Chapter 452

“Still not going to take my magic?” Midnight asks, standing in the door to her yurt with her hands on her hips, dressed in a fairly fantastic collection of clothes that she clearly picked for herself with enthusiasm from the insanely large selection my mom bought for her.

I smile, taking in the three scarves that Midnight has stacked over a sundress, which she wears over a pair of jeans that she’s tucked into a pair of yellow rubber boots. A jaunty winter hat is pulled down over her curls, the fuzzy purple pompom on top wobbling back and forth whenever she moves.

“I promise,” I say, giving her a little salute, an offering of cake in my hands as I stand before her with Jackson at my side. “Also, I love your outfit. You look great!”

“Thank you! You may enter,” she says, quite dramatic and smiling, bowing us into the yurt.

“Hey Mids,” Jacks says, giving her a little hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Good to see you.”

“Don’t kiss me,” she snaps, giving him a little shove away that doesn’t budge him an inch. “Jesse is my mate. You can’t seduce me away.”

Jackson sputters out a protest but I just laugh and take his hand, tugging him along with me to settle on the floor amongst the guests already inside.

“Hi! Hi!” I say, laughing and putting the cake down before giving both Benny and Elias big hugs. Jesse waves from his spot stretched out on the floor. “Where is Pippa?” I ask, looking around for her. “Is she all right?”

“She’s fine,” Elias says, leaning close to Ben and glancing at him with a little grimace. “She’s just…feeling very pregnant. And…not as fond of me as she has been.”

“Why?” Jesse asks, curious, frowning between Ben and Elias.

Ben just smirks, shaking his head a little, and I roll my eyes, kind of irritated that Jesse is being this oblivious.

“We’ll have to send her down some cake,” I say with a sigh, looking around at the wide selection that Midnight has gathered for her little lunch party. Indeed, there seems to be very little lunch to speak of, beyond several varieties of cake. Which is probably precisely as Midnight wants it.

“No, she can get her own,” Mids snaps, even as she cuts a thick slice of sponge cake and lifts it onto a plate, handing it to Jackson.

I grin at Midnight and settle in next to Elias, though my heart still worries on Pippa. I saw her this morning but she was, indeed, oddly distracted and quietly asked me to leave after I’d only been there for about ten minutes, saying she wanted some time alone.

“Have her contractions kept bothering her?”

“She’s been having them for days,” Elias says with a sigh. “Ella’s checked her out and says she’s perfectly healthy, and the doctors say that that can happen, but…” he shrugs, looking at Ben, who looks at him sorrowfully. “She’s uncomfortable. I wish I could do more.”

“Why aren’t you with her?” Jackson asks, sounding kind of pissed off, like he wouldn’t be anywhere else if his Luna was having contractions no matter how long they went on.

“She kicked me out for a bit,” Elias says, stretching his legs out and looking worriedly around, even as Midnight hands him his own piece of cake. “Said she wanted some peace so she could try and nap. This all has…not been easy on her.”

“Well, it’s not going to be easier once she has a loud puppy,” Midnight says, handing me my own plate before popping down next to Jesse and digging into what’s left of the chocolate cake. “I don’t know why she decided to do a pregnancy. It seems very terrible.”

Ben and Elias smile at her a bit sadly, apparently deciding not to explain it to her. I don’t blame them, thinking that Midnight may never be convinced to see the more appealing aspects of motherhood.

“Um, did Rafe ever come back?” I ask, desperately curious. It’s been hours, most of which Jesse spent napping in my bed. I watched for him out the window and asked for updates from the guards, but…nothing.

“Yes, I did,” comes the dry answer from the door. My face breaks into a smile as I turn to see my brother standing there, his hands on his hips, looking very drawn and tired.

“Hi!” I call, laughing a bit. “What hap –“

But Midnight gasps in horror the moment Rafe takes a step inside the yurt.

“Buddy, you’ve got to ask,” Jesse says, sitting up and wrapping his hands around his knees, grinning at Rafe. “Midnight takes boundaries very seriously and I support her in that.”

“Oh,” Rafe says, blinking in surprise as he steps back out of the yurt. “Um, Midnight, may I come inside?”

“Are you going to try to kiss me?” she asks, sending a glare Jackson’s way.

Jackson sputters in surprise. “Hey, I thought we were friends!?”

“We were,” she says, leaning forward to glare at him. “Until you tried to seduce me.”

“Oh my god,” Jackson murmurs, covering his face with his wide palm, making me laugh.

“Um, I definitely promise…not to kiss you,” Rafe says, looking with baffled surprise between Jacks and Mids.

“All right, you may enter. Though it was rude of you to not bring cake.” Midnight quite primly begins to eat her cake again, and I don’t miss the satisfaction on Jesse’s face as he watches her eat her fill.

“I apologize,” Rafe says, a bit dry, sitting down on the ground to Jackson’s right. “I’ve had…rather a rough start to the day.” He nods his greetings to everyone around the yurt, his eyes lingering on Ben and Elias for a moment as he frowns, clearly still not getting it.

I bite my lip, fighting a smile, and Jackson sends me a nudge down the bond. When I look up at him and he frowns at me, clearly wanting to know what’s going on, I break into a laugh.

He just scowls and shakes his head, wanting to know but not pushing it, knowing I’m not giving him any secrets until he tells me what Jesse told him about the Underworld. So, we are, essentially, still at a stalemate.

“Did you ever find Maryam?” Jesse asks, leaning forward towards Rafe even as his hand snatches out, grabbing a piece of Midnight’s cake and making her squeak in protest as he quickly pops it in his mouth.

Ben and Elias perk up just as Jacks and I do, all of us turning towards Rafe.

“Yes,” Rafe sighs, leaning back against his hands, rolling his eyes up towards the roof of the yurt. “I found her. She’s…back.”

“How’d you convince her to come back?” I ask, my voice a fascinated whisper.

“Um,” he says, looking down at his lap, grimacing. “I…kind of didn’t.”

“Rafe,” Jesse says, laughing and already shaking his head. “What’d you do, carry her?”

I laugh and turn back to Rafe, but when he doesn’t answer – his grimace deepening and his cheeks going red – we all burst out into laughter.

I whip a hand across Jackson, smacking my brother hard on the arm. “Rafe! Seriously!? You carried her back, kicking and screaming!?”

“Well, she didn’t kick and scream the whole time,” he mutters.

I lose it, falling onto Jackson’s side, who likewise laughs and wraps his arms around me, holding me close.

“Oh, come on, what was I supposed to do!” Rafe groans, looking around at all of us for some sign of pity. “She was at the fucking train station with nothing but a backpack and a one-way ticket to the North –“

“You’re supposed to let her go, Rafe!” Ben calls out, laughing. “She’s a grown ass woman – she can decide where she goes! What, is she like your, prisoner now!?”

“No, she’s not my prisoner,” Rafe growls.

“Is she locked in a room somewhere?” Jesse asks, leaning forward, fascinated.

“The door isn’t locked!” Rafe bites out, glaring at him.

“Is it guarded?” I ask, a sneaky smile spreading over my face.

Rafe just scowls and looks away again, making us all crack up.

“It’s not safe out there!” Rafe bites out, though he too starts laughing. “She’s my fucking mate, I can’t just let her go on a train all alone to –“

“Oh no, not on a train!” I say, overly dramatic. “Those death machines, notoriously prowled by gangs of villains eager to maim –“

“That sounds very bad,” Midnight says, nodding slowly. “You were right to stop her, Rafe.”

“Thank you, Midnight,” Rafe says, sighing and not bothering to engage with my critique, realizing now that…he may have over-reacted. A little bit.

“Rafe, you have to let her go home if she wants to,” Ben says, laughing a little. “Her home isn’t dangerous – she’s lived there for years!”

“It’s not her home that’s dangerous, it’s…” Rafe mutters. But then he groans and lays back on the floor of the yurt, shaking his head. “Look, guys, don’t rub it in – I realize I’m being a complete idiot and a jackass. I just…can’t let her go until she…doesn’t hate me anymore…”

“I’m not sure kidnapping her and dragging her back to your houes is going to do you any favors there,” Jackson mutters.

“Worked wonders for us,” Midnight says, grinning over at Jesse.

Jesse laughs and winks at her. “Yes, but we’re a very unique pair, Midnight. Rafe and Maryam, they don’t have nearly as much of our verve and flavor.”

Midnight nods deeply, conceding this point, making me smile between them. God, as much as I love Jesse and Daphne together…this Midnight match, it does make sense on some level, doesn’t it?

“Oh, god, she’s going to hate me forever,” Rafe sighs, staring up at the roof of the yurt, resting his hands on his stomach.

“She’ll come around,” Ben murmurs, taking another bite of his cake. “Who can resist you?”

Elias snarls a little, giving Ben a subtle nudge with his elbow. I smile but Jesse snaps his head to them, his mouth falling open a little, clearly wondering what the hell that was about.

“What am I gonna do,” Rafe sighs, all the words slurring together in his agony.

I pout, reaching over to pat a warm hand on his shoulder. “At least you only have one to deal with.”

He snaps his head back to me. “All of yours liked you, Ari.”

“Yes, but I am very beautiful,” I say, grinning at him. “Even dressed as a boy.”

Jacks hums his support, pulling me back to his side.

“Hey,” Jesse says, leaning forward and grinning a bit deviously at Rafe. “Want to blow of the rest of the day getting completely shitfaced at all of our favorite bars and completely avoiding all of our responsibilities and the big life questions that are haunting us?”

Rafe gasps, sitting up and looking directly at Jesse. “Yes,” he breathes, nodding eagerly. “Yes, that’s exactly what I want to do.”

Jesse whoops, clapping his hands together, making me laugh.