At least in death, I’d be free of Remus. At least I wouldn’t continue to be chained to him for eternity.
But now Layden is alive, walking around upstairs with Lauren. And our father too—our monstrous, manipulative father who survived being burned down to an ember, who crawled back from literal ash.
Now that we know these bodies are truly indestructible, that though we may appear to die, no death is truly possible...
My stare drifts bleakly to the far stone wall, where ancient scorch marks still mar the surface from some long-ago battle.
There will never be any escape for me.
Did Remus realize the same thing? Is that why he made this rash move now? Or has he simply been biding his time since he was freed from the dungeon chains, waiting for his chance to steal himself a consort of his very own?
If we were burned in a great fire like we did our father and came back from embers, would we grow back to this same shape, still so tightly bound to one another? What would it be like to each have our own bodies? To be able to walk in oppositedirections, to never feel the pull of the other consciousness lurking just beneath the surface?
It’s a foolish thought and one I imagined I’d outgrown centuries ago.
Usually, I have a far more iron grip over my own mind because I know Remus can see it all. And he is the last being I will appear weak in front of.
I stand straighter, roll my shoulders back, and clear my mind of such foolishness.
There is only strength in me. Only determination to see to my task: protecting the woman and getting her as far away from him as possible before he wakes up again.
I’ll only allow my twin to ruin one life—mine.
I might not know her well, but I know she deserves so much better than him. She’s intelligent, and beautiful, and?—
And she’s coming back down the stairs, Layden at her heels.
What did they talk about? My tail flicks once—irritated, curious.
Hannah and the others have finished dessert by the time Lauren’s back, the plates scraped clean except for a few crumbs.
“I saved you two some pie.” Hannah bounces up as soon as they return to the table, her energy seemingly endless despite having chased a flying toddler around all day. “We were thinking of heading out to the lake in a bit. Raven loves to swim.”
“Oh.” Lauren’s eyes glance my way, lingering for just a heartbeat before she looks back to Hannah and smiles. “An afternoon swim sounds really fun. Remus got me a swimsuit when he ordered me a bunch of clothes. I’ll save the pie for afterward.”
Of course he did. Of course Remus thought of everything.
“Let’s get in the lake then,” Ksenia groans, leveraging herself up from the chair with visible effort. “I’d give anything to feelweightless right now.” She stands and rubs her lower back with one hand, the other cradling her protruding belly.
“Of course, my love.” Kharon materializes behind her immediately, one of his three pairs of arms wrapping protectively around her stomach while another set massages her shoulders with gentle pressure. His remaining hands support her back. “I’ll go up and get your suit.”
“I don’t care about a suit,” she says irritably, waving him off. “I’ll just go in this and you can bring me a change of clothes later.”
“Excellent idea.” Kharon nods over and over, his dark eyes soft with concern. “Whatever you need.”
Hannah beams at him for his attentiveness, that warm maternal approval radiating from her.
“I’ll get towels,” Abaddon announces, already rising.
Lauren looks directly at me. “You coming?”
It sounds like a challenge. Like she’s daring me to say no.
I stand up stiffly, wings shifting behind me. “I usually join the family on lake outings.”
“Perfect!” Hannah snatches Raven out of the air where she’s been fluttering near the chandelier. Raven giggles and her black wings flap harder like she’s trying to escape her mother’s grasp—until Hannah says, “Honey, we’re going to the lake.”
The toddler’s bright eyes widen with pure delight and she wriggles out of her mom’s arms anyway, flying toward the stairs in a blur of feathers and enthusiasm.
