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"They're sloppy," I say as I take a seat at their table. "Left the door open, speaking loudly. Anyone could have heard them."
"They think they're untouchable," Mace says, moving from the bed to sit across from me at the table. He looks older, the corners of his eyes turn down and crinkled, dark circles rimming them. His hair is too long and messy from running his fingers through it, and he's barefoot and shirtless.
I don't know if I've ever seen him look so vulnerablebefore.
"What have we done?" he says quietly, burying his face in his hands.
"We did what we thought was right," Viola says, resting a hand between his shoulder blades. She has let her white hair down and pushed it behind her pointed ears. She is wearing a loose tunic and flowing shorts, looking more casual than I've ever seen her.
Looking at the two of them together, it's obvious how they fit together. They challenge one another in a way that helps them both grow and change.
Since Viola came into his life, Mace has gone from a politician with words that oozed insincerity to someone who anyone would be willing to trust with their safety. Viola, with her sharp edges and distrust of everyone, now has a group of friends and trusts others to help her make the tough decisions.
I know I've changed too, and my path to where I am now was not pretty, but fuck am I happy about where I have ended up.
This is a family.
Viola raises an eyebrow at me, and the silence I have been sitting in. I shake my head and let out a shaky laugh. "Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. I am just so in awe of how much the three of us have changed from that moment in the garrison."
"I thought you were insane," Viola says with a laugh. "The elevator opened, and he was this handsome man who looked like he was running for his life. It was quite a way to welcome me to the city."
"And then you get to me and pull a blade on me." Mace's chuckle fills the room, andViola tucks around his shoulder to kiss him on the temple. "Who would have guessed we'd end up here?"
"I knew I'd be by your side, Shadowweaver, but I didn't think it would be like this," I say quietly. It's hardly any effort, much like using my magic, to search the realm for devotion toward my God. It glows in my mind's eye, a beautiful system of veins running towards her. "I am so honored to serve as your high priest."
"You do alright," she tells me with a sparkle in her eye. Mace swats her on the ass, and she jumps away from him, patting her thighs.
"No blades, numen," he laughs as she wrinkles her nose. "Besides, you wouldn't dare."
"Watch me!" she darts to the pile of weapons on their counter, but Mace wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her down, cementing her on his lap.
"Zeph was just about to tell us what he learned," my brother reminds her. She huffs and crosses her arms. Who knew Viola Mistflow could be playful? It's a side of her I have never been privy to, and it's refreshing to see that she is not all blades and shadows.
"Right, I guess I should've led with that," I say sheepishly. I recount what the Gods discussed and their plan for removing the magic from all fae. Viola and Mace listen with rapt attention, increasing levels of anger marring their features. When I finish, the room is silent, both Mace and I staring at Viola who is frozenon his lap.
She slides quietly from his lap and rips her shirt off, not caring she's baring herself to me. "Viola!" Mace hisses in shock. She ignores him and finds a strip of stretchy cloth that she begins to wrap around her breasts. I watch her dig through her pack, slide on a tight black shirt, and top it with a leather vest before dropping her shorts, revealing a small pair of plain black panties, and pulling on a pair of leather breeches. I don't even have time to look away to preserve her modesty, she moves so fast. She sits on the edge of the bed as she puts on her boots, then stands and begins to strap her thighs with her blades and wrap her hips with her whip.
Mace and I look at each other in shock, both of us knowing that if we say anything, we'll get our heads bitten off, so we sit in silence as she dresses. Her blackened, decayed fingers move expertly as she braids her hair in two sections down her scalp, careful to make sure it lays flat behind her pointed ears. When Viola looks at us, her body covered in the marks of the Gods, dressed and ready for battle, and her face hardened and eyes stormy, both of us rise to our feet.
"Now?" Mace says quietly, moving into action and searching for his shoes and shirt.
"Now," Viola confirms.
"Our team?" he asks as he straps blades to his upper arms. Their shorthand is practiced and natural, neither having to speak in full sentences to understand their meaning.
"Morrow and Tulip, leave Plume behind," she responds, armscrossed over her chest. A pain blooms in my chest at Plume being left out, but I know it's for the best. Emotionally, she's in no condition to fight.
"Sure about Tulip?" Mace is dressed now, rolling the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows.
"She'll kill me if I don't. Plus, she's a good source of devotion."
"Taegan and Cirrha?" I ask, looking between the two of them.
"Can they fight?" Viola asks, handing me a blade from her pack.
"Taegan is Light, Cirrha Air."
"Not very helpful in battle," she muses, tapping her fingers on her thigh. "Tell them what is happening. Get them with Plume. And Jaz. We need the devotion, right?"
