Page 49 of Samhain

“Lorne got so fucking hard,” Carter said, “he had to sit there for a few minutes after Anthony called cut.”

“Was it you or Alexandra?” Lex asked.

Carter winked, and Lex threw his head back to guffaw.

I loved seeing him laugh. I got the sense he so rarely did when we weren’t here. I had loved the old version of Lex, the college fuckboy with a chip on his shoulder and an axe to grind with the whole fucking world. But this Lex? The man who’d grown to capture the world through his own lens? I adored him.

“Good morning,” Ivy said, kissing Carter before grabbing the carafe of coffee and pouring two mugs.

“How did you sleep?” Lex asked.

“Amazing,” I said.

“Same,” Carter agreed. “Haven’t slept that well in years.”

“Since Ireland,” Ivy added.

The room fell silent, and my attention went to Ivy. She handed me a mug, and I took a sip. Hmm…she still knew how to make it the way I liked, the perfect mix of sugar and cream. Then she looked to Lex.

“Go on, X,” he said. “Tell them.”

She licked her lips and straightened, and Carter furrowed his brows, glancing between us. “Tell us what?”

“Remember the woman, Siobhan, and the ring she gave me?” Ivy blew on her coffee before taking a drink.

“Yeah,” I said. “You lost it in the woods, didn’t you?”

“I did. Or, at least, I thought I did.” She sighed before taking a deep breath to continue. “About six months after we got home, I had a dream where I found the ruins again. Siobhan waited for me there. She told me I looked terrible, and that I wasn’t taking care of her gift. When I told her I lost the ring, she said, ‘Did you think that was the gift?’ Then she disappeared.” Ivy brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I haven’t seen her since. When I woke up, the ring was in the bed with me.”

“In the bed with you…how?” Carter asked.

“It was just there,” Ivy explained.

“That’s not all,” Lex said, straightening. “I told you last night I asked my father if he had anything to do with you two ditching us, and he said he didn’t. I believed him because…” Lex cleared his throat and took a deep pull on his cigarette. “He confessed to wishing it had been me that died instead of my brother. He told me things he never would have said had I not made him.”

“Made him?” I asked, my eyes going to Ivy. She nodded, confirming Lex had the same special gift we did.

Oh…

OH…

“Are you saying you can make people tell the truth?” Carter said.

“I could make you tell us every filthy thought you’ve ever had about everyone in this room,” Lex said.

“Well.” Carter playfully rolled his eyes. “I’d never lie about that.”

I chuckled, and Ivy smiled before sobering and setting her focus on me.

“Miri,” Ivy said. “Show them what you can do.”

I cleared my throat and went to one of their houseplants, touching the leaf to make it preen and grow.

“Fuck.” Lex ran his hands back through his hair with one hand and stabbed his cigarette out with the other.

“How long have you known you could do that?” Carter asked.

“I found out in Malibu,” I admitted.

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