Page 77 of The Fifth Soul

Isabel lowers the cake after I stare at it. She doesn’t wait for me to tell her what is wrong. She gives me a gentle smile, like she already knows.

“Would you rather we do this part when the tour is done?”

I wipe my eyes, feeling silly. Matias might have missed this birthday, but he will never miss another one. I’ll have him back with me in two weeks’ time.

“Of course not,” I say. I reach under the cake and take it into my own hands. I bring it close to my face and blow out the candles with one wish. For the Fates to pave the way for me to stay.

“Alright.” Jesse claps his hands. “Time for gifts.”

“Gifts?” I look between them.

Someone turns on the light in the room, and I can see all the boxes gathered around them. We all move out of Brandon’s room into the shared area outside. I open gifts as I listen to Isabel’s retelling of events. They planned on surprising me in the shared area, but they ran late, and when they heard the door being opened, they rushed to the room to assemble the candles on the cake.

I find very thoughtful and useful items in the gift boxes. A book with a cheat sheet of spells from Lexi Blue. From Isabel, a journal that only opens at my touch and a matching pen from Roman. A pair of heated socks from Jesse makes me laugh so hard that tears stream down my face.

“What?” Jesse asks between cake bites. “What?”

“I think she’s laughing at how bad it is,” Alejandra informs him with an equally confused expression.

“I was thinking ahead.” Jesse points at the socks on my lap. “You’ll need them tonight.”

“What is happening tonight?” I wipe my cheeks.

“A mission, but we will talk about it once you are done opening your gifts.” Jesse prompts me to open the last box.

The last and most intriguing is a gold necklace with a hollow pennant. I find Alejandra in the crowd. I don’t have to say a word. She nods in confirmation. I pull the emerald out of my pocket. A clap on the side of the pennant opens the circle. Inside, the stone fits perfectly and locks in place safely.

“Thank you,” I say sincerely.

“Yeah, that’s cool. Don’t mention it.” Alejandra looks incredibly uncomfortable with my appreciation.

I have to keep myself from laughing because I don’t want her to get even redder.

“Thank you all.” I look at everyone in the room.

“Yeah, you are not so bad I guess,” Roman says under his breath.

“How did you guys know it was her birthday?” Brandon asks the group between cake bites.

He has been a bit quiet since we arrived. At first, I figured he wanted to allow the group to do whatever they had planned. Now, I realize he’s the only one who didn’t get me a gift. I don’t mind at all, but from his expression, I can tell he’s trying not to let it bother him.

“I made her fill out a form like all other guards in the force.” Alejandra shrugs, like it should be obvious I wouldn’t get any special treatment. “I knew her birthday would land while we were on tour. I mentioned it to Isabel, and the rest is history.”

Brandon’s eyes narrow on the sweet, innocent face of Isabel. “You didn’t think to mention it to me?”

She tightly clasps her hands together in her lap. Despite her confident stance, her cheeks flush at the question.

“What?” Roman interrupts. “Is she required to update you on every guard’s upcoming birthday or just the ones you tonsil fight with?”

Now, my face is heating at the comment. If I ever wondered if everyone else in the room knew before today, the lack of surprise in their expressions confirms it. Roman might have only said something to get Brandon off Isabel’s back, but it still feels like a low blow. I'm well aware that all I am to Brandon is that.

“Exactly,” Brandon says to Isabel. His words are polite, but the sharpness in his tone is anything but. “Please make sure to add everyone who tonsil fights with my brother to that list. You might need more paper.”

No sooner has the words left his lips before Roman charges. He jumps over the table and tackles Brandon’s chair to the floor in the blink of an eye. The speed of the immense man would impress me if it wasn’t because, in another blink, they’re throwing blow after blow at each other. My eyes dart from brother to brother as the fight moves from surface-to-surface. The entire scene is comical. The two wrestle on the floor, surrounded by people holding plates of cake.

Jesse eats his cake slowly. His eyes focused on the entertainment, but no trace of concern marks his face. Alejandra, on the other hand, looks beyond amused. This is one of the few times I’ve ever seen that expression on her face. She leans toward Jesse and says something in his ear. He nods and shakes her hand with a slight smirk.

“Did you two just bet on who will win?” Isabel gasps. Her outrage is visible, her fingers covering her face. Now, her hands fall to her sides into clenched fists. Her cake is the only one deserted on the table.

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