Chapter 46: You sold your peace away long ago, boy.
Leo continued for a little while longer, sharing a few more harmless, amusing stories about Amy’s enthusiastic monologues, each one making Adrian feel more and more like a fairytale character whose own story was being told to him.
Eventually, the conversation drifted to other, safer topics, like the unseasonable chill, the plans for travel, the best routes to the capital. After a while, Leo glanced out the small window and noticed the deep indigo of twilight had settled outside.
"Well, I should be going," he said, standing up. "Thank you all again for your hospitality." He offered a grateful nod to lissa and the girls.
"I’ll see you out," Adrian said, gently shifting Emma off his lap. She pouted but didn’t protest.
Outside, the cold night air instantly had an effect on them due to the sudden shift from the house’s warm interior. Leo shivered, pulling his coat tighter around himself.
"You okay?" Adrian asked.
Leo looked up, his gaze fixed on the night sky where a sliver of moon was beginning to shine amidst a blanket of stars.
"I’m fine," he said, his voice softer now.
"You know..."
"On nights like this, when the moon is clear... my mother would always co to my room. Every single ti, she knew when I was scared or feeling uncomfortable, so..."
"She’d sit by my bed and read stories until I fell asleep." A sad, fond smile touched his lips. "There was never a night she didn’t check on . Never a ti she didn’t make sure I was okay."
Adrian smiled at his words. "She sounds like a wonderful woman," he said, his voice sincere. "I’d really like to et her when we get to the capital."
Leo let out a soft, choked chuckle. He turned to Adrian, the moonlight illuminating the bittersweet acceptance on his face. "I wish that were possible. But she... she passed away years ago."
’W-What?’ Adrian was taken aback.
"Unfortunately, she had fallen ill... My father was sadly unable to treat her in ti."
A wave of embarrassnt and sympathy washed over Adrian. "Leo, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. That was ignorant of ."
"Don’t be," Leo said, his smile returning, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes this ti. "It’s a nice thought. Truly." He clapped Adrian lightly on the shoulder.
"Get so rest. I’ll see you soon. Who knows, we might even depart tomorrow." With a final wave, he turned and walked down the snowy path, his figure growing smaller in the dim light.
Adrian stood on the doorstep, the cold seeping through his boots, and watched until Leo turned the corner and disappeared from view. The cheerful noise from inside the cottage seed distant at the mont; the only thing in his mind was the indescribable look on Leo’s face before he’d left.
Adrian stood outside for a mont longer. He then took a deep, cold breath before finally turning to go back inside.
*****
Adrian grabbed at the door handle. He was about to step inside when the door seed to push back against him. With a soft, simultaneous gasp, two figures tumbled out of the doorway and landed in a heap at his feet on the snowy ground.
He looked down, stunned, at Grey and Snow sprawled in front of him. They had clearly been leaning against the door, listening.
"W-What... Were the both of you eavesdropping on us?" he asked, his voice a mix of exhaustion and disbelief.
Grey scrambled to her feet, her face turning a bright red. She couldn’t look at him, her eyes darting everywhere but his face.
Snow, however, stood up, her expression calr than her counterpart’s. "Although I have no idea what you an by eavesdropping..." she said, her voice dripping with feigned concern. "You were outside for so long, we grew worried. The cold can be so treacherous." She then placed a hand delicately on her chest, her blue eyes wide. "I don’t think we’ve done anything wrong."
’We were hoping to hear more about that human girl ntioned during dinner... unfortunately,’ Snow thought to herself, but unfortunately, they didn’t discuss her at all.
Adrian was too tired for a long conversation. He just shook his head lightly. "It’s fine. Just... try not to do it again, okay?" He stepped past them into the welcoming heat of the cottage.
He glanced around the main room, his eyes automatically searching for the third one, but Emma was nowhere to be seen. His mother, who was wiping down the dining table, noticed his searching look.
"She got tired, dear," lissa said softly. "She went to lie down in your room."
Before Adrian could process this, Snow was at his side, slipping her hand through the crook of his left arm. "Mom’s right, darling. It is very late," she purred, leaning against him. "You need your rest after all your hard work."
A mont later, Grey was on his other side, wrapping both her hands around his right arm. She didn’t say a word, but her grip was equally as firm. Both girls glared at each other yet neither refused to let go.
Adrian felt a familiar sense of being trapped. He looked over at his mother for help, but she had turned away, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. He sighed, the sound full of resignation. "Alright, alright," he muttered, and allowed himself to be steered toward his bedroom.
******
The small room felt even smaller with the three of them inside. Emma was already curled up in the middle of his narrow bed, fast asleep, her white hair fanned out on his pillow. Snow imdiately sat on the edge of the other side, looking at him expectantly.
With a sense of surreal duty, Adrian helped Snow get settled under the blankets. As he tucked the fur cover around her shoulders, she smiled and leaned up, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. "Sweet dreams."
He then moved to Grey’s side of the bed. She was already under the covers, watching him with hopeful eyes. He tucked her in as well, making sure she was warm. A happy, contented smile spread across her face.
But as Adrian straightened up, Grey’s eyes flickered over his shoulder. Snow was glaring at her, a clear warning in her gaze. Grey’s smile didn’t fade, but her own eyes narrowed in a silent challenge sent back across the bed.
Adrian saw the exchange and felt a headache coming on. He took a step back, then another, heading not for the cramped space they had left for him, but for the door.
Snow sat up imdiately. "Darling? Where are you going?"
He paused with his hand on the doorfra. "I’m going to sleep with my mother tonight," he said casually.
’Staying here would only make you guys uncomfortable. I’m afraid my little bed isn’t enough.’
Grey blinked, confused. Snow’s face fell into a deep frown. "What? Why?" she demanded, her voice laced with agitation. "Do you... disdain lying with us? Are you going back on your word to be our mate?"
Her words were sharp, but he could hear the genuine hurt underneath them. "It’s not that at all," he reassured her gently. "The bed is just too small for all of us. Look, if you insist, I can sleep on the floor right here."
Snow’s expression instantly shifted to one of horror. "No! No, that won’t be necessary!" she said hurriedly. "I... I apologize for jumping to conclusions." She looked down at her hands, her lower lip pushed out in a pout that was surprisingly adorable.
Adrian felt his heart soften. He walked back to the bed, leaned down, and gave Snow a gentle goodnight kiss on the forehead. Her pout vanished, replaced by a look of stunned pleasure.
’Darling kissed twice.’ Snow couldn’t stop the blush on her face.
He then did the sa for the sleeping Emma, and finally for Grey, whose eyes shone with happiness. "Goodnight, all of you," he said softly, and then he left, closing the door behind him.
He stood behind the door for a mont, letting out a long, weary sigh. The floor in his room was probably more comfortable than his next choice. He walked into the main living area, the fire now just embers.
He pulled out a chair at the dining table, sat down, and simply laid his head and upper body on the cool, wooden surface. Within minutes, the deep exhaustion pulled him into a heavy sleep.
Soti later, a soft shuffle of feet approached. lissa stood over her sleeping son, a fond, sad smile on her face. She unfolded a heavy fur coat and laid it gently over his back, tucking it around his shoulders. She then leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, just as he had done for his strange new family.
"Goodnight, my brave little boy," she whispered into the quiet dark. Then she turned and went back to her own room, leaving him to his dreams.
*****
The next day ca sooner than one would expect. Adrian woke up ever so slowly.
The first thing he noticed was a wonderful sll, unlike the usual sll of winter, dried herbs, and old wood. This scent was different yet familiar.
’Looks like Mom’s at it again...’ Adrian chuckled. He didn’t need a second whiff to know that this was the rich, savoury, unmistakable aroma of at frying in a pan—a sll so good it could pull a man straight out of a deep sleep.
Adrian’s eyes fluttered open, a sunny smile on his face. He was still sitting at the dining table, his back stiff and his neck sore from the awkward position.
’Well, at least I was able to sleep.’ He sat up straight, wincing as he stretched his arms over his head, his joints popping in protest. ’But I might need to find another sleeping spot.’ He yawned.
’Maybe I could build a new room? I an, with the girls helping, it shouldn’t take long—maybe a few days.’
’But what of Leo... he said we’d leave in a few days. I an, he might be wrong, but I’d hate to end up wasting the girls’ ti because of a what-if.’
’Co to think of it...’
He looked around. The main room was quiet, bathed in the pale, clear light of morning. The fire was crackling cheerfully in the fireplace, but the three whirlwinds of feminine energy that had filled the space last night were conspicuously absent. It was... peaceful. Eerily so.
The kitchen door swung open and his mother erged, wiping her hands on a cloth. She smiled when she saw him awake. "Finally up and at it. I was about to wake you. Breakfast is almost ready."
"Morning, Mom," Adrian said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Where is everyone? It’s quiet."
lissa shrugged, a slightly bemused look on her face. "They all got up at the crack of dawn. The three of them told they were ’going out for a short while.’ They were very determined, so I decided not to ask questions."
lissa smiled and added, "Who knows, maybe the three of them have sothing planned for a certain soone?"
Adrian smiled awkwardly, yet he secretly felt a prickle of unease.
’Going out’ could an anything from gathering flowers to starting a territorial war with the local wildlife, or maybe ending up exposing their true identity to soone without even knowing. Before he could voice his concern, a firm knock echoed from the front door.
’Maybe that’s them,’ he said eagerly.
"I’ll get it," he hollered, pushing himself up from the chair. He walked to the door, his mind still fuzzy with sleep, and pulled it open.
The sight that greeted him made his jaw go slack.
Standing on his doorstep, looking imnsely pleased with themselves, were Grey, Snow, and Emma. And they were not empty-handed.
Grey, her hands covered in dirt and a few bloody smudges on her cheeks, was dragging the massive carcass of a deer by its antlers. Its neck was cleanly broken.
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