“Is that so?” I ask. “What about me?”
She cuts her eyes at me, faking a serious stare. When I mimic the look, she laughs, then focuses on her task.
“You can have some too, but Creed gets extra because he said he’d get all my things.”
Annalise glances up at me with a soft and knowing expression. My gaze travels over to Lambrit’s dining table, where he, Rose, Yemi, Doren, and now Iric sit. There’s a quiet heaviness lingering over them as they silently sip their coffee.
Thayla’s body leans into mine when I brace my hands on the counter and crowd behind her. A soft sigh flows through her nose as I lay my lips against her temple.
Then she scoffs as I steal her mug and down the remaining bit.
“Rude,” she snorts. “You can fix me some more.”
“Sure thing, little goddess.” I chuckle.
I spin toward the table and return Yemi’s small smile. She’s so damn observant. I swear not a damn thing gets by her.
“It’s so cool you’re a goddess, Thayla, and Lambrit’s a god. Will I be a goddess someday?” Laney asks.
Lambrit whips his wide eyes in her direction like the thought of that never crossed his mind. By the looks of it, he doesn’t care too much for that idea.
“Um, well, yeah. I believe you will be,” Thayla says.
“Because I live here now?”
Thayla shifts from side to side on her feet. Her eyes search mine for an answer when I step beside her and set her fresh cup of coffee down.
“Yep,” I say, smiling brightly at Laney. “When you get a little bit older, you’ll have what’s called a Coming-of-Age Day and that’s the day you get some of your power.”
Her eyes widen, then she grins at me like I just made her dreams come true.
“I can’t wait to grow up,” she squeals.
My mouth parts, ready to tell herlet’s not wish away time, then I immediately decide against that. She goes back to stirring the muffin mix feverishly, and her random bouts of laughter fill the silence that settles around the house.
Every now and then, quiet murmurs drift from the table over here, but nothing is spoken loud enough that she or Thayla and me can hear.
Time passes us by normally after that, although nothing is normal at all. It’s incredibly strange for me—no doubt my brothers as well—to be in a situation like this.
We aren’t grieving, but we’re hurting for them. Thayla, Lambrit, and Laney. It pains me to witness them in this phase of mourning and there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it.
Cracking jokes doesn’t feel right.
Flirting seems like I’m crossing an inconsiderate line.
Raging out would probably make this ten times worse.
All I can do is…be here.
Laney freezes for a moment with a spoonful of sweet cream an inch from her mouth when the sound of the door opening echoes through the house. Not a second later, the voices drift through as well.
She squeals, then hops down from the chair so fast it nearly tips behind her.
“They’re back!”
She bolts from the kitchen, bare feet slapping against the floor. She skids to a stop as Riven appears first. He gives her a big-ass smile as he takes a knee and opens his arms wide.
“Miss me?” he asks.
