Phoenix Found (Brothers of Fire #5)

Chapter 40

Chapter Forty

Oliver knocked on the door. It had been four weeks since Everest rescued him and three days since the attack. The life he was living now wasn’t one he could’ve imagined.

“Come in,” Everest called.

He sucked in a breath, opened the door, and stepped into Everest’s rooms. They had a much more lived-in feel than his. There were law books, a chess set on the coffee table, and some clothes thrown over the back of another chair.

Everest stepped out of the kitchenette, barefooted in jeans and a button-down shirt. He wasn’t on fire this time, but the memory was so strong Oliver was sure he smelled smoke and heard the crackle of fire. “Drink?”

“I’m fine.” Where did he sit, or should he wait to be invited? Everest was the crown prince, and while the others seemed to be very informal around him and each other, he wasn’t sure where he stood with Everest.

It was hard to believe they’d been lovers in a previous life. He’d finally taken a look at the secret library and read some snippets of his last life in the castle. Well, Quentin read some to him, and some of Everest’s notes too, so he didn’t walk into this meeting blind.

“You had some trouble?” Everest indicated for him to sit, then moved his books to one end of the table. “I’m trying to catch up.”

Oliver nodded, knowing that without a lot of work, he wasn’t going to be going to university and getting a degree. All his efforts were going into learning French and planning the holiday with Perrin. When they got back, he’d contemplate the future. But maybe this life was for healing and re-learning what it was like to exist and love and be loved after too many years of captivity and pain—he’d let Quentin take a peek even though he didn’t want to know the details, and Quentin had shielded him from his years away from his family. Maybe in a few years, he’d be ready to look at the centuries in more detail, but for the moment, it was enough to learn that his most recent life in captivity was also the most pleasant.

“Same. There’s a lot I’ve missed.”

They sat in silence for a couple of heartbeats, weighing up the other. “Thank you for rescuing me and for not forgetting about me, and I’m sorry for the pain it caused you.”

“I chose to hold on to the pain.” Everest shrugged and glanced out the window. “Losing you was the final blow on a very old soul bruise, and subconsciously, I recognized that I needed to heal before it destroyed me.”

That sounded as though it wasn’t about him at all. And maybe it wasn’t. Everest had saved him to save himself. He’d told himself he’d burned the ghoul to save Perrin, but perhaps there was a small part of him that needed the excuse to understand the difference between the lies he’d been told and the reality of using his magic to take a life. What the Shadow Board had claimed was all lies, so he’d cooperate more willingly.

Oliver nodded. “I’m glad you healed it. ”

“I’m working on it.” Everest smiled. “How are you faring?”

Was he asking about soul bruises or more generally? “I have a hunger for all I’ve missed out on.”

Everest laughed. “And you found yourself a ghoul…a being who gulps down life.”

Huh. He hadn’t thought of it that way. Perhaps that’s why he’d been attracted to Perrin’s energy, even though he hadn’t understood why. “We’re planning a three-month trip around Europe.”

“How very seventeenth century of you.”

Oliver frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It used to be very fashionable for wealthy young men to travel the continent before returning home. I’m guessing Kaine is making you travel with a bodyguard.”

“Two, because of the attack.” While Kaine was reasonably sure there’d be no further retribution because the Coven had stepped in, he wasn’t taking chances. “I don’t want to risk someone else’s life…”

“You aren’t putting them in danger. Besides, they took the job. Kaine will only send two guards who want to go, and I can guarantee they are fighting over that assignment.”

Perrin had said much the same. Who wouldn’t want an all-expenses-paid trip? Perrin, apparently, because he’d been miffed that the castle vetoed staying in backpacker’s hostels. Oliver had been more than happy to throw some of his oversized bank account at the problem. While Perrin believed all the money took some of the fun out of the holiday, they could now do anything and everything they wanted.

The only restriction they had was time. They had to be back for Dalmon and Lucian’s wedding.

“Are you that desperate to leave?” Everest’s eyebrows knitted together.

“I need some space to figure out who I am. I’m not the man you loved, and I’m not the one you rescued who feared his own magic. I can’t find myself surrounded by echoes and expectations.”

“It’s a lot, once you realize, isn’t it? The past embedded in every rock and in memories you don’t consciously remember.” For a couple of seconds, he seemed to be elsewhere. “I don’t regret taking on all the memories. But I miss not being able to access them and having all that knowledge at my fingertips.”

“That would be useful. I’d be speaking French already.”

“Ah, that’s an easy fix. Ask Perrin to talk only French with you, if it’s not urgent. If you are immersed, it is much quicker. The reading and writing will take longer…I don’t know how Quentin does it without memories.”

“He’s pretty smart.” Or at least he came across as smart in every interaction he’d had with him.

Everest nodded. “Kaine needed someone who could match him. Otherwise, he’d be bored.”

The door opened, and a man said, “You’ve got that meeting with Gerrit in half an hour.”

Everest glanced over and smiled. Oliver turned. A tall man with light brown skin and tawny eyes stood there in sweaty running gear.

“Oliver, you may not remember Cadel, but he was there when we freed you. Cadel, Oliver is about to go on a jaunt around Europe with his boyfriend.”

Cadel nodded. “I’ve heard. It’s a hot topic amongst the security guards.”

Everest smiled, obviously besotted with Cadel, then glanced back at Oliver. “Cadel was my bodyguard. Now he’s my boyfriend and working with Kaine.”

“I’m going to shower.” Cadel gave them a wave and shut the door, leaving them alone.

Everest sighed. “And I need to read through the notes before I meet with Gerrit on the running of the country.” He stood and walked around the coffee table.

The meeting was clearly over, and while Oliver hadn’t been sure what to expect, he was glad he’d spoken with Everest. “Thank you for seeing me.”

“I’m happy you did. I was worried when our brothers said you didn’t want to see me, so I held back.”

Oliver licked his lower lip. “I was scared. You were everything I believed I was. Wild and dangerous, and I didn’t want to be that person.” While it would always be a part of who he was, it wasn’t all he was. Oliver held out his arms and Everest stepped into his embrace. “Thank you, again, for saving me.”

“I’d do it again without hesitation.”

“Please don’t,” Cadel called from the bathroom.

“Shifters can hear far too well,” Everest spoke a little louder. “Aren’t you having a shower?”

Oliver smiled at his brother. “I’ll see you when I get back.”

“Please do. I want to hear all about your adventures, and hopefully, I’ll no longer be grounded.” But he smiled as if being grounded was exactly what he wanted.