by Bea Paige
Dani shrugs. “Damned if I know. This place is formed of a magic far more powerful than Queen Adrielle’s or her brother Nostra’s. Mother Nature had a hand in this place, or that’s what Clover told me. All the sisters mentioned in the prophecy have the ability to come here when our minds are most at rest. We can come to talk, to discuss our plans. Your door will take you to wherever you want to go, but it will only open if you wish it so. I can’t command yours to do anything, and you cannot command mine.”
“Hold on, back up a minute. I can come here during sleep, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“I can return here any time and speak with you?”
“That’s right. Although, strictly speaking, we should be able to dream-talk anywhere, like Accacia and Clover, given our friendship bond. I think that will come with practice.”
“But why can’t we talk in person?” I ask.
“We are talking in person.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love that I can speak with you like this. It’s just… I want to see you properly. In the flesh.”
Dani smirks, lifting her eyebrow. “Dream nakedness not enough for you, Fern?”
“Funny, ha ha. You know what I mean.”
“I do,” she sighs, losing the smile. “Right now, that’s not possible. But soon, okay.” Dani looks over her shoulder, biting on her lower lip. A rumbling growl erupts from her mouth, whilst her amber eyes glow a deep golden colour.
“Dani?”
“I have to go,” she says. It sounds more like a growl and less like the Dani’s voice I recognise.
“What’s going on?”
“We shall speak soon, Ferny.” Dani throws her arms around me, this time crushing my wings in her embrace.
“You are safe, right?” I ask.
“My men are close.” Dani backs into the door, stepping over the threshold. “I swear to you Fern, I’m okay. Trust me. I’ll speak to you soon.” She looks from me to the door with the bluebell carved onto its surface.
“Wait, I have so many questions.”
But she waves her hand, talking quickly. “One more thing, know your heart. Trust it, and your men. Everything will slot into place once you do.”
“Don’t go,” I start, but she has already stepped through the door and it’s slowly closing in front of her.
Dani gives me a quick smile, then holds her hand up and signs.
“I love you,” she says, and with that she is gone.
Chapter Thirteen
The sound of footsteps and the smell of food has me waking up, my conversation with Dani still very vivid in my memory. There is none of the usual fog of sleep blurring our conversation. I remember everything.
I should be surprised that she’s the missing daughter of Clan Spiritus. I should be more concerned, but honestly, it makes perfect sense. Her way with animals, her kind and caring nature. There have been so many times over the years when she has shown me repeatedly how in tune she is with the creatures she loves. She just understands them, their nature. It’s always been her gift.
Don’t get me wrong, it scares me, sure. That someone I love so much, that I hold so dear, is embroiled in this too, but it also makes me feel braver knowing she is one of the five.
Dani might be the kindest person I know, but she’s also one of the strongest. She will fight tooth and nail for the ones she loves. She will lay her life down for them. She’s basically a badass and a good person to have on our side.
“Love you, Dani Bear,” I whisper, hoping somehow she can hear me. I trust that she is safe, despite the niggling concern I have. If she says she’s okay, then she’s okay. I have to believe that. Dani would never lie to me and I’m pretty sure if my angels know something they’d tell me too.
My stomach rumbles and I reach out for Gabe, but he is no longer beside me. There’s just an empty expanse of furs and soft blankets. I groan a little as I sit up. The ache in my back is still there, but somehow I can cope with it so much better now. Reaching over, I slide my hand across my shoulder blade and rub at the taut muscles. I’m still completely naked.
Getting up on relatively stable legs, I hunt for my jeans and top. My jeans and underwear are unscathed, but my top is pretty shredded. Using the wall as support, I pull on my knickers and jeans, then grab my shirt. There’s no way I can wear it without it falling off my shoulders every five seconds, and we all know what happened the last time my top did that. I smile to myself at the thought of Ether in my arms, and then Gabe. I can almost hear Dani’s voice, “Two down, one to go.” I chuckle a little, wrap the shredded top around my back and breasts, and tie a knot at the front, hoping it will hold everything in place.
“Hey, you’re awake.”
Gabe walks into the room. He’s carrying a bowl of delicious smelling food. My stomach growls loudly.
“Hungry?”
“Starving,” I respond, taking the bowl from him as he motions for me to sit down. “I’m so damn hungry. I think I’ve been running on adrenaline and pretty much nothing else since I woke up.” Well, adrenaline and sex.
“You’ve been running on the magic that gave you those wings. When Clan Vitae changed, it happened to all of us, all at once. It took weeks and weeks to recover. I don’t think any of us ate a thing the first full week, mostly because none of us could move more than a few steps,” Gabe explains. He is still bare chested, but thankfully has pulled on his jeans. Hot soup and naked body parts could equal disaster.
“This is all a side effect of the curse, then?”
“For us, yes…”
“You don’t think I’m cursed?”
“I don’t know. I believe you are infused with something else. You weren’t cursed by us, Fern. That’s not what happened when we all touched you. At least, that’s what I believe.”
I fall silent, thinking about what that could mean. Could I be different to the rest of Clan Vitae? Will I need to take life to live? I mull over those questions as I eat the soup.
“I had a dream last night,” I start, not sure how to explain the conversation I had with Dani.
“You did? About me…?”
“Not exactly, no.”
Gabe pulls a face. “Well, I’m not sure if I should be offended or not.”
“This wasn’t that kind of dream at all.”
“No? What other kinds are there?”
“One where your best friend appears and tells you she’s the missing daughter of Clan Spiritus.”
Gabe’s hand stops midway to his mouth, and some soup sloshes over the side of his spoon to the bowl below. His eyes catch mine.
“What?”
“My friend Dani. I spoke to her in my dream last night. She told me that she’s one of the five mentioned in the curse.” When I say it out loud like that, even I have trouble believing it.
Gabe lowers his spoon back to his bowl. “But it was just a dream, no?”
“I don’t think so. It felt very real,” I say, questioning myself now I’ve talked about it out loud. I was almost certain it was real. Now… now, I don’t know.
Gabe chews on his lip, studying me. “You miss your friend, yes?”
“Yes.”
“You’re going through a really stressful time.”
“Pretty much,” I reply.
“Then your dream is a subconscious representation of that. You miss her, she appears in your dream to comfort you.”
“Perhaps…”
“You don’t think so?”
“Just over a week ago, if someone had told me that I was the missing daughter of Clan Vitae, that I belong to a race of angels, I would have laughed. Now look at me. Anything is possible. Do you think I’m going mad?” I ask, feeling a little sick.
“Not at all. Let me raise it with Mihr and Gabe later. For now, eat your soup. You need sustenance.”
I nod, and we continue eating. This time, when I try and reach Gabe’s thoughts through our connection, his mind appears blank. Weirdly, that worries me more than the thought I might
be losing my mind.
“I like your top,” Gabe says, after a beat. His eyes linger on my cleavage, a smile dancing on his lips. He seems so… happy.
“You do, do you?”
“Very much so.”
In response I wrap a wing around my chest demurely and peer at him over the feathers. His eyes darken with lust. I bite my lip.
We both laugh.
“It hurts less?” he says, nodding towards my wings.
“Much less, actually.” I roll my shoulders, pulling back my wing. The sharp tug is still there, but nothing near as painful as it has been.
“Fern, you’re amazing, do you know that? Not one of Clan Vitae recovered as quickly as you. You’ve had your wings, what, a day at most?”
He’s so relaxed now, the tension gone from his face. The perpetual sadness has lifted somewhat so I can see the man beneath the fog. It’s an incredible sight. My heart swells at the connection we have and the feelings that I can’t deny.
“I’m no more amazing than any of you…” My voice trails off. “Gabe, about what happened between us.”
“You regret it?” The darkness immediately clouds his features.
“No. No, of course not. I’m glad. I’m more than glad. This thing between us, between all of us. Our bond, the way I’m beginning to feel about you, about Ether and Mihr. I need it to work,” I say gently.
“I know,” he responds. “I can’t pretend it won’t be difficult, but I will do it for you… I’ll do it for us. Despite what you may think, I love Mihr and Ether. They’ve pulled me through this shit existence we call life. Without either of them, I would have lost myself a very long time ago.”
“I feel that love,” I say, placing my hand against my own chest. And I do, his love for them, for me, it’s inside me now.
He nods his head, lowers his eyes to the bowl in his hands and concentrates on eating his soup once more. Sitting here in comfortable silence, I’m able to really look at Gabe. There’s not an ounce of fat on him. His dark wings fold gently around his shoulders, defined muscles flexing as he shifts into a comfortable position. I watch him slide the spoon into the soup then lift it to his lip, swallowing a mouthful. No one, apart from Gabe, could make the everyday task of eating look both sinful and sexy. I drag my eyes away and taste more of my own. It’s flavourful, spicy and utterly delicious.
“This is pretty amazing. Who made it?”
“That’d be Mihr. He’s the best cook.”
“Is that so?” I smile.
“You think me incapable. I’m offended, Fern,” a laughing voice says from behind me. I twist my head around, soup bowl and spoon still in hand. Mihr is grinning at me. He walks into the room with his own bowl, little wisps of heat rising into the air, dispersing the delicious smell. In the main hall beyond, Ether is bent over the pot of soup, stirring it gently.
“It’s delicious, thank you,” I say.
“May I?” Mihr asks us both. His eyes flick from me to Gabe.
“Sure, brother,” Gabe says. His voice is light, different. Free from the usual hard edges.
Mihr sits down with us and for a minute we all eat in silence, savouring the food and appeasing the growls of hunger. I watch Mihr as he takes in the room and all the rugs, pillows and throws strewn about the place. His gaze lingers over my newly designed top, and the expanse of uncovered flesh. His face is hard to read at first, but when he catches my eye and holds my gaze, a footprint emerges.
The feeling of happiness appears. He’s happy for me, for Gabe, for us all.
Mihr, my kind and generous angel. A warmth blooms in my chest.
“So, are you feeling okay, Gabe?” he asks. It’s a loaded question and he knows it.
Gabe grasps the now empty bowl in his hands. “I’m feeling a lot calmer than I have in years, Mihr, thanks for asking.”
“That’s good to hear.” Mihr’s mouth twitches in amusement.
Gabe raises an eyebrow, but there’s mirth in his eyes too and even though it makes me feel better that they are getting along, I can’t help but feel sad that Ether has chosen not to join us.
“How is Ether?” I ask, watching him over Mihr’s shoulder. He’s leaning against the door of the temple, looking out to Utero beyond. I hate the fact he doesn’t feel able to sit with us. I glance at Gabe, who is also looking at Ether. A muscle jumps in his jaw.
“Ether is being Ether,” Mihr says with a sigh.
If I concentrate hard enough, this time I can understand Gabe’s thoughts under the shadows of darkness that still linger. He feels guilt, definitely. Angry still, but not because of what went on between Ether and me, not anymore. No, he wants him to be real. Gabe wants to see the true Ether, the one he hides behind the carefully constructed wall. The person both he and I have glimpsed. I search deeper in Gabe’s mind, I chase the wet footprints, and underneath it all there is love. Deep-seated, heartfelt love. It is as he said, he loves Ether, but I’m not sure whether it’s the same kind of love Ether feels for him.
“Gabe, talk to him. Please,” I say.
Gabe snatches his head around, his penetrating glacier eyes making my stomach tighten and my heart race. For a moment, I think he’s going to refuse, but he doesn’t. He nods his head and stands. Still bare-chested and beautiful, I watch him walk out of the room, his dark wings spread out slightly as he crosses the hall to Ether.
“Was that wise?” I ask Mihr.
“It was the right thing to do.” Mihr places his bowl on the ground and leans over, his hand warm on my bare arm. “They have unresolved issues those two…” Mihr pinches his mouth shut as if he’s said too much already.
“I know, Mihr. Ether told me.”
“He did?” Mihr whistles. “I thought that was a secret he’d keep forever.”
“Ether kind of let me know accidentally. I don’t think he wanted to. Besides, it’s not that much of a secret, considering you seem to know about it as well.”
“Ether is well controlled in all things. That wall he’s built is pretty impenetrable. But when you’ve been friends with someone for a thousand years, feelings slip through.”
“Does Gabe know the extent of Ether’s feelings?”
“I think he has a good idea.” Mihr’s fingers trail gently up and down my arm. I don’t think he realises he’s doing it. There’s comfort in his touch, reassurance… love. I feel that above all else. He loves me too? Mihr’s hand stills as he watches me, watching him.
“I have this real need to touch you every time you’re near… and every time you’re not.” He laughs then. “I’m glad that you and Gabe connected.”
“I know that.”
Mihr lifts his hands and signs. “Fern, I may not be exciting like Gabe, or a challenge like Ether, but I’m still a man. I still want you. Life only knows I do.” His hands drop to his lap, his eyes roving over my face.
“I hear a but in there somewhere.”
Mihr tips his head to the side, then raises his hand to my cheek. “But, I’m a private man. When you and I come together there will be no audience, there will only be us. So, despite this bond we all have, I won’t be able to share you with them. Not in that way.”
I feel his nerves, his fear of rejection, and it makes me adore him even more.
“That’s okay with me.”
“It is?”
“Mihr, I’m not sure why you get the impression I’m up for a foursome. Seriously, I don’t even know how that would work! All those body parts, not to mention feathers.” I laugh at the thought.
He grins, then his face turns serious. Mihr drops his hand to the centre of my chest. The slow warmth settles there before spreading out over the peaks of my breasts.
“Fern, we are connected by our bodies. That is our strength. I felt how your body reacted when both Gabe and I touched you. It turned you on, even if it didn’t register in your consciousness. I felt that desire within you, and that’s okay. But when you and I make love, it will only ever be us. You’re the only person I will be conce
ntrating on.”
Mihr leans forward and presses his mouth against mine, sealing his promise with a kiss.
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning, I awake between two of my angels. Gabe is lying on his front snoring gently, his beautiful black wings folded against his back. Next to him, Ether has an arm thrown over his eyes. He too is sleeping deeply, a leg cocked up, his shin pressed against Gabe’s side, the back of his hand resting on Gabe’s wing. In sleep they are peaceful, untroubled by their demons and their past, at peace with each other. Their history is what cements them together, their lasting friendship keeps them strong and their love forms an unbreakable bond. The curse and the prophecy may have brought us all together, but it is the Harmonious bond that has bound us to each other with the combined magic of their touch. That thought alone is what I hold onto now when other, darker thoughts take hold. I’d tried to reach out to Dani last night, but she hadn’t come to me in my dreams. Perhaps what had happened before was nothing more than me missing her. It had to be. Besides, before we’d fallen asleep last night, Ether successfully put my mind at rest, explaining away the conversation I had with logic and reason. He has no reason to lie to me. They understand what honesty and truthfulness mean to me. I trust him. I trust them all.
Beside me, Ether murmurs in his sleep. I hear my name mentioned, Gabe’s and Mihr’s too, and a jumble of worried words that make no sense. Gabe, still half-asleep, shifts his body and reaches out to rest a hand on Ether’s shoulder.
“It’s all right, Ether,” Gabe mumbles, before dozing off back to sleep.
Ether quietens instantly, responding to Gabe’s words of comfort, and his touch. That show of affection makes my heart squeeze. Despite their altercation, despite Gabe’s jealousy, they are still able to forgive and move on. This is what true love is, accepting someone’s faults and loving them despite them. I hope Ether will eventually find the courage to tell Gabe how he feels. I believe it will only bring them together more, even if the love Ether has for Gabe may not be reciprocated in the same way.
I watch the two of them, so close to one another, two opposites in every way, and I recall Ether’s memory of their coming together all those years ago. Mihr was right, it does turn me on. Very much so. The truth is, whilst I’ve enjoyed their singular attention, I haven’t been able to get the thought of them kissing out of my head. The more I think about being a part of Gabe and Ether’s love-making, the more I want to make it a reality. You see, I’m not jealous of how Ether feels about Gabe, not in the slightest. I know what I felt with Ether. Despite his walls, I believe he felt something for me too.