"I do as well, but right now we don't really have time to deal with that truth. We need to get back to Stratford and figure out our next move."
My head was a mess, and Justice deserved better than that. Besides, we didn't know for sure we were true mates, no matter what my body was telling me.
I released her, and in the same moment pulled my phone out to call Tyson.
"Everything okay?" he asked, answering on the second ring.
"I need a step-through," I said shortly, my emotions all over the place.
True mates.Dammit to hell. This was not the time to be dealing with my personal life.
"Be right there."
The line went dead but he knew how to track me through our bond. I felt it surge inside and Justice raised an eyebrow at the burst of Tyson’s magic smashing through my energy.
"You … felt that?" I asked, surprised because my bond to my brothers was subtle when we were apart. No one outside of the bond should feel it.
"Your power is impressive," she admitted, sounding like she wished she could insult me instead. Her need to throw barbs at me in the form of snarky dialogue was one of my favorite facets of Justice’s personality.
"Your power is impressive too,” I told her. “The day you decide to control and strengthen your energy, you'll be quite the formidable supernatural."
She wrinkled her nose at me. "Please, no dick measuring here."
I crowded her again, which was apparently my signature move lately. "Why so prickly, Ruby?"
Her throat worked as she opened her mouth, before slamming it shut again. Finally, she said, "I don't know any other way to be. When your innocence and softness is stripped away, in brutal abrasive ways, you become nothing but prickly edges and shattered dreams."
I was going to kill every single one of the humans who had hurt her. It was high on my list of priorities. We might not be at a place to deal with the "possible true mates" situation, but that didn't mean that I wouldn’t protect Justice with all I had.
It was the least she deserved.
A step-through appeared in the middle of the deserted street. At this point it didn’t really matter if we were spotted anyway.
That ship of keeping us secret from humans had already sailed. At least from the humans who mattered—the ones in power.
"Aren't you two a sight for sore eyes," Tyson said, jovially. A spark of joy at seeing my brother after so long unfurled inside of me, and I found myself moving forward to give him a hug.
"We really missed you," Tyson said, pulling away and clasping a hand on Justice's shoulder. "Let's get home and figure out what the fuck to do about the president."
"President Fuckface." It sounded like Justice muttered beneath her breath. No one here was going to disagree.
Tyson's step-through was still swirling strongly, so we filed through, leaving him to shut it down. That sort of magic was not something the fey had access to, most of us anyway, but Justice and the jeweled princesses did have a similar rainbow version.
I should have let her try it.
I had to get my shit together and stop acting like the worst stereotype of a fucking caveman around her. A huge part of me wanted to throw her over my shoulder, carry her to my “cave,” and keep her there, protected from the harsh realities of the world.
Only I knew I was years too late for that. Justice had been through more than I could understand. I might not know all the details, but I read between the lines, and there were dark demons in her past. Demons I wanted to fight until they were conquered.
Which of course, made it very hard for me to be of the mindset that this true mate journey was not the right path for me. These warring emotions were going to destroy me if I let them.
So for now … I’d just be patient, see what happened with the president … and deal with the rest once we didn’t have this emotional escalation from the drama in our lives.
That would be best for everyone.
* * *
Stratford looked exactly the same.To be expected when I’d only been gone for a month, butdamnI had missed this place. Just being back near my house and the forest that spanned far into the distance, shading the back porch of our wood cabin, soothed my nature-loving soul. The first thing I wanted to do was spend hours among the familiar trees, but there was no time for that. My brothers and I were gathered in the council leader’s office, waiting for the email from the president.
