struggling to know what else to say.
Marn looks up at me and shakes her head. “Don’t be sorry, you are here and that’s what matters. We’re sorry, we’re making this very uncomfortable for you, and we’ll stop. It was just...seeing you...it made it all so real. I wasn’t prepared for it to hit me like that.”
I give her an understanding smile, and her eyes fill with loss and gratitude.
“May I…” she trails off.
I wait, giving her the room she clearly needs to move forward with whatever she wants to ask.
“May I embrace you?” she asks me hesitantly, and I’m taken aback for a second by her request.
“Sure,” I tell her and try to mask the uncertainty in my answer.
She steps forward like she’s just as unsure about all of this and wraps her strong arms around my waist. She’s about a head shorter than me, and her ear rests over my chest as she holds me tightly. I wrap my arms around her and wait until she’s ready to pull away. Tok watches us, joy shining in his eyes. As soon as Marn releases me, he steps in for a hug too. I feel his chest shake against mine as he hugs me hard. I’m pretty sure he’s crying, and he holds onto me until his breathing is more normal. He steps back and wipes at his face.
He claps suddenly, and the loud sound fragments the heavy emotions wafting around us. I jump from the noise and then try to not look like such a scaredy-cat.
“Ory, call the families,” Tok orders. “Announce that one of ours has returned home.”
I expect Ory to mouth off about the command, but he takes off into the air before I can even look his way.
“Come, Vinna, let us show you around. All this is yours now, and you should get familiar with it,” Tok states, and I try to cover up a choking sound with a cough.
“I hope you will join us,” Tok offers Sauriel in invitation.
“I’d be honored,” he answers back.
Tok puts an arm around me, and I try not to stiffen. He doesn’t say anything if he notices and proceeds to lead me into his house. I renew my plea to the universe that somehow this won’t take a turn for the worse as I take in the ornate entrance with my grandfather’s arm around my shoulder. So far so good. Here’s to hoping it stays that way.