“Funny, a monkey introducing another monkey.”
“I’ll stab you!” My mate glares at Harvey, who waves his hand in the air, dismissing her threat completely.
“She absolutely would, you know,” Seiji warns him, but like Nevaeh is immune to Harvey’s threats, he seems immune to hers.
“Oh, I’m used to it. Nevaeh started threatening to choke people and cussing like a pirate when she was barely five. I don’t doubt she will go through with it, but if you know monkey, you know she wouldneverhurt someone she cares about.”
Scoffing under her breath, my mate is intent on not letting Harvey see how much his words mean to her. ‘Sappy asshole’ she grumbles to herself quietly.
“Why do you keep calling her monkey? I thought little August was our one and only monkey.”
Before Harvey can answer Grace, Nevaeh practically hisses, “Don’t. You. Dare.”
Harvey ignores her completely. Again. I think I’m starting to love their connection and banter. Even when she had all of us with her, Nevaeh needed something or someone good from her childhood to remind her not everything has changed in her life.
“Ever seen a monkey in action?” everyone nods, but I keep my head buried in her neck, kissing her, breathing her scent to relax. “Well, she was exactly like those mischievous little beasts. She ran after every shiny thing, watching the chaos unfold when she stole something important and hid it. The entire kingdom would go wild, trying to find it. Let’s not forget her bright red chipmunk cheeks—”
“Alright, I think they get it.”
A door to our far left bangs shut, and Khatri strides in, ready to update me, when Harvey shoots up from his seat. In three long strides, both men engulf each other, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Khatri laugh this loud for as long as I’ve known him.
The reunion between teary-eyed men who reminisce about the days before the light in our kingdom was stolen gives me a little peek into how everyone back home will react to having their missing Horsemen back home.
Nevaeh is stiff in my arms, and I know it’s because she feels worse now that Harvey remembers Khatri and their past when she can barely thread two memories together without blanking on the details.
“Nothing to fret about, sweetheart. We can always make more memories,” whispering so only she can hear me, I bring her back to the present.
Turning to me with a sad smile, she narrows her eyes. “Black magic.”
I can’t help but chuckle at my silly mate. I don’t know how it started, but every time I comfort her about something without her verbally telling me, she says the same thing. It’s not black magic or witchcraft, but my boundless devotion to her. Could also be how I can’t keep my eyes off her.
Everyone is starting to show the effects of our long night, but there’s one thing left to do before this day ends.
“We need to talk.”
“About?” Strangely, Harvey looks as if he was expecting this.
I nod at Grace, who chews her bottom lip so hard I’m afraid she will draw blood. Turning towards my mate, who is fighting sleep, I ask her to freshen up while I quickly discuss something with Harvey.
Nevaeh doesn’t hesitate before kissing my cheek and taking off to her room. It’s sometimes strange to see the same woman who is so stubborn and loudmouth in the most adorable way be so trusting and depending on me. I feel proud to be someone she doesn’t have to doubt or question to know if I have her best interest in mind.
“Come on,” I lead us to the elevator and then to the roof. If I have this conversation on our floor, Nevaeh will hear it, and I can’t risk telling her just yet. I have to wait until she’s in a better head space before dumping this on her.
Harvey, the daredevil, climbs the railing to sit down on the edge of the roof, so I follow. We’re silent as I try to figure out where to start, but there’s no good way to say this.
“Harvey…”
“If you’re going to tell me about my parents, I already know.”
My head snaps in his direction. I hate the way he blankly stares at the city lights with that faraway look in his eyes. He is trying to act as if his whole world isn’t falling apart, but it is, and I don’t want him to hide that from me.
“Visha told me. I didn’t believe her at first, but then Ifeltit. My Divine was stronger than ever, and I felt the power shift. I so badly wanted it to be another thing she was using to manipulate me, but I knew she wasn’t lying. Not this time.”
I don’t know what to say or how to start apologizing for everything he has lost, but when he turns to me with a sad smile, I don’t have to say the words for him to know.
“I’ve hadyearsto come to terms with it, brother.” With a weak chuckle, Harvey shakes his head, running his handthrough his messy hair. “Not going to lie, I had a little hope, just a bit, that maybe by some miracle when I return home, they’ll be waiting for me. It was nothing more than wishful thinking, but at least it didn’t let me give up on going home.”
“I’m sorry, Harvey. I wish things were different.” My hand rests on his back. Feeling the raised skin I know came from years of abuse, I do my best not to flinch as I rub his back.
