Aris
“Why didn’t you tell me Posey can’t shift?”
Roman squints into the midmorning sunlight, his tan skin going rosy along his cheekbones. The dock off the back of the house is empty save for the two of us taking up residence in wicker chairs, watching the fog roll off the lake. A loon floats by, diving under the water.
Everyone else is still in the house sleeping off their hangovers.
I couldn’t sleep. Haven’t slept. Probably won’t until I get this cleared up.
Roman exhales deeply, scrubbing his forehead like he can swipe his hangover away. “It’s not something she likes people to know.”
“Obviously.”
“She never came into it, never showed any signs of developing gifts in that realm. My parents said she just needed more time, but Posey produced a report from the healers in Sapphire Ridge that confirmed she didn’t possess any lupine powers, and that was that. Mom’s in pieces about it, worried about Posey’s marriage prospects.”
I shake my head, bringing my steaming mug of coffee to my lips. In any other circumstance, the idea of an arranged marriage would be ludicrous, but the Sapphire family has been in power for as long as my line of the royal family, the Westfalls of Veiled Valley, have. Their line goes back centuries, if not thousands of years, and their wealth could easily put mine to shame, and I’m a prince. Posey is a princess in her own right, even if she’s not related to an Alpha King. The Sapphires have been allies with the Shadowsyngers since the dawn of time. They also have other gifts that determine things like mating–and marriage–to keep their line strong and powerful.
“What about her alchemy?”
Roman hisses out a breath. “She hasn’t said a word.”
“And yours?”
“I’m training, but it doesn’t seem necessary. It’s more of a tradition, if anything. Our family hasn’t made magical weapons or riches for yours in hundreds of years?” He gives me a look, arching a brow. “Prove me wrong?”
“I can’t.” I shrug, sipping from my mug and then resting it on my knee. The Sapphires have a gift, and that gift is the manipulation of metal, turning a cord of iron into anything they desire just by touching it. Those gifts take years to develop and even longer to perfect. Roman can make iron into gold and copper into jewels, but it’s not perfect yet.
Long ago, the Sapphire family helped create the Sword of Shadow, several diadems, and the mask and bracelets I found in the cave during my ascension into the Shadowsynger guild. Their alchemised jewels hold our power like no other gems, not even a precious, sacred moonstone, can. His father was the one who crafted the necklace that gave Maeve a shot of having a real childhood without the risk of setting everything she touched on fire.
“If Posey is an alchemist, she hasn’t said so.”
“Why don’t you push the subject? She called herself a lapse.”
“I know. I’ve heard her say it, too. She’s rather manipulative if you haven’t noticed over the twenty years you’ve known her, Aris. She’s an artist, a master, when it comes to deflection.” He leans back in the chair, tilting his head to the sun. “She left for college, made it clear she was going to be a teacher, and my parents allowed it with the stipulation that she come back to Sapphire Ridge to teach, and she has. Now, she has it in mind to join some graduate program. It’s tearing the family apart, but she’s adamant.” He winces, shaking his head.
“What program?”
“I was looking for you guys.” Tate’s tread is heavy and uneven as he moves down the dock. He plops onto the boards, hanging his legs over the edge, his bare feet barely touching the surface of the lake.
“Anyone else awake yet?”
“Just us and Posey.” Tate leans his face into the sunlight with a wince.
I stiffen at the mention of her name, and Roman notices. He discreetly shakes his head, silently willing me to keep our conversation between us.
“What’s my darling sister up to this morning?” Roman drawls in his practiced Alpha’s voice.
“Making breakfast,” Tate says with a grateful smile. “It smells great, but she nearly bit my hand off when I tried to steal a few pieces of bacon.”
I methodically rise. “I need a refill.” I tilt my head toward my mug. “Anyone else?”
Both of them shake their heads.
“I say we take the boat out after breakfast. There’s so much lake to explore. We can grab lunch in Ruby Row,” Roman offers, and I nod my agreement before turning on my heel and stalking toward the house, the back windows reflecting morning sunlight over the freshly cut lawn.
Posey’s in the kitchen, her hair pulled back in a ponytail while she perfectly flips a pancake. Miles is leaning groggily against the kitchen island, looking worse for wear as he gingerly takes a sip of his coffee. The pot is now empty.
“The guys are outside discussing plans for the day,” I tell him in a form of dismissal. He takes the bait and saunters through the kitchen and adjoining open dining area, where large glass doors open to the backyard. I watch him until he disappears into the glare of the sun.
I can feel Posey watching me when I move toward the coffeemaker.
“If you’re going to ask how I’m feeling, don’t bother. I’m not hungover in the slightest.” I set to work making another pot of coffee, the sizzle of her skillet as she pours more batter filling the silence between us.
“Do you eat carbs?” she asks, sliding a plate piled high with every kind of breakfast food imaginable in my direction while I lean against the kitchen island. Pancakes drenched in syrup with whipped cream and berries, bacon, eggs with cheese and flaked with green onions, and sausage links that will pop the second I bite into one.
“Of course I eat carbs. Who do you think I am?”
“Tate and Miles told me they wouldn’t touch the pancakes because it will undo their progress at the gym.”
“Well, they’re stupid beasts, so that doesn’t surprise me.” I grab a fork out of the drawer at my side and make a show of sinking it through four layers of carbs, fat, and sugar, my eyes on hers when I finally take a bite.
Posey takes a breath and smiles at me but then gives me her back, resuming the arduous task of pouring batter.
For whatever reason, her inability to take the bait I just wiggled in front of her settles so deep in my chest it makes my ribs sing with pain. I’ve always teased her, tried to get a rise out of her. It was second nature. I have two sisters, for the Goddess’s sake. Our family's love language has always been acts of bullying. I treated Posey the same because I didn’t know how to do it differently.
But even a searing, slightly flirtatious look into her eyes does… nothing for her. She’s totally immune.
“Roman said you’re trying to get into a graduate program.”
Her shoulders tighten. “Yeah, I am.”
“Where?”
She sighs heavily, looking at me over her shoulder. “I’d rather not talk about school. You’re the one who gave me a hard time last night about not going out and staying home with my books, anyway. I am here to enjoy myself. I know that probably surprises you–”
“I didn’t know you couldn’t shift,” I cut in under my breath.
“Does that bother you?”
“Kind of.”
“Well,” she huffs, chuckling. “Good thing it’s none of your business and shouldn’t affect you in the slightest.”
I abandon the delicious breakfast and come to her side, leaning my hip against the counter and effectively stepping into her personal space. She doesn’t step away. “I hate the idea you’re out there in the world without a way to defend yourself.”
She rolls her eyes to mine. “It’s none of your business, Aris. Give me a break.”
“I could train you.”
“In what?” She flips a pancake with so much force it splatters all over the skillet.
“A little hand to hand.” I shrug, watching her expression twist.
“It’s not necessary.”
“Listen, I caught a scent last night just outside of the house. There was something here while you were alone.”
She stills, looking away from me.
“And while you are perfectly free to have visitors…”
“Aris!” she hisses, slapping my arm with her spatula.
“I’m just saying. If you’re going to be alone more often than not, it would make me feel better knowing you can at least defend yourself.”
“I will be totally fine!” She scoffs, rolling her eyes back to the now burned pancake. She grumbles a rather colorful curse under her breath before snatching the skillet and carrying it to the trash can, scraping the blackened remains into the bin. I hover beside her, waiting for her to just give in. “Will you go finish your breakfast and leave me alone? I have things to do today.”
“Yeah, you do. You’re going to Ruby Row with us. There’s shopping and a market, and we’re taking the boat. It’ll be fun.” I snatch the skillet from her hands and toss it in the sink, arching my brow and silently daring her to challenge me.
“That wasn’t my plan.”
“You’re in my house for the summer. You’re my guest, and it’s my duty to ensure you have a good time.”
“You rented this house.”
“I bought it a few weeks ago.”
She eyes me skeptically. “Congratulations on your newfound homeownership.”
“What’s wrong with you, Posey? Do you have a problem with everyone or just me?”
“I don’t have a problem with you, Aris. But you’re bugging me. You never took any interest in me and my goals before, so why start now? Why be bothered by the fact that I need to spend some time studying this summer? Why care that I can’t shift?”
“I am worried about–”
“About someone coming here to assault me?” She laughs, but it’s bitter. “Aris, be serious.”
“I’m serious as death.” I step into her, looking down into those bright eyes. “If I have to drag you to every activity, I will.”
“Am I on vacation or at summer camp?”
“You’re at Camp Aris.”
“You’re so annoying,” she chuckles, stepping around me. She lays out several plates for whenever the rest of the guests rouse themselves enough to eat. “You’re not my brother, you know. You have no authority over me.”
“What am I to you, then?”
“You’re my friend. You always have been.”
“If I were really your friend, you would have told me about the fact that you couldn’t shift ages ago!”
“Will you keep your voice down!” she hisses, glancing around. “It’s not a big deal to me at all, Aris, okay? I couldn’t care less. I’m fine. Everything is fine. You don’t need to hover over me all summer and treat me like a charity case because I don’t have a wolf. Leave me be and chill out, please.”
She tears herself from the room with a huff. I roll my eyes back to my plate, which I've been eyeing over the course of the argument, and scarf down the delicious breakfast. Eventually, the guys come back to eat, and Willow makes her presence known in a grand way by tripping and falling down the stairs. Thankfully, she doesn’t maim herself too badly, and she’s numbed to the bone by the alcohol still swimming through her system, so she doesn’t feel a thing.
Posey doesn’t return to the group until an hour later, when Roman and I are loading up the boat that came with the purchase of the house. It’s a slick sailboat perfect for the amount of people going out on the water today.
Posey looks bored as she walks down the dock carrying a wicker bag, sporting huge sunglasses and wearing nothing but a soft blue bikini and crocheted swim cover, the tip of her nose already turning pink from the sun.
I can tell she’s scowling at me under the gleam of her sunglasses, but I give her a gracious smile, bowing deeply at the waist. “Princess Posey. How kind of you to grace us with your presence."
She frowns deeply.
“Do you guys have to start this now? Already?” Roman asks, exasperated.
I extend my hand, clutching her fingers, and help her onto my boat.