Page 16 of Finding Embers and Stars (Twin Flames Duet #1)

Chapter sixteen

O ther than my brothers, I usually keep to myself. People have always reacted strangely to me. They either avoid me at all costs or want to get way too close and personal. Now I’m wondering if that has something to do with my Fae heritage.

When I had the vision of our future mate—mates. I wasn’t prepared for the feelings that would overwhelm me. At the time, I assumed that was the pinnacle. I was already feeling all the love that was possible.

How wrong I was.

Looking at my mates, it’s surprising how different they are. For as close as I can tell they are as friends, physically they are complete opposites.

Piper is tall for a woman, right at six feet. Her long blonde hair hangs all the way down her back, with dark red streaks running through it. Her eyes are such a bright blue, I can easily see the color from across the room. I feel like I could get lost in them.

She’s muscular, but not in a body builder kind of way. Her shoulders are broad, and her hands are large, entirely engulfing Sage’s where they rest on her knee.

I’m trying to be a gentleman, but there is only so much willpower I have and I’m focusing on not popping a boner instead of keeping my eyes off her large perky tits.

When she turns her head, the light glints off multiple ear piercings, at least three that I can see.

In comparison, Sage is tiny.

At least six inches shorter than Piper, with curves for days. Her long black hair has silver and purple streaks through it that match her stunning purple eyes. It was impossible for me to keep my eyes off her ass earlier when she walked into the kitchen.

The bounce. Oh, my Goddess, the bounce.

All I could focus on was when and if I will ever have the chance to sink my teeth into her delectable derriere.

Beyond the physical, their personalities also seem quite different. Where Sage’s full lips are quick to smile, Piper’s aren’t. Unless she’s focusing on Sage. It’s clear that Piper keeps her thoughts close. She seems slower to trust, but that means when we earn her smile it will mean that much more.

When the pizza arrives, we all descend on it like a pack of feral animals. Which we kind of are.

Despite the pub subs the girls ate, they don’t hesitate to snag a few slices of pizza. I love that they aren’t shy about eating. I hate how women feel the need to pick at their food or starve themselves.

Once most of the food is gone and everyone is stretching out to relieve the pressure on our food babies, I turn back to our mates. “Do you mind telling me again what your friend said about me? I grew up in a supernatural foster home.” To my embarrassment, my voice cracks but I force myself to keep talking. “I don’t have any information about my family or my powers. I’m guessing that’s why I’ve always struggled with the unknown.”

Piper offers me a shy smile, though it’s not nearly as powerful as the ones she sends to Sage. It’s easy to see the bond they have, it’s just as powerful as the one I have with my brothers.

“Of course, but we don’t have many details. Only what Rhoda saw in her vision when she met us. I’m sure if you ever come to Wyoming with us, she would be happy to tell you what she can, and sometimes meeting new people can trigger her visions.”

Sage reaches out to squeeze my hand. “Today’s been a lot. Are you ready to go over what we know now?”

“Yes, please. Knowing there is more information, but not what it is, will drive me nuts.”

Piper chuckles. “I’m the same way.”

When my eyes meet hers, I nearly forget to breathe. I can feel the rush of color to my face, and I dimly hear Mav chuckling. He enjoys picking on me.

Sage shoots a glare in his direction, then shifts her entire focus back to me. “This is word for word what Rhoda told us.” Her eyes take on a faraway look as she focuses on a conversation that happened so long ago.

“The only thing you need to know about your mates is that your purple and blue-eyed mate will find his answers in the Fae realm. His powers come from an extraordinary love that was never supposed to happen. Trust in him, even if he doesn't trust in himself.”

“She told us we would have five mates and that one of them would have heterochromia, with one blue eye and one purple.” Sage clears her throat, then looks around the room. “Should we do some ice breakers, getting to know each other questions, while you process, Milo? Like twenty questions, but less cheesy, hopefully.”

“Yes, please. I think we would all like to get to know you both more. I’ll start. I’m apparently at least partly Fae and I’m a photographer. I prefer nature photography over people, and I just got an underwater lens. Manatees are my favorite ocean animal, and I really want to capture some pictures of them.”

Sage’s grin lights up the room. “Ohhhh I love sea potatoes!!” We all chuckle at her enthusiasm. And her cuteness, can’t forget that.

She ignores our laughter and dives into her introduction. “Okay, I’m a raven shifter. I also believe I'm part mermaid because the ocean is the only thing that can truly calm my mind. I’m an author and volunteer at a domestic violence shelter that is geared towards supernaturals of all kinds. I also love any kind of crafting project.”

She looks over at Maverick for him to continue the game. He grumbles what I can only assume is something snarky under his breath but relents when Wyatt elbows him in the ribs.

“I’m a Dire wolf shifter and firefighter.”

When that’s all the information he gives, Piper raises an eyebrow at him. “That’s it. Wow Maverick, I really feel like I know everything about you from the detailed biography you just gave.”

I grin at her sarcasm. Piper is starting to relax around us, or she just couldn’t resist needling our grumpy wolf. Either way, I can’t wait to see her full personality.

Piper rolls her eyes at Mav before looking around at the rest of us. “Watch and learn Fido. This is how you're supposed to tell people about yourself. I’m a wolf shifter, but not just any wolf shifter. The animal spirit the Goddess gifted me was intended for my twin brother. I’m also an author—Sage and I co-write together. The DV shelter that we both volunteer at is the same one that helped us.”

She blows right past the fact that they needed the services of a shelter, ignoring the grumbles from my brothers as she keeps talking. “A fun fact about me is I once had a crochet contest with the king of Hell. I won, but if you ask him about it, Felix will say I cheated by making his cat Cinders chew on his yarn.”

Wyatt is looking at her oddly. “Ummm, what now? The King of Hell crochets?”

I watch as Sage lifts the blanket they are under. “Yep, this is one of his pieces. He also makes jewelry. The necklaces Piper and I wear are the first pieces he made us. They were commissioned by Sage’s mom before we met him or became part of the family.”

I look at Wyatt and nod at him to take his turn. “I'm a demon and firefighter. I volunteer with kids in shifter orphanages. Kind of like a big brother type program.”

Sage and Piper share a look and burst out laughing. I look to my brothers trying to figure out what could be so funny about Wyatt volunteering, especially when they do it themselves.

Sage composes herself first, but every time she goes to say something she starts laughing all over again. At this point, my brothers and I are grinning at the carefree feeling they’re giving off. It’s the most relaxed I’ve seen Piper since we arrived.

“Okay, okay. I’m good, I swear.” Sage keeps repeating it like a chant.

Piper clears her throat and looks at Wyatt apologetically. “We weren't laughing at you, I promise. It's just an inside joke we have. Sage has a thing for prehensile tails, and we know that demons have them.”

Sage smacks Piper in the face with a pillow. “Bitch! Don't make it sound like you wouldn't jump on that party bus, too.”

Wyatt bursts out laughing at their antics, but he can’t hide the slight blush on his cheeks. “Well, anytime you want me to start up the bus, you let me know.”

Liam rolls his eyes. “Dude, that was horrible. You couldn't come up with a better line than that?” He shakes his head in disgust. Standing up before turning his grin on our mates.

“Okay. While I don't have a prehensile tail, I do have a tail. I'm a Clydesdale horse shifter. I’m a day trader, investor, and may or may not hack into things as needed. I’m an all-around computer geek.” He takes a bow like he just gave the performance of his life and sits down in front of the girls on the floor, leaning back against the couch.

We all look at Walker, who is the last one to go. “I’m a polar bear shifter and I own a boat rental company. When I'm not out on the water, I love to read.”

Sage jumps up, almost stepping on Liam. “Oh, my Goddess! When we were outside, and you grabbed my hands, I thought your hands were huge like bear paws! I’m so smart!”

Piper snorts and shakes her head. “I swear she’s not always this ditzy. I know it doesn't make sense that I'm the blonde when she acts like this.”

Sage flips Piper off and turns to all of us. “It’s almost sunset, would you guys like to go watch it with us? It’s our tradition for our first night back in Florida.”

We all get up to head outside. Piper and Sage walk out the door first.

Deciding to be more forward than I usually am, I hesitantly offer my hand to Piper. She smiles and slowly places her fingers in mine. I look over to see Liam has done the same with Sage.

This is going to take work from all of us, but if we put in the effort, I don’t see why we can’t make this work.

For the first time in a long time, I am truly content with life. It’s a feeling that I don’t want to give up.