Set In Sparks (Morningstars Book 2) (21 page)

Jaden felt Maya’s longing more than he felt any other feelings from her. He couldn’t exactly say what it was, but the night was finally winding down and he intended to grab his twin and talk to her. Before he could take one step in the direction of making that plan come true though, Ryder intercepted him.

“I need to talk to you and Kaden right now.” Jaden was over dramatic talks and honestly didn’t want to hear it unless it was Maya wanting to do the talking or his twin, since, after all, they were in this together.

“What about now?” he snapped, sounding much harsher than he intended. He was exhausted and he had stayed away from Maya way too long. He wanted to hold her, feel her against his side and not have her run away the first second she saw the need. Besides, there was still the problem that his twin needed blood and no matter how much the other two pretended that it wasn’t clear as day, Jaden saw the sign. Kaden still had tiny cuts and bruises. He just wasn’t healing well at all and the lack of true rest didn’t exactly help.

Someone needed to take charge of the situation and in this case it was him.

“Mating your Origin.”
Now, that was unexpected
, Jaden thought.

“My Origin or yours?”

“Mine. I need you because you’ve done it and Kaden because he knows something about Cany that you don’t know yet. I left a girl up there, exhausted, tired, and guilt-ridden because I don’t know what to do,” Ryder admitted and Jaden pulled up a brow.

“You left Cany up there when she feels like that? I wouldn’t leave Maya alone if she felt only one of those emotions,” Jaden growled and Ryder drowned his hands in his black hair in helplessness.

“Please, Jaden!” Just then his twin joined them, giving Ryder a much saying glance.

“It’s starting to rain. It’s pelting down quietly, no wind or anything, but –”

“It’s not her, for the Creator’s sake. Can I please have one fucking minute with you two so I can get back up there?” Ryder snapped and Kaden looked at Jaden. He couldn’t help but grin. If he wouldn’t know it better he’d think Ryder asked for condoms and the twins were keeping him from getting lucky.

The twins finally nodded and Jaden led them up the stairs, feeling Maya’s presence before he saw her.

“Everyone’s has retired to their rooms. Some of the volunteers took families with them so we’ll have less people here. I offered for them to come back whenever they need anything, but it finally seems to calm down. I was thinking that maybe we should change our plans a little and –”

“Maya, can we talk about that later?” Jaden wanted to know, feeling Ryder getting anxious next to him while Maya now looked as if she had been slapped. “Ryder needs to get back to Cany and he doesn’t have much patience left.” Jaden leaned in, kissing his Origin’s forehead. “Besides, if you think everything finally is quiet, how about you go and wait for us upstairs? I think there’s some unfinished business we should be taking care of, beautiful,” he remarked, throwing a glance at his twin. Maya was seemingly startled, but he couldn’t decide about what.

“Are you done?” Ryder was almost bouncing off the balls of his feet and Maya gave him a curious glance.

“We’ll find you soon,” Kaden promised, now leaning in to kiss her cheek. Jaden couldn’t help but be surprised how absolutely right this felt. It didn’t bother him anymore that Maya was looking at them the same way. He wasn’t jealous and that probably was a blessing, especially when he remembered the beginning times with Maya. Back then he had wanted to tear Kaden apart because she had given her trust to him instantly.

Maya’s eyes returned to his face as he remembered the burning anger and instantly doubt shadowed her beautiful features. He really did great in reassuring her that this was fine.
Not
. He sighed, mad at himself and then brushed his thumb over her lips. He intended to have them everywhere again soon. Just that thought made him feel hot, giving Maya another reason to arch a brow and look questioningly at him.

“Give us an hour,” he decided and then squeezed her hand while giving Ryder a much-saying glance.

“I don’t need an hour,” the Queen’s brother grumbled and Jaden shrugged.

“Before you go, can I get a hug?” Maya asked and Jaden shook his head, smiling to himself. It would never cease to amaze him how someone so powerful could be so damn insecure when it came to her mate. He pulled her close, drowning his nose in her hair to take in her cupcake smell.

“Dearest Creator, I love you so much,” he whispered against her head before kissing her hair. She squeezed him tightly, giving the words back. “I’ll meet you upstairs,” he promised and she nodded, sheepishly looking at Kaden. “He’ll meet you upstairs, too,” Jaden added and Kaden gave him a dark look.

“I can speak for myself, you know?” he fussed and then drew Maya close as well. They talked in hushed voices, too low for Jaden to make them out, but Maya just shook her head against his twin’s shoulder, then stepped back to finally let them go.

“Are you done with your fucking PDA? I have a problem and I just can’t think of any other people who can help me since none of those idiots are mated,” Ryder growled and Kaden instantly stopped next to Jaden.

“I’m not mated,” he protested, but Ryder just rolled his eyes.

“Not in blood yet, but come on, that’s just a matter of time.”

A very short, short period, Jaden thought, wondering if Kaden had understood the hint he had given Maya and him earlier. They went to Maya’s office and Ryder instantly started to pace while Jaden sat down on the edge of the desk. Kaden settled on the sofa, pulling his legs up to cross them over the armrest. The room seemed clattered because while Maya had a library, a lot of books found their way to the office instead. Paper covered most surfaces that were left free of books. The wine red rug

“We’re listening,” Jaden prompted and Ryder nodded, exhaling sharply a few times.

“Okay, how about I help that poor boy out? Cany caused the storm,” Kaden explained, almost bored. Jaden gaped at him.

“What?”

“Nice way to approach the topic, asshole,” Ryder snapped and Jaden blinked. This could not be happening.

“Listen, buddy, there’s no easy way to explain that your girl is a weapon, a great one, but a huge danger if she’s out of control. I don’t blame her. In fact, the way I understand it, she can’t even influence it, but you’ve seen what happened. I think you can help her,” his twin remarked.

Jaden felt like he was a bystander. Maybe someone could bring him popcorn.

“I can’t. I want to kill her mother. I’m mad, so mad, and if Cany and I mate, she’ll feel the anger inside me. It might just be fueling her powers,” Ryder protested.

“So what? Instead you’ll risk this happening more again because you refuse her? You think there’ll be something more painful than a mate that doesn’t want you? That tells you explicitly that you can’t be with them no matter what you two feel for each other? You think it’ll ease her guilt and pain knowing that her powers yet again keep her away from the people she loves and the people she hopes will accept her for what she is without any reservations? Don’t you think she struggles hard enough with the world and you shouldn’t make it harder on her?” Kaden was emotional, crazily though, and Jaden feared Maya bursting in through the door at any moment. That thought actually made him pause. Did Maya know that her courtier could be a true killer machine?

“This is not like it’s with Maya and you,” Ryder gave back, his voice having gone quiet. So he had gotten the drift, too.

“What is it you need us to tell you now? Go and make her happy? Control your damn ass so she won’t explode? What do you need to hear?” Jaden asked, feeling as if this conversation could probably go on for hours and hours of they didn’t get to the core of the problem. Maya was agitated, clearly in response to Kaden’s feeling and Jaden’s earlier announcement. Frankly he felt like soothing Maya more than he wanted to help Ryder. After all, Origins always came first, but
that
was something Ryder didn’t seem to understand yet.

“What do I have to expect?” Seriously? He wanted a walk-through how on how to have sex? Jaden blinked.

“Well, you get naked, she gets naked, and depending on you what you like or not, you take it slow or not,” he shrugged, seeing Kaden smirk and Ryder growl.

“I more meant will it be crazy? The onslaught of feelings? What do I have to expect?” Jaden groaned. Would they always come to him with this stupid question? He hated baring his soul in this way, but obviously no one considered the fact that Colbin was mated, especially since Kaden now looked at him, too. Hell, hadn’t they been through that already?

“Ryder, I can’t tell you, because first our females are totally different as are the situations. The way I see it there’s no chance for you to feel the same thing I felt. Kaden won’t even feel what I felt, and he’s mating the same Origin. Everything is as unique as the woman you’ll have under your hands. All you can really do is love her unconditionally, not like I did with Maya.” He dared to look at Kaden, but his twin didn’t watch him anymore. “Maya never was meant to be mine alone and yet I obviously gave her the feeling that I wouldn’t listen to her. Besides, I ran when she finally came out with her secret. I don’t know if it would have changed things right after it happened and she had told me then, but I doubt it. Timing probably wasn’t perfect, but then again, it never is.” He was babbling and he knew it, so he cleared his throat. “What I’m trying to say is basically that only you know what is right with your Origin or your twin.” He grinned at Kaden, but his brother seemed like a statue, his expression hard and his eyes downcast. “Ryder, the only person able to make it right is you.”

And wasn’t that the truth? Jaden shook his head, glad he already knew which direction they would head that night, even more glad that he had decided to finally make it right for Maya and his twin.

“Jaden, what if I break her fully?” Jaden alternated between making a joke and just fussing at him. He had the feeling as if Ryder was looking at him to be the leader Colbin should be. No matter if present or not, Colbin led the warriors and Jaden liked it that way. He didn’t need the pressure of being a leader he never had wanted to be. Since he still was the one Ryder was looking at for advice, he decided for a serious comment instead of any of the stupid jokes the warriors usually shared.

“You can’t. You can only make her whole,” he finally replied and Ryder’s face lit up like a man freed from a burden.

“You’re right. You’re so right!” Ryder jumped forward as if he was ready to hug Jaden, but luckily he refrained from doing so. It would have been too much. The soldier left and Jaden stared at the second person in the room.

“You decided today’s the day, didn’t you?” Kaden asked, his voice shaking. Jaden crossed his arms in front of his chest, wondering if he should have talked it over with his brother instead of just planning it.

“We can dance around this whole thing forever. It won’t change. Kaden, you love her, she loves you, and I love both of you, only on a different level. I don’t plan on doing the naughties with you. Your dick stays between her and you and so does my dick. This is not a relationship between us, at least not in this way. I will never ever sleep with you, or have you … you know.” He shuddered. Even the thought of him and his brother getting down to that was disgusting. He didn’t mind dudes liking dudes, or sharing a girl and sharing each other, too, but there was a clear no-go between brothers. “Anyway, she belongs to us and it’s time you claim your woman the way she deserves it. That is, if you’re ready for it?”

When Kaden started to smile, probably the first real smile Jaden had seen in a long time, he knew that this could only work out.

“Let’s go and get the girl then,” his twin grinned and Jaden gave him thumbs up, being so ready to feel Maya’s porcelain skin under his hands again, wrap her dark waves around his hand while holding her purple eyes as he made love to her again after what seemed to be an eternity.