Page 75 of Winter Unleashed
“And how did you two expect us to respond to that?” Isaac asked.
“Pretty much like you are,” I replied.
He grunted and sneered at me. “Then the ‘fuck you’ can go unspoken?”
I pursed my lips and nodded. “Yup.”
“What my caveman of a mate is trying to say,” Ciara said with a smile for Isaac, “is that while we appreciate your concern, we’d very much like to be there. We love you and want to help you.”
“If anything happens…” I let my words trail off. They all knew what I was saying and if I actually said it, I’d cry.
“If anything happens, it will be Celeste’s fault, not yours or Liam’s,” Stella said. “And if we weren’t there and something were to happen to either of you, how do you think we’d feel?”
I heaved a sigh of frustration. “I have to say, I’m pretty tired of having this conversation.”
“Phil killed the Wicked Witch of the East, so let’s take care of the Wicked Witch of the West and be done with this shit,” Isaac said. He narrowed his eyes and turned to Ciara when she made a small sound. “You have something to say about my choice of words?”
She bit her bottom lip as she looked up at him from under her eyelids. “No.”
“You sure? I know I’m not as articulate as you because I’m a caveman.”
She placed her hand on his arm and leaned in toward him. “Oh, Isaac, you know I don’t mean any of that. I like your rough edges. A lot.”
“Hmmph, then what was the grunt for?” She licked her lips and grinned up at him. He inhaled deeply and a small growl came from deep in his throat. “Oh…”
He lowered his lips to hers for a kiss. I smacked Liam’s arm when a small growl escaped him. “Leave them alone.” He glared at me but said nothing.
He was doing his best dealing with the fact that Isaac was his sister’s mate. When he’d first found out, I thought he was going to kill my friend, but I’d calmed him down in my special way. But I think it was seeing his sister happy after nearly two thousand years of being unmated that really did the trick.
“Alfurgrund is a horrible place,” Liam said to end the couple’s kiss. “Celeste has chosen it because no fairy wants to go there. It’s hot, dark, and full of evil little pests that will tear your skin from your flesh and laugh at your screams.”
“Nice,” I muttered as my stomach turned.
He reached for my hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. “We’ll have to wear special gear to protect ourselves. Including helmets so we don’t breathe in too much of the toxic fumes.”
“What kind of creatures are there?” Stella asked.
“Goblins,” Philip answered. “They’re ugly little devils with razor-sharp teeth and claws like daggers. Vinegar won’t work on them.”
“Good times,” Isaac said as a chorus of groans moved around the table.
Liam looked around at our friends. His features were tight, and I could feel his emotional turmoil. “You guys do not have to do this.”
“Listen, old man,” Isaac growled, “we’re coming with you, so get over it.”
Ciara smacked him. “You know I’m the same age as him, right?”
Isaac turned to her with a smirk. “Yes, but you don’t act it.”
We fell into silence again. The stillness was comforting for once. I was tired of talking and hearing about impending doom. Before all this shit had started, I knew the worst that could happen was I’d get into a fight with some asshole shifter and have to defend myself in front of the Council when that asshole lost the fight. Now I didn’t know if Celeste would kill me or some strange creature I’d only thought existed in books would kill my friends. The shit in my life had really escalated over the last few months.
“Look at all the gloomy faces,” Astrid said from the doorway.
We turned to look at her. She wore a strange outfit that looked like it belonged in a post-apocalyptic movie.
“Is that what we have to wear?” I asked. I let my eyes roam over her, taking in the metal plates covering her body and the weird helmet in her hand. “You look like a knight mated with a stormtrooper.”
Liam and Isaac barked out laughs while Stella smiled at me.