"Ok," she relented. "No pressure or anything."
But I could already hear the guilt starting to weigh on her. It sounded much too heavy for a girl her age, let alone one with her very limited experience.
"No pressure," I told her, "because I'm going to help you carry it. Right?"
She shrugged. Evidently, that was the best I was going to get.
Chapter Eighteen
RAIN
Eventually, Tag came back. Liam was with her. Together, they hauled Bracken out. Keir once again assured everyone he'd lock up, and then we practiced. It was slow, and my new sword was heavier than I was used to, but the truth was, I needed the workout. Trying to smack someone with something hard was cathartic in a way. Mostly because I knew I wouldn't be able to hit Keir.
And we actually practiced! Together, we stayed the whole hour, which meant a little longer than my class time because of the delay to take care of Bracken. When we were finally done, the pair of us cleaned up, put away the mats in the main area of the gym, and then Keir walked me back.
Oh, and I was a mess. That steel sword had made me sweat. The winter air caused my body to shiver. By the time I got to my suite, all I wanted was a nice, hot shower - and clearly it showed. Aspen hurried over to my half of the room, checking to make sure I was ok.
When I got out, I put on my favorite pajamas, the crow ones. Jack chattered in approval, hopping off his perch so he could inspect my attire. Cawing out his name a few times, he pointedly hopped through the bathroom, heading over to Aspen's side.
"Hey, you!" she greeted us when I opened the bathroom door on her side. "Bad lesson?"
Letting out a groan, I flopped down on her bed, my face hitting the pillows behind her. "I missed dinner."
"Crap," she breathed. "Yeah, that's not good, Rain. Let me - "
She pushed to her feet right as a knocking sounded in my room. "Dad!" Jack announced.
"I got it!" Aspen assured me, hurrying that way.
I just groaned again, because my body was already starting to hurt. The sticks we usually used were supposed to weigh the same, but clearly they didn't. Or maybe they were balanced differently? Something! Right now, I felt like I'd lost whatever fight I was supposed to be having.
Then I heard Aspen say, "Hey! C'mon in. She's in my room." Then she raised her voice. "Rain, your dad's here!"
Somehow, that made all the aches fade in an instant. "Dad?" I called, hurrying back to my room. "How's Zez?"
"What's wrong with Bracken?" Aspen asked, clearly keeping up with my pet names for my two new dads.
"Dad!" Jack cawed. "Dad-dad! Rain-Dad!"
"He's fine," Liam assured all of us, and then he gestured to the desk. "I also brought pizza. Aspen, the bottom one is for you, so share with Jack. Completely vegan."
Which made my girlfriend smile so big. "Really?"
"Because I didn't want to eat alone," Liam explained, "and Bracken's out cold. So I thought I'd trade food for company."
The look Aspen gave him made it clear Liam knew this whole fae thing well. He'd just avoided any hint of debt while also making it clear this was not a favor. Clearly, I needed some lessons from him, but there was one thing a little more important.
"Is he ok?" I asked. "How's his hand?"
"Completely healed now," Liam assured me, opening a box of pizza, putting two slices on a plate, then passing them over. "Sit, girls. I'm taking this chair."
"I'm taking the whole pizza," Aspen said. "Oh, and it's Mama's!"
"What?" I asked, completely confused.
So Aspen showed me the box with that name across the top. "They make the best vegan pizza. Nothing we can't have, you know?"
I made a note of it, but looked back to Liam. "How is he ok? He burned his hand on that stupid sword!"
