Page 58 of Bargains with Benefits
“You’re right, Luna.” He raised his glass. “I apologize, Vincent. We’re here to celebrate Luna. I will refrain from any further outbursts.”
“Youmight, but I certainly will not.” A voice sounded from the doorway. The older female’s words held a command I was sure she took full advantage of. She wore the deepest blue from head to toe, and large diamond earrings hung from her ears. Eloise must be the power of the family. I could tell the moment she stepped into the room. Water wasn’t flying from her hands, but her magic smelled like a storm brewing. I sat up straighter in my seat. She must be older than I’d realized because her age was showing. Wrinkles lined her face, and more than streaks of silver like Luna’s covered her hair. I wasn’t sure what came over me, but I stood, dipping my chin as she took her seat at the head of the table.
“You think manners will impress me?” Eloise tsked. “It’s been twenty-five years, and we finally get Luna into our home only to have an Andiveron escort her?”
I took my seat and glanced at Luna. Her brows furrowed in confusion. I thought she’d caught the same part of that speech that I had.It’s been twenty-five years, and we finally get Luna into our home.
They’d wanted her here all along.
27
Luna
We finally get Luna into our home.The words felt like a brand on my skin. I didn’t know who to look at or what to think. Vincent’s hand squeezed my thigh gently under the table, returning the support I’d recently shown him. My gaze met his, and those deep brown eyes were my calm in the storm. I knew he was trying to communicate with me. Did I need him to jump in? Distract? Press?
No, this question had plagued me for as long as I could remember. I put my hand on top of his where it rested. All I needed was his support.
“What do you mean? You finally get me into your home?”
Eloise, my grandmother, turned her fierce gaze on me. “Precisely what I said.”
A scent flowed into the room with her, like the sea before a storm. I was sure many would find it intimidating, but it evoked a sense of calm in me.
“Mother…” Darius started.
Thankfully, the meal was brought out at that moment. As Darius indicated, the staff had been waiting for Eloise, and all at once, a roasted meat dish and bowls of vegetables were served. A quiet moment passed among us before whatever truths Darius and Eloise would unleash. As soon as the staff disappeared behind the kitchen doors, Darius and Eloise held each other’s gaze in a wordless battle.
“We’d love to get to know you and celebrate your name day,” Darius said, still not looking at me. It appeared he was waiting to ensure Eloise agreed.
“Fine,” Eloise said, picking up her fork and moving toward the filled plate.
I looked down at my own plate, wondering if I should let this go. Vincent’s hand had left my leg, as it was needed to tend to the utensils and food on the table, but his wind wrapped around the same spot his hand had been. The slight pressure was comforting.
Darius’s nostrils flared, and I had no doubt he realized Vincent was using his magic. The scent of magic was noticeable to other fae. I found it interesting that I could scent Eloise’s magic, and Darius’s when he’d rescued me, but I hadn’t grasped the scent of Vincent’s yet. Maybe it was a half-fae thing. Darius opened his mouth like he would say something, maybe tell Vincent off for using his magic in Pierce House. It wasn’t exactly polite.
But the support of his wind emboldened me, so I jumped in, interrupting whatever Darius would say. “I’d like to know. I’ve believed you wanted nothing to do with me since you came to our village and tried to test me for magic.”
The pressure around my leg strengthened as if the increased weight was Vincent’s way of saying he was with me.
“I told you,” Eloise said primly, glaring at her son.
Darius took a long sip of his wine. He put the goblet down completely before holding my gaze. “I’m sorry, Luna. I neverwanted that.” He sighed, his hand coming to his temple as he seemed to be working through some internal decision.
“Your mother didn’t like it here.” He glanced around, then gestured.
“Here, like…Pierce House?”
“Yes, but also fae society in general.” He paused. “I don’t blame her. We did everything we could.” He glanced at Eloise. “We even banished Klein, my father, but I’m afraid it was too late. Your mother realized the uphill battle that being human in fae society would bring.”
“I thought Klein was studying some unique properties of Norden magic that are only available in the north,” Vincent said.
“Sure,” Eloise said, glaring at him. “He could be doing that. We didn’t care. He held views much like your parents’, so we wanted him gone.” Her tone was sharp, but Vincent didn’t flinch at the comment. I’d only met his parents once and agreed the impression they made was less than stellar, but Darius and Eloise seemed very against them. Maybe even more than fae court rivalry dictated.
“You banished your husband to try and make Mom more comfortable? But she still left? Why not let him return?” I directed the question to Eloise.
“Please understand, ours was a union of power. Many with magic make matches based on strengthening elemental lines. When I realized the type of male he was, I did all I could to distance us. Some could argue it took me longer than it should have to realize.” She dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “His opinions have no place here, dear. Even though your mother took you away, we always treated this home as yours. Anyone who would not welcome you was not someone we welcomed.”
My throat tightened, and something prickled at the corners of my eyes. Even the constant pressure of Vincent’s wind on my thigh was not enough to calm the swell of emotions rushinginside me. I could all too clearly imagine Mom having a bad experience here. Every angry word she’d said about the fae was likely based on some fact. They’d been too passionate not to be. She’d been tricked, harassed, and threatened. I knew she’d believed this was not a safe place to raise me, but with how Darius and Eloise expressed themselves now, it didn’t seem like such a permanent separation had been required.
