Chapter 112: Brooding by the Bonfire

Garnet POV

Laughing at a joke little William told, Garnet couldn't remember feeling this warm and at peace since the whole ordeal with Daxius and Hades began. Tonight could have turned ugly, with sad and angry shifters at each other's throats, to say nothing of their wizard and human guests.

Instead, she saw more unity around the bonfire. More dancing, more singing. 

William yelled, "OH NO! My dad's going to play the lute. Run for the hills."

Talon huffed, sandwiched between Kyon and Dirge. "What? Insult my musical abilities?"

William stuck his fingers in his ears playfully, and the pups all laughed. Little Lucina clung to William's leg. She'd taken an instant liking to her cousin. Cyran's Juneau also latched onto him. 

Dirge looked innocent. "By the time we're done with him, he'll make that lute weep."

Kyon put an arm around Talon. "Now, put your right hand on the strings …"

Kelara called out, "You can do it, Talon!"

Fatherly Ransome added, "If I can, anyone can. Come on, don't be shy, there's no judgment here."

William dropped his hands and sighed in mock dismay. "I have to apologize in advance for what my dad is about to do."

Enjoying the banter, Garnet looked around for Cyran, who normally lived for moments like this. 

Her twin-sense picked up on something dark and disturbing–and sickeningly familiar. Breaking away from the warmth around the bonfire, she hurried over to Cyran, who sat with Naomi off to the side. Brooding, he had his head down and stared at the ground. Naomi had her arm around him.

He'd done this at parties after their parents died.

Garnet squatted beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure Talon's lute music isn't that ghastly. And Kyon and Dirge will straighten it out."

Cyran just stared into the flames, his blond hair spilling around his shoulders. He wore a lighter version of the ceremonial armor he usually wore during state occasions. "It's not like before, Garnet."

Naomi added, her eyes sympathetic, "I'd know if it were."

Narrowing her eyes, Garnet says, "You've been the life of the party at every party for three years. You can understand–"

"You need to trust me," Cyran growled. "That's not who I am anymore. Haven't I proven that?"

Yes, he had. Over and over. But sometimes she still had secret fears that Hades' control over her brother would come back with a vengeance. Now, with Hades sleeping in Evenhide lands, and Cyran connecting with him on a deep level, it felt like her worst nightmare all over again.

"HE'S here, in the pack."

Cyran's eyes flashed. "Thank you, I never would have known that."

Naomi swatted him, smelling indignant. "Your sister is just concerned, Cyran."

"Overbearing and full of herself," Cyran muttered.

Garnet bristled, her chin up, her eyes turning wolf colors. "THAT sounds familiar."

Cyran stuck his fingers in his ears, like William. "Naomi, will you tell my sister I'm fine?"

Naomi gave him an affectionate, exasperated look. "You're fine. Childish, but fine."

Jiro appeared beside Garnet, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "May I?"

Eager to be proven wrong, Garnet nodded.

Jiro grabbed Cyran by the shoulder. "UP. We're going for a walk. And the conditions of you staying in the pack still apply."

Full of pride, Cyran stood. "Yes, ALPHA."

Garnet watched them go, with Naomi's comforting arm around her steadying her.

"It's not like before, you know," Naomi murmured.

Sighing, Garnet surrendered. "You know him best–you're mated to him. You can't hide things with the mate bond. That's why Jude masked his bond with Ravyn, so he could fool Hades."

Naomi gripped her arm. "No one is pretending that this is easy for Cyran, least of all him. But he knows better than to fall into Hades' trap again. He knows that the siren song only leads to ruin. He's trying to muster the strength to stand up to Hades."

"He's already done that," Garnet scoffed. "Just by showing him mercy, he's proven himself to be the superior person. He doesn't need to do anything more."

"Maybe not in your eyes, but in his, he still has something more to prove," Naomi murmured.

"And what would that be?"

Naomi's answer chilled her.

"That he can tell Hades he forgives him."

"FORGIVES HIM? No?"

Naomi smelled worried, but also accepting. "What better way to prove that Hades no longer has any power over him?"

* * * * *

Jiro POV

Cyran's shoulders dwarfed Jiro's, and his arms could easily snap Jiro in half, if he so chose. But Jiro walked with him without fear. He led Cyran by the hand. His brother-in-law had a soft heart.

"You've been through the wringer," Jiro murmured.

"I wasn't the one trapped by Hades this time," Cyran muttered.

The smell of the bonfire and the laughter of the gathering faded while the two strolled back toward Cresta House, its roof gleaming in the moonlight. 

"The humans build fine castles, but I like ours the best," Jiro said, trying to make light conversation. 

"I wouldn't know, I wasn't with you. I'd like to see a human castle someday."

"Maybe you can go in my place next time, and I'll stay with the pack," Jiro suggested. "You'd have a safe place to visit when Talon and his family return home."

Cyran tuned into his senses as a wizard and a wolf. "Something tells me they won't be going home for quite a while."

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a feeling. I don't know. I could be wrong. I'm happy that, given who they're related to, they still wanted to come and see Sinsworth House. They could have run away."

Jiro sobered, thinking about Hades. 

He didn't believe Cyran had slipped into his old ways. Now that he knew love and light, Cyran wasn't going to go down the dark road again. He had pups of his own to set an example for.

"Do you think Ravyn did the right thing, wanting to help Hades?" he asked. 

"YES."

Cyran's grip tightened around Jiro's hand, almost crushing it. Jiro didn't cry out. Cyran needed an anchor, something solid.

Passionately, Cyran said, "I want Hades to be free, and he wants to be free. If he's gone, passed on to the Celestial Realm, then I can enjoy my life with my family. The Dark Goddess will still be a threat, but she won't have her anchor anymore. And she won't want me–I know all her tricks. We'll protect the rest of the family, too. Including Talon, Kelara, and that cute pup of theirs."

Jiro sobered at the mention of their new family. "Especially them. They're all made of stern stuff."

Cyran fell silent as they walked. 

"Something on your mind?" Jiro prodded.

"Talon having to hide who he is. If I had stayed a rogue, or Goddess forbid, tried to make my way among the humans, I wouldn't have the protection of being a lord."

Jiro's eyes darkened. "It's criminal that his parents didn't even want him to know his wolf brothers and sisters. How else are his children supposed to learn to manage their wolves? To live in harmony with that part of themselves?"

"Did you know his parents don't even believe in fated mates?"

Jiro growled. "Not surprised."

"That's the other side of Hades' anti-human hate," Cyran muttered.

A humorless smile spread across Jiro's face. "I wonder what he thinks now about humans, given that they saved his life."

"Well, let's ask him." Cyran's eyes flashed golden in the dark. "I need to know he's safe. Will you come with me to Tulaska's? I wouldn't dare ask Garnet. She'd slam my tail in a vise."

"I'm tempted to, but I also know you're the one person, other than Ravyn and Tulaska, who can handle him the best. Let's go."

* * * * *

Kelara POV

Keeping to the shadows and moving unseen by her quarry had been Kelara Lughnasadh Blackthorn's bread and butter. It helped her keep from starving during all her years on the road since leaving her home village in tears at twelve. Now, as Lady of Blackthorn Castle and Luna of their little pack, she still used her sneaky skills to protect everything she loved, everything she ruled.

She'd seen Jiro and Cyran heading away from the party, and sensed something afoot. Walking beside Talon with William, Florinda, and Alicia in tow, she crept silently away from the celebration, toward a house on the outskirts of town.

 "Where are they going?" she asked Garnet and Naomi, who chose to go with them, concerned about their mates. Aldwin brought up the rear, the ex-bandit scanning for threats behind every tuft of grass. 

"Tulaska's, it looks like," Garnet answered, her eyes full of worry. "To see Hades."

Talon let out a growl. "If he tries to hurt Cyran, he'll be sorry."