Page 38 of Tarnished Embers

“Me too, Pretty Thing.” Kit murmurs, coming around and pressing himself up against me so that I’m once again sandwiched between them both. My body relaxes, my pulse quieting as they hold me, not rushing me to do what I know I have to at some point.

“Let’s do this then,” I huff after several moments, pulling away from both of them. That first step is like walking out into a freezing day and knowing you don’t have enough layers on. Something must show on my face, because they’re instantly back at my side, Kit leading the way as they pull me towards the shower.

Warmth fills my chest at how caring they are, knowing when I need them without me uttering a single word.

After we all shower, they head back to their rooms via the balcony, and I’m tugging on an oversized jumper that I’m wearing with leggings—it’s all about the comfort clothes today—when there’s a light knock at my door.

“Come in,” I call out, a smile pulling my lips upwards when Cas steps into the room, looking just as gorgeous as the first time I saw him, dressed in stonewash jeans and a fitted long-sleeved henley.Your dad was alive then. My eyes suddenly fill, and he’s next to me in a second.

“I would have stayed downstairs if I’d known I was gonna make you cry, Cinders,” he jokes, pulling me in for a hug. I take a gulping breath, wrapping my arms around his waist and breathing him in, his caramel apple scent calming my aching heart a little.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, hot tears leaving their mark down my cheek as I rest it against his firm pec. The salt of my sadness drips onto my lips, and I fucking loathe it. “It just feels like everyone always leaves me eventually, and I’m destined to always be alone.” The truth, my greatest fear, spills out from me, though I shouldn’t be surprised that it’s Cas I’m confessing it. He just has a way of making me able to tell him anything and everything.

“Firstly, we aren’t going anywhere. We will never leave you, Ember, I swear on my very soul you have us for life.” His grip tightens, like he’s assuring me with his body as well that he will always be here. “And secondly, there’s no need to apologize, baby. Grief can hit you that way. It’s all sharp edges at the moment, cutting and painful, but like a stone you hold every day, it’ll smooth over time; never quite going away, always there, but hurting less.”

I chuckle, leaning my face back so I can look up at him. “Not just a pretty face then, huh?”

His lips tug up into a smile that makes my broken heart ache. It’s so understanding and gentle, like a warm blanket on a cold day that just feels right and so comforting you want to sink into it.

“You think I’m pretty, Little Cinders?” My grin widens, and it feels so nice to smile.

“I think that you’re one of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever met,” I tell him, going on my tiptoes and pressing my lips against his.

His soft exhale falls across my lips, his tongue immediately seeking entry which I gladly give him. His kiss is gentle, yet tells me more than words could ever say. It tells me how worried he’s been, how relieved he is that I’m in his arms, and that he’ll always be here waiting for me.

“Just one and notthemost gorgeous?” he teases as he pulls away, one perfect brow raised, his kiss-reddened lips smirking. I love that he’s trying to distract me from my grief, trying to make me smile.

“Well, your brothers make up the other three, and as it’s clear I refuse to choose, you’ll just have to share the title with them.” His grin gets wider at my words.

“I knew you were going to be perfect for us from the first moment I saw your picture,” he tells me, his hand coming up to brush some hair behind my ear.

“And how long ago was that, pray tell?” I ask, giggling when his ears colour. A part of me is annoyed that they knew about me long before I knew about them, about Odette, but I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. They’re all I have left now. My nostrils flare as I take a measured inhale, trying to keep the sadness at bay.

“Hey, what thought made you sad so suddenly?” Cas asks, his forehead creased, and I’m reminded of the time in the car when he told me his story.

“I was just thinking that you guys and Odette are all I have left now.”

“And that made you sad?” I don’t miss the hurt that makes his copper eyes flash, and I grasp his hand, bringing it up to my cheek.

“No, not like that, Cas,” I rush out, begging him with my eyes to understand. “I’d be adrift without you guys.” The frown between his eyes smooths a little as I continue. “It reminded me of what I’ve lost. That I’m now an o–orphan.” Tears blur my vision again as my chin wobbles, but I’m powerless against this grief, so I can’t stop them from falling.

“Fuck, baby. I shouldn’t have—” He presses his lips to my forehead and lets me quietly sob into his chest. “At least you’re in good company.”

“I’m not sure that makes me feel any better,” I reply, wiping my eyes with my sleeve.

“Maybe not, but at least you know we understand you on a level that few will, Cinders.” He has a point, and I snuggle into him until my stomach gives an almighty rumble. “Shit, you haven’t eaten in forever, and here I was coming to get you for breakfast and getting distracted.”

“I could eat.” I laugh, and he turns us towards the door. “How did I not starve whilst I was out?”

He winces, rubbing the back of his neck with the hand that isn’t holding me around my waist. “Ah, the doctor set you up on a drip. We’d removed it before the last time you woke up. Prince was determined to bring you back to us.” I frown, having no recollection of a drip, although I’m grateful they did because I’d be in a terrible state if I had no fluids. “The doc also said to take it easy,” he continues, walking us out of the door and towards the stairs. He keeps a firm grip on me, and I’m not complaining because, in all honesty, I do feel a little weak. “Not let you eat too much in one go, that sort of thing. He’s coming back later to check on you, if that’s okay?”

“Sure,” I answer, distracted as I focus on each step. There’s a slight tremor in my limbs, and it pisses me off. Cas must notice it too, because before we’re even a quarter of the way down, he sweeps me into his arms, carrying me bridal style. “Cas! I can walk!”

“Maybe, Cinders,” he replies, walking down the stairs as if I weigh nothing. “But that doesn’t mean I have to let you, and I’m feeling particularly caveman today.”

Chuckling and liking being in his arms too much to protest further, I wrap my arms around his powerful neck before snuggling closer the rest of the way to the dining room, the twins arriving at the top of the staircase and following behind us. I squash down the guilt that tries to tell me I shouldn’t be laughing, shouldn’t be smiling so soon after losing my dad. I know from before with Mum how easily that guilt can settle and turn everything dark and dismal.

“Hey there, Sugar,” Prince drawls as we enter, and I avoid looking at the head of the table, the place where my father always used to sit.

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