Chapter 17 - Julie

I decide it's my turn to share. I need him to understand why he makes me so nervous. The only way we can move past this awkward holding pattern is if we actually start to communicate.

"Growing up," I start, my voice a little shaky, "I was always the youngest, the only girl in a big family of boys. I spent so much time being teased, feeling invisible. I learned early on that it was easier to blend into the background than to fight for attention. I threw myself into history and books as an escape. I fell in love with escaping to other times, other places."

He listens intently, his hand resting gently on mine, tracing little circles with his thumb against my hand.

"That must've been tough."

"It was," I admit, a faint smile tugging at my lips. "I used to think that if I just stayed quiet enough, still enough, no one would notice me. But with you… It's different. You make me feel like the only person in the room, and it's scary sometimes. I'm not used to being seen like that."

Kaius nods, his expression soft. This close, I can see the speckles of blues and gold in his hazel eyes. They're absolutely gorgeous and have the same mottled pattern his scales do when he's in his shifted form.

"You should be seen. You're absolutely stunning, both your mind and your body."

His words wash over me, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm truly understood. I don't think he really is the snarky bully persona I had thought he was at first. There's so much more going on behind those eyes than I could have guessed.

Before I can respond, the cabin door bursts open, and Merl and Rufus stumble in, their laughter echoing through the small space, Roscoe trailing behind them.

"We're back!" Rufus announces, his voice booming.

I shoot a panicked glance at Kaius and scramble off his lap before turning back to Rufus and my uncle with a glare. Uncle Merl is definitely drunk based on his swaying.

"You should go," I snap before rounding on Rufus with my hands on my hips.

"Kaius, Julsieeees!" Uncle Merl slurs, his eyes unfocused, "Help me to my room, would ya?"

"Come on, old man, let's get you to bed," Kaius says as he gives me a look that says he's staying put and moves to support Merl's weight.

"Rufus, how much did you let him drink?" I demand from the large ginger oaf as they pass me, smacking him on the shoulder.

"Was just a smallish amount of whiskey, Jules, I swear," Rufus mutters, dodging another smack.

"Rufus," I growl as I follow them up the stairs, "He's still on a fucking elephant's dose of painkillers. He can't have whiskey, you asshat. One beer. I agreed to one beer."

"Jules, it's not my fault, you see. The whiskey fell into our cups, I swear. Damndest thing."

"I'm going to kill him, Kaius, I swear to God. I'm going to skin this fucking ginger in a minute."

I follow them as they make their way to my uncle's room, my heart pounding with nerves. Roscoe trails behind us up the stairs, their chatter filling the hallway as Merl and Rufus continue to defend their drinking.

Kaius and Rufus help Uncle Merl into bed, the old man grumbling incoherently. He collapses onto the mattress, letting out a contented sigh.

"Thanks, you two," he mumbles, his words slurred. "Oh, hey, hey. There's somethin' under the floorboards… Need you to get it out…"

I frown, confused. There's nothing under his bed; I know this because we had to completely rearrange his bedroom when we were setting up the physical therapy equipment.

"What are you talking about, Uncle Merl?" I ask, my eyebrows pulling up in question.

He struggles to sit up, pointing a shaky finger toward the floor. "Under the bed, there's a box. Ya gotta get it out."

I exchange a puzzled glance with Kaius, but we both crouch down to look under the bed. There is a small crack in the floorboards. I pry it open, and hidden underneath is a small iron box. Kaius carefully lifts it out and sets it on the bed.

Merl nods vigorously, his eyes half-closed.

"Open it," he sighs, dropping his hand to his side with a slow blink.

I hesitate, my mind jumping to the worst plausible conclusion of what the hell Uncle Merl could be so insistent on showing us while drunk.

"Uncle Merl, if this is some kind of porn stash—"

"It ain't porn!" Merl insists, his voice rising. "Jus' open it!"

With a sigh, Kaius lifts the lid and I lean around him to peer inside the box. Kaius goes tense next to me, his muscles popping out of his arms as he grips the side of the box hard. Nestled among soft cloth is a green and purple key. The sight of it makes my breath catch, and I reach out to pick it up.

The moment my fingers brush the key, a flash of images overtakes me.

I feel like I'm disembodied, floating above the scene. I see a younger version of Uncle Merl standing in a dimly lit room, arguing with a woman. She looks so familiar, and it takes me a moment to realize that she must be Lena's grandmother. They're locked in a heated argument, their voices echoing off the walls.

"You have to keep it safe," Mrs. Murphy insists, her voice desperate. "You're the only one I can trust with this, Merl."

Uncle Merl's expression is strained, his brows furrowed in frustration.

"But why me? Why not keep it yourself?"

"Because it's too dangerous to keep them all in one place. I need to split them up with some of the other founding families to keep things secure," she replies, pressing the key into his hands. "Promise me, Merl. Promise me you'll keep it safe. Keep it in the iron box. Never take it out. Never touch it. Promise me."

"Okay, okay. I promise," he says, his voice low.

The vision fades, and I'm back at Uncle Merl's, Kaius's arms wrapped around me. I'm trembling, my breath coming in short gasps. He has me pulled into his lap, sprawled out on the floor.

"Are you okay?" he asks, his voice full of concern.

I nod, my mind still reeling from what I saw. Was it a dream? Am I just straight-up hallucinating? Maybe I hit my head when I fell down the hill earlier.

What the fuck was that?

"I saw something. It was Uncle Merl, and I swear I also saw Lena's grandmother," I say. "She gave him that key thing and made him promise to keep it safe, to not touch it."

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know," I admit, my gaze drifting back to the key in my hands. "But there's got to be a reason."

Merl is snoring loudly on the bed, oblivious to our conversation. Rufus is blinking down at me like I've grown a second head. Maybe that's just the whiskey catching up with him. Kaius helps me to my feet, his arm steadying me as I sway slightly. I lay the key back into the box and close the lid, my mind buzzing with questions.

"Let's go," he says gently, guiding me out of the room. The stairs take more focus to navigate than I care to admit, and I find myself leaning into Kaius as we make our way back down.

Rufus and Roscoe follow us to the living room.

"Is that like the other key you said Lena found before? What do you think it means?" I ask, turning to face Kaius and Rufus as they share a nervous look. Roscoe pulls impatiently at Kaius's pant leg. He leans down and scoops up the chunky beast.

Rufus shakes his head. "I'm not sure. But whatever it is, we'll figure it out. Can you remember any other details?"

I think about what I saw, but as crystal clear as the images had been at the moment, they're now fading like wisps of smoke in the wind. I can't quite wrap my mind around them anymore.

"I really can't. Every time I try, it's like the whole thing just fades, like trying to grasp at smoke."

"I may be able to help with that, but I don't know if you'll like it," Kaius offers as he rocks Roscoe back and forth in his arms like a baby, offering him a peanut from his pocket.