After dropping Kubeck off at his uncle’s shop we went straight back to our villa by the lake to finish the holiday which had been so rudely interrupted. Jinx sent a raven to let Shenanigans and Kerfuffle know we were all well; they were to join us in a few days.
I was still a bit jittery and out of sorts, and I drifted listlessly around the villa. Whatever drug the Keeper had given me certainly hung around.
We’d only been back at our retreat for a couple of days when we had unexpected visitors. Pyrites and I were coming back from a stroll along the beach when in the distance I saw Jamie and Jinx on the verandah in front of the villa, locked in conversation with two Guardians. It didn’t look as if there was a lot of laughter going on.
Then one of the Guardians leaned forward and handed Jamie a small box or package. A few more words were spoken, the Guardians both bowed their heads, then they backed away a few steps before taking off into the skies.
Jamie and Jinx stood there watching them fly away, and then Jamie looked down at the package. His lips moved, and Jinx rested one hand on my angel’s shoulder. I began to hurry; something had happened and I doubted from their body language that it was anything good. I was still a few yards away when Jinx caught sight of me. He murmured something to Jamie and they both came down off the verandah and walked to join me.
‘We’ve had a visitation,’ Jinx said.
‘I saw. What did they want?’
Jamie looked down at his hand. ‘They brought something for you,’ he said and unclenched his fingers to show me.
On his palm sat a small, finely engraved gold box. ‘For me?’ Jamie grimaced. ‘Why do I get the impression that you’re not very happy about this?’
‘It’s not how I feel that matters.’
‘I don’t follow you.’
Jinx took my hand and led me to the verandah. He sat, and pulled me down onto the step beside him. Jamie arranged himself on my other side, took hold of my hand and began to stroke my thumb with his: a familiar gesture; one he used when trying to give me comfort – or when trying to find some of his own.
‘What is it?’ I asked.
Jamie held out the box again. ‘The Veteribus have appointed a new Keeper, and Isla’s punishment has been carried out. Officially, Isla was a co-conspirator with Amaliel in a plot against us.’
‘And unofficially?’
‘Assurances have been given that if a member of the tribune was involved, they too will be found and brought to justice.’
‘So, what’s in the box?’
Jamie lifted my hand to his lips and after a brief kiss looked into my eyes, his expression sad. ‘It has always been the way with the Veteribus that the punishment should fit the crime.’ He let go of my hand to prise the lid from the box. ‘Isla was imprisoned within Blue Fire while the court deliberated on her ultimate punishment.’ Within the box were a couple of curls of golden hair. ‘She had no wings to be taken from her, so her head was shaved.’ I peered at the shining locks; now I could see something else, nestled within. ‘Her ultimate punishment was not just death, but that her soul should be imprisoned within a crystal phial, as yours would have been, had Amaliel had his way.’
With my fingertip I brushed away the hair to reveal a dark blue crystal that glowed at its centre with celestial light.
‘She is now yours, to do with what you will.’
For a moment I stared at the crystal, horrified at what had become of the woman. This truly was a fate worse than death. Then I flicked a curl of gold back over the phial and closed the lid. I supposed they could have thrown her off the cliff – but maybe they did, before entrapping her soul.
‘Take it away,’ I said. ‘I can’t bear to look at it.’
It vanished into Jamie’s pocket.
*
Dinner would have probably been a sober occasion if I’d let it, but I’d had enough sadness and worry to last me a lifetime. We were here, we were alive and our enemies were gone; at least those we knew of. Jamie cooked and Jinx kept us supplied with wine, and when Pyrites wasn’t capering around my feet he was flying rings about my head or sitting on my lap licking my face or my hand at every opportunity.
It was a real shame that I couldn’t do justice to the wonderful meal Jamie had prepared. It looked amazing, but the smell, which should have set my mouth watering, just made me feel plain ill. I surreptitiously fed lumps off my plate to Pyrites, but I don’t think I was fooling anyone.
Jamie dropped his cutlery onto his plate and leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh while Jinx poured us all more wine.
‘Will we ever find out if one of the Veteribus was in collusion with Amaliel?’ I asked. ‘I mean if one of them was . . .’ I hesitated, not wanting to put my fear into words.
‘They might try and strike against one or all of us again,’ Jinx filled in the gap.
I nodded and put my knife and fork down, my appetite completely gone.
‘Are you all right?’ Jamie asked. ‘You haven’t eaten much.’
I looked down at the remains of my meal and suddenly felt a bit nauseous. ‘I’m just tired, I guess.’
He didn’t appear so sure. ‘You’re rather pale.’
Jinx dropped the chicken leg he’d been gnawing and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. ‘I suppose it’s to be expected.’
Jamie frowned at him across the table. ‘What is?’
‘Lucinda being a bit peaky.’
‘Peaky?’
‘Umm,’ Jinx said, taking a swig of wine.
‘Jinx, what are you talking about?’ Jamie asked in exasperation.
‘You know – mothers-to-be.’
‘Lucky’s pregnant?’
‘Twins,’ Jinx said.
‘How can you possibly know that?’ I asked.
‘The difference between life and death is a mere heartbeat: I can sense the beginning of new life just as I can feel it ebbing.’
I glanced down at my very flat stomach and then at Jinx. ‘I can’t be.’
‘Why?’
‘I . . . How on earth did this happen?’
Jinx gave a snort, then started to laugh so hard I thought he was probably going to piss himself.
I could feel my cheeks heating up as I realised what I’d said, so I told them I wanted a bath and spent far longer in it than was strictly necessary. I really needed some time alone to think. My head was all over the place and I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. I really wished I had Kayla to talk to now, and my mother. It would have been nice to have a mother to talk to about something like this.
Was I really going to have twins? Would Jinx lie about such a thing? Everything was spinning around in my head when suddenly I recalled a snippet of conversation between Jinx and Persephone that made me feel giddy.
He’d said, ‘Did you know that when someone calls upon a daemon and orders him to take a life, that the life of he who calls becomes forfeit if the order cannot be fulfilled?’
‘Then fulfil it. There she stands. Kill her – take her life.’
‘I cannot.’
‘Why ever not?’
‘By taking her life I would be destroying two others whose lives you did not bid me to destroy; therefore, I am unable to fulfil your demand.’
I realised I’d never know if he would have killed her if he hadn’t known I was pregnant – I wanted to believe it would always have been her rather than me, but that wasn’t something I could ponder for too long; it’s the sort of thing that would have driven me mad. And when all was said and done, I was alive and she wasn’t.
I went to join them on the beach, still thinking about the new lives inside me.
‘Are you not happy?’ Jinx asked, brushing my hair back from around my face so he could look into my eyes.
‘I . . . I really don’t know. It’s a shock. I’ve never given it any thought before.’
Jamie went very quiet, and it didn’t take much to know what he was thinking about; I was wondering the same: I was pregnant – but by whom? Jinx hadn’t actually said, although he had implied it could be him – and he did appear very pleased with himself. That in its own way was good; he’d finally got back his smile – maybe it wasn’t the same Devil-may-care grin he used to have, but the slightly forbidding look that had almost permanently marred his face since I’d found him again had gone.
Unfortunately, Jamie’s smile had sort of disappeared.
Jinx went and got the flagon of wine and three goblets. ‘To toast the expectant mother,’ he explained as he handed out the goblets.
‘Not for me,’ I said, covering mine with my hand.
‘Why ever not?’ he asked, sinking down onto the sand beside me.
‘Alcohol is bad for unborn babies.’
‘Lucky, you’re a daemon – your babies will be just fine,’ Jamie said, taking the offered goblet.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely.’
I accepted a small measure, but I still wasn’t convinced.
‘To the five of us,’ Jinx said, raising his goblet.
‘To the five of us,’ Jamie and I chorused, and my hand automatically went to my stomach.
‘You are going to be a good mother,’ Jinx said, looking at my hand on my tummy.
‘I hope so.’
‘Just as the lad and I are going to be good fathers.’
Jamie’s eyes jerked up to meet Jinx’s. ‘Fathers?’
Jinx grinned at him, and Jamie’s lips slowly curled up into a smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
‘We’re both to be fathers?’
Jinx gave a bob of the head. ‘One winged baby, one horned and tailed.’
‘Boys?’
‘Ah ah, if I told you that, where would be the surprise?’
‘As long as they’re healthy I don’t care,’ I said, grinning from ear to ear. I wasn’t at all sure I was ready to be a mother, but Jamie and Jinx would be the best of fathers.
We finished the bottle of wine while the sun set over the lake and the amethyst waters changed to deep purple to black.
‘Come on,’ Jinx said, hopping to his feet and reaching down for my hand.
Jamie also stood and did the same, and I smiled up at the pair of them, took each of their hands and let them pull me up. Jamie put his arm around my shoulders and Jinx slipped his around my waist as they led me back inside.
‘I think we should celebrate,’ Jinx said.
‘I think I’ve had enough wine,’ I said.
‘Who said anything about wine?’ Jinx kicked open the bedroom door with a nudge of his toe and gave me an exaggerated wink.
‘You, sir, are incorrigible,’ I told him.
‘And you are adorable,’ he said, kissing me on the nose and then pulling me from Jamie’s arms to swing me around and round and drop me onto the bed.
‘Good enough to eat,’ Jamie said.
‘That, brother, would be a waste.’
And they sank down on the bed beside me and we set about celebrating, all thought of death and assassination attempts forgotten – at least for the time being.
*
As the first rays of dawn filtered in through the shutters, casting soft shimmering lines of pink across the bed, I lay awake. Jamie was spooning my back, his right wing as usual spread out over us like a protective feathered blanket. Jinx lay on his back, eyes closed with a small smile curling his lips, thinking similar thoughts to mine, I suspected.
The lovemaking between the three of us had been unexpectedly tender, and at times so sweet it had almost hurt. Every now and then, one of my lovers laid their palm upon my stomach, their smiles of happiness bringing a lump to my throat. But there was still that one elephant in the room, and if I were to ask the question I had promised myself I never would, it had to be now. If I were to ever get a truly honest answer, at least one I could believe, it would be now.
‘Jinx . . .’
‘Umm.’
‘Are you awake?’
‘Umm.’
I took a deep breath, not sure how quite to carry on. He opened one eye, looked at me for a moment, then closed it again.
‘No,’ he said.
‘No?’
‘Nothing and no one in this world or any other could ever make me do something so terrible to you.’ He smiled up at me, his eyes still closed. ‘I will love you until the end of days and I promise I will always keep you and our children safe, my lucky lady.’
‘And so will I,’ Jamie murmured in my ear, and nuzzled my neck.
I closed my eyes, happier than I could’ve ever imagined. I believed both my men with every inch of my heart. More importantly, I think my inner daemon did too, for when I dozed off into sleep, I’m pretty sure she was smiling.
The End