141. Overview of us

141. Overview of us
AEMON

I know I should feel like absolute shit right now, but I can’t bring myself to feel bad about any of this. Yeah, I’m rattled as hell by this whole revelation—turns out my entire life’s been one big fucking lie but… I’m alive. 

I’m here, damn it, with Alice and Alaester, and that’s more than I ever thought I’d get back after that horrific near-death experience. 

After a thorough check-up, Matt cleared me, and I’m finally heading home. We decided to go straight to Alaester’s room in the castle to figure out how the hell we’re gonna deal with our mother. 

I sink onto the edge of the bed, still a bit dizzy from everything, my body bitching with every move I make. That Aladian poison’s still lingering in my system, but it’s weak now. Alice is standing in the middle of the room, barefoot, wearing a wrinkled black dress, her hair a messy cascade over her shoulders. She’s fucking gorgeous, even with those dark circles under her eyes and exhaustion written all over her face. The scent of fresh-baked brownies fills the air, and it’s the only thing keeping me grounded right now. 

Alaester’s leaning against the wall, arms crossed, but those silver-blue eyes of his don’t leave her, or me. I know this is a lot for him too, and I can barely imagine what’s going through my brother’s head. 

I’ve never felt more alive than I do with them. 

“Fuck, I still can’t believe I made it out of that hell,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “The limbo was a total nightmare… like the shadows were trying to swallow me whole. But you guys… you pulled me out of there. I thought I’d never make it back.” 

Alice steps closer, her eyes shimmering with tears she’s fighting to hold back. She sits beside me, her warm hand brushing my face, her fingers tracing the line of my jaw. “I’d never leave you there, Aemon,” she murmurs, her voice shaky. “You’re mine. Ours.” She glances at Alaester, who lets out a heavy sigh and moves closer, dropping onto the other side of the bed. 

“Don’t ever scare me like that again… both of you!” Alaester says, but there’s a crooked smile on his face, the kind he only shows when he’s truly relieved. “And you, little devil…” He grabs Alice’s hand, pulling our girl closer and burying his face in her neck. “You faced the limbo, the Fae, and that damn labyrinth. Without me!”

“I had to do something,” Alice says with a shrug, and Alaester’s face softens just a bit. 

“I know.” He flashes a grin and presses a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m fucking proud of you.”

I let out a laugh, the sound lighter than I expected. “She’s badass, that’s what.” I pull Alice onto my lap, ignoring the ache in my muscles. She laughs, a soft sound that makes my chest tighten, and snuggles against me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I saw that part,” I admit. “The goddess herself showed me you guys saving my ass.”

“She… the goddess?” Alice whispers close to my ear, her breath warm against my neck. I just nod, feeling the softness of her hair brushing against my chin. The brownie scent of my mate is making me dizzy, like it’s wrapping around my senses and numbing everything else.

“Yeah,” I confirm, my voice a little rough, like I’m still trying to wrap my head around what I saw. “She showed up out there… in the middle of nowhere.”

“What did the goddess show you, Aemon?” Alice asks, her voice soft but laced with that sharp curiosity that always catches me off guard. She’s trying to piece it together, to understand what the hell happened to me while I was trapped in that shadow-infested nightmare.

I run a hand over my face, trying to get my thoughts in order. “It was… just fucking weird. Like I was floating, but at the same time, something was dragging me down. Everything was dark, cold, and the shadows… they talked, you know? Not with words, but with feelings. Anger, fear, despair.” I swallow hard, the memory still making my skin crawl. “But… the goddess… she didn’t say much, just showed me you guys fighting for me. You, Alice, tearing through that labyrinth with all your guts. And you, little brother, swooped in at the exact moment to save our girl.”

Alaester lets out a low laugh, but it’s not mocking. It’s the kind he gives when he’s trying to hide how much his heart’s in his throat. “I wasn’t about to let you become shadow chow, Aemon.” He leans forward, elbows on his knees, and locks eyes with me. “But, fuck, don’t do that again. Don’t throw yourself in front of a poisoned spear again. I almost…” He cuts himself off, swallowing the rest of his words, and I know exactly what he’s feeling. 

Losing a brother is a shitty fear we don’t talk about out loud, but it’s always there, lurking.

Alice squeezes my hand, her fingers laced with mine, and presses a kiss to my cheek. “I didn’t know what I was doing, Aemon,” she confesses, her voice a little hoarse. “I just knew I wasn’t gonna lose you. Not after everything.”

Alaester gets up from the bed, pacing over to the window. He stares out at the dark sky blanketing the castle, but I know he’s thinking about our mother. About the betrayal. About the lie that’s the foundation of everything we are. “What do we do now?” he asks, not turning around. His voice is steady, but there’s a weariness in it, like he’s carrying the weight of the damn world.

I lift my eyes to meet his. “We face her. Your mother… our mother, whatever the hell she is.” Alaester signs, his shoulders slumping. “She can’t keep manipulating everything. Not after what she did to me… and to you, Alaester.”

“Fuck easy,” Alaester growls, his expression hardening, turning protective, possessive. “We’ve already been through hell. We’ll face whatever comes next. Together.”

Alice nods, her eyes glistening with emotion, and then leans in, pressing her lips to mine in a hot, desperate kiss. Her mouth tastes like sugar and longing. I let out a low groan, pulling her higher onto my lap. My fingers tangle in her hair as the kiss deepens, growing more intense, more consuming.

I feel Alaester move closer, his hand sliding down Alice’s bare back before resting on the nape of my neck, his fingers brushing lightly. His presence makes everything feel even more electric, like a current running through us.

“You two are impossible,” Alice says, but she’s smiling, her lips so close to mine I can feel the warmth of her breath. “But… I’m so fucking happy we’re together again. That the nightmare’s over.”

“It’s over alright,” I say, my hand gliding up her back, tracing the curve of her spine under the thin fabric of her dress. Alice lets out a soft moan, purring faintly. “And you know what else? We never finished our honeymoon, little devil.”