Page 81 of A Fate of Blood and Magic (Fated #2)

“Is everyone back?” Elias asked.

“And where did you see Donnie?” I asked.

I knew he was feeling better, saw how much better last night, but I figured he was still healing and not really going out in town.

Brenton pointed at Elias. “Yes, everyone’s back.

Leah and the other healers are working out of the clinic in Somnio and any homes willing to use their space as a temporary clinic.

The only deaths we had were the fae who’d already died before we got there.

” He swallowed hard. “The humans— both military and civilians—gave up as soon as they saw us coming. Evander and his people took charge once we started bending space to bring our people home. I’m sure George will have a more formal report, but first he’s meeting with Hayden.

I’m guessing you know what they’re meeting about? ”

Elias and I nodded. With a dramatic lift of his brows, Brenton pulled a large jug from his inner pocket and handed it to Elias.

“Evander told me to give this to you. He and his sister will be leaving again shortly to get the medicine you requested.”

I smirked, pointing at the gallon of cooking oil Elias held. “We’re making fries tonight.”

Brenton moved his finger to point at me. “Pretty sure you’re not supposed to be making anything. You tell me what to do, and I’ll make the fries.”

“I can make fries,” Elias muttered. “Probably.”

I snorted. “Did Finley see Etienne before you came over here? I forgot to ask Leah how he was doing when we saw her.” I hated asking, knowing that the mention of Finley and Etienne hurt him but also that he needed to speak about it rather than bottle it up.

“Not great.” The way Brenton shook his head made the tousled curls on the top of his head sway.

“His head pain is mostly gone, but he’s been having seizures every few days.

Although she can stop them, she can’t sense when they’re coming or what triggers them.

She isn’t sure how to get rid of them or if she can. ”

“The pharmacy may have anti-seizure medication. I know Etienne’s fae, but it could be worth trying if Cierra and Evander can find any.

” I held my arms around myself. “I’d hate to even talk to Daniels again, but I bet he’d tell Donnie the best medicine for Etienne if any of you wanted to go by the first compound to ask him. ”

“Yeah.” Brenton nodded before he turned to Kieren. “Do you think you could reach Donnie and ask him?”

“Sure,” Kieren answered before his eyes took on a hazy, faraway look as he reached out to Donnie.

With our sibling bond, I sensed each emotion that washed over Brenton. It wasn’t the same or as strong as how I now felt Elias’s emotions with our soulmate bond intact, but more a tease of what Brenton felt.

He wanted to help Etienne and wanted Etienne to get better, but every action he took to help him only hurt Brenton worse.

So, I did the only thing I knew would annoy him enough to draw him out of those feelings. I pinched his cheek, already knowing he’d swat me away.

“You’re like an annoying child.” He smirked.

“Well, I am one hundred and one years younger than you,” I replied with my own smirk.

“Guardians, you’re but a small babe.” He ran a hand over his face before he turned to me with a serious expression. “How are you feeling?”

Kieren’s magic brushed against my mind just as he said, “Donnie agreed. They’re going to take a shifter who can bend space so they can go to the compound to speak to Daniels and then to a pharmacy.”

“Thanks, Kieren.” I squeezed his arm.

He smiled.

Brenton nudged my shoulder. “How are you? For real?”

“I feel fine.” It was true. Aside from the anxiety that lingered, I was fine.

If anyone’s magic had a cure for anxiety, I’d love to meet them.

“I’m on bed rest, so Elias keeps threatening to cook.

” I paused when Elias chuckled from behind my chair.

He gripped my shoulders with enough pressure that my muscles began to relax as he massaged me.

“Kieren has been teaching me how to draw.”

“Is that what you call this?” Brenton teased, looking over the scraggly lines that were supposed to make up a tree limb. “Either he isn’t a great teacher or you’re a terrible student.”

“The second.”

In my mind, I heard Kieren laugh. When he pulled back his chair and stood, he said, “I’ll start working on a mock-up for the nursery. I’ll show you when I have something worth looking at.”

“No, no, no,” I said. “I want it to be a surprise when I see it on the wall.”

Shaking his head, he narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure? What if you don’t like it?”

“Are you kidding me, Kieren?” I picked up the drawings of the tulips he’d made. Even his first attempt at them was exceptional. “You’re ridiculously talented. I know I’ll love whatever you come up with.”

With another shy smile, he slid the final drawing he made of the tulips toward me while he picked up his sketch pad and pencils. “What if I draw some grotesque scene of a dragon eating something? Lots of blood sprayed everywhere.”

Elias, Brenton, and I laughed.

“Then you will be on babysitting duty every single time the boys have nightmares,” I said.

When Kieren turned the corner into our hallway, Elias scooped me into his arms without warning and carried me to the couch, where Brenton followed.

I loved having two of my favorite people on either side of me. It felt good, like the boys and I were safe and protected .

“Where are the girls?” Brenton asked, peering at the hallway.

“Alastor picked them up early this morning so Javier could spend time with them,” I said, pushing that lingering sadness away.

But dammit, I missed him. While I loved having Kieren over, I also wanted to see Javier, but I knew that if I had any hope of being a part of his life, we had to go at his pace.

“Alastor told me he was on his way back with the girls,” Elias said.

“I was hoping Javier would come see you after what you went through with Pietro,” Brenton admitted with a sheepish smile.

“That wouldn’t be fair to expect that of him,” I said.

“I mean, Delaney came by and he told George it was okay for him to come by and check on us even though the girls would be here. I think that has to mean something.” I trailed a finger over the smooth scar on my hand, where the fire had licked when I offered it my blood.

“Maybe it doesn’t. But it wouldn’t be right to even attempt to use the attack or the boys as a way to get him here. ”

“You’re far better than I am because I’d use either or both,” Brenton said.

I huffed out a disbelieving sound. “No, you wouldn’t.”

He flinched but then snapped his fingers. “Donnie. I saw him on my way to the library. Leah didn’t tell me anything about one of your boys, so I was going to see if I found something about seizures in our library.”

Of course, he was. I wasn’t sure a better male than him existed. Which was saying a lot, considering I thought the world of Elias and Donnie. Alastor, too.

“Plans changed when I ran into Ry and Donnie, and he told me about the babe’s heart.” He pulled out a book from his inner pocket of magic. “Ryenne wanted me to give this to you.”

He screwed up his nose when he handed me the book.

I laughed when I read the title. The Fae and her Bookkeeper.

The cover was even better with an illustration of a human man with short hair, glasses, a button-up shirt, and formfitting pants.

A gorgeous fae female, who stood at least a foot taller than him with long, flowing hair and pristine, almost luminescent skin, held him with his back pressed to her voluptuous chest.

Once I stopped laughing, I held the book to my chest and, with a shake of my head, said, “This is what’s in your fantasy romance section. I mean, a bookkeeper, not even a billionaire accountant.”

All of us moved our attention to our front door when it swung open.

Alastor bent down to cross the threshold so Jasmine, who sat on his shoulders, wouldn’t hit her head.

Juanita bounced behind him while Victoria rushed in and jumped on Elias’s lap.

I stood slowly when Aidas walked in behind them, and that little, tiny flare of hope died when he closed the door behind him.

“I told him he should come ?—”

“No,” I told Alastor, rubbing at the pain in my chest. “Don’t tell him to come. Let him come when or if he’s ready.”

With Victoria in his arms, Elias stood, putting his arm over my shoulders while he looked at Aidas through narrowed eyes. After I greeted the girls and Alastor, I turned my attention to Aidas.

“Can I give you a hug?” I asked him.

He nodded, his eyes dulling in color .

When I hugged him, he dug his head against my shoulder although he kept his hold on me loose.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Alastor told us everything, and . . . I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

I patted his cheek before he could stand back up to his full height.

“I’m okay,” I said, trying to keep my smile from trembling. “Kieren told me all sorts of stories. Specifically one about you and Guenthrie.” I raised both my brows.

His cheeks reddened. On a chuckle, he dropped his head and ran a hand over the back of his neck. “I don’t think I’m his favorite warrior-in-training.”

Elias pulled me toward the couch, gesturing for me to sit. Although I shot him an annoyed look, I did as he said and nestled in close to Elias who wrapped me in his arms while on my other side Brenton watched Aidas warily.

It was as if Elias and Brenton expected Aidas to say or do something that would hurt me when I’d done the job well enough on my own.

“Once he gets to know you, he won’t have any other choice but to love you,” I said.

Aidas waved an awkward hand over himself. “It’s all this charm.”

“Mama Teddy asked Elias to talk to Guenthrie about your medical condition with the sun.” Kieren smirked from the corner of the hallway while he made his way to us.

“Aw, Mama Teddy.” Aidas held a hand to his chest.

“I can’t stay long,” Alastor said.