Page 51 of Samhain

“You do?” Lex mirrored her expression, half facetious, half serious.

She rolled her eyes and shoved at his shoulder. “Shut up.”

“What if we can’t?” I asked. “What if we have to live with it for the rest of our lives?”

“Would that be the worst thing?” Carter shrugged and reached across the kitchen island to grab my hand. “That the four of us share a future. A family. I mean”—he pointed to Lex and Ivy—“half of us have been together since birth.”

Ivy flushed, and Lex curled his perfect lips into a smile.

“I’ve wanted that since the day we got hitched in the woods,” Lex said. “The cottage and the kids. The four of us old and gray and creaky together.”

“All four of us?” Ivy raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, X.” He ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. “All of us. Who’s going to give me shit every day if you’re not there?”

She laughed, returning her attention to Carter and me. “I’m not giving up hope we can end this. If Siobhan did this to us, then she can undo it. I’ve had Kit looking for her since we got home from Ireland.”

“Kit knows about this?” Lex said. Suddenly, his sincerity and affection were replaced by that telltale challenge in his eyes, like he was coiled in the grass and waiting to strike.

“Not all of it,” Ivy said, trying to calm him. “She knows I need to talk to Siobhan, and she’s got access to all that facial recognition bullshit.”

Lex took a deep breath and rubbed his fingers in his eyes. “You said you wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“Kit doesn’t count,” Ivy said. “And she doesn’t know everything.”

“You can’t keep things from me, X,” he said. “We’re partners.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Lucifer. Do you need a play-by-play of every minute of my life?” She said it, but not in the harsh or cruel way she once might have done. Now, amusement hung in every bantering word. “Carter fucked me in the closet last night. You want to know how that was, too?”

“I’m sure it was fantastic, X,” he retorted with a chilling bite in his tone, widening his eyes for debate. “If you feel so inclined, I’ll gladly take a reenactment.”

She pursed her lips and her eyes twinkled with wild amusement as she muttered, “Maybe later.”

“All right, kids,” Carter cut in with a laugh. “Can we eat breakfast in peace?”

I giggled at how so much had changed between them, evident in the way they co-existed peacefully, not to mention the pictures of Ivy in Lex’s room. But in a lot of ways, so much had stayed the same. They still got under each other’s skin like no one else could.

“How close is Kit to finding Siobhan?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I have to go to family brunch in a few days, so I’ll ask then.” Ivy rubbed at her neck and took another sip of coffee. “That’s not all. The lore talks about a fairy king and queen, these powerful beings capable of terrible things. Sometimes, they’re benevolent. Sometimes, they trick humans and enthrall them.”

“Do you think they’re real?” Carter asked.

“If fairies are real, they must be, too.” She brushed hair back behind her ear, steel eyes meeting each of us before she continued. “All I’m saying is we need to be careful. If even half those stories are true, this won’t end well for any of us.”

Carter reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “I’m with you, Weeds. Until the end.” He paused before adding, “For real this time.”

Ivy cleared her throat. “How long are you staying?”

“A week or two, at least,” I said. “Until my grandmother loses her patience and sends someone to fetch me.”

“I have a month before I’m supposed to visit my sisters,” Carter said. “I think I can hold my agent off that long.”

I warmed at the thought of Lizzie and Renee. “How are they?”

“Great. Lizzie asks about you a lot.”

“I miss her,” I said. “I should call her.”

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