Page 50 of Mated in the Stars

“I don’t all the time,” Teal shook his head. “Remember, I’m still staying at Moonscale Manor. They’re back in Heartville. I’ll probably visit Starscale 1 to meet Laken in person and talk about what the next step for a free fed London might be.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just talk to your grandparents rather than run around like you’re committing crimes?” I asked Teal.

“Where’s the fun in that? Besides, someone needs to keep my grandsire out of trouble. If he’s too busy chasing me and my guys down, trying to figure out who we are, he can’t start a war anywhere, can he?”

“You are devilish!” Sequin laughed and resumed packing up his sister’s stuff.

I dozed on the sofa with the little kids, wishing I had more insight to give them.

“Yeah, she has a silver scale too,” Sequin said to Teal as I drifted in and out. “Happened when Dad came over here. I guess that means we’re Starscales. Surprised your grandparents didn’t get them from Sunny.”

“Maybe it only goes down,” Teal said.

“That’s what he said.”

They both cracked up. Even half asleep, it was sort of funny.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Fred

Nelum and I stood hand-in-hand in front of the sealed bedroom that I once shared with Lotus. Once upon a time, the room on the other side of the door was my safe space. It was the one place in the world where I could say whatever was on my mind. I could cuddle my mate for all of eternity. Hell, I would’ve if things worked out differently.

“It has no scent,” Nelum whispered.

“It’s magically preserved to be just like it was when we left it last,” I told him.

“You enshrined our bedroom,” Nelum chuckled.

“I did. Lotus was my world. She and the kids, they were my everything. Back before I met her, I thought territory and the club and my definition of freedom was really everything, but I was wrong. I didn’t know what life was until I met her. I didn’t know how nice it could be to stay home with someone and do nothing for a whole weekend.”

“I could’ve told you everyone should do that occasionally,” Nelum said, squeezing my hand. “Doing nothing is the best part of being alive sometimes.”

I kissed his temple and tried not to think too hard about the last time I stood in front of this door.

“If there are cigarettes we don’t tell Elio,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood. “He doesn’t like it but I chained smoked once she went. I could’ve choked Frost himself with the cigarettes I smoked in those few months after she died. I’m surprised Clarence didn’t fine me for environmental damage.”

“He was probably afraid you’d set him on fire,” Nelum laughed. “Do we have to call someone to undo the spell?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I have the key.”

“Are you going to use it?” he asked.

“Eventually.”

“Alright,” he nodded.

I lost track of time as we stood in front of the door. The little pouch with the lock of Lotus’s hair was tucked into my breast pocket. Yes. We wore shirts to Earthside.

“All my old stuff is in there too. I only took out the bare minimum,” I told Nelum.

“Were we supposed to live here again? Just pick up where we left off?” he asked me.

“I think we thought so. I think we thought we could. We couldn’t imagine a life in which we weren’t together and living the life we built,” I admitted. “I know it sounds insane now.”

“It doesn’t. It sounds like two people trying to find hope when everything else has failed them,” Nelum flashed the door a sad smile.

“I half think she’s gonna be sitting on the bed asking me what took so long,” I laughed.

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