Page 57 of A Fate of Blood and Magic (Fated #2)

Using her knuckles, Cierra stroked the stubble on Donnie’s chin before her eyes widened and she pulled away. “I like the scruff,” she whispered.

Elias squeezed my hand, and when I looked at him, I wished I still had my mind-speak magic so we could talk, but his glistening eyes told me everything I needed to know.

Those two were so into each other. I grinned.

An uncomfortable silence built so I coughed to clear my throat.

“We should head out,” I said, pulling Elias toward the door. “Thank you for coming, Leah.”

“It’s good to see Donnie is doing better than expected,” she replied, a wry grin on her face.

“I’ll let Donnie or Cierra explain,” I said.

Donnie nodded, and this awkwardness that had never existed between us spread like a band ready to snap.

With my hand tucked in Elias’s, I rushed us out of the room.

Alastor greeted us in the living room with Chaka dangling from one foot.

Koa and Bon watched from where they sat on the floor with baby Mimesoa in a small wooden cradle .

Elias let out a surprised laugh. “Wait a few years if you’re going to do that with our sons,” he said when Alastor turned to him.

Alastor smirked, lowering Chaka gently across the floor. “I’m fairly certain my cousin already told me the same thing.”

When Sama jumped on him, he caught her with ease before he tossed her high in the air. I smiled at the way Sama shouted with glee, her giggles growing louder with each toss, but then I saw the pain that lingered in Alastor’s eyes.

Alastor was incredibly adept at hiding. He wasn’t comfortable around most people and was even less comfortable admitting when he was hurt or needed help. Instead, he’d rather be the one offering aid, the one in control.

“Are you ready to go?” Alastor asked while Chaka tried to climb up his body.

Koa stood, stretching out his back while he waited.

Elias nodded. “Can you tell Javier to head out? We can meet them just outside the borders.”

“Why do I feel like I missed something?” I asked. “Are y’all coming with us to this informal talk-whatever?”

Bon laughed. “I’m not, but your mate asked Alastor and Koa to attend.”

Warmth spread in my chest.

“All we’re doing is talking today,” Elias said. “This isn’t the official council, and I don’t want to make any decisions until Donnie is well enough to attend and speak his mind.”

This man. This incredible, wonderful man.

When we stepped outside, I left Elias’s side to wind my hand through Alastor’s arm. I felt the slight weight that shifted when he leaned the tiniest bit on me, another indication of how much pain he was in .

“Have you had your tea?” I asked him, and although I didn’t say it loud, I knew both Elias and Koa heard me.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Yes.”

“It didn’t help?”

He huffed out a dry laugh. “Are you certain your magic is truly gone? I believe you can still see inside my head.”

“Why don’t you skip out on the meeting today?”

He slowed, body stiffening as if my words struck him. “Do you not want me to attend?”

When I stopped walking, he stopped with me while Elias and Koa kept their pace and walked past us.

“That’s not what I meant,” I said quietly. “I want you to stop hurting. The headaches haven’t eased up in days. You refuse to see a healer and the tea?—”

“I’ll manage.” It came out clipped.

“You’ll manage when you rest,” I said, setting one hand on my hip.

His nostrils flared and a muscle on his jaw ticked. For a moment, I thought he’d walk away. Instead, he turned to face me fully, his shadows wrapping around his shoulders like smoke.

“They didn’t just slaughter your fae or humans.” His voice was low but tight with fury. “They killed my lirio, my nyxx. My people. Mine.”

I opened my mouth but he kept talking.

“Elias asked Koa and me to attend. We will be heard, we will be counted.” The shadows pressed forward, curling around my feet.

They were usually comforting, but now all I felt was cold.

“I will be there. My voice will not be silenced. Not again. Not by them. Not by anyone.” His gaze locked on mine, and his final words came out like a quiet vow.

“Never again will I be silenced, Theodora.”

It was my turn to flinch at his words. I wrapped my arms around my chest as if I could hold back the sting, and shook my head.

“I wasn’t trying to silence you,” I said softly. “I just want you to take care of yourself because I know you won’t.”

That got his attention, but not in the way I hoped.

He scoffed, the sound sharp and brittle. With his expression closed off, he said, “That’s where you’re mistaken.”

“About what?”

“The pain.” His voice was steady but there was something that trembled beneath it. “While my headaches come and go, that isn’t the pain that plagues me.”

I swallowed. “Then what is it?”

He studied me, quiet and unreadable, like he was cataloguing each flicker of emotion for threat or motive. Many times, he’d opened up to me about the life he’d led with Leanora.

I’d felt the warmth he kept hidden under all that steel. Now, all I saw was the version of him forged in torture and betrayals. The version who believed kindness came with consequence.

Whatever answers ran in his head, he kept it hidden behind his steady, unflinching stare.

While we waited for Evander to arrive so we could hold our informal meeting, George chased the girls, making their squeals bounce off our living room walls.

Not wanting to be left out, Hee-haw cut George off, causing George to trip over the donkey.

With a snort, Hee-haw trotted off while George glared at him from the floor.

Jasmine wound her arms around Hee-haw’s neck while Victoria took the opportunity to climb into George’s arms before he stood.

“Don’t look at him like that,” Jasmine told George. “He’s a baby, and you’re going to hurt his feelings.”

“That baby hurt my knees,” George grumbled.

“He hurt you?” Victoria peered up at him through wide, worried eyes.

George lifted her high enough to push his head into her stomach. She giggled, but then her expression turned serious.

“Uncle George, did Hee-haw hurt you?”

George kissed her forehead. “Nah.”

With her still in his arms, he grabbed Jasmine while Elias scooped Juanita from the couch he’d just thrown her on.

“Evander should be here soon,” Elias said. “Which means it’s time for you pequinitas to head to your playroom.”

The girls groaned.

“Unless you want to stay and hear the adults talk about boring adult stuff,” I said with a lift of my brows.

With that, Elias and George were able to corral the girls to their playroom while Hee-haw lay at Everly’s feet.

After sliding off a boot, she pet Hee-haw with the bottom of her foot.

When they returned, George sat on the floor next to Everly, who’d nestled close to the fireplace with a blanket across her lap, while Elias took a spot on the otherwise empty couch.

It almost felt normal. Except I was fairly sure nothing would ever be normal again.

I hadn’t seen Brenton since he’d returned to drop Alastor off at his place.

Since Brenton’s home had also been destroyed in the attacks, he’d agreed to stay at George and Everly’s home.

While I’d prefer he stayed with us, Finley and her intended needed to live in our spare room.

I understood why Brenton stayed away, but I wanted to speak to him about . . . everything, really.

Etienne had been reinjured and suffered another traumatic brain injury during the explosion even though he’d been evacuated thanks to George’s seer magic.

But under Leah’s care, Etienne had woken from his coma the day after the explosion.

While the headache he’d woken with had been mild, it’d intensified until Leah was forced to put him back to sleep.

That was when it’d been decided he’d be better off staying at our place while Leah kept him under until she could figure out how to treat him.

I felt bad for Finley, who rarely left his side.

Aidas carried a box of pastries with a fruit bomb sticking out of his mouth while Javier twisted his thumbs in his shirt. I didn’t need my magic to sense the tension coming from both Javier and Kieren, who kept staring at his dad.

I took a pastry from Aidas before I sat beside my husband. It was almost instinctual to press myself against his warm body. With my eyes narrowed, I pointed my pastry at Javier and Kieren.

“What’s going on?” I asked them. “What are y’all up to?”

Silas chuckled. “I’ve been asking Kieren the same question since I saw him this morning. He said he’d tell me when we were all together so he and Javier could explain.”

Delaney pinched her lips together but gave Javier’s hand a supportive squeeze. From where Alastor stood in front of our living room window, he took a pastry from Aidas with a nod.

“We’re all together except Brent, but he can’t make it tonight,” Elias said, drawing me closer to his side. “Unless you want to wait for Evander to get here.”

“No.” Javier scratched the back of his neck.

“I’ve been thinking, and I brought it up to them.

” He pointed at his friends. “A lot has happened since the endless winter started back home.” His laugh came out timid.

“The thing is, things keep happening, life keeps happening, and I haven’t really done anything.

I want to be able to fight for myself, for my sisters, for y’all’s sons that are my family too.

I don’t want life to just keep happening to me while I stand by and don’t do anything about it. ”

Waiting for him to continue, I gripped the edge of the couch while Elias asked, “What do you want to do?”