Page 81 of Solstice

“Well, it’s a small wedding party, and I didn’t have many options.”

Jon turned his ginger head toward me. “Not Carter Scott or the commander of the fairy army?” I snapped my gaze to his, but he smiled and clapped me on the shoulder. “Relax. I’m only fucking with you.”

At first, I’d balked about Ivy telling her siblings what happened to us. But now, I was unusually grateful to have someone else to rely on. The three of them were close. As they’d gotten older, Jon had moved to New England, trying to put some separation between himself and his mother. That had only worked for so long. Now graduated from law school, he’d been dragged back to DC, back into the fray, and, fortunately for me, back into my inner circle.

“What about your bachelor party?” Done with his suit, he came to me and grabbed the lapels of my jacket, giving them a good yank so the fabric lay flat over my body.

“No bachelor party.”

“What?” Jon’s eyes crinkled. “Why not?”

“Because.” I shook my head. “Neither of us wanted this. It’s not something I’m celebrating.”

Jon sighed. “You might not have wanted it at the beginning, but there are some curtains on the fourth floor of the Contemporary Art Museum that say otherwise.”

“Fuck off.” I shoved his arms away and turned to check myself out in the three mirrors ahead of me. I owned suits at home almost as expensive as this, but when I looked up, I didn’t recognize the man staring back.

I had the same eyes, the same cheekbones, the same lips, but Christ. I looked like Marcus. I looked like my Uncle Dmitri when he was young. I was a fucking man. I saw it in the set of my shoulders, the square of my jaw, the haunting expression behind my eyes.

“Look at this fucking asshole,”the younger version of myself said from the depths of my subconscious.“Giving up and giving in, huh? At least you’ll look fine as fuck doing it.”

Four years ago, I never thought I’d be standing here. I never thought we’d be seeing this through to the end. My gaze caught on the scars on my hand.Until the end.I missed them. I missed Miri. The longer her silence went on, the more I realized this might not be like the last time. This might not blow over.

“Just wait until Evelyn does this to you.” I shucked the jacket down my arms and gently laid it on the chair, yanking at the tie to pull it over my head.

“Oh, she’ll try.” Jon smiled. “And she’ll fail.”

I pursed my lips, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “You sound confident.”

“There’s no one left to run for office.” Jon shrugged. “Your dad is done. Ivy’s a long way out from the White House.”

“No one except you.”

Jon shook his head and let out a sad laugh. “I’m not interested in politics.”

“And yet, here you stand at the heart of it all.”

“Well, yeah.” He nodded. “My family’s here. My siblings need me.”

“I fought for months to change my father’s mind.” I unbuttoned the shirt and whipped it off my arms next. “If Kellan couldn’t be swayed, Evelyn definitely won’t. I guarantee she already has her eye on someone for you.”

“Oh, sure.” He nodded. “Probably half of DC. But if she thinks she’s good at this game, I assure you, I’m better.”

That piqued my interest. “How so?”

“I’m twenty-four.” He put his hands in his pockets, giving me a nonchalant shrug. “You were engaged by my age. I’ve been putting her off this long.”

I admired his tenacity even if it was stupid as hell. Evelyn had been playing before any of us had been alive. His arrogance and cockiness may have made me love him even more, if only because it reminded me so damn much of his sister.

“Good luck, brother.” I clapped his shoulder.

His grin widened, and it wasn’t until he said it back, “Yeah, thanks, brother,” that I realized the words I’d used.

In a way, Jon had always been family, the same as Ivy. Where she had always beenmine,he had been a sibling, a constant presence that didn’t grate as much as X’s. In fact, of his siblings, Jon might be the most normal. He always had a grounded, even-keeled approach to life.

“I’m worried about Ivy.” He cleared his throat and ran a hand over the back of his head. “She’s acting like it doesn’t matter, but she’s a good liar.”

She was anokayliar, even before I could magically sniff her out. I pursed my lips, considering how to answer.

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