Soft Thorns

Bonus Chapter

Levan's point of view

I could tell my mother was getting stressed as soon as i got home from the bowery. I also knew she couldn't put the final details on the party plans with us there, especially Thorn. Hermes had visited us while Thorn was still asleep with news that two gods would be at tomorrow's party. I figured one of them would be Hades, Thorn's father, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out which other god it could be. Thorn said that she could meet her mother tomorrow, I figured that she'd be at the party tomorrow. 

After Killian took Thorn into the palace for her meeting with King Hearth, I waited around with Drake, Kalen, and Alvin until a maid came out and told me to take Thorn's medical bags to Killian's rooms. When I arrived at the door the maid led me to, I knocked. Thorn opened the door grabbed her bags from me an shoved me out the door again, apologizing over the labor pain screaming Zanna from within the room. 

I walked back out toward the main gate, but the was met by the three from the gate. The guard had changed while I was bringing Thorn her bags. Alvin took me to one of his sitting rooms while Drake and Kalen went to their respective rooms to change out of their armor and into their more causal clothes. Alvin went to his linen closet to change into his lesser formal clothes, he does not have many causal clothes because he can be called to help with business of his father's at a moments notice.

They all returned to Alvin's sitting room. A woman brought up a tray with cheese, crackers, and wine glasses and left. Though, not without a glance shared between herself and Kalen.

Alvin walked to the back of the room and brought three bottles back to the small coffee table. Placing them in the center he turned to us and smiled. "I got someone to bring me some alcohol form the mortal. This is an French wine," he held up and bottle with red liquid in it, and then one with a dark purple liquid, "This is an Italian wine. And this-" he set down the two bottles on the table and picked up the third, a dark amber liquid inside and a black and white label, "-is whiskey. it warms you all the way through. This brand is the best, I have found yet. It's called Jack Daniel's." 

Drake smiled and nodded toward the last bottle. "I'll have some of that. I had some Jack during a mission to Tennessee." Drake is two years older than the rest of us, and Thorn is three years younger than Killian, Alvin, Kalen, and me. When Drake graduated from secondary school, he went right into the king's army. After graduating statuses, he made it too the king's personal guard. But when Drake found out that Kalen and Killian were guards with Alvin, he asked to be moved to work with them.

"I'll try some of that," Kalen said.

We all had 'some of that' and, mostly, enjoyed it. The liqueur was a little too strong for my delicate tastes. Having grown up with the fairies, I did not have a great appreciation or stomach for alcoholic beverages.

We only had one glass each, although Kalen and I did not finish ours. I already felt slightly tipsy from the 3/4 of the glass of whiskey, when the same maid who brought snacks came in to tell we could go see the new born baby. 

After seeing their son, we retired to Alvin's sitting room. We talked until almost midnight. When we were leaving, I stopped at the door and said to the boys, "Thorn's birthday and our engagement party is tomorrow and I'd love to have some security, if possible." I checked to make sure Thorn was still checking her bags for all tools before whispering, "There are supposed to be two gods there. I want someone there to help in case anything goes wrong."

Alvin and Kalen looked impressed and Drake looked suspicious, but all nodded. Alvin said, "Yeah, man. Wouldn't miss it for the world."  

I held Thorn's hand as we walked toward our house. No. Our old house. She was lost her thoughts and I could see that. I was thinking too. I had a lot on my mind.

I was both nervous and excited about the change coming. I would be moving out and going to live near my best friends since childhood. Our children were going to grow up together, next next to each other. But we will be moving out. My mother will have to get an escort, only of one guard, but still an escort, to see her son or grandchildren.

We reached my boyhood home. The place my mother worked her tail off of get. I liked the thought with Thorn's job with the king, mother, and us, would not have to worry about that anymore.

I opened the same old wooden door I had everyday since I was 5-years-old. Walked over the same small entry, and into the living room. My mother was sleeping on the couch. It reminded me of when I was younger and would wake up to her sleeping against the counter with partially finished work spread out in front of her. I kissed Thorn goodnight before slipping my arms under my mother and taking her to bed. She stirred slightly as I laid her beneath the covers and pulled them over. I kissed the top of her head, whispering "Goodnight, mom."

She mumbled something incoherent in her sleep and rolled over burrowing into her covers.

I quietly shut her door and walked down the hall. Closing the door to me bedroom I took off my shirt, exposing my tanned flesh, and threw it into my laundry basket. Sighing I took my pants off and slipped on a pair on blue-bronze striped, thin sleeping pants. Crawling under my covers I rested on my side. The last thought I had before falling sleep was of Thorn and my future together.

Author's Note

This chapter from Levan's perspective. I may throw a couple of these in here and there. The next chapters will be from Thorn's perspective. Tell me what you think! Be honest. I can take it!