Chapter 29 -

ELLION

Everyone watched Evadiene, or Novaestarus whatever, get up and go to the door. It was instantly apparent that she was not aware of anything outside of what she was focused on. She opened the doors and walked outside, and the action bolted Spencer out of his seat to go to her. The rest of us followed lazily behind them, feeling very much like intruders to their own little world for the last hour but far too curious to admit it and go.

She looked like she was listening to something, or someone, the way she crooked her ear forward, but I didn’t hear anything. Suddenly, she dropped to the deck like someone had taken her out at the back of the knees but she clutched her head and groaned in pain. Spencer rushed to her but she wouldn’t let him pick her up off the deck, so he cradled her to his chest, both of them getting pelted with the hail. He was asking what happened and what she needed but she was intently focused on the pain.

“What’s going on?” Covyn asked.

Sequoia looked up at the sky, quirking her head like she was listening for the thunder. “I’ve only seen her like this a handful of times. Like your pack can mind link, so can she with hers but she isn’t supposed to. Doing so causes her and who ever is talking to her a lot of pain.”

Nova held her head, and groaned like there was a building pressure. Spencer looked lost and just held her and waited for her to say anything. After about two minutes of this she opened her eyes and blinked.

“Osric you little shit, I am sofuckingdisappointed!” She yelled into the sky.

I didn’t know who Osric was but I couldn’t help the low jeer that I let out in support. She was clearly above this person, and they clearly pissed her off, but this statement sent her into another spout of clutching her head. Novaestarus would have fallen onto her face if Spencer hadn’t caught her and picked her up into his arms.

She looked at me as he carried her passed us inside and winked. “Worth it.”

“What just happened Nova?” Spencer demanded.

“My brother was talking to me and, because we’re not allowed to communicate, every word is like a talon dragging down the inside of my skull,” she said, rubbing at her temples now with the heals of her hands.

He sat her close to the fire but brought her in his lap. I knew the feeling of trying to keep your mate from hurting themselves and feeling.. helpless. My arm wrapped around Daley as I led her to the remaining chairs set by the fire and pulled her onto my own lap. I was kissing her head when I looked up and saw Spencer doing the same. Both girls shivered and pressed back into us, and even as I tried to prevent it I found myself sighing with the relief this gave me, just as Spencer did the same.

I had to cave to it; to the realization that Nova, herself, wasn’t a threat. She was just a woman mated to one of my best friends with scars no one could see, just like my darling.

“Elly?” Daley cooed, turning in my lap to look after me after feeling my emotions.

I ran my fingers through her hair, and then down her sides and over herfullhips, keeping my groan to myself as I pulled her tighter against me. “Nothing darling,” I assured. “Nova, how’s your head?”

She looked up with some surprise. “It’ll be ok, I’m …” she hesitated, looking away and back to me. “I’m pretty spent already. Everything about us is about balance, so Osric would have gotten it worse than me.”

Her hand moved to accept a cup of water Sequoia was offering and I noticed it tremble slightly before she brought the second hand to join it. She looked tired, and I felt Daley’s sadness as she watched her from across the space.

“Why aren’t you allowed to speak to your brother?” Daley asked sadly.

Nova’s eyes moved to her. “Losing my phoenix, giving that up, my family had no choice but to disown me. I haven’t seen them since…”

Her sadness was palpable and the whole room felt it. “So why is he here?” I asked and she stilted.

Her hands put down the water on the table and moved to hold Spencer’s around her waist. “They’re here to kill Ambrose so my phoenix will be returned and I can go home.”

“What?!” I gasped, unsure why Covyn and Spencer look so calm, like they expected the answer. “So what can we do about it?”

“You can’t do anything, I’m going to make a deal.”

“A… deal?” I confirmed. “How is that going to help?”

“Our magic runs on deals, I have to make many smal.l ones a year to keep from basically imploding or withering away, and it was my deal to save Ambrose that started this. By killing him they break their end of acocia and what I lost is returned,-“ she turned to Spencer, “-but I don’t want it if you have to die. I could live the rest of my days happily as a sparrow if I could be sure you were safe.”

“You make multiple deals a year?” Covyn gasped, intrigue practically making him salivate as she turned and nodded. “What kind of deals?”

She shrugged. “People who want a promotion or to ace a test.. some of the people had loved ones in the hospital they wanted to recover. Small deals that generally only affected the ones directly involved, I don’t have the control for complicated deals while I’m like this.” She gestured to her body.

“What was their price?” Covyn demanded, glaring at her now.

She looked at him, agitation leaking into her expression. “You think I asked for theirsoulsin exchange for moving them up in life?” She demanded in return.

Spencer growled and he huffed. “No, but there had to be a price.”

“I’m fair,” she growled along with Spencer and he kissed the back of her shoulder before she sighed. “It’s usually years off the end of their life, or it’s equivalent to what they asked for. Everything in balance,” she said again. “Even those who make cruel deals need to offer more to get more.”

Someone needed to keep this conversation on track and, as interesting as this all was, I had other concerns. “Can we go back to Spencer’s murder?” All eyes shifted to me and Nova nodded. “If he’s been reincarnated before, why now?”

“I didn’t find him those times so they couldn’t locate him, but it was him marking me that alerted them. As family, we can sense the deals each other make, and the mating bond has its own ‘contract’ because you can accept or deny it. I’ve only ever accepted one mate bond, they know nothing less than my true mate being around would make me accept another.”

Covyn slapped is knee and sat back in his chair like he figured something out but didn’t elaborate for everyone else. Nova looked at him curiously but seemed to figure it out on her own and didn’t ask. I had to assume if it was important one of them would have said it out loud.

She looked down a moment later. “They’ll want the men who attacked me.”

Spencer’s arms around her tightened and I could see his anger look hopeful. “Why?”

She smirked some what ironically. “My brothers and fatherdoregularly deal in souls.”

I hadn’t even noticed Sequoia move until she dropped a large heavy book on the table in front of Nova. Sequoia opened the book and in the inside cover was a bright red feather that she picked up wistfully. Spencer started peppering calming kisses up and down the side of her neck as her chest started to heave.

I looked at the feather for a few minutes before I realized why it was more than the colour that made it strange. “That feather is quite large,” I commented.

She nodded. “Our natural forms are quite large, though we can alter our sizes, but how your wolf is the same colour as your natural hair, it’s the same for my feathers.” As Spencer ran his hands through her hair it shifted through colours again. “So I can mimic a raven, or an eagle, even a blue jay.”

“What about a flamingo?” I teased, remembering the pink hair.

She laughed and shook her head. “No, they’re shaped too differently. l can.. could change my body slightly, but any avid bird watcher would see the differences.”

“What deal would you make?” Covyn asked, sitting forward and placing his elbows on his knees.

She glared back at Covyn even as Spencer stood up with her in his arms and moved to the couch. “I won’t let you barter yourself for me. I have waited this long to be with you again and I won’t lose you twice.”

“How’d you know?” Covyn gasped from across the room.

“I can already feel it in my chest, how every time I touch her she feels like it could be the last.” Spencer ran his leg down the back of the couch and she moved into the space he created to lay on his chest.

Her eyes started to drift closed for longer and longer. “I’ll never figure out how you know me so well.”

“Because I learn my Angel. This is the same way you felt the morning you tried to leave.”

She grumbled, “you need to let me. They will target the pack to force your hand…”

“Then we will go,” Spencer said easily. “I know we can find a way to make that work.”

“No!” Covyn growled and Nova startled into sitting up straighter. “You are a part of this pack Spencer, sosheis a part of this pack. We stand together.”

“I thought humans can’t be a part of the pack, and that’s why I had to call you Covyn?” She joked wistfully.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes at her. “That was an excuse because you say ‘Alpha’ weird.”

Her eyebrow quirked up as she tested the word, “Alpha?” She looked around but I thought her accent sounded cute.

Spencer growled and took her lips in a mock show of jealousy. She giggled and used his title before returning a quick kiss to his cheek. Her smile quickly made him relax and she settled back into her spot, letting a deep breath go.

“You can’t fight them,” Nova yawned. “Sorry,” she added, covering her mouth.

“You don’t need to apologize, to any of them,” Spencer returned, eyeing me and Daley but before I could speak he added, “I haven’t forgotten it was that damn book you ordered that tipped them off to what she is.”