2. Ra

Chapter 2

Ra

Too keyed up to take the elevators, he headed for the stairwell down to Bast's penthouse taking the steps two at a time. That meeting had not gone to plan. At all. The breakfast would be his last chance to talk Mica into letting him accompany Kaia. After that, there would be too many other dignitaries and elementals present and he'd lose his captive audience. What would it take to convince Mica to let him come with Kaia that he hadn't already tried in the previous months? The elemental's obvious exhaustion suggested the damage to the stronghold might be his best in. It hadn't occurred to him to leverage it because they'd all assumed the Earth Court's many mages would have it under control by now. He just needed to figure out how.

The scent of freshly cooked waffles and the familiar clink of plates being set on the table greeted Ra as he stepped into the penthouse. He paused to take in the scene that was so familiar and would never be quite the same again once Kaia left. Ana was busy in the kitchen slicing berries and preparing coffee. Hel and Kaia were sitting at the table already, their wings tucked carefully out of the way behind them. And Bast was just turning back from placing a plate piled high with waffles in its centre.

Ra pulled Bast into a tight hug as he approached. Things had been a little tense between them since Bast had been forced to out Ra's history with Mica to the global summit to explain the Earth Lord's bizarre behaviour. Not that anything excused the shit Mica had come out with that day when he'd told Bast to get his human under control like he was some sort of pet. Ra didn't hold it against Bast, but it had been one more tiny factor pulling them away from each other now that Bast had a mate to focus his attention on. It didn't mean they loved each other any less. It just meant their relationship, which had always been so familiar, was changing, transforming. If Ra managed to convince Mica to let him move to the Earth Court for three years with Kaia, that would only become even more true.

Ra took a moment to greet Ana, stealing a berry from the bowl and dodging out of the way laughing as she went to smack his hand. She gave him a wry smile, not fooled by his attempt to distract her from her sadness but appreciating it nonetheless.

Squeezing Hel's shoulder as he passed, he sat down next to Kaia and wrapped an arm around her, kissing the white-blonde of her hair that she'd inherited from her elemental father who'd died when she was just a baby.

"Ata mārie, Uncle Sunshine," Kaia greeted him with her mother's Māori language, eyes welling with tears and the cream and iridescent blue of her wings trembling.

He'd always loved how her colouring matched the kōtare kingfishers that perched on stray wires on the outskirts of the city, as if she was intrinsically linked to the native fauna of the city. Fuck, he'd be so sad if her wings changed to the Earth Court colours while she was training like the wings of most elementals of her power level would. They'd just have to hope her love for her Uncle Basti and the Soul Court and her deep connection to the land of Aotearoa through her Māori heritage would shine through. He didn't think Ana could handle that kind of change on top of everything else. Not after the trauma of Kaia's recent kidnapping.

Hel shot him a sympathetic look before turning toward Kaia. "I got a present for you," she said.

Kaia drew in a deep shuddering breath and attempted a smile.

"Can't have my best girl out in the world without a decent blade," Hel added, and for the first time in months, he saw a spark of excitement in Kaia's eyes.

"Helaine. You better not be arming my daughter with a lethal weapon," Ana called.

"No comment," Hel called back, winking at Kaia as she passed her a wrapped box.

Ra grinned as the girl tore into the package. Trust Hel to think of the perfect gift to distract her.

"It's just like yours," Kaia whispered, stroking the metal baton that could be twisted out to form two long blades.

Kaia withdrew the weapon from the case reverently and turned it until the words Hel had engraved on it caught the girl's attention—Kia kaha. Kia māia.—Stay strong. Be brave.

"Thank you, Auntie Hellkitten," Kaia said, throwing herself into Hel's arms with a sob. It was the first time she'd used the teasing name since she'd been taken.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Use it well. We'll be right here waiting for you when you're ready to come back home," Hel said.

"You'll rescue a whole gaggle of baby soulweavers while I'm gone and forget all about me," Kaia said, swiping at her tears.

"Never. You're burrowed too deep in our hearts for that. We will always be there for you, baby girl," Bast said.

Ana's soft crying grew louder and Ra winced as one of the strongest women he knew strode from the room, unable to face the loss of her daughter from her life for three years. Bast went to follow her, but Hel pulled him back.

"You three eat. I'll go," she said.

Kaia stared after her mother helplessly, misery in every line of her body.

"Come on, K-bear. Why don't you try out those blades and show us what you've got," Ra said, knowing none of them would be able to eat until the two women returned.

Kaia got to her feet and moved to the nearby balcony where there was more space to move and Ra leaned into Bast's shoulder where he'd sat down next to him as they watched on.

"How'd your chat with Mica go?" Bast asked.

"About as well as you'd expect."

"Which of you is bleeding?"

Ra snorted and playfully punched his chosen brother's shoulder. "Give me a little credit."

"On a scale of one to ten, how conciliatory will I have to be when he gets here?" Bast asked.

"Thirteen, maybe? I should've kept my cool for Kaia's sake."

"She's resilient. She'll be okay," Bast said, as they watched the girl run through a series of sweeping attacks and defences she'd obsessively practised with Hel over the previous months since she'd been freed from her captivity.

"She deserves to be more than just okay. I want to see her laughing and playing tricks again. I have to try and talk Mica round one more time," Ra said.

"Can you use whatever you held over him last time when you got him to invite Hel to the council meeting?" Bast asked.

Ra winced. Bast had always trusted him with the communications and politics of the Soul Court and he'd never asked exactly what Ra had done to secure Mica's cooperation when they'd needed it. Probably because he knew he wouldn't like it.

"No. He was very clear if I kept holding that over him it would mean war between our courts," Ra said.

Bast jerked around to stare at him in surprise. "What the fuck did you do?"

"What needed to be done. You could've died ," Ra said, refusing to back down.

Bast sighed and pulled him closer, the magical connection between them flaring brighter as he let his power flow through the black wings of his mark where it wrapped around Ra's upper arm.

"Mica was just doing what anyone else in his position would," Bast said.

"And so was I."

"Maybe try honey instead of vinegar this time?" Bast suggested.

The words startled a laugh out of Ra. "I guess he does bear a passing resemblance to a fly."

Their talk was interrupted by a firm knock at the door as Morrigan let Mica into the penthouse before disappearing back the way she'd come. Irritation rushed through Ra as the Earth Lord stiffened the moment he noticed them sitting there, Mica's eyes tracking the way Bast's arm wrapped around him.

Bast stood before whatever tension was building could result in one of them lashing out again. "Greetings, Lord Mica. Thank you again for agreeing to join us this morning. I know it must've been an early start for you."

Kaia had noticed the flash of Mica's wings and came to rejoin them at the table, bowing like the perfect elemental child, despite the fact she'd never had to do so in the Soul Court, where such formalities were seldom observed. Zee must've been coaching her.

"You honour me with your presence, Lord Mica," Kaia said.

Mica smiled down at the girl and, annoyingly, it was a genuine one. The kind of smile he used to bestow on Ra when they stayed up talking over herbal tea after the council sessions in the Tower concluded.

"It is me who is honoured to be invited, Kaia," Mica said, seemingly having recovered the diplomacy and charm he reserved for everyone except Ra.

The sound of their voices must've alerted Hel and Ana their visitor had arrived because they emerged from the hallway a moment later, greeting the Earth Lord with falsely bright voices and settling everyone at the table with food. Ana went and sat next to her daughter, the two of them whispering quietly to each other as they said the things that needed saying before she left.

Bast was sending Ra worried looks as they ate and the rest of the table was stuck in an awkward static silence that seemed to grow tighter and tighter with an invisible tension as taut as the garottes he hid in the leather bracelets around his wrists. Finally he couldn't take it any longer and Hel jerked in surprise when his voice cut across the table like a whip.

"I'm coming with her," he said, glaring at Mica in challenge as if he could force his way into the Earth Court by sheer willpower.

Ra kept his eyes locked on Mica as the Earth Lord placed his fork carefully back on his plate. His eyes flicked to Kaia before he replied.

"Why would I let you do that?" Mica asked, his tone giving nothing away.

Honey, not vinegar , Ra reminded himself.

"Because I might be able to help with the stronghold. We use technology and magic together here in a way your court doesn't." Ra knew the conciliatory offer sounded like it had been dragged from him unwillingly, but there was no hiding how desperate he was. His eyes were on Kaia as he spoke. He'd do anything for her. Even work with the elemental he now despised.

"Ra was the one who came up with the system I use to manage the sentinel souls and his scanning technology was the breakthrough in designing the shielding for the soulweavers so the children no longer succumb to soul taint. There is no one more qualified to find a technological solution to a magical problem," Bast added, sensing the crack in Mica's defences and jumping in to support his argument.

"You think I would expose my stronghold to someone like him after what he did?" Mica asked Bast.

"I think you don't have a choice. It's not getting any better. It's been months. You look like a crack addict who's?—"

"Ra!" Bast cut over the top of him before he could finish the insult that would guarantee he failed.

Ra swallowed hard and then clenched his jaw, eyes back on Kaia. "I apologise," he said through gritted teeth.

Mica stared at him for a long moment and then tipped his head in acknowledgement infinitesimally. "Fine," he said, probably surprising himself more than anyone else at the table, and that was saying a lot.

"What?" Ra croaked.

"I said fine. You may accompany Kaia. Bring your technology. But you can't work for Bastion at the same time. If you insist on coming to my court, you are mine until you leave and this disrespect ends now. I won't tolerate you undermining me in my own court."

"Respect goes both ways," Ra shot back. What the fuck had he done? He couldn't give up now he was so close, though. "Fine. I agree to your terms," he added.

Bast shifted in his seat. "Brother…" he said, concern for him clear in his voice.

Ra looked up at him and a silent understanding passed between them. They'd spent twenty-five years being there for each other unconditionally, but now Bast had his mate to look after him and build a future with. Kaia needed him more than Bast did. Even if it meant cutting ties with the Soul Court while he was there.

"Thank you," Bast finished, even though he knew that wasn't what his brother had started to say.

"I'm counting on you to look after him for me, Hellcat," Ra said to Hel.

"Always," she promised. "Just like you'll take care of Kaia for us."

Kaia, bless her, chose that moment to let a little of her brightness back into the room. "Now that's sorted, I wanna know what my surprise is, Uncle Ra."

The strained smile Ra was wearing stretched into something more genuine as he watched Kaia bounce in her seat.

"You weren't even supposed to know there was a surprise, K-bear," he teased. "You're too sneaky for your own good."

Kaia jumped to her feet and started pulling on his arm. "Come on ."

"How do you know your surprise isn't up here already?" Ra asked, laughing.

"Māmā, make Uncle show me," Kaia said.

Ana surreptitiously swiped at her eyes and then stood, starting to clear the table. Hel and Bast jumped in to help and before long the six of them were heading to the elevators.

"Close your eyes, scamp," Ra said as they stepped into the small space.

It got awkward quickly as four sets of wings jostled for room. Somehow Mica ended up closest to the buttons and Ra was forced to reach around him to select their floor. He didn't mean to brush up against the copper of his feathers again. He had more than enough experience with elementals in bed to know how sensitive their wings were and how rude it was to touch them uninvited.

The touch sparked a zap of energy between them. Goosebumps sprung up on his arms where his shirt sleeves were rolled up and he stifled a groan as he felt an unfamiliar power tingle through his veins from the point of contact. He was used to the cool silver fire of Bast's magic, but Mica's was a whole other level that left a deep yearning need in its wake. The Earth Lord drew in a sharp breath and both men froze at the unintended intimacy.

"Are we going to The Crypt?!" Kaia squealed, breaking the moment.

Hel laughed and put her arm around the girl. Kaia had never been allowed in the nightclub for obvious reasons, but she'd tried to sneak in there at least a dozen times throughout her childhood. He'd been planning this surprise for her since the moment they'd realised she'd have to leave.

"Happy moving day, sweetness," Hel said.

Kaia glanced up at Hel, surprise and then determination showing on her face. "Happy?" she asked.

"We're going to make it happy. You are so loved, darling girl. This is just the next exciting chapter in your story," Hel said.

Kaia glanced to her mum for reassurance and Ana pulled it together enough to smile. "Hel's right, sweetheart. Show Lord Mica how we party here."

"I'm familiar," Mica said, eyes meeting Ra's before he turned away.

They'd shared one dance together at the ball Bast had hosted during the council meetings the previous year. One kiss. One moment where their desire had almost unleashed. And then they'd both been called away by duty.

"Do you have parties in the Earth Court?" Kaia asked as the elevator doors opened.

Mica smiled. "We're planning one of the biggest parties ever in a few months."

Ra hid his surprise. That was news to him. They'd been so focused on the upcoming appointment of a new ruler for the Air Court that he hadn't heard anything about it.

"Can I come?" Kaia asked.

"Of course. I'd be honoured," Mica said, inclining his head before stepping aside to let them lead the way under the bronze plaque at the club's entrance and onto the dancefloor.

"Surprise!" a cascade of voices called out, and Kaia froze in place at the door, the electric blue of her wings trembling as she took it all in.

Ra had made sure everyone who cared for the girl was there—her friends from school, her teachers, the couriers she used to tease and harass. It was a mark of how special she was that the room was also filled with the entire ruling partnership, other than Zee who couldn't risk it, and a mix of all the peoples they'd welcomed into the city. Kaia might be hurting and broken after her captivity, but that hadn't stopped her from checking in on the children of both the vampyr and the ceptae and easing their transition into living in the city.

She may have lost her joy for a while, but she'd never lost her empathy. Now, it would be her turn to start her life somewhere new with strangers. He could only hope the residents of the Earth Court were as welcoming to Kaia as she had been to the new residents of the City of Souls. He already knew his own welcome would be non-existent, given the animosity between him and Mica.

Ra made his way to the DJ turntables and queued up the playlist of Kaia's favourite songs he'd prepared. As music filled the space and colourful lights flashed across the room, the girl found her footing and greeted her friends with hug after hug. Ignoring the urge to search the room for a certain copper-winged asshole, he fired off a series of texts to his staff to make sure his bag and the tech he would need to take to the Earth Court would be waiting on the roof for them when they were ready to leave.

He'd packed in the hopes of success, but he hadn't realised he'd be helping with the stronghold when he did so. Now, he needed to make sure he had the right gear to deliver on his promise to Mica. Some of it he would be able to get over there, but his computer with Zee's magical upgrades was irreplaceable and Bast could spare him a drone or two for him to get started on scanning the caves before he found a local supplier. As an afterthought, he asked his people to add one of his miniature whiskey casks to the gear as well. It tasted like home and he suspected he was going to need the reminder.

"Thank you for going with her. I know living there will be hard for you," Ana murmured, coming to stand next to him and resting her arm around his shoulders as she watched her daughter flit around the room.

Ra met the eyes of one of his oldest friends and smiled. "Of course."

"You know, if things worked out for them, they could work out for you, too," Ana said.

Ra followed her gaze in time to watch the spark of Hel and Bast's magic off their wings as his best friend pulled his mate in for a kiss. He snorted at Ana's suggestion his relationship with Mica was anything like what the two shared. Mating bonds were beyond rare among elementals, and that was not what had been happening between them even before they'd fallen apart. The spark between them was plain old lust, nothing more. Which is why it had carried on even after any affection between them turned to loathing. He wasn't even sure humans could form a mating bond with an elemental given their lack of obvious magic. And why would anyone want to make themselves so vulnerable to a person like that? Hel could feel every one of Bast's emotions unless he actively prevented it. It sounded exhausting.

"Unlikely," he said.

"All I'm saying is don't close yourself off to possibility."

Shaking his head, Ra decided to end the ridiculous conversation by taking a trip down memory lane with his playlist. When Bast and Hel had first come to The Crypt together, he'd played a particular song, using his connection with Bast to synchronise it perfectly with the thrumming of his friend's heartbeat as he orbited around Hel. Their relationship had been fake then. Fake and fiery. But he could feel through their connection that his friend's heartbeat was still picking up the same way as he kissed her now.

As the first thrumming strains of a remixed ‘Wicked Game' sounded across the club, Hel and Bast glanced over and smiled at Ra from across the room. Kaia joined them by the bar a moment later, wrapping her small arms around them both and leaning her head on Hel's arm as they pulled her into an embrace.

Ignoring the flash of copper in his peripheral vision that said a certain Earth Lord was too close, Ra headed to the dancefloor. He might not be able to let loose like he did when the club was open, but he could still lose himself in the music and the crowd of people of all genders who gravitated to him as soon as they saw him emerge from the DJ booth. They kept it G-rated for Kaia's sake, but satisfaction filled him as he threw his arms in the air and let go. This was familiar. His happy place. For the two decades since he'd established the club, he'd been known for this—generous with both his drinks and with pleasure, even if the latter hadn't featured lately.

"We need to get going," Mica growled from nearby, startling him from his reverie as the elemental glared at the people surrounding Ra.

Luckily, Kaia joined them before he could tell the Earth Lord what he thought of his statement.

"One more dance?" she asked, holding out her arm to Mica in invitation.

Mica looked surprised, but he took her arm and moved a few steps further away before bowing like the courtier he was and sweeping Kaia into a formal elemental dance that shouldn't have worked with the modern human music but somehow did anyway. Ra tried to lose himself in the song again but the cheeky girl manoeuvred them so they were back dancing right alongside each other. The edge of Mica's wing brushed against his arm sparking a full body shiver despite his best efforts to ignore him.

It all started to feel very real when he finally cut the music and he was grateful for the distraction of Kaia being swept into more hugs by her friends. Ana said her farewells to them at the elevators, unable to face watching her daughter walk through the portal and out of her life for three years.

"Keep her safe for me," Ana whispered in his ear as she held him tight, her tears soaking into his shirt.

"I promise," Ra said.

The five of them were silent as they rode the elevator up to the roof and Ra reached out to squeeze Kaia's hand in reassurance. A cool wind tugged at their clothes as they stepped out into the bright sunshine and headed to the circle of black tile that looked more ominous than it had earlier in the day.

"Stay safe, baby girl. We'll be here waiting when you're ready to come home," Bast said.

Hel pulled Kaia into a tight embrace, whispering something to her.

"Thank you for taking her. Please keep her safe. You have our heart in your hands," Bast said, turning to Mica.

"I give you my word," Mica said.

"Is it too much to ask you to keep Ra safe, too?" Hel asked.

Ra rolled his eyes. Why the fuck was the prickly woman choosing now to become sentimental? "I don't need a damn thing from him."

Mica ignored the angry words. "Like I said, while he's in my court, he's mine. I will protect him the same way I protect all my people. And if he betrays me again, I will punish him the same way I would one of my own."

Ra watched Hel wince and swallow hard. The Courts were ruthless about loyalty and that threat was not idle. This was a mistake. He knew that. But it was one he had no choice but to make to look after his niece. Mica stepped away to help collect Ra's cases of tech to carry through, and Bast turned to him.

"Don't do anything stupid while you're there. I can live without you here every day, but I can't live in a world where you don't exist," Bast said.

"I can still help—" Ra started to say.

"No, brother. If you can't abide by his rules to keep yourself safe, do it to keep Kaia safe. No touching base with your old team here. No checking in with Morrigan on security risks. No communications with any of us that you wouldn't be happy with Mica reading."

"Fuck," Ra said, the gravity of his situation hitting him once again.

"I love you, brother."

"Love you too, bro," Ra said.

It was Hel who formed the portal this time, the searing heat of her sparking blue magic almost comforting now in its familiarity. With a final wave, Mica stepped through the fiery gateway. Taking a deep breath, Kaia looked out over the city one more time and then followed behind. Ra's heart ached as he paused on the edge of a step that would take him further than he ever wanted to be from his chosen family.

Bast had pulled Hel into his arms and the couple were framed by the majesty of Soul Tower beneath them and the glittering cerulean of the harbour in the distance. They had each other. They would be just fine without him. He was needed elsewhere now by both the girl he loved like family and the elemental he couldn't stand. The draw to take that last step forward became overwhelming as he pictured the vulnerability in both their faces. The Earth Lord hid his a lot better, but it was still there and he wished he didn't care. Damn Mica for his magnetic pull that carried him over the threshold.