“No, Jenny, even the goddess gets it wrong sometimes,” Gem says seriously, and I feel his pang of need inside our bond. All three of us know it isn’t going to change one damn thing.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Colbie
The sweet sound of a child singing is the first thing I register as I struggle to wake up. My body aches, and my limbs are so heavy I can barely lift them. I crack an eyelid open, and I wince at the throb my head gives as the light attacks my senses.
“Ugh,” I groan and put a hand over my face to block out the offensive brightness as I struggle to sit up.
“Colbie, you’re awake! I knew my singing would help.” Is that Archie? Why is he sitting on the end of my bed?
A hand on my arm helps me, and I can smell violets—sweet, fresh, and delicate but strong, like I’m sitting in a field of them. “Here, let me help you. Archie, go dim the lights a little.” I feel him jump to do as she asked.
Huh, Violet smells like her namesake. I’ve never noticed before. I feel her put a couple of pillows behind my body as I drag it up the bed. Huffing from exertion, I lean back against them and try to crack my eyes open again. This time, I have moresuccess, and I feel a small body jump back onto my bed as Archie appears in my line of sight, grinning like a loon.
“Colbie, did you miss me like I missed you? I told my papa that you and I are going to get married, but we’re going to have to wait until I’m a little older, okay? Papa says I need to finish high school first, but you can live here with me, and we can hang out and play video games. I bet because you’re going to be my wife, Papa and Mama will even let me play Shifter Quest if you ask them to.”
Violet giggles as I try to wrap my head around everything that just came out of Archie’s mouth. Before I can even form a response, the door to my room flies open, and I flinch back in surprise. Standing there is a gorgeous blonde woman who’s about my height and age, with beautiful, deep ocean blue eyes that look fairly freaking mad at the moment, but she’s not glaring at me. Instead, her attention is on the boy on my bed. He shrinks in on himself and holds out his hand, grabbing mine and mumbling, “Uh-oh.”
“Archer Lucas Frankland. What did I tell you about leaving Colbie be?” She storms over to the bed and looks down at him.
His hand shakes in mine, but I see him steel his spine and look the woman directly in the eye. “But, Mama, you and Papa told me that when the people we love are sick, we need to do everything in our power to make them feel better, so I sang to Colbie just like you sing to me when I’m sick, and she woke up.” He sounds proud, and I see his mother melt at the super sweet words. Gosh, this kid is adorable. Heck, maybe I should wait for him to leave high school. He’s ten times more charming than any adult male I’ve ever dated.
She chuckles and ruffles his hair, all the tension draining out of her body. “I can see she is awake. That must have been some powerful singing. Good job.”
“Colbie, this is Princess Gracelin,” Violet murmurs from the side where she’s been watching the action, struggling to contain her amusement.
My attention sharpens as she mentions the woman’s name. I look closer, and I recognize the familiar features of my old childhood friend in this elegant woman’s face.
Gracelin turns her attention to me, and she studies me with the same intense scrutiny. She gestures for Archie to move over and make space then takes a seat in the bed, grabbing my other hand that Archie isn’t currently clinging to and giving it a squeeze. “Hello, Colbie. I don’t know how to thank you for what you did for my son.”
“I remember you,” I murmur, and she nods.
“Yes, we were friends a long time ago,” she confirms, and another flash of locked away memories flutters through my mind like an old movie reel—tea parties, hide-and-seek, snuggling on the couch watching movies and eating popcorn, playing board games and laughing and shouting over winning or losing, then the heartache and tears of realizing my friends were gone and never coming back. My mother told me I had to go to my grandparents if I was going to cry every time the queens came and didn’t bring their children. She said I wasn’t special enough to be their friends any longer. Fuck, that hurt. How could she have been such a bitch to me? I had obviously locked all of that away.
“And you went away without saying goodbye and didn’t come back,” I say flatly, and her eyes shine with unshed tears.
“Yes, we did. Our mothers thought it would be better for all of us to have a clean break. Your mother hadn’t told you we were shifters, and ours were worried we would shift in front of you and scare you. Apparently, we were pretty cocky once we gained control of our shifts.” She winces. “They were probably right, especially Gryffin. He shifted as often as he could and liked toscare the castle staff by jumping out at them. Gretchin wasn’t much better. They turned it into a competition to see who could get the loudest shrieks. They were menaces.” The affection in her tone tells me how much she loves her brother and sister.
The door bangs open, and another girl walks in. This one is tall and slender but looks strong. Her black hair is shaved close to her head, and her dark skin glimmers in the low light. She has the same deep, ocean blue eyes as Gracelin, but they are currently glaring at her. “Gracelin, are you telling tall tales? I’m almost certain you were the one who started that game and convinced Gryffin and me to play it.”
“Gretchin, keep your voice down. Poor Colbie only just woke up. She doesn’t need your harpy tones in her ears,” Gracelin scolds her sister who walks closer to us, her attention turning to the boy on the bed.
“Weren’t you told to stay away?” She lifts one elegant eyebrow before tickling Archie. He dissolves into giggles and throws his arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. She pretends to choke like she can’t breathe and flops down on the bed too. It’s getting awfully crowded on my bed. If Violet joined us, we would have the makings of a slumber party. We just need popcorn and movies.
Violet clears her throat, getting everyone’s attention.
“Uh-oh, we’re busted,” Gretchin whispers to Archie, who giggles again. Gretchin turns her attention to me and smiles widely, and I have a vivid memory of her smiling at me just like that when we were kids, except back then, she had braces.
“Hey, Colbie, looks like we’re going to get to hang out again.” I blink a couple of times, and once again, Violet clears her throat.
“Is someone going to tell the king and queens that Colbie is awake? We were instructed to let them know as soon as she woke up.”
Gracelin and Gretchin exchange a glance, and both shrug, neither of them volunteering for the job.
“Not it,” they exclaim together, and my friend rolls her eyes in exasperation.
