Observe.
SERENITY
Hours later, people were still running around, talking excitedly, telling stories, drinking wine and laughing. The Watchers hadn’t moved from their spots even though Alex begged one of them to blink and tried to go all “I’m so attractive you’ll start weeping” on him.
He did flinch.
But that was it.
Until Cassius threatened to strike him with lightning.
“Serenity…” Mason gripped my hands. “…there’s something you should know. Your parents… they left you in order to help release you from the curse. They chose to die so that you could live. I didn’t want you to go through the rest of your existence thinking they didn’t care about you, or that they cared more about each other. My father said some things before he died. He became a very bitter man. A man full of terror is a scary thing to behold. They do things out of character, out of fear. And anything done out of fear is uncontrollable in the way it impacts those we love the most.” His eyes went to Tarik briefly before coming back to me.
Tears welled, and one escaped as I stood on tiptoe and kissed Mason’s parted lips, tasting wine, tasting him. “Thank you. I have you now, and even if that wasn’t the truth, I’m whole. Because I have you.”
He sighed like he was relieved. “And I you.”
“What happens to him?” I nodded to Tarik, who was standing in the corner. His face was smiling, but his eyes weren’t. He looked sad.
“I’m asking a favor” was all Mason said.
“Oh?” I looked to Cassius, who nodded slowly in our direction and then stepped out of the room. “Can he do that?”
“Cassius can do much that he won’t tell us,” Mason said in a distant voice. “Much that he does not want to burden us with.”
I spread my hands across Mason’s chest. “Just like the secrets you hold from Gadreel.”
“Yes.” He grabbed my hand and kissed my fingertips.
Suddenly, Cassius was back with Timber next to him, Timber looking less-than-pleased, if the state of his hair was any indication.
Timber nodded his head, gave Cassius an odd look, then nodded his head again and made his way to Tarik.
Mason smiled. “Timber is just as lonely as Tarik, though he won’t admit as much to us. He was desperate enough to seek a roommate, a human roommate.”
I tried not to laugh.
Mason chuckled. “Idiot.”
“He would probably end up accidentally killing the roommate and feeling so guilty he’d mope for days.” I shook my head.
“Ah, but a wolf-mate…” Mason chuckled at his own joke while I hit him. “…that he can’t kill.”
“Unless they kill each other.”
“Tarik isn’t the violent type, and Timber is too…” Mason frowned and looked at Cassius. “It seems Timber is feeling useless now that everything seems solved.” Mason stilled. “Oh hell.”
“What?”
“I know that look.”
“What look?” I glanced between Cassius and Timber.
Cassius looked angrier than I’d ever seen him.
And then one of the goddesses walked right over to Timber and offered him a glass of wine.
Cassius turned and winked at us.