Page 34 of A Deeper Blue
Rafe considered asking how she felt about being abandoned by her parents. The long-lived Supernaturals could also be unbelievably cruel to their offspring. Azure’s story was hardly the harshest story he’d ever heard. Supernaturals were hard to kill, and the understanding that there were decades or even centuries for things to work themselves out frequently gave the Supernaturals a hard-hearted streak that he found distasteful. But he wasn’t sure that making her dredge up those feelings was good for her, and he didn’t need it to understand her. He considered what he didneedto know. The thing that seemed to be troubling her the most was her relationship with her sister.
“What happened at the protest?” he asked. Azure rolled onto her back and flopped around in the sleeping bag, clearly annoyed.
“Scarlet deviated from my instructions. Which, frankly, was entirely predictable even if you didn’t have the second sight and just proves what kind of arrogant dumbass I was being. We got the future I wanted, but she got hurt, and it put her in danger from warlocks. And then, insult to injury, it was Liam, her stupid wolf boyfriend, who managed to save the day.”
“Ooh, the burn,” said Rafe, trying not to laugh at her aggrieved tone.
“A little bit, yeah,” said Azure, sourly. He could see the glitter of moonlight reflecting on her eyes.
“Let me ask you a question. Did you honestly think you could protect Scarlet?”
“Yes! Yes, I really did. I’ve always been able to before. But this time… Goddess, she worked some big magic. I don’t even know how she did what she did, but she used her power and what Ochre and I had, and she fucking changed the world.” Azure laughed ruefully, but Rafe could still hear the pride Azure had in her sister. “Anyway, I guess what I’m saying is that maybe I’m not the right person to count on.”
“What do you mean she took what you and Ochre had?” asked Rafe, circling back to the story and ignoring Azure’s obviously stupid idea that she was untrustworthy for the moment. He was still formulating his response to that.
“Well, she took all of our magic and sort pushed it outward, and for a minute, we were all connected, and everyone felt it.Everyone.It was amazing.” She spread out in the sleeping bag like a jellyfish, relaxing into her memory.
“Uh-huh.” He could hear the dreamy awe in Azure’s voice. He didn’t doubt that it had been amazing, but he thought she was overlooking a few things. “She took your power without asking?”
“There wasn’t time. And while I maintain that my spell would have got us there, I have to admit Scarlet’s way was faster. I recovered after a couple of weeks. And it worked. So it was the right decision.”
Rafe scratched his ear. Azure was oblivious to the slack she was cutting her sister. He considered pointing it out to her, but he suspected that would only make Azure mad and make her dig in to protect Scarlet further. He just wished she’d give herself the same grace and recognize that she was the driving force behind what happened. Her sister had only accomplished that big magic because of Azure’s support and because Scarlet had very clearly trusted Azure.
“If she called you up and said she needed something, what would you do?” he asked.
“I don’t know… probably try to talk her out of it, end up giving in, and then complain the entire time we were doing it. I mean, basically, exactly what I’m doing now. She was so excited for this stupid summit.”
Rafe grinned. When it came to her family, Azure was a pushover. He loved that, but he didn’t love that it meant that she would put herself in danger or spend more than a second feeling bad about herself. “Azure, sweetheart, don’t beat yourself up. You made a mistake. You’re fixing it. And at a guess, she isn’t mad about it.”
“I didn’t apologize,” said Azure, sounding guilty. “And I’m sure she knows I didn’t want to come here.”
“So apologize next time you see her,” said Rafe. “Don’t build a wall out of one brick.”
Azure sighed. “You make it sound easy.”
“Oh no, you tried to change the world,” he said sarcastically. “You are just the worst person ever. How could anyone ever forgive you?”
“You know, you’re an asshole, right?”
He laughed. “Yes.”
She sighed, clearly still upset.
“Our families make us stupid, don’t they?” he asked.
“Goddess, they really do,” said Azure plaintively.
“As someone who hasn’t had a family for the last sixty years, I’m giving you my best advice. Do what you can to make it right and then let it go.”
Azure growled. “I am going to go to this summit now just so I can punch your father in the face.”
Rafe chuckled. “No, leave that to me. Trust me, we’re a mess you don’t want in the middle of.”
Azure stretched with a long sigh. “Man, I love that you’re old.”
“Excuse me?” he demanded, uncertain if he was supposed to feel good about the love or bad about the old.
“Every other guy I’ve dated, including the vampire, tried to push me into the middle of their family issues. I don’t know how long it takes for a guy to become an adult, but so far, I’m enjoying it.”
