Page 49 of A Spark in the Ash

I actually roll my eyes as I step away from him and grab my shirt. “They call you a butterfly, just so you know.”

“Who?” he asks as he furrows his brows. He grabs his toothbrush and wets it.

“Everyone at the compound,” I say as I pull my shirt over my head. “I’m the spider, and you’re the butterfly.”

Jaxon arches an eyebrow at that in amusement as he brushes his teeth.

He’s worked for a crime lord his entire life. He’s killed a man. He’s done shady things his entire life. And they call him abutterfly.

I smirk, because it’s ridiculous, yet fitting.

He spits in the sink and rinses his mouth out. “Good thing they’re both arthropods then,” he says as he steps forward and presses a kiss to my forehead before he goes back to his closet to finish getting dressed.

I smile. Because Ascelin once said almost the exact same thing.You went and fell in love with an ultralight? That’s like a spider falling in love with a butterfly. They’re both arthropods, but the entire universe knows they don’t belong together.

How wrong he was. Apparently, spiders and butterflies were made to be together.

"Let's go," Jaxon says as he steps towards the door. I grab my phone and my gun and conceal the both of them. Together, we walk out the door.

"Where are we meeting Aaron?" I ask.

"I told him that we would pick him up and then head to breakfast." We walk down the hall and head to the elevator. "He’s staying at his girlfriend's place. On the edge of town."

That's an advantage. This will be much easier to do if we’re not in the middle of the city.

We head down to the parking garage and I realize this might be a problem if we are supposed to pick up a third party. Motorcycles are not made to carry three people. But when we get down to the third level, Jaxon pulls keys out of his pocket and goes straight for a shiny black SUV. "Family car," Jaxon explains as he clicks the button, and the vehicle unlocks.

I simply nod and climb inside.

I keep my attention on Jaxon as we head away from the Strip. This will only be the second time he has exorcised a dusk since he manifested. It's easy, because every instinct in him has trained him to do it. But it's also kind of…terrifying. It's as unnatural as manifesting into a flaming angel or a shadow demon. It's freaky enough when it's just any Joe in the world, but this is his brother. Someone he's known his entire life.

"Was there ever any kind of…shift, in Aaron?" I ask. Because that's how it happens. A normal person will suddenly act entirely different.

Jaxon shrugs. "It's kind of hard to say. It's not like any of my family members walk the straight and narrow. We've always been doing sketchy stuff for my mother. But I guess…" Jaxon shakes his head. "I guess it must've happened five years or so ago. He just started getting darker. He started getting into the drugs. The constant sleeping around. I don't know how his girlfriend has put up with it for the last year, he's definitely not faithful. So, I guess then?"

It's a little hard to imagine, what Jaxon is thinking about his family right now. I've exorcised six people in my time, but I never knew a single one of them personally. This is a brother, and his mother.

We weave our way through neighborhoods, slowly working our way to the less populated part of the city. Jaxon slows as we roll up to a simple, single-story house. He pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and holds it up to his ear.

"We're here," Jaxon says just a few moments later. "Meet us outside."

He hangs up and both of our eyes go to the front door. Just five seconds later, it opens, and Aaron steps out. He climbs into the backseat, behind Jaxon. His eyes immediately fix on me.

"I hear congratulations are in order?" he says. It's hard not to evaluate every single thing about him, now that I know he is possessed. The way he speaks, the way he walks. "Can't say I really understand what the point is. If you're already doing it, how does a piece of paper change anything?"

"It means I get to take half of his money if he ever cheats on me," I say teasingly as I reach across and lace my fingers through Jaxon's hair.

Aaron laughs. "Oh, I get it now. Gotta say though, there probably isn't much left now, considering the rock on your finger."

Jaxon is really enjoying this now. It's obvious from the smirk he gives me.

Yes, I get it now. All of his siblings would have known if he had bought me a fake.

I hold my hand up, flashing it in the bright light. "Guess I'll just have to stick it out for a couple of years. There will be more money coming later."

Aaron laughs. "Everyone else kept saying you picked the perfect woman. I think I have to agree, little brother."

Jaxon just smiles as he looks down the road while he drives. He reaches over and laces his fingers through mine.

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