Page 17 of Glass Hearts

I check my pocket again and feel Arabella’s silky bandana still there. I had snatched it while we were chasing her. I don’t know why I felt so inclined to do so, and why I can’t seem to part from it now.

We all stand outside her door for a while.

Her jiggling of the lock didn’t surprise us.

What did surprise us was hearing the sniffles of someone who was crying.

Of course, we had to drag Gray away; the brute looked like he was ready to tear the door down to console the little thief.

I have never seen him so attached to a woman before.

“Group meeting. Now,” Sylas grumbles as he walks away. To his room, where we always convene. Jett is waiting for us there, wagging his tail as he greets us. Sylas heads to the bar cart, filling four glasses with whiskey.

We clung to our glasses, taking desperate swallows, hoping to mute the reality we needed to address. As usual, Sy breaks our silence.

“Well. That was unexpected. A stepsister to the Baudelaires, with a damned curse. This is getting messier by the second, brothers.” We all nod. “But we need to remember our duty. Not only to the crown, but to our isles. Waiting back home for us.”

“If Duchess wants to stay here, I may just move over here permanently. Father rules the fire from afar, so I am sure I can manage. It seems like these are her people.”

Sylas pinches the bridge of his nose. “Gray, this has gone on long enough. You can’t seriously want to marry the servant girl. First, the Crown Council would not allow it. Second, she is a thief and a liar. We can’t trust her. Being a queen comes with responsibility.”

“I’m tired of you guys underestimating her. Did you not see how she worked the crowd in Harsekeep?! She’s a beacon to the subjects we always have a hard time connecting to. There is a fire in her I have never seen in a potential life partner. I don’t just want to fuck her. She. Is. Mine.”

Koi bristles at Grayer’s confession.

Grayer makes a good point about her connection to the people, but she is still a liar.

“Grayer, you and I should head to the pleasure district. I will find you a blonde with blue eyes, and you can get her out of your system. I agree with Sylas. The council will never allow it. They would rather remove your position as the prince than let a lowly servant girl be a queen. Plus, it appears your brother may want her too, by the way he has been white-knuckling his whiskey glass this whole time.” As if on cue, Koi’s half-empty glass shatters.

“It appears I am correct.” I can’t help but smirk.

“So why do you have her bandana in your pocket then, Arch? If she is just a lowly servant girl, then why keep it? I saw you put it in your pocket, and I see you regularly checking your pocket to see if it is still there.” Koi sneers at me.

That fucker. I rose, ready to unleash my fury, but Sylas, like a wall, stepped in before I could get close.

“Brothers! Stop this right now! Look at what she is doing to us. Yet another reason none of us can have her. Clearly, there is a part of each of us that is drawn to the little vixen. But our brotherhood comes first. Our people come first.”

Grayer clutches his heart necklace, which also holds his glass orb from Arabella.

He says nothing. I am never jealous of Grayer or Koi for the females they choose to warm their beds.

But Grayer had my jealousy in full swing as I watched him carry Arabella up the stairs to our tower of the castle, collecting her giggles and smiles.

I think we all looked a bit longingly at the view.

“While we are on the subject, one of us should always keep a watch on her—from afar.” I direct this last sentiment to Gray and Koi.

“The idea of being our prisoner for the first few days is something I think she will like. I imagine her stepmother never gave her a break. But she is a spitfire. I don’t imagine she would enjoy being cooped up for too long. ”

“What, take her out at night so the other women and her deranged stepfamily don’t see her?! Her stepfamily will be suspicious, especially,” Koi replies, a chill crawling up my spine at the thought of their inevitable inquiries.

Sylas nods his head, crossing his arms but bringing his finger to his chin.

“We will have to think about this further. For now, her being sequestered in her room will have to do. But Koi’s question brings up another thing we have been putting off in place of chasing the vixen.

Now that we invited the selected females, they will be here tomorrow.

They will expect us to court them. This means you too, Gray.

We have a few weeks to make a final selection.

I know we have always rebelled against it, but we have no choice.

We weren’t born to marry for love, brothers.

I suggest we all make peace with the fact that this is our lot in life.

That’s why we have each other and our bond. ”

Grayer’s eyes darken, and he broods. I think he is about to say something, but he decides against it, instead choosing to leave the room altogether. “We will have to keep an eye on Gray,” I shoot directly to just Sylas.

Sylas nods. “Only I have the key to her room.”

Koi sighs, leaning his head back on the couch to look at the ceiling. Our conversation reached a natural conclusion. None of us are feeling any better.

* * *

“I’m getting Arabella some food. I doubt her stepmother fed her that well, and it’s been many hours since we locked her up,” Sylas sends down the bond.

After putting on loungewear, I put the bandana in my pocket. I am keeping it only as evidence. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself.

I catch Sylas as he also leaves his room. We head down to the kitchen in silence.

“Good evening, boys!” Margie, the kitchen head chef, coos.

Margie has been here since day one. She is a delightful, plump lady who tells it like it is.

She also never treated us like princes, much to the council’s dismay.

We have had to fight to keep Margie on plenty of times after she presented herself in a ‘non-royal etiquette’ manner. “What can I do ya’s for?”

“Can we get today’s dinner selection on a tray? With dessert. Maybe a bottle of wine that would pair well with it.”

Margie, the ever-nosy cook, cocks her hip.

“Entertaining a lady love, are we? Made her ride your cocks too much, the poor girl is spent?” Again, no filter.

Sylas laughs. “Not quite, Margie. Please keep this under wraps. We may have a prisoner in one room in our tower. She will not have access to the castle just yet, but we will need to provide her with regular meals.”

“I see. And why is she near you and not in our actual dungeon?”

“She’s not that kind of prisoner,” is all I can find to say.

Margie cackles. “You boys like her.” She cackles more. “This is going to be fun to watch.” She scoops the stew into a bowl, adds a side bun and salad to the tray. She goes to the fridge and picks out a few assorted petit fours and adds them to the silver tray.

“It’s not like that, Margie,” Sylas corrects.

“Sure, boys. Be sure not to blunder this one up.” Margie just pats both of our faces, then hands me the Merlot she selected for the earlier dinner service.

“I think I am going to want to meet this one, especially since you lot are already putting up a fuss for her.” She continues to cackle away, going to her next task in the kitchen, dismissing us.

By the time we get to our wing, Koi and Grayer are already leaning up against the wall outside of Arabella’s room.

“Really? Waiting by the door like lovesick puppies?!”

“Shut it, Arch, you seem to carry the bottle of wine for Arabella. I think you are just as curious.”

Sylas hands Koi the tray as he pockets for the key. Grayer is still brooding, not making eye contact with any of us.

Sylas unlocks the door. I think we all expected her to escape, or at least bulldoze past us in a run once we opened it. But instead, we walk into the room with her splayed out on the bed. She must have been so exhausted, she didn’t even lift the covers.

The first thing I notice is her bare legs in the tiny shorts. I crave running my hands up those long pale legs. But then I notice how she must have changed the sheets. And also got to dusting? A dusty shirt lies on the floor.

“We forgot to send someone to clean the damn room,” Koi notes, mirroring my observation.

We all just stare at the little mystery, snoozing so peacefully.

Koi sets down the tray on the table by her bed with a clink. This has Arabella shooting up from her slumber.

“Wh-what are you all doing towering over my bed?”

“Your bed? No, darling, that is our bed. Already comfortable, I see?” Being so angry at her is only getting harder to do. Especially when she gives me that cute half-awake, curious face.

“Right. Wow, I didn’t realize how tired I was. What time is it?”

“A little past seven. We brought you some food.” Sylas points to the tray of food on her table. She crawls over to the table, basically showing us her perfect ass in those tiny sleep shorts. We all internally groan, except for Grayer, who groans out loud.

“What’s wrong?” The clueless little thief asks.

“Nothing, Sunshine.” Koi saunters over to help her lift the cloche. Arabella opts for the salad and bun right away. She eyes the wine but just arches her perfect eyebrow my way. As if to say, are you going to offer?

I sigh. “Care for some wine, dear prisoner?” She giggles. The sweetest sound.

“Why yes, Sir Prince of Iciness, I would love a glass of wine. If I had a corkscrew, I can cork it and pour it. Wouldn’t want to mar your delicate, pretty hands.” I try not to, but I smile.

“Here, allow me, Duchess. We don’t have a corkscrew up here. But…” Grayer uses his fire affinity to put a little heat on the neck of the bottle, which makes the cork pop out from the heat pressure.

He pours her a glass and hands it to her. But instead of moving away, he sits next to her on the bed. His smile is back, and it’s just for her.

She moans after having a sip. I adjust myself in my pants. I think I caught the others doing the same. We just watch her eat. As if it’s the most captivating thing on the planet.

“This wine is so good. Love the salad and bun! Thank you!”

“Why not the stew, Sunshine?”

“Oh.” She blushes. “I didn’t want to say anything and be rude. My diet doesn’t include meat. I have been a vegetarian since childhood.”

“Is it because you talk to animals?” Koi asks.

She almost coughs out her dessert. She clears her throat. “I-I don’t know what you mean.”

“Cut the crap, little thief. We all caught you commanding those snakes and birds. I have never seen snakes so organized, or birds so vengeful for no reason.”

“Just—please don’t tell my stepfamily. They don’t know. Few do.” She looks with those big doe eyes at all of us and waits as we nod our heads in compliance.

Two mice poke out from under her pillow. They are both wearing little shirts.

“This is Kip and Bert. My familiars and closest friends. Fuck, that sounds so lame. But it’s true.

They were the ones who helped with stealing your pendants.

” Both mice sit up more proudly as if confirming their treachery.

She giggles. “Yes, you are the bravest mouse in all the lands, Kip.” She kisses the tops of the heads of the little mice.

They jump off her palm and sit next to her on the bed, accepting the tiny crumbs left over from her bun.

“So, you can communicate with animals. Is there anything else you can do?”

“Nope.” She pops the ‘p.’

At this moment, Jett decides it’s the perfect time to barge in and practically tackle Arabella.