Page 9 of Moonstriker (The Summertide Chronicles #4)

Chapter 9

Kit

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

No, seriously.

Aubrey’d been about to snark back at me, which was cute—almost endearing—when he’d started convulsing instead. A moment later he dropped, and I barely had time to jump and catch him before his head hit the ground, his body still shaking uncontrollably as he lay on the tile floor of the terrace.

My hands were shaking almost as much as he was, because what the hells was I supposed to do? I’d never been so helpless in my fucking life.

Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. His whole body went slack and he started breathing properly again. Within seconds, he was blinking, staring up at me with those giant bright blue eyes of his.

His voice was low and raspy when he asked, “What the heck just happened?”

Now, I had a clue what had happened. Nikka had warned me that this was going to be hard on him, and I hadn’t expected otherwise. But seeing it in person, it was somehow worse than I’d been expecting.

“You just had a...I don’t know, was that a seizure?” Titania asked, her voice high and watery, clearly holding back tears. “Should we go? Take you to a hospital? Where’s the nearest hospital?”

Aubrey, as I’d rather expected, was already shaking his head in denial. Then he paused, winced, and put a hand to his temple. “No. I’m okay. I just...I don’t know what happened. One minute everything was fine, the next everything was shaking. And there was a loud noise.”

“I’ve heard of this,” Ember said, though she was biting her lip. Ahh, the problem with being one of the normal-ish members of a genius family. Half the time you didn’t trust what you knew, because someone else around was surely more clever than you, right? I’d done the same for years. When Titania and Aubrey looked at her like she held all the answers to everything and no one shouted her down, she took a deep breath and continued. “The altitude. Some, um, mountain climbers have noticed it as an issue, being exposed to high altitude for the first time can cause seizures.”

“That’s true,” I agreed. It wasn’t what was wrong with Aubrey, but it was as good an answer as anything, and frankly, I needed Titania and Aubrey to not rush back to Amalion City to find a doctor for him. Titania seemed on the cusp of doing just that, so if Ember calmed her down, that might help. I turned back to look at Aubrey. “Have you ever been up this high before?”

Slowly, he sat up, still trembling slightly, but he shook his head. “No. I was...I was born near the coast. Out in The Banks in Duskbringer lands.”

I hadn’t known that for certain, but it had been a reasonable enough guess, from his slight accent—it was barely noticeable, but it was there. Most people I’d known in my life had called it “Gloomer,” because of its origin on the coast of what had then been called Gloombringer lands.

I looked at Aubrey and hoped his pride was on the same level as mine, and wouldn’t allow him to back down if challenged. “There you go, must be that. I mean, unless you feel like something else is wrong with you. Do you think you need to go to a doctor?”

It was subtle, the tone and facial expressions I used to imply that going to a doctor sounded like weakness to me. I didn’t want Titania to pick up that I was manipulating him. Hells, I barely wanted him to pick up on it.

Nikka had spent a decade telling me how Aubrey wasn’t like other boys, but I had doubts about that. And there, in that moment, he proved me right. He drew himself up, those wide shoulders going straight and taut, and he shook his head even as he winced at the motion. “I’m fine. If it’s just altitude, I can handle it.”

Titania frowned, clearly not impressed with our nonsense, but she also didn’t say anything. She’d probably put up with a lot more ridiculous blustering from her brother in the last forty-some years, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if she couldn’t even put a finger on why the conversation bothered her.

But no, she proved herself more clever than I’d hoped. “Are you sure, Aubrey? Your health is the most important thing. There’s no need to be too proud to go to the doctor.”

Damn her for being sensible.

“Why don’t we let him sleep on it?” I asked. “He looks exhausted.”

Aubrey’s eyes narrowed at that, and shit, trying to play on her concern was all well and good, but if it further activated his need to be the big strong man, he was going to hurt himself by pushing too hard.

So I jumped back in before he could get his back up too far. “Hells, I’m tired after just driving here, let alone driving here and then having a seizure. I might go to bed, too. Why don’t I help Aubrey back to his room, and you two go ahead and have dinner?”

The look on Ember’s face alone would have been payment enough for my service, pleased and grateful, if still a little worried about Aubrey. Titania glanced back at her, then ducked her head when she found Ember watching her avidly. It was the fucking cutest thing ever, and clearly Aubrey was not immune to how adorable it was.

“That seems like a good idea, Aunt Titania. I’ll go get some rest, and you stay and have dinner. I’ll talk to you in the morning. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said, drawing the word out, uncertain but hopeful. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to a doctor?”

“If it happens again, I’ll think about it,” he agreed, squeezing her hand tight. “Promise.”

Maybe I hadn’t given Aubrey Sagara enough credit for his intelligence. Promising made her feel better about it, even if what he’d promised was literally worthless. Promising to think about a thing was as useful as an IOU written in lipstick on a bar napkin. It was a trick I’d used myself, because so many people were taken in just by the word promise when said with conviction.

Titania let me help him up, and while he was more reticent about it, he allowed it as well. I was rather impressed, because the man was a solid wall of muscle. I hadn’t been expecting that. He looked big, sure, but that was because he had those wide shoulders and was almost as tall as Father or Frost. I’d assumed the baggy T-shirt had been masking a thin frame.

But no. He was built like a bull under there.

I valiantly refrained from copping a feel. Just because he was hot didn’t mean I liked him. Not that I hadn’t fucked plenty of people I hadn’t liked very much, but this was a very different situation.

Still, I’d agreed to see him to his room, so I dutifully brought him all the way upstairs to the door to the Cedar Suite.

He didn’t thank me, just nodded, which was frankly more than I’d expected. Then, just as churlish as he’d proven already, he turned and shut the door in my face.

Ugh. Good riddance. This whole thing couldn’t be over soon enough.

Then I could figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life.

I did consider heading right to bed, or at least to my room to read, but then my stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten dinner. Dammit.

So I slunk down the back stairs, avoiding going past the terrace windows, and made my way into the kitchen.

Weirdly, Rain was in there. He was talking to Zana, who smiled and blushed at him before ducking out of the room. That was my littlest brother. He charmed everyone, whether he was trying or not.

Well, Except Oberon Gloombringer and Huxley Dawnchaser, but those two had both had their heads so far up their asses they hadn’t been able to see anything but themselves.

He turned to smile at me. “Kit. I heard you were here, but we hadn’t seen you yet. How are you doing?”

How was I doing? That was...I just blinked for a moment, completely at a loss. How was I?

You’re a disaster , Nikka sighed. But even I know that’s not what he needs to hear .

Fair, that.

“I’m fine,” I said instead, giving a halfhearted shrug. “It’s good we’re finally here getting this done.”

Funny, referring to something that had been my whole life for so many years in such casual terms.

He sighed and nodded, glancing down at the kitchen counter before leaning against it. Damn Moonstriker formal clothes. I did not miss wearing so much white that I had to check every surface I might brush against for dust. “It is good. But Zana tells me you just took Aubrey to his room. Is he okay? Should we get him to a hospital?”

And that? That was a weird reaction when he didn’t even know what had happened. I knew Rain had met Aubrey at the peace-summit-that-wasn’t, but how had he gotten so attached that he would risk the world for one guy’s health? “He had a seizure. Ember said she’d heard of people having that reaction to high altitude before. He’ll be fine.”

He frowned, biting his lip, but nodded. “It’s...not unheard of. But it could be something serious. Maybe?—”

“Seriously, Rain, he’s fine. He was back to his old charming douchebag self less than five minutes after the event.” I waved a hand in the direction I’d come from. “He slammed the door of his suite in my face and everything.”

That inspired one of Rain’s usual bitchfaces. “You didn’t think maybe that had more to do with you than him? I’ve met Aubrey, and he was very nice to me.”

“Everyone is nice to you unless they’re a giant gaping asshole. Your judgment is inherently flawed, because you’re too nice. And important. To those of us who are normal, non-rich, non-future-family-heads, Aubrey’s kind of a dick.”

Rain remained unimpressed, scowling at me, disbelieving. Still, after a moment he shook his head and continued. Dammit. “Regardless of how Aubrey feels about you or why, it’s important that he’s okay. He’s...important.”

“Yeah, yeah, last heir to the Duskbringer, blah blah?—”

“Not that.” He looked to where the cook was working busily across the room and took a step toward me, leaning in. “When they met for the first time, and Adair saw his threads? He passed out.”

For a moment, all I could do was blink. Threads? Passed out?

Right, threads. Adair was bonded to a moon tear. He saw the so-called threads of fate. Huxley had more than once complained about how he wanted the special magic boy for himself. I had always thought he wanted the magic for himself more than he gave a single damn about Adair.

If Adair had passed out upon catching a glimpse of Aubrey, it meant that Aubrey’s threads must be unusual. Overwhelming, even. Ugh. So Rain and Adair were already sort of aware of what I’d been working toward all along, even if they didn’t understand what it meant. This was the problem with the families not communicating with each other. No one knew everything.

And me? I was never going to be the one to start show and tell.

Instead, I waved it off. “It’s not an aneurysm or whatever you’re worried about. He’s going to be fine. I promise.” I leaned in, looking him in the eye. “You could tell if I were lying, don’t you think?”

“I could,” he agreed. “But Kit, how exactly are you so sure what it isn’t?”

I sighed and rolled my eyes, letting my body fall against the counter. The cook, a lovely, motherly woman came up and set a tray of sliced, toasted bread slathered with butter on the butcher block next to me, and I turned to look at her, wondering whether she’d complain if I stole a piece.

As though she’d read my mind, she turned toward me, assessing, then pursed her lips and clucked at me. “Too scrawny,” she said with a sigh. “Let me get you some soup.”

I could have kissed her.

“Kit?” Rain prodded, still standing there, inconvenient little bugger that he was. Little siblings, man.

I sighed and turned to him. “If I tell you I know exactly what’s going on, and it’s under control, will you leave me alone?”

“Not too likely, no.”

Of course not.

He stepped right up next to me, and for the first time, I realized that my brother was the same height as me now. Also, he was pretty good at being intimidating. Bravo, Rain.

“You planned what happened at the summit,” he said, voice still low. “And I love you, and you’re my brother, but you knew Oberon was going to be killed and you didn’t try to stop it. I can’t trust that you have everyone’s best interests in mind. What if it turns out that Oberon’s son is just as expendable to you as Oberon was?”

It was a valid point, and I couldn’t deny it. Worse yet, if Aubrey dying meant that the world would be saved, I wouldn’t have hesitated to follow through with The Plan anyway. One life weighed against millions was a price I was willing to pay, even if that was unethical and immoral of me.

My little brother knew me all too well, really.

I threw my hands up in the universal sign of supplication, and lowered my head, never failing to meet his gaze. “I promise, I don’t believe Aubrey Sagara’s life is in danger. If anything, I intend to protect him.” I huffed when he remained unmoved. “Dammit, I brought a whole fucking bag of granola bars for his whiny ass, what more does everyone want from me?”

That, finally, caught Rain’s attention and sucked the seriousness out of him. “Granola bars?”

“Yes, granola bars. He’s one of those fucking weirdos who likes them.”

He took a step back, eyeing me up and down for a moment, but he didn’t ask how I knew that. He just shook his head, lips pursed, looking surprisingly much like his mother. “Are you planning for any of us to be killed? For there to be violence?”

“Mount Slate is gonna be an asshole,” I answered instantly. “But no. I don’t think anyone else is going to be violent, and if I can stop it, no one is going to die here.”

That seemed to satisfy him, and he nodded, though he was still watching me, his demeanor something between hostile and confused. Then, even more weirdly, he threw his arms around me. “I missed you, you know.”

Aww hell, what could I say to that?

I hugged him back and whispered, “Missed you too, little brother.”