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My eyes continue around until I finally see Theo’s sleeping body completely encapsulated by Roan’s thick self. I’d tried to encourage Roan to let me take over for him last night, but something feral had glinted in his eyes. Rescuing my brother seems to have triggered something in the poor fae, and I’d been too exhausted to fight the issue. Theo is safe, that’s what matters.
My stomach lets out a loud rumble when my eyes find the pile of fruits stacked high. I have no idea who crept off to gather them, but I am extremely grateful.
Carefully, I extract myself from Caelan, smiling at his groans at losing my warmth, his hand groping the dewy ground to find me. Unwilling to stand, I crawl towards the pile, picking out a particularly plump-looking pink apple, shining it on my shirt before taking a bite. It’s delicious, fresh and crisp and sweet. My tongue almost hurts from the flavour, after the bland stew I’d been surviving on.
Someone has also filled our drink bottles, stacking them in a neat little group. My “huh” of surprise is muffled when I swipe up my bottle and drink deeply, emptying half of it, making myself nauseous in the process. No one else has stirred, so I blow extra flame into the coals, reigniting the fire and go through the backpacks we’d collected, hoping to find something clean to wear.
Things are more than a little ripe around here.
Another pang of not homesickness, definitely nothomesickness, but something like it washes over me. I rip off the filthy sweater I’d been wearing for what feels like forever and throw it into the now crackling flames and pull on one of Caelan’s well-worn jumpers. It is instantly a million percent more comfortable; with his smell all over it is helping me shove down those awful feelings about home, and where we go from here.
In all of this, our trek, our mating, almost dying and getting kidnapped, we’d never discussed what happens next, actively avoiding the subject whenever we got too close.
But now I have Theo to consider. He’s been through a massive trauma. I can’t just leave him to go home to our parents, even though the thought of leaving Caelan behind makes my stomach turn inside out and my blood run cold. My eyes flick between the sleeping Theo and Caelan. I don’t want to have to choose between two people I love, who both need me.
The fire, and the burning poly-blend jumper, rouses the others. Caelan comes to with a start, frowning up at his Seff-shaped pillow, and Edith wiggles about as she stretches. Poor Seff himself groans loudly, sobbing a whine when he arches his back, causing Edith to finally slide off.
“Morning, baby.” Caelan pulls himself up into a sitting position and stretches his hand out for me. My stomach flips and a stupid grin splits my face at the affectionate gesture. I snag him his own apple and happily make my way over to settle between his thick thighs, rubbing my back to his stomach, determinedly pushing my worries to the side for later. Much later. Preferably never.
“Who got the fruit?” Seff mumbles, scratching his belly, yawning wildly.
“No idea, thought one of you did. It’s good though,” I managed to get out around a mouthful. “I would kill for a coffee.”
Edith walks to the pile, poking it curiously. “You didn’t just eat random fruit in the middle of a magical forest, did you? Aftereverythingwe’ve just been through?”
Well fuck, when she puts it that way. Her hands on her hips, she glares at Caelan and me like we are the world’s biggest dumbasses. We quickly spit outthe fruit still in our mouths and hurl the apples far into the trees, making Edith cackle.
“Nah, you’re good, boys. I think it was a thank you. Eat up.” She throws an apple at Seff, who greedily bites into it, then piles a heap of blackberries into her skirt. I roll my eyes, pulling a face like a child, when she walks past, but then she pokes her tongue out at me. So really, who’s the adult here?
Our noise wakes Roan. The sleepy-eyed fae glares hard at us all over Theo’s head. “Will you guys shut up?” His growl is only a low whisper, not wanting to disturb Theo’s magical slumber.
“Enough of that. It’s time for our boy here to wake up. Why don’t you give him some space so he doesn’t wake up to see your ugly mug, hm? Maybe he’d like to see hisbrother? Not atotal fucking stranger creeping on him while he’s unconscious?” Edith apparently woke up choosing violence, abandoning her berries to shove the boulder-like man away from Theo.
I’d laugh, but one, I want my brother awake and two, I am more than a little afraid of Roan. He is obviously a powerful fae and, well, he can rip my guts out with those horns.
He grumbles loudly and stands to move reluctantly away from Theo. I don’t hold back the irritation itching away at me with his behaviour. Roan’s eye catches mine when he passes, and he at least has the grace to look embarrassed. A light flush colours his cheeks as he nods his head, busying his hands with tying his hair in a low bun at the nape of his neck. Roan doesn’t strike me as the blushing type.
Whatever is going on with my brother obviously has him all twisted up. But that’s not my issue; he needs to get his shit together.
Theo looks so small and pale on the spongy leaves beneath him. His copper curls fall around his face like a halo, but they are sostarkagainst his pale skin, paler than usual, highlighting the freckles he always loathed. His golden lashes brush his cheeks as his still-closed eyes flicker.
I take his hand in mine; it is limp and cold, and wrong. I try not to let my worry show on my face. He’s been through enough without me shoving my shit on him the moment he wakes up. Edith places her hands over his heart, pressing them against his filthy grey tee shirt. It’s the one he always wears around the house whenever we are at our parents’ estate. Our mother hates it.
Muttering the words of her spell, Edith calls him back to us. There is a sharp, almost electric shock in our joined hands as her magic moves through Theo’s body, warping the air around him as it pulses and swells.
It’s just like in the movies, the way he wakes with a sharp gasp, bolting upright, only missing smacking his head into the side of Edith’s face by a hair’s breadth. Pawing his heaving chest with his free hand, he tries to frantically shake my hand free, kicking his feet, scrambling backwards in the dirt.
“It’s okay, Theo, you’re safe. It’s me, Tor, you’resafe.” There is pleading in my voice as his eyes madly dart around at all of us, like he still cannot see. Theo’s eyes have always been the most unusual thing about him, the only thing, apart from his pointed ears, that gives his fae status away. Almond in shape, his eyes are brown like the earth but flecked with shining gold, the same colour filling his pupils and forming a ring around his irises. They are vibrant and beautiful and finally, they settle onme.
Confusion gives way to tears. His eyes fill rapidly as he launches himself at me, crushing me in his bony arms. Theo is tiny compared to me, but he still manages to topple us both to the ground, hugging, laughing, crying.
“Tor, you saved me! She was going to—” His voice cuts off on a hiccuping sob.
I squeeze my arms around him tighter. “Not really, baby bro. It wasn’t me. I need to introduce you to the crew.” I cup the back of his head, giving him a hard kiss to his curls before pushing him up so we can sit.
He sticks close though, plastered to my side, so I keep my arm around his shoulders as he crouches next to me, warily eyeing everyone. When his eyes land on Roan, the fae’s cheeks flame again and he scuffs his foot on the ground awkwardly. Theo’s gasp is almost inaudible, but I still catch it.
I do the brotherly thing and don’t mention it when he shuffles impossibly closer to me. Edith hovers awkwardly next to us, wringing her hands, pulling at her clothes like a ball of anxious energy ready to fly the moment she is given thego ahead. She practically reeks of desperation to fuss over Theo, but knows he isn’t quite ready for it yet.
