Firstborn [malexmale]

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Things were quiet in the palace.

Hades and Lucifer had finally gone to bed after another night of arguing, but it didn't sound like anything serious, judging from the way it ended. Zeus and Joxeia spent most of their time in the library, helping Hades research a way to bring me back. Thorn spent all day with Hadrian, walking around the palace, letting people stop to coo and give him kisses. Hadrian was delighted with the attention, grabbing at everyone, cooing softly. Blaine and my siblings finally got to see him and hold him too. Tristan not only avoided everyone else, but avoided Thorn with Hadrian as well. He'd taken to locking himself up in a room where all he did all day was read a book from the library before he slept again.

At this point, I needed something to do, so I decided to drop in and check on Viviana and Geara, who had called Rowan to their room. I followed Rowan down the hallway to the room where they were still hiding out from Joxeia. He knocked once before opening the door and coming inside.

The room was like a mini-apartment with its own galley kitchen, a small, but nice living room with a door that led into a bedroom with two large beds. A veranda opened up from the living room to a beautiful garden outside blooming with huge flowers.

Inside, Geara was seated in an armchair, her legs tucked up beneath her, a warm mug of tea in her hands. She was wearing a halter top and a long brown skirt, her feet forever bare. Of course, Viviana went for a more complicated attire of a long sleeve v-neck top and a pencil skirt that flared at the bottom, her spiked black heels firmly planted on the Oriental rug spread out on the marble flooring.

"How is everyone?" Geara asked as we came inside. Rowan frowned, closing the door behind himself before coming forward.

"As can be expected. Hades is still hard at work to revive Ambrosius. The infant seems to be fairing well too. So far, no attempts to break through the barrier. Things seem to be strangely quiet right now," he said, muttering the last part. Geara frowned and Viviana glanced up from her magazine.

"How odd," she commented, "Usually the shifter is quite restless."

"And sure it would be more determined to capture the infant, given the prophecy."

"Perhaps we've missed something?" Viviana asked, looking to Geara, who took a sip of her tea and unfurled from her position to set the tea on the glass coffee table.

"Mayhap. Yet, I've gone through all my readings and found nothing different," she admitted with a shrug, sitting back to fold her arms over her chest, "The fresh blood of a firstborn son."

"Maybe it's time we confront Joxeia over the matter," Viviana pointed out, making Geara hesitate, "Oh, come now, sister, we can't keep ourselves pent up here the entire time. And surely it's rather rude not to greet our brother after so long."

"Viviana's got a point," Rowan replied, turning to look at his aunt, who glanced at him, "When Joxeia finds out you've been here this whole time, he's probably going to throw a temper tantrum." Viviana's eyes widened at that as she put her fingertips together, a gesture she seemed to take to whenever she was eager for something.

"How exciting," she exclaimed, earning glares from Geara and Rowan, and she actually pouted, "Well, no, I mean, it's not very nice to be so rude to our dear brother, but I've always wanted to see his ability to change the weather simply with his emotions. It's such a fascinating ability to have. I can't do anything, but make it snow, maybe a few flurries and some ice, but nothing like thunderstorms and tornadoes. He must be incredibly emotional."

"And that's the problem," Geara murmured, getting a curious stare from Viviana, "Joxeia is too emotional. He'll be incredibly hurt that I did not come to him first. Then there's the fact that my leaving him hurt him terribly. He suffered for years because I abandoned him, because we were forced to put Xiphrus away. He won't simply forgive me. Joxeia isn't very good with forgiveness."