Fated Insurrection (Book 3)

Chapter 4

"Hardships often prepare
ordinary people for an
extraordinary destiny."

~~C. S. Lewis

****************

~August~

A grimace twisted my features as the taste washed over my tongue, the metal rim of my flask cool against my lips as I drank. The bagged blood it contained had cooled hours ago, leaving it thicker than I preferred it to be and almost bitter as it went down my throat. However, Hatter and I had both agreed not to go hunting for the time being, relying solely on the store I kept in the basement to keep us fulfilled. It was too risky and neither of us particularly even wanted to leave the house these days, much less leave the property completely.

It still amazed me that my life had turned out this way and now I wasn't even sure if I was dead or alive anymore. What was even more odd to me was the fact that I didn't care. My entire life had been built on knowing the world around me, staying informed of everything and being able to predict what happened next because surprises weren't always pleasant. It had been my job to know and prepare for any and every thing that could come my way.

But since being with Nevada, claiming her as mine forever, everything had changed. Not only had I regained my magick, for reasons we had still yet to discover, but I was okay with not knowing. Did it even matter why? I didn't think it did because unless it bled away, the 'why' wouldn't change anything. I had felt this relaxed, despite the danger looming in our future, in... well I couldn't remember ever feeling this way. She had given me something priceless and I would treasure her for eternity if the gods willed us to live that long.

The sky began to turn pink in the distance, stars slowly fading into the background, signaling the dawn of a new day. Hatter would be making his last round around the property most likely and we would soon enough switch places. With the war escalating and the possibility of an attack rising everyday, we had no choice but to be even more alert than we had been before. That meant less time with those we loved and more focus on keeping them safe.

With one last scan of the property, still nothing out of place, I made the descent down the tower stairs to the rest of my house. A slow smile tugged at my lips as I took determined steps to my room, looking forward to a few stolen moments with my girl even if it was just watching her sleep. Creepy? Probably but fuck anyone that cared because I knew she would love me regardless.

The stench of dried blood crept towards me the closer I got to my door, the still unfamiliar pound of my heart echoed in my ears. It wasn't a scent I recognized, so I knew it didn't belong to anyone here but something was obviously wrong. Pushing open my bedroom door, I stalked into the room.

Instead of Nevada being curled beneath my blankets, her face relaxed and serene as she slept, I found her sitting against the side of our bed on the floor. Nova was sitting beside her in a matching pose, his shoulder supporting her head. The two of them looked up as I burst in, wide eyed at the sudden sound but quickly relaxing although tension remained in their bodies.

Glancing around, the metallic aroma of blood having grown stronger, my eyes landed on the source. A pair of Nevada's socks were tossed in the corner, one haphazardly draped on the side of the small trash can by my desk and the other on the floor next to it. Frowning, I looked back at the fae siblings who wore matching guilty expressions. Sometimes it was amazing that they only recently realized they were related, especially when they did things like that.

"What have you done?" I asked slowly, fearing I already knew the answer.

They shared a look and Nova shrugged at Nevada who bit her lip as she looked away. Watching her wring her hands in her lap pretty much confirmed my suspicions but I refrained from reacting. I knew she would tell me, but if I lost my shit before that, she would clam up. Forcing a calm expression on my face, I waited with my arms crossed as I leaned against the doorframe.