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singing Power by Little Mix while mentally putting my middle finger up at Seth.
It had actually been Tory’s idea which was totally insane. I couldn’t get over how onboard she was with this, but since she’d told me the details about hooking up with Darius I guessed she couldn’t really judge. And though I knew she was beating herself up over what she’d done, a part of me knew that she felt something for Darius she couldn’t explain. And whatever it was, she had to work through it herself.
“And happy holidass Queen Tory!” She snorted, falling apart with laughter. “Do you see what I did? Instead of saying A.S.S I made it into the word ass!” “Oh I never noticed it spells that before,” Tory said with a smirk.
I glanced over my shoulder at my sister and couldn’t help but pull her into a hug the second she got close.
“Come in,” Orion said formally and I smirked, taking hold of my zipper and pulling it half way down as I stepped into the room. Principal Nova was sitting in the chair opposite him, her back to me and I pulled the zipper up so fast I got my hair stuck in it. Ahhh! Orion gaped at me just as Nova swung around in her chair, raising a single dark eyebrow.
“I feel like Peter Pan. Always sneaking in your window.”
Tory stared at him then looked to me, then the bed. “Ew, dude!” Orion just smirked and she stared mock-angrily back at him.
Orion moved forward, plucking the dresses from her hands. “Let’s not get hasty, little arsonist. Remember what happened the last time you lit something on fire?” I thought of Darius’s room and Tory sucked on her lower lip innocently while I started laughing.
“You mean you’ll do it for us?” I asked sweetly. His eyes slid over me. “Yeah, of course Blue.” Tory’s brows lifted as she gazed at him. “The weirdest thing about all of this is you being nice, you know that right?”
We walked up the stairs slowly and I reached for her hand, suddenly needing the closeness of my twin at such a huge moment in our lives. She took it without complaint and I squeezed her fingers as we approached the ornate carving of our mother. “She looks like us,” I breathed.
I paused, my eyes falling shut as the strangest sense of warmth and safety slipped over me. Like I was being held tight in someone’s arms and nothing in the world could touch me.
The Phoenixes soared above them as the Hydra tilted all of his heads back to watch and the Harpy’s eyes glimmered with tears of pride. “That’s impossible,” I whispered, my breath fogging the glass of the mirror before me. How could someone have known what we’d be?
“Is that our mother?” Darcy breathed beside me. And as the woman in the image turned her face to look up at the sky, I realised she was right. There were some resemblances to us in her features. Her dark eyes were framed by thick lashes, almost like a mirror image of ours and something about the set of her full lips seemed familiar too.
We were gifted the sight of them too and my heart beat faster as we caught glimpses of them sneaking around a palace with white walls to meet each other in secret, stealing kisses beneath the stars, tangled in the sheets and flying through the clouds in their Order forms. Our father was a cold man but when he was alone with her, he smiled, laughed, loved. We saw glimpses of a lifetime of happiness between them. Of her calming his foul moods and tempering his rage time and again.
Their love would save her homeland from the wrath of The Savage King. Instead of conquering this beautiful land of sunshine and sand, he would marry its Princess and bring her home to rule at his side. Their love would save countless lives, not only here but in Solaria too. She’d seen it all. Like their destiny was unavoidable and the power of it greater than all the magic in the world.
It didn’t matter that he was a madman who had ordered more blood and death than any King or Queen in the history of this world, she would love all of the parts of him that no one else ever saw. She would find the good amongst the hate and bring him closer to the light.
We even saw her with a huge belly as he planted kisses against her skin and spoke to the babies growing inside her. Then we were shown the two of them cradling tiny twins close like their whole world began and ended with the little lives they’d created together.
One night, while our father slept, she took a pouch of stardust and travelled to the mortal realm with me and Darcy hidden beneath her cloak. Tears poured along her cheeks as she appeared in the house of a mortal family who had twins the same age as us.
She told them to love and protect us and raise us to be strong in spirit and mind. She sobbed as she left us there, taking their children in our place as she returned to the Palace of Souls.
It was me and Darcy sitting on the throne. Peace ruled in Solaria, the people were happy and the balance of power was restored. A dark shadow stood against us in the distance, but together, we just might have a chance of beating it and saving the people of Solaria. But without us, all hope was lost.
I didn’t know what to make of everything we’d just seen but a small, pathetic, aching part of me which I never liked to admit existed was tearing open. Our parents had loved us. Wanted us. They’d died wishing for a life with us. And that knowledge meant more to me than I’d ever imagined it could. “She loved us, Darcy,” I murmured. “Our father did too…no matter what else he was or what he did. Our parents wanted us.” Darcy burst into tears as she threw her arms around me and I felt myself trembling in her arms.
“We’ve never really had a home before,” Darcy said, sharing a look with me that said she wasn’t so sure about this either. “Well you do now,” Geraldine said firmly. “Our Princesses were lost for far too long.
full control of your destiny, even the stars won’t be prepared for the might you possess.”
We’d never asked for this destiny, never wanted this power or a throne or to be pitted against the Heirs. But it was ours all the same. We’d been born to rule over this kingdom and the strength of our father and love of our mother ran through our veins. We were the most powerful Order of Fae that had been seen in a thousand years. We were the first Fae to possess all four Elements in living memory. So maybe it was time we stopped denying our birth right. Because the Vegas had been born to rule. And I was sick of being forced to bow.
She’d known we’d walk in this palace again one day and unravel the secrets she’d left for us.
Our parents stood side by side, each of them holding a baby in their arms. My mouth parted at the way they looked at us, love pouring from their expressions. “Seek well, search deep.” Mother’s voice filled the air and I stilled. Tory looked to me, her wide eyes telling me she’d heard it too.
Astrum darted toward the secret door in the wall, guiding the boy’s hand forward to press against it. I looked down at the child with his raven hair and familiar eyes. I wasn’t sure if I really knew him or if the memory was tugging at emotions inside me, making me feel what Astrum had felt that day.
RHYSABD?
Lance: Merry Christmas, Blue. Looks like I’ll be spending it with you anyway. I guess you’ve heard the news?
Well, as normal as we could manage in the company of a man who would see us dead in a heartbeat. Especially if he knew we possessed the Fifth Element just like him. And that we were really Phoenixes instead of Fire Harpies. We were the biggest threat his family had ever known and he could never find that out. Not until we were trained well enough to protect ourselves.
“The Princesses wearing their mother’s dresses – it’s getting me all wet-eyed and wobbling.” She wafted her hands under her eyes and I frowned, nudging her softly to draw a smile from her.
“Do you think they’ll fit?” I wondered aloud, plucking an incredible rose gold dress off of the rack and holding it against me. “Looks like it will,” Tory said, picking out a heart-stopping ocean green dress.
We headed back into the bedroom and Geraldine burst into tears.
“You just look so magnanimous,” she said, holding a hand to each of our cheeks. “I’m the luckiest lady in the whole of Solaria. I feel like I’m floating upside down on a cloud covered in Faeflies.” “We wouldn’t get anywhere without you, Geraldine,” I said seriously and we all clutched each other in a tight embrace.
Maybe it was impossible for Elysian Mates to be anything but happy with each other. And that made my mind catch on Orion and wonder if we really could be destined for one another like my parents had been.
I glanced at Tory and we locked hands as if on instinct, walking down the steps side by side while every eye in the room scoured us.
There was an awkward pause where it seemed appropriate for either party to bow, but neither of us did.
“Beautiful,” Caleb’s mother, Melinda, agreed. “For a moment I thought I was seeing your mother twice.” She smiled kindly
Max’s throat bobbed as he stared at her. “Looking good, Grus,” he said and Seth rolled his eyes. “Will you walk with me?”
Max looked like he’d won the lottery as they headed away.
Tory huffed then Caleb dipped in, caught her waist and pressed a kiss to her lips. Darius stood behind them with his hands in his pockets, looking like he was about to go full Dragon on them. I couldn’t help a smirk as Tory danced away and Caleb hounded after her like a love-sick puppy.
“This isn’t how I planned to spend Christmas,” I whispered. “Me neither,” he murmured, throwing a glance at the Vampires in the room to check they weren’t listening. “It’s gonna be really awkward when the mailman shows up with my extra large sex toy delivery.” I laughed loudly in surprise and several of the Councillors looked our way.
where Tory sat between Darius and Caleb, both of their arms pressing against hers though they had plenty of room. She pouted, driving her elbows into them to make them back off
“Let us?” I asked with a laugh, raising my voice to make sure there was no chance of them missing my words. “Just whose palace are you in again?”
I nodded like he’d made a fair point and he pushed his appetiser into his mouth. “Of course, we are the most powerful Fae in the Kingdom,” I mused. “So I guess it would be ours whichever way you looked at it.”
“What kind of tradition is a snowball fight?” Darius asked on my right, drawing my attention around to him. “The only kind you can have when you’ve got no money and never spend a Christmas in the same place twice,” I replied in a sweet as pie voice while scowling at him.
“Actually, you could call that our Christmas tradition,” I said lightly. “It’s tradition for us to feel unwanted on Christmas Day. And thanks to you guys, we get to feel like that this year too. Even though it’s the first time we’ve actually got our own house to celebrate in, you all still made the effort to make sure we didn’t miss out on the feeling of being an unwelcome addition to the festivities. So thanks for that.”
“You’re not unwelcome,” Darius murmured so low that I wasn’t sure anyone else could hear him. “And I’m sorry we’re ruining your day.”
The heat faded from my veins and I found Max watching the two of us with a slight frown. My Phoenix Fire quickly burned through his magic and I rolled my eyes at him for trying to steal my lust as I returned my attention to my food.
“I can do that for you if you need help with it,” Caleb piped up and Darius set his glass down hard enough to rattle the cutlery.
“It’s hard when the girl you like won’t give you the time of day. One minute he thought they were all on then the next she’s back to ignoring him and hating him and…” He trailed off as we all looked at him and his gaze slid over me. “And he doesn’t need us laughing at him too,” he finished slowly.
