Page 51 of Cathmoir's Sons

Evan pulls Rachel into his arms and kisses her. It shouldn’t be hot, watching them kiss, but there’s so much devotion in every line of their bodies that my belly slow flips. And not because of my hangover.

I didn’t kiss Law or Luca goodbye. They were gone when I woke up. When I rolled over, the pillows still smelled like them.

What Law wrote to me comes back even through the haze of my hangover.

You told me to ask you for a kiss every day. To remind you that we never know how much time we’ll have and not to waste a moment. To say that Teddy misses her Other Gabe every day and would give anything for one more kiss.

I chew on my dry lower lip. I should kiss them goodbye. Even when I’m furious with them. I should always kiss them goodbye.

Evan saying my name drags me back to attention. “... Would you like me to clear out the cobwebs?”

Yes, I’d give a great deal not to have my head throbbing and my gut rolling and my eyelids scraping like sandpaper as I go into Carrie’s memorial.

“Please and thank you,” I say.

Evan shifts Rachel to his side, keeping his arm around her, as he reaches to me.

A deep growl silences everyone in the atrium. “Don’t touch her.”

I turn my head to the source of the noise. Lawson’s standing to my right, his arms crossed over his chest.

He hasgotto be kidding.

First, Evan’s about to relieve one of the worst hangovers I’ve had. Second, didn’t we get past this jealous bullshit last night?

I lift my sunglasses and glare at him. “Do I look like I’m in the mood for this?” I ask.

He glares back, his pupils narrowed to slits. Very reminiscent of Whitey’s death-glare. “I told you I wouldn’t tolerate any man but Luca or Rhodes touching you. What part of that was unclear?”

Seriously? We’re back to this? Charlie wascomfortingme. Evan was about tohealme.

I roll my eyes at him and let the sunglasses drop back down since it doesn’t seem like anyone’s going to do anything about how sore my eyes are anytime soon. The discomfort makes my voice sharper than normal when I remind him, “I don’t answer to you, Law. And you can’t do anything for my hangover. So please, tone it down and let the Primus do his thing.”

Law’s gaze shifts to Evan. I’m always aware Law is Cait: a predator who doesn’t conform to the near-human social norms I was raised with. But in this moment, I see him not just as Cait Sidhe, but as what Luca told me: the future king of his people. A war-leader. Protecting the one thing he can’t lose.

“Touch her and I’ll rip your fingers off and eat them,” Law snarls at Evan.

Aaand then he says things like that.

Evan folds his lips together. Then he says, with great composure, “If you could find an acceptable Water-mage to relieve Professor Wyndham’s hangover, my fingers and I would be most appreciative.”

Law looks back at me. “I’ll get Luca.”

Luca heals via his Necromancy. Every healing pulls him closer to the Mother’s breast. It shouldn’t be used except in the most dire circumstances.

I rub my fingers over my forehead, where a fresh throbbing has started. “I’m fine. Please stop making a scene. I’d honestly rather suffer the hangover than have your brother glowering at me, too.”

I flick my fingers at him: an unequivocal suggestion that he leave. Then I turn away from him and walk into the auditorium.

Even though Jane limited the invitees to people who knew Carrie personally, between staff at the various schools where they taught and her former students, the RSVPs were well over a thousand. Old Chapel’s auditorium is filling up already. I see a lot of familiar faces, and some I feel I should know but can’t quite place.

I hope getting repeatedly mind-fucked by a Crow Queen isn’t screwing with my long-term memory.

I pick a spot half-way down in the tiers of seats. Because of the age-gap between me and Rach, we didn’t have many classes together. Two big lecture classes on our shared Element, from memory. But when we did, this is where we liked to sit. Neither at the front nor at the back. Comfortably in the middle.

I leave seats open on either side of me and nod at the people further down the row. They’re fae, wearing silken robes, although I don’t recognize them.

Rachel plonks down beside me. “He’s cute, in a caveman way.”

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