Chapter 15 – Boxcar
Ariel
“I’m getting fond of these boxcar trips,” I say, sighing happily as I settle back against what I guess are bags of some kind of grain, Marigold in my lap. “They always portend a good adventure.”
Juniper, next to me, rolls her eyes. “I’m still disappointed they didn’t send the royal carriage. I’ll take velvet seats over quite literal bean bags any day.” She turns and pokes a finger at the burlap saps, making me grin.
Daphne laughs a little. “It’s true, I did like that at Christmas.”
“Now that I’m finally old enough to take advantage of dad’s professionally stocked bar?” Juniper says, yawning and stretching her arms over her head. “All other forms of travel are dead to me.”
“Even interdimensional travel that happens in the blink of an eye?” I ask. Marigold hums happily, flipping through one of the little books she brought with her.
“Yes,” Juniper says, her voice low. “I find the conductor of that travel far less pleasant.” She sends a playful glare over at Midnight, who sits with Jacks, Laila, Jesse, and Tony across the boxcar practicing flipping her new knives. They’d started the practice over here, but Jackson made them move away from the baby after one skittering knife got too close.
Now Laila watches, fascinated, while Tony leans close and gives Midnight pointers on how to hold the knives just with the tips of her fingers. Jackson demonstrates, tossing the knives as casually in the air as a baseball. Each lands primly point-down in the wooden floor.
Mids scowls when none of her knives manage to do the same.
“Oh, you like her,” I say, laughing and giving Junie a nudge.
“She’s fine,” June says, relaxing back against the cargo, not giving anything away – just like her boyfriend.
“Is it weird that it’s…kind of hot that Jackson is so good at that?” Daphne murmurs, watching intently.
I snarl playfully at my friend. “My man. You’ve already run through enough Sinclairs.”
She grins at me and shakes her head. “Seriously, that doesn’t do it for you? He’s just very…capable.”
“What, a man disciplined and controlled enough with his body to dexterously handle small, dangerous things?” I grin wickedly. “I have no idea why that might appeal, Daph.”
She just laughs.
“Whatever,” June murmurs. “Mine’s better at it.”
“Yours can’t even touch the knife,” I say, dry.
“Yeah well, when we get him his body back, you’ll all see.”
I nod, agreeing to it, quite happy to be disproved on this point if it means that Tony gets his life back. God, what a miracle, that his body could just be…there, beneath the soil, hanging out and waiting for him.
My mind goes back, working through all of the details that we learned about Tony’s lineage, his connection to the Underworld and the God of Darkness – his grandpa! – and his birth in Laila’s world. But even as I marvel at this rich new history…
My mind turns back to the shadow hottie who haunts all those memories. Son of the God of Death, the impetus for Juniper’s whole ordeal.
I turn to my little sister with a frown. “So, what’s going on with you and Orion?”
Juniper whips her head to me. “What?” she snarls, her little fangs already extending, appalled that I’d even ask such a thing.
“Oh, put those away,” I mutter, whipping up a hand to flick her right fang with my finger. She gasps and then groans, jerking away from me with a glare, because – as any wolf kid who grew up in a family full of siblings and cousins knows – that really does hurt. “Seriously, June! What’s going on with you and that guy!?”
“What are you talking about” she hisses, leaning close again and glaring at me. Daphne leans in, clearly wanting the gossip.
I open my mouth to reply but a scraping sound has us all turning towards the center of the boxcar, where Jesse scoots across the floor towards us. “What’s this?” he asks, grinning wickedly. “Hmm? Please, continue.”
“What, can you like smell gossip?” Daphne asks, laughing as Marigold squeaks and reaches for her favorite.
“Most delicious scent in the world,” Jesse replies, giving Daph a wink and snatching Marigold out of my lap. My little girl shrieks with laughter as Jesse cuddles her close, calling her a mongrel and a delight, pressing kisses to her hair.
I grin at him and Juniper shifts, clearly intent on getting up, but Jesse whips out one of his big Alpha boots and plants it firmly in her lap.
“Jesse!” Juniper seethes, her teeth clenched as she tries to shove his foot away. “Get off of me!”
“Absolutely not,” Jesse says, settling Marigold more comfortably in his lap. “Pinning you down for gossip is not beneath me, Juniper. Even if you are some kind of weird hell Goddess now.”
She snarls at him, barring her fangs, and he leans forward with his hand raised, ready to flick.
Juniper squeaks and slams a hand over her mouth. “You know, I am a Queen! And in the Underworld people fear me and show me respect!” Her words and the impact are slightly muffled by the press of her palm against her lips.
“That’s because you don’t have any siblings our cousins in the Underworld to keep you in check,” Jesse says, leaning back on one hand and grinning at her.
“Keep you in check,” Marigold repeats, nodding solemnly as she turns her page.
Jesse beams while Juniper glares at the baby.
“All right, enough delay,” Daphne says, leaning forward so that we’re a tight little group, our words just between us. “I noticed it too, June. Are you guys like…all a couple? The four of you?”
Juniper’s eyes go wide. “What!? No! I’m dating Anton!”
“His name is Tony,” Jesse whispers like he’s breaking a great secret to her, patting her commiserating on the shoulder. She glares at him.
“So…it’s Tony and you…and Orion and Laila?” Daphne asks, gesturing towards the blue-haired beauty.
Juniper hesitates and I grin, which just deepends her scowl. “Look, Laila likes Orion and he likes her too but…I don’t really know where or…what they are.”
I nod, considering the delicious complications of this. “That’s interesting,” I murmur. “Considering she left.”
“Not everyone is as ridiculously tied to their boyfriend’s side as you are to Jackson,” Juniper returns, flashing a menacing little glare my way.
“He is all the way over there,” I say, laughing and pointing at him. “Besides, aren’t you literally tied to Tony? Like, magically tethered?”
Juniper ignores this very valid point and Jacks, kind of proving Juniper right, looks up at us, sensing his name in the conversation and looking curiously our way. I blow him a kiss, making him smile, making Juniper groan.
“My point exactly,” she mutters, still pouty, knowing she’s not off the hook yet.
“Point ‘zactly,” Marigold whispers, nodding, still studying her book but listening to everything.
Juniper frowns at her. “Is this an appropriate conversation for a four-year-old?”
“Not four yet!” I say, beaming at my little girl and leaning forward to stroke a hand over her hair. “And yes, she’s showing slightly delayed speech and absolutely no literacy, probably because of…” I grimace a little, looking around at everyone, quietly asking them to infer. They nod to me and Goldie looks up at me with a frown. “So, we’re including Marigold in all of our conversations! Right, baby? We love words.”
“Words,” she whispers, nodding and looking back down at her book. “ABC.” She points to the letters, quite proud, making all of us grin.
I sigh fondly, sitting back as Jesse gives Marigold a squeeze, clearly proud of her.
“All right, back to the important stuff,” Jesse says, looking back at June and quirking a brow. “So, Orion and Laila are in a situationship, but did Tony and Orion ever…?”
Juniper gasps and leans forward, smacking him hard on the shoulder. “Jesse! They’re cousins!”
“Yeah,” he says, laughing hard and grinning at her. “But they didn’t know that for a long time. It’d be totally understandable if they, you know, under the soft light of three moons –“
Juniper screeches now, completely pissed, starting to rain blows on him. Jesse roars with laughter, delighted, and Marigold cracks up too as I wrap my arms around Junie, hugging her close to end the violence. My little sister seethes in my arms, which is…
I don’t know. Delightful. Brings back fond memories of a childhood spent mildly torturing my little sister, whose hairpin triggers we all know so well that we could set off her temper from a dead sleep.
“June,” I say, laughing a little and sighing, pressing my cheek to her hair. “You’ve got to try not to make it so easy for him –“
“For all of you!” she snarls. “You always pick on me!”
“I know, I’m sorry,” I say, kissing her and letting her go. She slumps back against the sacks, pouting and pissy. “But whether or not you’re going to admit it, June, there is a vibe between you and Orion. We all saw it.”
She sighs, looking away for a second as the train rumbles on. We all give her a moment to collect her thoughts, even Marigold sitting quietly, her eyes trained on Juniper’s face. “Fine, I don’t know,” she says, leaning back and covering her face with her hands, clearly not wanting to look at us as she admits the truth. “I’ll admit to…a vibe. But nothing’s ever happened! At least, nothing big –“
My eyebrows raise at this.
She sighs and drops her hands, looking around at all of us. “But I really love Anton,” she whispers. “He’s so, so important to me. He’s everything.” Her words are soft but the rich emotion running through them makes my heart swell with joy.
“Okay,” I say, reaching out and petting a hand over her hair. “Have you talked about this with him?”
Juniper bites her lip as she looks Tony’s way – at the sparkly blue ghost laughing with Jackson and Midnight, his eyes all crinkled with joy.
“Not…recently,” she murmurs.
“Okay,” I say, nodding and petting my sister’s hair. “Well, you should probably figure that out. And if you ever want to talk to someone about it, we’re here.”
She looks around at us, I think touched at the offer, even if she’s wary.
“But Junie,” I say, my voice dropping low as I clasp her shoulder in my hand. She looks at me with her bright green eyes, surprised. “If you break Tony’s heart? You and I are going to have a big problem.”
She scowls at me, trying to brush my hand away. “I’m not going to –“
But I just tighten my hand, forcing her to look at me. “A big problem, Juniper. You be fair to him, all right?”
“Yes! Fine!” she says, flashing her teeth at me again. I sigh and let her go, worried for them. I know better than most, after all, what it is to negotiate emotions between two men who are important to you. It’s not easy when you’ve got two pretty boys vying for your heart.
But I certainly know who I hope wins.
“Here, give me that baby,” Juniper snaps, done with the conversation and leaning forward with her arms open, reaching for Marigold. “I need a boost. Someone has to be nice to me.”
“Aunt June,” Marigold whispers, immediately climbing out of Jesse’s lap and going to her aunt, who cuddles her close.
“That’s right, baby,” Junie says, kissing the top of Marigold’s head and looking thoughtfully over at the other side of the boxcar, where her boyfriend sits. “You remember who your favorite is, don’t you?”
“So, Daphne,” Jesse says, stretching himself out all long on the floor, propped up on his elbow. “Have you been seeing anyone lately? Any dashing blue ghosts with mysterious pasts? Heirs of Darkness or the like?”
I burst out laughing at my cousin and his stupid gall – he really has no shame. Daphne’s cheeks blush pink and she gives him a kick. “Don’t you wish you knew, Jesse Sinclair.”
“Yes,” he says, nodding to her, his eyes fastened on her pretty face. “Yes, yes I do.”
Daphne just rolls her eyes and turns to me, pretending to ignore him, though she can’t keep the grin from her lips.