Page 36 of Whispers of the Water

Newt’s face brightened, and he nodded. “Th-thanks, G-G-Greshim.”

With the air feeling lighter, I clapped my hands and looked eagerly between the twins. “Now, who’s ready to play?”

Their hands immediately shot into the air as they cried in unison, “Me!”

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing cops and robbers, princess and princes, and Land Fae versus Water Fae—a rather awkward one to say the least.

When it was time to eat dinner, the three of us headed for the kitchen. We found all the guys and Avana at the bottom of the main staircase, and my nerves spiked when my eyes connected with Rune’s. There was a silent pain buried in his eyes as he tried to smile at me.

“Hey Bria,” Ardley said when I reached the group. “I think we’re all going to eat in Akira and Bassel’s room since there’s no more family fun time for the day. You’re gonna eat in there with us, right?”

I looked at everyone’s expectant faces. Rune watched me with his troubled eyes, waiting for my answer. For his sake, I didn’t want to be near him until I could explain myself since my presence troubled him. It would be far easier on him to eat and relax without me nearby, and God knew that I would be a distracted, nervous wreck if I had to sit in the same room as Rune without being able to address what happened. The guilt was already overwhelming. It hurt to breathe around him, so I knew being near him was not an option until I found time alone for us to talk.

I smiled softly at Ardley and shook my head. “I’m not very hungry. I just came down with Greshim and Newt while they grabbed food from the kitchen.”

Ardley frowned. “Oh. Okay. Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me. I mean, us. Us.”

I ignored Ardley’s wink and moved past everyone in the direction that Newt and Greshim had gone. Before I could reach the doorway to the kitchen, they came scampering out again, each with a plate of various fruits and meats.

“We’re all set! Let’s go watch a movie in our room now.” Greshim said, inclining his head for me to follow them.

“Sounds fun,” I said.

I glanced over at my friends as we passed them on their way to the kitchen. Rune lingered in the back of the group, and his eyes followed me as I trailed up the stairs after the twins. With each step I took, the cloudier his bright eyes became. I wanted to wipe that look off his face and replace it with one of his smiles. Seeing him distraught was like a punch to the gut.

He needed the truth.

As soon as we were alone later, he’d get it.

When we reached the top of the stairs, the twins giddily charged into their room with their plates of food. They sat down on their soft, plush carpet, facing the TV that hung on the same wall as the door. Newt patted the space between them, gesturing for me to sit with them. Greshim set his plate aside to put in a movie before coming to settle back down next to me, his fox tail bumping mine as they draped behind us.

Gosh, I still can’t get used to having a tail. Even if it is fake.

Scenes from Peter Pan played out on the TV, and the boys slowly ate their food as they watched the film. My heart warmed, seeing how engrossed they were in the movie, and I was pretty enraptured, too, since it had been awhile since I’d seen it. When Peter, Wendy, and her brothers took flight, the twins’ faces lit up. They got so excited, and they began shouting that they wished they could fly, too. I was definitely in agreement with them. Who wouldn’t love the ability to fly?

Lucky Akira. Getting to do this every day.

They got on Greshim’s bed and started jumping up and down. Their laughter was contagious as they waved me over. I got up and approached the bed. As soon as I was close enough, Greshim leapt toward me, spreading his legs and arms out as if he were trying to take flight. Fearing he would fall, my reflexes took over under the weight of panic, and I quickly jumped to catch him.

He giggled as soon as he landed in my arms and exclaimed, “Help me fly, Bria! Help me fly!”

I let out the panicked breath I’d been holding as the corners of my mouth rose. Laughing, I said, “Okay. Here we go!”

I held him out and above me as if he were a baby, careful to avoid grabbing him with my claws. He was surprisingly light for a ten-year-old, but I realized that was most likely due to my new strength. I twirled him around as he giggled harder. Newt bounced up and down on the bed, exclaiming that it was his turn. I bent my knees slightly before jumping up and tossing Greshim onto his bed. He landed on the soft mattress, laughing hysterically. I did the same thing with Newt, and we repeated this process until my arms became noodles and I could no longer lift them.

I collapsed onto Greshim’s bed, falling in between them. My breath came out hard from the amount of energy that it took to play with them, and their giggles started to die down. The three of us lay there side by side, and after what seemed like mere seconds, Newt and Greshim were sound asleep.

My heart swelled at the sight. Since I never had any siblings, I never got to experience seeing my little brothers sleep soundly after hours of playing together. Moments like this were a dream to me.

I slowly stood up, trying not to make a sound. I gently picked up Newt and held him close to me as I tugged down the covers of Greshim’s bed. I wasn’t about to put Newt in his horribly small and sad bed, so I placed him next to his sleeping brother and guided the covers up to their chins. Pulling Newt’s glasses from his round face, I placed them on the nightstand. I offered them one final look before I clicked off the light and quietly shut their door.

As soon as the door shut, I turned to finally make my way to my room, but as soon as I did, I stopped dead in my tracks. Myra stood at the end of the hall, blocking the stairs to the third floor. Every limb in my body locked up, and my blood ran ice cold. Her face was blank, but her posture spoke volumes. Straight back, head held high, hands clasped in front of her, and eyes scarily empty. She was calculating, cold, powerful.

And she was waiting for me.

Chapter Thirteen

“MYRA,” I SAID and hoped my voice didn’t give away how unsettled I felt to run into her again. I subtly placed my clawed fingers behind my back to feel for my tail, which was still firmly in place. I was sure we were approaching the twelve-hour mark, which was when my guise would fade. “Good evening.”

---