The Rise of Fortune and Fury (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 5)

Her gaze moves slowly to her left, and I leave her alone as she considers.

In the kitchen, everyone is still there, waiting on some news about how she’s settling in. All eyes turn to me expectantly.

“I’m just here for food,” I say as I rummage through the pantry for chips.

“I’ll make you a charcuterie board,” Zaid announces, grabbing my elbow and pulling me out of the storage closet. “And deliver it to Zora’s room for you both to share.”

And… I’m not going to argue with that. Gratefully, I smile and move to the fridge, grabbing some water and two Cokes. I don’t drink soda—those are actually Maddox’s obsession—but I want Zora to try one.

“Well,” Rainey drawls, grabbing my attention. “How’s it going?”

“Slowly,” I admit with a tiny sigh. “She’s overwhelmed. This is a lot, so I’m just slowing things down and talking at her pace. I’m letting her tell me what she wants. Right now, I’m blathering on all about Carrick and me.”

Carrick smirks knowingly, and I roll my eyes.

“I would suggest you all disperse and go about your day,” I tell the crowd. “I’ll be with Zora the entire time.”

“And tonight?” Carrick asks suggestively.

“I might have a slumber party with her,” I quip and shoot him a wink, which makes him laugh.

I wouldn’t really do that. Zora would think it was so weird her first night here, and I’d miss Carrick too much.

But maybe we’ll get there.

I leave the kitchen and my friends behind.

The love of my life behind.

I head back into Zora’s bedroom so we can continue to get to know each other at whatever pace she’ll allow.

* * *

It’s almost midnight when I creep into the bedroom I share with Carrick, but the creeping is unnecessary. He waits for me in the bed, sitting up against the backboard and reading a book. He’s shirtless and the sheets are pulled up over his hips, but I can tell he’s naked underneath.

It’s how he always sleeps, although I still prefer one of his t-shirts. I like the comfort his smell brings me.

Eyes lifting, Carrick puts the book on the nightstand. “All talked out?”

I yawn as I move to my side of the bed and flop onto it, rolling to my back and coming to rest beside him. I stare up at the ceiling. “I’m totally all talked out. Meaning, we really only talked about me.”

“Understandable,” he says, flipping to his side and leaning on an elbow to slightly hover over me, forcing me to look at him and not the ceiling. “You’re going to be far more open. She’s going to be closed tight as a clam. You have to give it time.”

“I know.” The whine in my voice isn’t flattering. “It’s just… we don’t have a lot of time. The new moon is around the corner, and I’ve lost twenty-eight years with her. Not only am I trying to make up for that, but I’ve also got to learn how to break through the wall she’s put up around herself.”

“I have faith in you.” Carrick dips his head, then brushes his lips over my forehead. “So what exactly did you two talk about?”

I scoot up onto the pillow, rolling to my side to face him. He drops down to his pillow, too, our arms both curled under ourselves for support. “I fed her light information first. Me as an adult, dropping out of college, all the jobs I’ve had, and then finally my rise through One Bean to owner. Kept it simple and let her ask questions if she was curious to know more.”

“And was she? Curious?”

“She was,” I reply, taking note of the relief I feel now like I felt earlier when she showed genuine interest. “Eventually, she got around to asking about our parents. That led to talking about the changeling ceremony. I could tell she was relieved the daemon that stole her had frozen them, so they had no clue what had happened.”

Carrick nods. “Making it clear she was not forsaken or abandoned.”

“Exactly,” I concur. “She knew there was no one to save her.”

“Save her from what is the question,” Carrick murmurs thoughtfully.

“We most certainly didn’t get into that,” I say with heavy regret. “But it’s what I really need to know. I need to know what was done to her, so I can help her overcome it.”

Eyes locked on mine, Carrick brushes hair behind my ear. “You’ll get there, I promise. I think over the next few days, you two need to spend some focused time with each other. Keep it laid back with no pressure for her to talk about anything if she doesn’t want to. She’ll eventually open up.”

“And you know this how?” I ask skeptically.

Carrick smirks. “Five thousand years of living. You learn a few things about people.”

“Your wisdom is indeed unparalleled,” I commend with a grin.