Twisted Soul (Cursed Legacies #3)

30. Baelfire

30

BAELFIRE

I haven't been home in months, but I'm not surprised to hear the distant roar of a dragon as soon as the rental car crosses into Decimus territory.

That was definitely Declan. He must be home for the holidays.

“I just sensed some serious magic wards,” Silas mutters from the passenger seat since Everett is now driving. “Should we be concerned, or do they know we're coming?”

“My caster dad, Ivan, set those up forever ago so no one with hostile intentions can pass into our territory. It alerts him, too, so he’s probably telling the others about our arrival right now,” I mutter, glancing into the back of the car.

Maven is catching up on more sleep, leaning against Crypt as he gently traces one of her hands. She looks so fucking peaceful when she's resting near him.

Gotta admit, I'm grateful for that.

It’s still weird as fuck to see the incubus look anything besides apathetic or murderous. That's all any of us saw from him until Maven arrived.

But now? He’s not as hateable as I used to think. Not that we are or ever will be “best mates,” as he puts it.

When Crypt sees me looking, his eyes narrow. “If they're at all impolite to our girl?—”

“They won't be.”

The other three remain tense, thinking my family will have a problem with who and what Maven is.

But I know my family. They're loud, proud, and fucking ridiculous but never judgmental or blindly prejudiced. If anything, I'm worried they'll be a little too happy to meet Maven and tease the hell out of me about having a mate while they're at it.

Come to think of it, out of the entire quintet, I definitely had the luckiest upbringing. Silas was raised by an eccentric sexist who made him fend for himself, Crypt was a literal monster's son brought up by the Immortal Quintet even though they hated him, and Everett's family is a swarm of emotionally abusive manipulators dressed in designer clothes that cost more than most people's cars.

Meanwhile, Maven grew up in a fucking brutal environment. The little my mate has told us about her past makes me physically sick to my stomach if I think about it.

I’m pretty sure this is going to be her first glimpse of what an actual family is like.

Gods, I hope she likes them.

Finally, we round the base of a massive mountain and turn down the long road leading into the valley where my family's huge house, the barn, and several other buildings sit proudly in the vibrant morning light. Snow coats the ground and trees as we pull into the big circular driveway.

I’ve missed these mountains. Being back here makes me want to go flying with my mom and Declan.

And I would love it if Maven rode on my back. I bet my mate would love flying.

Except maybe not yet—not when shifting risks me being lost for gods know how long to my inner dragon.

He’s such an unmanageable dickhead. He's been quiet during the ride, but I can feel him stirring. The scaly fucker will be causing more problems for me soon.

I scent the pine trees and something cooking in the kitchen, and I'm not surprised to see one of the curtains move in my family’s massive living room. About six or seven familiar faces peer out at us, a couple of them waving.

Yep. They’re going to swarm us the second we get out.

Everett parks, his pale blue gaze sweeping over the house mistrustfully.

“Relax. You've been here plenty of times, Ice Prick,” I remind him.

All three of these legacies were here all the time when I was little—that, or I was being taken to their houses. Until I was about nine years old, our parents constantly made us hang out. Mostly because my mom is very social, despite how catty Silas's moms were and how snobby the Frosts always acted.

And for some weird reason, my mom has always liked Crypt. She invited him here at every chance. Looking back now, I wonder if she knew how shitty his home life was and wanted him to have somewhere to go to get away from the Immortal Quintet.

It sounds like something she’d do.

Maven’s eyelashes flutter open. She sits up, stretching as she checks out the window. “Fuck. We're here.”

I pick up on the edge in her voice. “Nervous, Boo? Don't be—they’ll love you.”

“Though not nearly as much as we love you,” Everett tacks on with a sly smirk.

“Cut it out,” my mate grumbles. “Just say you’ll burn the world for me or some shit like that.”

“We absolutely will, sangfluir ,” Silas agrees, turning in the passenger seat to level her with a heated crimson look. “But if you would like to know the reason why, then it’s truly because?—”

“Stop,” Maven huffs crankily, unbuckling like she wants to get out of here as soon as fucking possible. “You’re just going to drop the stupid L-word again to watch me squirm.”

Gods, my mate is so fucking adorable.

We all laugh at how flustered our keeper is as we get out and approach the wrap-around front porch. Just as I expected, the front door flies open, and my lion shifter birth father, Oscar, beams at us.

“You made it!”

He's followed by Declan, who clearly just shifted back and hasn't grabbed a shirt yet. He's grinning ear to ear as he walks up and smacks me on the shoulder. He's my oldest sibling, in his mid-thirties, but he's always worked hard to build a relationship with me despite our fourteen-year age gap.

It helps that he’s the only one of my four brothers who is also a dragon shifter.

“Holy shit! Look at you, all grown up and matched and running from the law.” He spots Maven behind me and grins. “Here she is! Hi there, sis. Welcome to chaos, also known as our family.”

As if to underline his point, two of my other brothers, Cace and Aidan, also come outside with big smiles. A couple of legacies from each of their quintets follow suit. My seven-year-old niece, Quinn, and three-year-old nephew, Bran, skip outside to shout hellos.

It's a barrage of bright smiles and greetings, and I almost want to laugh at how round Maven's eyes have gotten. She's not used to big, warm welcomes, but that’s just the Decimus way.

“ Baelfire Finbar Decimus. Tell me it's not true.”

My mother's raised voice makes everyone quiet. They part for her as she marches toward us with her head held high, her one golden eye blazing angrily.

She lost her other eye years before I was born while leading a defensive strike against a surge at the Divide. I've never not seen her with a brown leather eye patch firmly in place. I’ve been told I look like a mix of her and Oscar—her draconic amber eyes and smile, his dirty blond hair and tall, brawny stature.

I mean, clearly I didn't get my stature from her. My intimidatingly strong, confident, outspoken commander of a mother is all of five feet tall if she gets on her tiptoes.

Still, I feel like a tiny kid again when she folds her arms, pissed off as she looks up at me expectantly. I look at Declan to nonverbally ask what she's upset about. He shrugs and glances at Maven as if he thinks she might be the reason.

Oh, fuck. No way.

“If this is about my mate—” I start to warn in a growl.

My mother sputters and waves my words away like that's the stupidest possible suggestion.

“Is what I heard from Keith Erikson’s mother about what happened at Everbound true? Did that scaly-assed Del Mar actually put a collar on you? On a godsdamned dragon?”

I grimace. That had been beyond humiliating, but I'd almost forgotten by now. Honestly, Maven made it so that when we were alone, I ended up loving wearing the collar—just for her.

In public, I still loathed the damn thing.

“Thanks a fucking lot for bringing that up right off the bat,” I grumble. “I'm glad I'm home, too. Doing peachy, thanks for asking.”

My mother snorts. “Please. You know I'm glad my baby is home,” she says, wrapping me in a warm hug that feels like my childhood. Then she pulls back and beams. “And anyway, I don’t have to worry about wringing that hydra's many necks, according to the news. Speaking of which, move—it’s well past time that I meet my new daughter-in-law.”

I step aside, not surprised to see that Maven carefully maintains a poker face as she examines my mother. She's good at pretending to be relaxed, but I notice her hands flex slightly in her gloves.

My keeper is nervous. I want to reassure her, but my mom studies Maven just as intently before a huge smile breaks over her face.

“My gods, do you have any idea how excited I am that I get to have you as a daughter? I've wanted to meet you for so long.”

What now?

Maven seems equally taken aback by the odd comment, but then my mother wraps her in a tight hug. Pure panic streaks across Maven's face before she can stop it.

Fuck.

I shove my mom away, unable to help the growl that rises from my throat as I pull Maven into my arms. My mom and the rest of my family look shocked by my reaction.

But I can't fucking help it. Maven is tensed in my arms, taking measured, quiet breaths. When I try to peer at her face, she shakes her head subtly at me. She doesn't want a scene.

Too bad I've already created one.

It's solved quickly when Crypt snorts. “Were you so ridiculously territorial when you were a newly matched dragon, Commander?”

Good. Yes. That's a good excuse.

My siren dad, Nico, grins. “That she was.”

“She damn near burned down the eating hall at Everbound when a girl hit on me a few weeks after the Seeking,” Oscar adds with a booming laugh. “Don't worry, Bael, we won't get in your mate's bubble again. It's very nice to meet you, Maven,” he adds.

My family all start introducing themselves. I shoot Crypt a grateful look. He rolls his eyes.

Pretty sure this means we are pals now, which is fucking weird.

My mate quietly greets everyone one by one before looking back at my mom. I still haven't let my mate go.

“I take it you aren't considering turning me in to the Legacy Council for a fat paycheck?” Maven checks.

My mom laughs. “Not even remotely. Those pampered bureaucrats can keep their blood money. You five will be perfectly safe here for however long you choose to stay.”

“Thank you, Brigid,” Silas says sincerely.

My mom turns to the rest of my quintet, putting a hand on her hip.

“Don't you Brigid me, Silas Crane. Don't forget I used to change your diapers back when your mothers still thought I was a respectable legacy. I still have no idea why they ever thought that,” she whispers with a conspiratorial grin at Maven.

My mate’s lips twitch. “Respectable is a synonym for boring.”

“I couldn't have said it better myself. Now, I'm sure you five have been very busy ever since Everbound went to hell, but Baelfire here—” My mother shoots me a reproachful look. “Has been dodging my calls since long before then, so I haven't gotten to hear much about you.”

“The school was on lockdown,” I protest. “Give me a break.”

She turns back to my keeper. “We all want to get to know you, Maven. But first of all, please tell me my son has been acting like a proper match to you all along. I taught him that mates and quintets are more important than anything in the world, but if he was ever a dick about you being the telum ? — ”

“Fucking gods, Mom,” I cut in, scowling at her. “Way to just throw it out there.”

“I just want to make sure he has been a good mate to you despite everything,” my mom continues, ignoring me.

Maven is surprised but tips her head back, examining me. I see it in her eyes the exact moment her devious little mind decides to torture me.

“Angel, no. Don’t you dare give me a boner in front of my mom,” I whisper in her ear, quiet enough that no other shifter nearby will overhear.

She appears totally innocent as she looks back at my mother. “Baelfire has been very good for me. The perfect mate.”

Gods, I love my sadistic little keeper. She absolutely knows she’s driving me crazy with her praise—and calling me mate? That’s below the belt.

Literally. My dick is starting to get hard down there, damn it.

“Good,” my mother grins, motioning at the rest of us to head inside. “Come on—as always, you’re still officially invited in, Crypt. Breakfast is ready, and we added a second mother-in-law suite to the house a few months ago. You five can stay in there for now.”

Everyone starts to head inside, but I stay still for a moment, using Maven as a shield to hide my slowly softening erection. She smirks over her shoulder.

I shake my head, booping her nose with mine. “Hellion.”

“You like it.”

“I love it. Just like I love y?—”

“I will twist your nipple again,” she warns fiercely.

I laugh.

Quinn prances up to us, bouncing on her toes. She’s my brother Grady’s daughter through two of his quintet members. Technically, none of my brothers has managed to have a kid. My niece and nephew are both a result of other members of their quintet, but still—my family couldn’t be more grateful to finally have kids in the family.

I didn’t see Grady here, so he must still be stationed at the Divide. His family stays here in Decimus territory whenever he’s deployed.

“Will you guys stay for New Year’s? Please?” Quinn chirps.

She’s a water elemental. When I was here a few months ago, she liked to splash people’s laps and loudly announce that they’d peed themselves.

Maven regards the little troublemaker. “I hope so.”

“Me too!” Then Quinn blinks up at Everett. “Hey, why’s his hair white? Old people have white hair, but he doesn't got any wrinkles.”

“He doesn't look wrinkly,” Crypt agrees, crouching and cupping his hand beside his mouth like he’s sharing a secret with her. “But I promise that on the inside, he's far more boring and wrinkly than any old geezer you've ever met.”

“His name is Snowflake,” I add helpfully.

“Oh! I like your hair, Snowflake!” she says before hurrying into the house.

Everett sighs. “I fucking hate you guys.”

I laugh and take Maven’s hand, leading her inside.

My family’s house is just as busy and cozy as it’s always been: spacious, rustic, and still heavily decorated for Starfall festivities with bows, holly, fake snow, and all kinds of other shit. The tree glitters in the living room right beside their massive TV, which is currently muted.

But I stop in my tracks when I see what’s on the screen. So do Crypt, Silas, and Everett.

Because holy fuck.

A newsreel shows a slightly blurred image of a massive room with an Olympic-sized pool. Its water is a suspicious red color. Blurred-out lumps in the background can only be bodies, but front and center is a slightly censored, naked, bloodied corpse.

Del Mar.

And standing in front of him is Maven, poised for a fight with her favorite dagger. She’s covered in blood, her throat marked with a vampire bite, and her dangerous dark gaze is pinned on the camera, so it’s like she’s glaring through the screen right into my soul. My mate looks powerful, terrifying, fierce, and?—

“Holy shit, you’re sexy as fuck,” I sigh, squeezing Maven’s hand. “How do you make violence look so damn good?”

Silas squints at the screen. “Am I mistaken, or is that a gaping hole in the hydra’s chest? You took his heart?”

“He deserved worse for putting a collar on Baelfire,” she mutters angrily.

I nearly fucking swoon. She was all vengeful for me?

Gods, I am one lucky dragon.

“All things considered, it’s actually a really flattering picture,” Everett muses.

Crypt agrees with a smile. “I’ll hunt down the uncensored original so we can frame it right next to any other pictures we can get of our girl. How’s that going, Decimus?”

“Say cheese , Mayflower,” I say, pulling out my phone to snap a selfie with her.

She’s rolling her eyes and fighting a grin in it, which makes me smile wider.

Quinn skips up and points at the screen, looking at Maven with wide blue eyes.

“Hey! That’s you in all the blood!”

Maven’s attention flicks to the rest of my family dishing up breakfast like she thinks they might dislike what’s on the screen. My lion-shifter brother, Aiden, glances over and grins.

“Hey, I’m just happy I finally got a badass sister-in-law.”

“What do you mean, finally? ” one of Declan’s mates scoffs. She throws a tater tot at him and gives us an apologetic look. “We’re running out of bacon. Dig in before Cace eats it all.”

Cace protests that he would never as he tries to scoot the last pile of bacon onto his plate. My caster father, Ivan, slaps his hand away while my mom warns my brothers that she’ll make them run laps if they don’t sit their asses down and behave in front of their new sister-in-law.

Home sweet home.

We all dish up—except Crypt, who vanishes—and sit at the ridiculously oversized dining table that is still somehow crowded. Cace is chatting with one of his quintet members, Quinn is showing off how she can balance her fork on her nose, and one of Aidan’s mates, Megan, is trying to keep Bran from dumping out his orange juice.

Oscar notices Maven’s plate. “Uh oh, did we run out of sausage and bacon? We probably have some ham leftover from Starfall Eve?—”

“Nah, she’s vegetarian,” I say, sliding eggs off my plate onto hers since she’s sitting to my left. I like to make sure she’s eating enough, and all she grabbed was a muffin and sliced fruit.

Cace opens his mouth across the table. I’m positive he’s about to make some smart-ass comment about Maven’s food choices, so I throw a hard-boiled egg at him. He catches it and throws it at Declan, who swats it aside.

“That’s enough with everyone throwing food at the table,” Nico sighs. “You’re not children.”

My mom is sitting to my right, at the head of the dining table, and she grins at me, leaning over to whisper, “ But we’re about to have some more children joining our family very soon.”

Oh, fuck. Is she hinting about my quintet?

Maven must have the same thought. She’s surprised enough that she drops her fork, which bounces off the table. Crypt appears, catches the fork before it can touch the ground, and hands it back to her. Quinn claps and cheers like that was the greatest show, and Crypt bows dramatically at the giggling girl before vanishing again.

Everett is sitting on the other side of Maven and gives my mother a meaningful look. “Look, that’s really not your bus?—”

“Are you over there spoiling the news?” Aidan calls from the other end of the table, giving our mom an exasperated look.

She laughs. “Well, Baelfire’s been out of the loop! He should know he’ll be an uncle to three now.”

“We’re expecting again,” Megan announces, smiling at my quintet.

A grin breaks over my face at the good news. “Holy shit!”

“Congratulations,” Silas offers, offering Maven a sip of what I’m pretty sure has become fae wine.

Someone needs to tell the fucker he’s going to get high blood pressure or some shit from drinking so much. That someone is Maven because she gives her day drinker match a dry look as she swaps her water for his wine. It just makes him smirk. I’m pretty sure they’re having another one of their telepathic conversations.

Godsdamn, I want to be able to talk to my mate like that. Just thinking of all the shameless innuendos and cheesy pickup lines I’m missing out on showering her with makes me sigh.

“I’m gonna be an uncle, too,” Quinn announces excitedly.

My family laughs, and I catch Maven’s small smile from the corner of my eye as she watches the madness that makes up my family.

“No, you’ll be a cousin,” Ivan corrects. “A very responsible older cousin who doesn’t splash water on this baby like you did to poor Bran. Right?”

“Okay,” Quinn pouts and turns to Everett. “Hey, Snowflake, wanna see how I can balance my fork? See, look!”

She does her trick while Everett looks at me like he wants to punch me.

“You know, I’ve heard humans have an easier time conceiving than legacies,” one of Cace’s mates starts from the other side of the table, glancing at Maven.

Damn it. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid.

I open my mouth to tell her to fuck off about this topic completely, but my mom leans forward to smile at Maven, acting like she didn’t hear Cace’s mate.

“Just so you know, it’s not usually such a huge group here. It’s just the holidays, and I wanted us all to be here in the midst of everything going on recently. Most of these hellraisers will fly the coop as soon as the holidays are over—and I’ll be returning to my post in Mexico just after New Year’s to keep an eye on the Divide.”

Maven nods before my brother Cace catches her attention.

“So hang on, did you really grow up in the Nether? I heard a rumor about it, but how the hell did you survive?”

“I technically didn’t.”

The way my spooky little mate shuts him right the hell up has me bursting into laughter.

It’s good to be home.