Page 157 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
“You truly want to accept this bond with Brenton?” Because if she did, I couldn’t ask her to deny it.
“You and I are a family,” she said, taking both my hands in hers. “We kind of got an instant family with Javier and the girls, but one day we’ll grow our family, and our sweet, little babies will have us as parents and a crazy, silly uncle in Brenton. That’s what I want.”
“Okay,” I said on an exhale.
Her smile grew slowly. “Really?”
“If magic will gift you a brother, I can’t think of a better male than Brenton.”
She threw her arms around my neck, and I couldn’t help the laugh that burst out. With my arms wound around her waist, she pulled back to squish my cheeks between her palms.
“I’m really going to have a brother?” Her excitement was contagious. “Could we do it tonight? Because I’d love to havemy big brother’s opinion on something that I’m pretty sure will make you happy.”
She pursed her lips as she waited for me.
Guardians, this was hard. It’d be even harder to watch her drink his blood. But I could do it. I would do it for Teddy.
“Yeah, let’s do it tonight,” I said.
She peered up at the starless sky. “I’m going to have a family again.”
Hope seemed to bleed from her, and I knew, despite my own jealousy, I’d do whatever she needed to keep that hope burning within her. I ran my hand through the long tendrils of her hair. She kissed my chest and ran inside to get Brenton.
I tried to contain my feelings. Tried to reason with them. Teddy was getting a brother and Brenton a sister. This was a good thing for both of them.
“Ry said we could crash at their place until my place is rebuilt,” Teddy said, a hint of sadness tinting her voice as she closed the coffee shop’s door. Brenton’s worried gaze scanned her face. “It’s big enough to fit all of us. Not sure what Grandma Richter will have to say when she sees us all in the morning.”
She held Brenton’s arm as she made her way to me and took my hand.
“Where to?” she asked.
Brenton looked back at us, his brows pulled together in confusion.
“Back to your place?” I asked.
Grief washed over her, and I wanted to kick myself for mentioning it. Of course, she wouldn’t want to go back to the ruin that was her home.
“We can go somewhere else,” I said quickly.
“No, no,” she said. “My place is good. Even if the houseisn’t standing anymore, it’s where I’ve always felt closest to my mom. I still have my yard and the spot around the firepit.”
“What’s going on?” Brenton asked.
Teddy pinched his cheek. “Tell you when we get there?”
Before he had the chance to reply, I took hold of Teddy’s and Brenton’s hands and bent space so that we were in her yard. I followed her as she made her way to the firepit, where we’d played music a night ago. A night ago, that seemed so far away.
Nalari arrived as we each took a chair situated around her firepit.
“Listen, if you want to talk about what happened, about me dying and all, I’m okay,” Brenton said, his words so fast they seemed to be streamed together. “I mean, dying hasn’t been my favorite experience, but I’m alive, and I’m grateful for that.”
“We absolutely want to talk about that whenever you want to talk about it,” Teddy said.
She stood from her chair to sit on the arm of his chair, keeping the blanket tucked tightly around her. When he fidgeted with his fingers on his lap, she took his hand. I leaned closer to him and grabbed his other hand.
“It’s notsomethingwe’re going to rush you into talking about,” I added because despite the emotions warring inside me, Brenton was one of my best friends, and had it not been for Teddy, we would’ve lost him. “But we’re here whenever you choose to talk about it.”
“Okay?” Teddy asked.
