37. Imogen

37

IMOGEN

S olstice was always my favorite holiday.

Solstice season warms the heart and the hearth—the fires rage from dawn to dusk and back to dawn, new wood thrown on the eternal flames each hour. My mother wasn't the most sentimental parent, but she always made sure my brother and I woke up to the smell of cinnamon buns and hot cocoa. We'd run downstairs, racing each other, only to tie, slipping on fallen pine needles from the tree that took up half our living room.

We don't have a tree here in Casimir, nor the chill of winter, but the distinct pitter patter of rain filters in through the cracked window.

At least we have each other's company and our presents to look forward to. I also may have bribed a sprite to make us some of the traditional baked goods for this morning…

A swirl of shadow forms across the room and one of the little buggers appears carrying a large tray of the tasty treats and a hot pot of coffee. Its wings flap loudly, and it squeaks at me, announcing its arrival. I scramble from the bed, shushing the thing and pulling the plate from its talons.

"Thank you," I say. Its wide eyes blink up at me expectantly. "You can go now."

I think it pouts as I wave it towards the bedroom door, but before I can open it, the sprite disappears in shadow with an outraged squeak.

Pulling the warm plate up to my nose, I inhale the decadent scent of cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla frosting.

Home .

That's what it smells like.

I place the tray on the coffee table before the fireplace with care, then crawl back into bed.

Nora's chest rises and falls with easy breaths; I nestle into her side, and she instinctively shifts to bring me closer, my curves slotting into place next to hers. I give her butterfly kisses in the crook of her neck before my lips double back and litter her skin with real ones—little pecks that have her stirring from her slumber.

"It's time to get up," I hum.

Nora's brows knit together, and her nose scrunches up as she groans, coming alive for the morning.

My hand snakes around her waist and tickles her side which has her eyes snapping open. Nora quickly snatches my hand and pulls me half on top of her.

"You're a menace, you know that?" Her voice is raspy and low.

"And you're a terrible morning person," I quip, leaning forward to brush my nose up against hers, back and forth. "Happy Solstice."

Nora hums, but it sounds sad. "Happy Solstice."

I lean forward, planting a lazy kiss on her lips. Immediately, I'm hit with the stale taste of liquor.

"You taste like day-old bourbon," I say. Pulling back so I can see her face fully, I quirk a brow. "Were you drinking last night?"

Nora yawns. "I couldn't sleep."

"Oh." I brush a stray lock of black hair from her forehead and behind her ear. "Why didn't you wake me? I would have stayed up with you, or at least tried to help get you tired enough to pass out."

She doesn't run with the innuendo like I hoped she would. Instead, Nora's head drops back onto the pillow and her eyes flutter closed.

"You sleep too peacefully," she says, pulling in another deep yawn. "I didn't want to ruin that."

I shift and straddle her, thighs bracketing her hips. My hands frame her head and my hair hangs in a sheet around us.

"It's not ruining anything," I say. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she says, finally smiling up at me, though it doesn't reach her eyes. "Tired."

I twist my lips, holding back any other questions—Nora knows I want her to share her burdens with me. I have to trust her to do that in her own time, even if it's not as fast as I'd hope.

"That is an easy problem to fix. The sprites already dropped off a pot of liquid energy for you at my request."

"Hmm, they really do like you."

"I have my charms." I peck her forehead, then her nose, then her lips, avoiding the way they follow me when I pull back. "C'mon. Leo and Josie will be over soon."

Nora groans as I hop off the bed and I laugh.

Could every Solstice morning be this? I wonder with childlike hope.

An hour later, the four of us are huddled around the fireplace with bellies full of dough and espresso. Leo lounges across the couch, legs propped over Josie's lap; Nora takes up the armchair, and I sit on the floor between her legs, leaning back against her. We're all still in our pajamas, a colorful array of striped cotton and lace-lined silk.

The rain has gotten heavier, so we shut the window, but it has still caused the temperature to drop enough to warrant a fire.

I'm not complaining.

"Usually, I'd add some orange zest to the frosting," Josie says, licking her thumb. "But these were good."

"You're a little food aficionado, aren't you, Josie?" I say.

"Ehh," she drawls, tilting her head back and forth. "You could say that."

We laugh, the sound as cheery as wind chimes filling the room.

"Okay, present time." I clap, unable to hold back my giddiness any longer.

I hop up and scurry to my suitcase, pulling out the wrapped boxes for each of them.

"Wait, we're doing presents?" Nora asks. "Today? Right now?"

Leo laughs, a short singular " ha, " then quickly covers his face with his hand.

I raise a brow in Nora's direction. "Yes… it's Solstice."

"I didn't bring them," she says, her pale face losing its color. "I swear I got you all gifts. But I didn't think we were going to do this while we were here."

"Hey, hey." I hurry back to Nora, placing my gifts on the coffee table. "I didn't explicitly tell you to bring them. It's not a big deal."

Nora turns to Josie, caught off guard. "You brought yours?"

Josie grimaces, reaching behind the couch and holding up a small bag of presents. Nora groans, scrubbing her hands over her face.

"Shit," she says. "I'm sorry."

"The almighty Pride, brought to her knees in apology," Leo croons overdramatically. "I'd say that's enough of a gift for me, Nor."

"Ha-ha," Nora deadpans. Her hands still cover her cheeks, which are flushed pink.

I don't think I've ever seen her embarrassed. Or so amicable to Leo's jokes.

Is this the same woman who I went to bed with last night?

"It's fine," I say, rubbing my hand on her thigh. "Gives us an excuse to host a party when we get back."

Nora heaves a sigh.

"Okay," she says. "Alright. Who's first then?"

"I'm going last," I claim. I want mine to get the prime present spot.

"I'll go first," Josie says.

She tosses Leo a small box and passes me a similarly wrapped one. We both rip open the carefully wrapped presents.

"Aw…" Leo lifts up a gorgeous brown leather watch with a simple square clockface lined with gold.

"So you won't be late to any more meetings," Josie snickers.

Leo smacks her arm playfully. "That was one time!"

Josie laughs, but Leo adds a quick thank you before turning to me.

I sheepishly hold up the box I opened; a stately gold ring with a large amethyst set in its center sits in the plush black cushion. The gold is shaped into filigree detail around the stone, giving it an elegant daintiness that you wouldn't normally expect from a ring of this size.

"The stone is for protection and calming clarity," Josie explains. "Plus, I thought it looked nice."

"Thank you, it's such a thoughtful gift," I say, emotion aching in my throat. I slip it onto my fingers, seeing which it fits best on. Settling on my right middle finger, I leave it there, letting the weight comfort me. "What about for Nora?"

Josie shakes her head, a devious smile tugging at her lips. "We have our own traditions. No gifts."

"Oh?" Leo asks. "Tell us more about these traditions."

"You've recently been told about one," Josie teases.

I rack my brain for a moment before it clicks.

"The sauce prank on Wes's grandma?" I ask.

Josie's shy smile says it all.

"No." Leo sits up. "You did not do that to her Solstice dinner ."

Nora snickers, but Josie has the decency to flush with embarrassment.

"We did, in fact, spike the sauce on Solstice," she relents with a wince.

"Best Solstice prank in my opinion," Nora murmurs behind me. "Still pissed we got caught."

"So, will we have a new funny story to add to the list of things to look forward to when we get home?"

"Depends. We've been too busy to plan it yet," Josie says.

Nora leans forward, whispering in my ear. "And who says you'll be spared from the prank this year, anyway?"

I bat Nora away with a laugh. "Evil. Both of you."

Leo clears his throat, throwing his feet off Josie's lap. He quickly grabs the brown paper bag he left by the door when he entered earlier; rummaging through it, he pulls out three small wrapped goodie bags of cookies.

"I will admit, I phoned it in this year. Ended up being a smidge busy," he says with a wink my way. He tosses each one of us our own bag. "However, I know for a fact that they taste delicious."

"You never bake anymore." I tug apart the ribbon holding the bag closed and sniff the cookies—rich chocolate fills my senses. "Oh my gods. Thank you, Leo. I am saving these for later."

Nora hums behind me, already nibbling into one. Her eyes meet mine and they hold the most joy they've had all morning, a purely devious glint residing in the emerald facets.

"Not bad," she says.

"Nora…" I chide, holding back my laughter. I know exactly what she's trying to do. I can't approve of it, but I also can't deny myself the pleasure of how they love to rile each other up.

"Not bad?" Leo repeats.

"Yeah, not bad," Nora shrugs.

Leo sputters, and the two of them launch into a heated argument about varying levels of cocoa powder and sugar. I chuckle to myself as I crawl over to the coffee table and grab my presents.

"Alright! My turn!" I cut off their argument and place a box in front of each of them. Josie whispers a sweet thank you as she takes the box from my hands, already knowing what's inside.

"Josie first," I say. "Because she's special and already knows what's inside."

She smirks at Nora's shocked mutter, ripping into the box. I perch myself on the edge of Nora's armchair, her hand snaking around my waist as we watch Josie ceremoniously reveal the old western pistol.

Sharp shocks of memory shoot through my side, but I ignore the pain, push it down.

This is the first step to moving past what happened that day. A way to reclaim the good that was stained.

Nora's thumb swipes back and forth over the bit of skin exposed between my pajama shirt and pants.

"I really do love it, Mo. Thank you," Josie says. She runs her hand over the detailed barrel, which is now sparkling since I had it cleaned. A quiet kind of gratitude exudes from her in the way she handles it so carefully, as if it might break if she drops it despite it already having survived a century of life across the Veil. "I'll have to see if I can shoot it while riding a horse like the humans used to."

Josie bites her tongue, poking into her cheek as she raises the gun away from the three of us, closes one eye, and pretends to aim and shoot.

"We'll have to figure out how to get you to a horse first," I laugh. "I'd love to see how it goes."

"What, you don't believe I can ride?" Josie teases.

"No, you'd definitely fare better than me," I say. I peer down at Nora. I knock my legs into hers. "Your turn."

Nora hums, eyes flicking between her box and Josie's, noting the similar wooden case. "I wonder what it could be."

"Open it already." I push at her shoulder.

Her hands still as they lift the lid; the room quiets, and we sit stagnant as we wait for her reaction. Then, one hand moves, fingers trailing over the more modern gun than Josie's; it's silver and sleek, a stripe down the center of the barrel engraved with an endless knot. It's supposed to symbolize unity and strength, and I was going to leave it at that before the attack. But after, it didn't feel like enough, so I found someone in town to add something extra.

Lower, burned along the wooden inlay of the handle, is a short message.

Scared pieces too.

My lips twist in on themselves, my nerves bubbling to the surface.

"It's okay if you don't?—"

"I love it."

Nora looks up at me, eyes glistening with a mix of wonder and something more .

"You do?"

"Yeah. It's beautiful. Thank you."

"I didn't know what model to get, but I had Josie help me, and the old guy who ran the store, of course. His name was Sal, but?—"

Her brows furrow, all that wonder gone with a blink and replaced with the curious beginnings of anger.

"Wait. This is why you were human-side?"

My mouth opens and closes, a seed of dread sprouting in my gut. "Yeah."

She glares back down at the gun, the air around her growing thick and tense. Then, she takes a single, slow breath; on the exhale, her features melt into something resembling guilt. She closes the case, flicking the golden latch shut with an audible click.

Her fingers intertwine with mine on my lap, and she pulls my hand to her lips, planting a gentle kiss to my pulse point on my wrist.

"Thank you," she whispers. "I'll wear it later."

"Later?" I ask.

"Mhm," she says. "I have a thigh strap that should work for it."

"I wanna see the gun," Leo whines, reaching out with grabby hands.

I roll my eyes. "Open your gift first. It's better."

"Fine," he groans. It takes him all of five seconds to rip open the terribly wrapped box and flick open the lid.

Leo stills, similar to Nora, fingers lingering an inch above the rusted metal key resting on a bed of fabric. His mouth falls agape, lower lip trembling from shock.

He shouldn't be that shocked. He's known this was coming.

"The key to the safe?" he whispers.

I nod, confidence steeling the movement. "It's officially yours."

"But—wait—you can't give this to me yet."

"Why not?" I ask, a sad smile spreading between my cheeks.

"Because I'm not—you're still?—"

"No, Leo," I say. "You're in charge now. When we get back home, you are the keeper of the secrets. You own the key to the safe."

Leo gawks at the thing in his lap.

" The safe?" Nora asks, curious.

"You guys aren't stupid enough to keep the shit you blackmail Royals with in an actual, physical safe," Josie says, equal parts disbelief and concern falling over her features. "Right?"

Leo and I share a conspiratorial look.

"Right—" Leo says.

"Of course not. It's a metaphorical key."

"Right…" Josie drawls, seeing right through our terrible cover.

Nora squeezes my hand, pulling my attention back down to her.

"Imogen, what does giving him that key mean?" she asks tentatively, though by her serious gaze, I can tell she's already putting together the pieces.

Leo makes an outraged squeak. "You didn't tell her yet?"

"Mo…" Josie groans.

I wince, my lips curling over my teeth. "I meant to. But then I figured it would be easier to rip the bandage off like this."

"You're passing your title on to Leo?"

"Yeah," I say. I don't try to sugar coat it.

"Why?" Nora says, confusion marring her features.

I turn to Josie and Leo. "Do you guys mind if we end the morning now? Meet in the hall for the ball later?"

Josie and Leo are quick to gather their things. Josie gives me a small hug before leaving, whispering another thank you in my ear. Leo kisses my cheek, grumbling a stern we're talking about this later as he holds up the key, but there's no real bite behind the words.

He can't fight me on this. I made my decision.

And then it's the two of us, alone again.

Nora pulls me into her lap, both arms curling around, soft and warm. Her chin rests on my head and my ear presses against her chest; her heartbeat thumps in my ear, a beat off from mine, as if we're two different music tracks pressed into the same record. It's a confusing cacophony.

"Explain, please," she says.

"I'm tired of danger, Nora."

She sighs but doesn't say anything more. We breathe together, sharing a still moment as she processes the new reality that I've thrust upon her.

I break the silence.

"I started thinking about it after what happened with Silas," I say. "But with everything that's happened since… it's too much for me. It made me realize I don't enjoy being a Sin. Some of it, sure. But the constant posturing, the threats and deceit?" I shake my head, nose brushing against the silky camisole Nora wears. "I don't live for it like my mother and brother did. Like you do."

"But you're their leader," Nora says. "You can't abandon your House."

"Being a leader out of necessity is different from being one out of passion," I say, shaking my head. "And I'm not abandoning them. I'm leaving them in more than capable hands."

Nora's brows are knit, a divot of confusion forms between them.

"Leo wants it more than me, Nor. That's enough of a reason to pass on the title. But if you need more, then please understand when I say this: I've lived my life for other people for so long. First my mother while she was alive. Then my brother after he died. He's the reason I became a Sin. He wanted to bring our House to the level it's at now. But that was his dream, and I need to start living my life for me. And I don't want to live it as Lust."

"You just want to be Imogen."

Nora says it as a statement, not a question, my name sounding decadent on her tongue. I tilt my head back to meet her eyes, our noses grazing in the process.

"Yeah. Just Imogen. The kick-ass empath who runs the best bars in all of Anwynn."

"I can't say I understand fully. I would never give this up willingly," she says, eyes flicking to the fire.

"It's okay if you need time to process it. Took me long enough to realize for myself," I say.

"Does this mean I can finally steal you away to House Pride?"

Her hands trail mindless patterns on my back, sending shivers down my spine.

"No," I giggle.

"Give me a few weeks, and I'll change your mind."

Her arms band tighter around me and I shift, sitting up taller. Nora and I are nose to nose, flirty smiles on both our lips.

"Leo won't let you poach me to the dark side," I say.

"I can handle Leo," she huffs.

I tilt my head, allowing myself one moment to simply look at her. My fingers trail over the sharp lines of her cheekbones and down the tip of her nose. When I graze over her bottom lip, she nips my finger. Her actions are playful and carefree, but the gleam behind her eyes is the opposite. A dark seriousness lines her irises, lashes hanging low as she regards me as deeply as I do her.

Nails dig into the flesh at my hip, pulling me flush against Nora.

"Can I give you an interim present?"

"Yeah?" I say. "And what would that be?"

"Lots and lots of orgasms."

"Lots and lots?" I tease.

Nora's hum of confirmation is a deep rumble in her chest. Then, she claims my lips like she's the desert and I'm the last drop of water on earth.

Hours later, my fingers run over the textured gold sequins on my dress as I wait in the hall.

The sprites had burst into our rooms two hours ago in a fury, primping and prodding at us until we were ready for the Solstice Ball. I had put up a fight—I can get ready myself—but ultimately succumbed to their strange little hands.

They were surprisingly good at taming my hair into glamorous waves that cascade over one shoulder, and they even painted on the perfect arched brow.

I play with the gold rings that line my fingers, twisting Josie's gift that sits at the center of them, around and around until my knuckles ache.

I jerk when the bare, light ocher skin of Josie's shoulder bumps into mine. Her normally straight hair is styled into waves that end below the jaw.

"You okay?" she asks, observant eyes boring into mine.

An exasperated laugh bursts from me. "As okay as I can be, I think."

"What you did earlier was hard. I'm proud of you for being honest with everyone," Josie says. Her gaze is a hot press of an iron over my body as she takes in my outfit. "You're beautiful, Mo."

"Thank you," I say, my cheeks running hot.

"Just the truth."

She shrugs, the silky jade colored shift-dress reflecting the low light with her movement. It's much less ornate than mine but suits her perfectly.

"You're not looking too bad yourself," I say. "You clean up nice."

"I don't get to doll myself up too often," she says. "It's nice."

"I may have to host some formal nights at the Den, so you can."

She barks a laugh. "Sure."

"I'm serious—you look gorgeous."

Now it's her turn to have pink rising on her cheeks. "Thank you."

Nora bursts from our room, shooing away a leathery winged sprite that keeps fussing with her hair. She gives us a wide-eyed glance, and I snort, covering my mouth to hide my laughter.

I had left her to their wrath once I was done. I knew if I stayed and watched her cursing at them while they did her makeup, I would cause more trouble than good.

After one last swipe at taming the flyaway hairs at Nora's temple, the sprite finally deems its work complete and zooms off down the hall.

Nora murmurs expletives as she strides to us, heels clacking against the stone floor. Her dress is simple, a black silk satin bias-cut to fit her form and flutter around her ankles. The neckline is a sharp v that cuts into her decolletage. The exposed skin at her collarbone shimmers with glitter, giving her an ethereal glow. Matching gloves of pure night rise past her elbows, accentuating the toned muscles of her arms.

Warm lips press against my forehead. A shiver works down my spine.

"You left me with them," she murmurs into my forehead.

Josie snorts. "They're little menaces, aren't they?"

"Precisely." Nora cradles my waist, deft fingers skimming over the exposed skin there. Leaning forward, her lips crest the shell of my ear. "It's going to be exceptionally hard to keep my hands off you. We may have to sneak off to a side hallway."

Heat spreads across my neck, and I know that if I looked in a mirror, I'd see my skin flushed red as a strawberry. She places a kiss on the divot where my jaw meets my neck and the curve of her smile grazes my skin.

"I'm sure the sprites won't mind if we disrespect a hidden corner of their castle," she adds.

Three loud knocks booming through the hallways have me flinching away from Nora; we both turn to see Josie banging on Leo's door.

"Sorry." Josie cringes. "But we are going to be late if he doesn't hurry up."

I stifle my laughter as Leo throws open the door a second later. His shirt is still unbuttoned, and his tie is slung around his neck.

"I need five more minutes," he says, buttoning the shirt from the bottom up.

"Did they not send sprites to help you get ready?" I ask.

"Nope," he huffs and disappears back into his room, leaving the door open.

I snort before grabbing Nora's hand and squeezing it.

"I'm going to go help him. He's terrible at tying ties."

Her red lips curve into a soft smile. "Of course."

As I follow Leo into his room, I hear Josie's fading snicker. "Looking a little smitten there, Nor."

I bite my lip, reeling from the little bit of happiness curling in my belly. This morning gave me a small spark of hope, a small taste of a potential future where, if I'm lucky, we can all start a new phase of our lives, together.