Fire and Bone (Otherborn #1)(100)

Sage sees me noticing. “My tribute from Lia,” she says with a stiff grin. “Don’t judge, it’s really soft cotton.”

She follows me into my cottage and settles under one of the trees next to the nest as I go into the closet and throw on a T-shirt and dry shorts. When I come back out, she’s staring blankly into the ferns and chewing on her thumbnail.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

She lowers her hand to her lap. “Nothing.”

I give her a disbelieving look. She’s been more absentminded the last couple days, and during training she keeps losing focus. It could be stress from the approaching Emergence—we’re all feeling that—but it could also be the dreams. I’ve allowed Marius to take over on that subject—he talks about it with her in the evenings at dinner—but I can see something happening, a distance growing. A part of me is terrified that she’s slowly slipping away.

“You can talk to me about it, Sage.”

She shrugs. “I think I just want to talk about the after-the-day-of-doom stuff. It’ll help me. Like, will I be a high executive? Will I get a plane?” Her snarky smile appears, and the knot in my chest loosens a bit.

“All right.” I wave her into the greenhouse, and we settle in our usual spot under the wisteria. “There are some tests you’ll take after the final ceremony that will help you choose a path. I borrowed the books Aelia used to study for them.”

Sage frowns. “So . . . it’s exactly like being a human. It sounds like college entrance exams. Blech.”

“If college exams are about moving objects with your mind, or making plants grow in seconds.”

She snorts. “Well, I can’t do either of those things. What do you think I’d be good at?”

I’ve actually been considering this quite a bit. It’s my job to make a recommendation at the ceremony, and I knew almost immediately which path would suit her best.

“You’d make a very good tutor and mentor for the younger Otherborn,” I say, watching for her reaction. “Some are brought in at very delicate ages. You could help them feel less alone, to get acclimated in a healthier way, even protect them. It can be a very dangerous time for a newblood. And the long process can be difficult for the more vulnerable.” A reality I know all too well. “You’ve retained your kindness in spite of your difficult childhood. And you have a wildness that draws spirits in and makes them feel safe. It’s a magic all its own.”

She chews on her lip, staring at the ground for several seconds before she looks up at me again. “You really see me like that?”

I hesitate, realizing by the tremble in her voice how much my words mean to her. “Yes,” I say, holding her gaze. “I do.”



She leaves in a bit of a daze, pensive and distant again, so I’m surprised when an hour later she calls me out to join her in the pool, sounding playful. I make excuses for a bit—I’ve been trying to avoid being with her when she’s out there in her bathing suit—but she’s extremely persistent.

Before leaving the cottage, I slide my palm over a cluster of ivy climbing up the wall beside me and steady myself as I pull the buzz of green life into my skin. I need some strength.

I step outside and spot her sliding into the clear water of the pool.

My throat tightens as my eyes take in the sight of her in a white bikini. I’m an idiot. I should’ve known it’d be impossible to pretend she doesn’t affect me.

I have to force myself to keep walking forward and turn my focus to the ground instead of her. But the image of her is squarely under my skin. After only a couple of feedings from me, she’s become a woman. Her curves are supple, her muscles shaped to perfection. The bright copper waves of her hair, grown just past her shoulders now, reflect the sunlight in golden streaks. Her skin is a perfect peach, scattered with freckles, only the scar on her neck from Kieran marring the smooth surface.

It was inevitable that she would blossom once she was able to feed properly and use her powers. I should’ve known that what I saw that first night was because her demi side had been starving for so long. Now she’s exquisite.

Aelia comes down the path through the trees just as I start to back away, heading for my cottage again.

She spots me and points. “Faelan’s here for fun? I didn’t think that was possible.”

Niamh and James trail behind her. James grabs Niamh, picking her up with a hoot and surging forward, leaping into the water as she squeals in protest. Niamh comes up sputtering and scolding as she makes her way back to the edge of the pool.

James gives me a nod while the girls aren’t looking, like he’s making sure it’s all right that he’s around. I nod back. I could not care less if he hangs with Aelia, sleeps with her, even if he’s feeding from her, as long as it’s consensual. The rules against underlings being equals with druids and demis have seemed archaic to me since the industrial revolution.

Niamh climbs out of the water and grabs a towel from one of the chairs, pouting. “You totally messed up my hair, James.”

James leans on the edge and rolls his eyes dramatically. “Oy, pixie, leave it at the gates, will ya. We’re not on show.”

Aelia scoffs, “Silly, James, you’re always on show.”

James just laughs and works his way over to Sage. “Hello, love,” he says, his grin wide, fangs showing. “How’s the ascendance going today?”