Right.
Chapter Thirty Five
Kendra stumbles into the kitchen, hair fuzzy and still in her PJs, and sort of gets a birthday present already. Her mouth drops open, and the flavor of bacon rolls over her tongue.
After a while, Bracken had collapsed on the poufy armchair. Kendra had been too tired to argue. When she'd awakened, he hadn't been there, so she went on an adventure through the house. Still no Bracken. And then she had stumbled into the kitchen, following her nose to the mouthwatering smell of breakfast, to find him in pajama pants and shirtless. It's everything she can do to not drool.
He notices her, handsome face sparkling with delight. Like two coins, his silvery blue eyes light up at the sight of Kendra. Amusement clouds them at her prolonged silence, obviously noting her open mouth. "Hey, Kendra," he greets, turning back to the eggs he's frying over the stove. "Happy birthday."
Murderously, Kendra glares at the unicorn. "You have a gazillion ab muscles. Why was I not aware of this sooner?"
And Bracken does, his firm chest sculpted and bulging with strength. She might've been able to guess, true, by his athletic build, but it's still a really nice view. His abs are like rolling hills, and his stomach a flat plain. He even has the V… And the way sweat sheens over his pecks, probably from the steam rising from her breakfast… Kendra literally has to contain herself from not leaping into his arms at that moment. It would most likely cause some severe egg burns.
He glances at her in amusement. "You can jump into my arms if you'd like, birthday girl."
"Reading my mind again?" she growls, gaze turning fierce. He cocks an eyebrow and nods playfully. The smile quirking at his lips makes any anger she has stored away just sort of… melt. Kendra swallows, making her decision. "Right. Here I come."
Bracken sets down the pan, his little smirk becoming an all-out grin, and he holds his arms out in an invitation. Kendra takes to steps and leaps, turning her body in air. With a flex of his hard muscles, Bracken snatches her up effortlessly, cradling Kendra against his chest and swirling her around. He breathes in her face, and touches his nose to Kendra's forehead. Kendra's skin prickles at the sensation of his lips hovering over her flesh. Struggling to concentrate, Kendra whispers in awe, "How do you not have morning breath?"
Bracken laughs, and his form shakes. Kendra wraps her arms around his neck, and presses herself against his solid chest. She closes her eyes, lashes brushing his skin. "Happy birthday," he murmurs into her ear, sending shivers of pleasure through Kendra.
"How is it that you're allowed to do all this for my birthday, and I don't even know when yours is?" Kendra complains half-heartedly.
And then Bracken truly laughs.
Seth winces in sympathy as his mom strolls in as Bracken puts his arm around Kendra's shoulders. Her brown eyes widen, and the hand clutching her milk goes white.
Mom hadn't really taken to the fairytale life Seth now leads as effortlessly as they'd hoped; in fact, she'd done quite the opposite, making huge fits about everything. She'd tried to just ignore the fact that her son and daughter are mega rockstars in the magical world, dragging Dad back to their normal, childless life.
However, she still does things like insist upon public schooling, help Kendra shop, talk all night on the phone, and coming on someone's birthday. And one thing Seth is certain about is that she will not like this new development.
Of course, Seth is totally on the Brackendra train now. He ordered a Brackendra T-Shirt from Zia, and now gets great pleasure from wearing it in public when Kendra's friends are around. He can easily see the conflict about to unfold, and decides that, if need be, he'll jump in to save his sister.
"Who is this?" growls Mom, glaring at Bracken.
Panic flashes over Kendra's face, but she quickly contains it. "Hey, Mom. I've told you about Bracken before, right?"
"Right," she grumbles uncertainly, eyes flicking back and forth. Brach appears in the doorway behind her, stuffing yellow popcorn in his mouth by the handfuls. His human eyes flicker to and fro. "Bracken, very nice to meet you. Would you like to explain what you are doing right now?" Mom gestures towards Bracken's physical contact with Kendra.
"You must be Kendra's mother." Bracken untangles from Kendra and gives Mom a firm handshake. Mom eyes him suspiciously. "It's an honor to finally meet you."
"You're too pretty," disapproves Mom, recoiling as if his friendly handshake had burned her. "Don't get me wrong, my daughter deserves a pretty guy, but you're too gorgeous. The pretty ones always have the most secrets."
Bracken frowns. "Ma'am, I would never dream of hurting your daughter in any way."
"Oh, sure!" moans Mom. "Sure you don't! Just wait and see, wait and see! My little girl is going to be bulging with a little baby and you're going to move onto the newest thing in town –"
"Mom!" hisses Kendra, stomping forward, looking extremely pissed. "Bracken is a unicorn, remember? The unicorn without a horn? Unicorns don't –"
"Unicorns don't, unicorns don't!" chants Mom in a singsong voice. Her eyes glow with rage. "My little girl is going to be bulging with a creepy horse monster! Not a cute baby! A horse thing!"
Bracken growls indignantly. "Mrs. Sorenson, I beg your pardon!"
"And he talks from the thirteenth century!" howls Mom. Seth scoots his chair further away from her.
"Calm down," soothes a voice from the mouth of the kitchen. The long, striped form of a lean wolf pads elegantly through the door, for once not hidden underneath the folds of a billowing cloak. Chaos steps into place beside Mom. "Madam Sorenson, I can assure the fact that Bracken will not do a thing to hurt your daughter. He wouldn't even think about the thing."
Seth's mother turns to the wolf, calming slightly. "How do you know that?" questions Mom, sounding slightly curious.
Chaos looks at her mysteriously, purple eyes filled with secrets and legends. "I am not qualified to indulge on that particular information, but I was a Son of Cadeliah before I was a Child of the Wolf. I know things that you will never comprehend. I have seen things your mind cannot even register. I have felt things you will never understand. And I know that Bracken and Kendra are Soul Mates. I thought only wolves had Soul Mates. I was wrong." And with that, Chaos turns on heel and stalks out. With his mouth still full of Lucky Charms, Seth gawks at the wolf's retreating form.
"Okay, then." Mom gives Bracken a feisty glare. "Get talking."
"So, you'll believe him, but not us?" asks Kendra incredulously.
"Chaos is a well-rounded wolf, with plenty of talent and aweing control over himself," points out Mom. "You are an immature teenage girl who flirts with unicorns. Let's look at this situation again, shall we?"
Kendra rolls her eyes. "Right. But, Mom, Bracken really does love me." Bracken nods and smiles. "He even gave me his horn." Kendra fumbles with something at her belt, and reveals the long swirling object. "See? He's so beautiful." Kendra's fingers gently massage the pearly surface, and Bracken's smile grows.
"I thought you said his horn was gone," intones Mom. Her eyes are still majorly suspicious.
"Unicorns have three horns," explains Bracken. "First horn, second horn, and –"
"How many other things do you have three of?" Mom growls, her tone clearly emphasizing the meaning behind her question. "Because, unicorn, I think you're sounding horny to me!"
Bracken buries his head in one hand. Kendra clutches the other and rubs her thumb against Bracken's skin, looking up at him imploringly. Bracken glances at her through his fingers, his eyes just flashes of silver. "I know where you get your attitude from now," he grunts. Kendra smiles bashfully.
"You've been giving him attitude?" Dad pokes his head in, beaming. "That's my girl! Team Brackendra!"
Brach chews on his popcorn thoughtfully. "I think Kenken would be so much more of an awesome nickname." Seth cracks up when he realizes how cool that would be.
"I have been betrayed," groans Mom. She glares at Bracken pointedly. "I have my eyes on you at all times, Unicorn. At all times…" She backs out of the kitchen with weirdo wide eyes.
"Don't you want some bacon?" Bracken calls after her.
Kendra walks through the doorway and into the fresh scent of cinnamon cleaning detergent. Kendra had been in the room they'd chosen before; it's relatively square, with a little extension out to the side to allow for a window. She blinks at the sunlight pouring in through the glass, and laughs in joy at the bedroom her friends and – actually, by this time, they're all just family. She laughs in joy at the bedroom her family had created for her.
Kendra runs a hand along the light blue walls, gawking up at where the pale paint becomes… well, honestly, she isn't sure. After about seven feet of ceiling, the blue seems to become sky, with miniature clouds parading over the light blue fog. Her mouth drops as she recognizes a tiny Brach, swooping through the clouds. "Oh my god." Her eyes roam to the name tag. It reads, River-Song, day sky. Chaos and Seth, night sky. Enjoy!
"Wow," she whispers. She backs up, and takes in the entire room. In a daze, Kendra collapses on the plush queen bed, staring up at the sky in amazement. Another yellow sticky note brushes her hand. She picks it up. Bed: Grandpa and Grandma Larson. Comforter and other: Grandma and Granpa Sorenson.
The grandparents got her a bed. That's… almost stereotypical.
She swings her feet over the side of the bed and picks a note off a light wood nightstand. Also on the nightstand is a beautiful swirling lamp. The light emanates from a large creamy pearl, held in place by silver gnarled to resemble twining roots. She glances down at the note.
Hand carved nightstand, dresser, and cabinets – Thunder-Bolt and Flash-Foot, but mostly Flash-Foot ;). Angel lamp – Fiona (PS: the lamp also works as a radio, TV, and cell phone.) Bookshelf – Boro. Kendra glances up to see that along one wall of the room is covered with an empty bookshelf, made from the same light wood as the rest of her furnishings. With interest, she notices a small golden unicorn stamped on the upper corner of one of the sections.
Kendra meanders over to the three-foot by three-foot annexation, eyes as round as quarters. She grabs another yellow note, eyes scanning the paper. Curtain and other objects: Sand-Heart. Poster: Chaos and Seth. Hammock chair: Bracken.
Kendra cocks her head, and her mouth drops as she notices the spidery thread glinting in front of the window, each sparkling in the light. In a dream, she drifts over to the work of art, and tears well in her eyes. She can easily see the laborious work placed into weaving this wonderful thing together, and she knows exactly who did it. Kendra swallows down a painful lump in her throat, remembering what she'd said: "Bracken, you're getting me one of these for Christmas, okay?"
Berry-Fur's precious hammock chair, the one she'd taken forever making, her pride and joy. Kendra shuts her eyes, trying to stifle the wave of tears. Of course Bracken would've gotten it for her, after that comment. It's not like Berry-Fur would be using it, anyway.
Half-heartedly, she reaches out and brushes the silky strings. Her fingers make the weavings hum, responding to her heavenly fairykind touch or whatever. Something else catches Kendra's eye, and she nearly chokes with laughter.
This must be Seth's and Chaos's poster.
It's a giant picture of a majestic unicorn, surrounded by bright red and hot pink sparkly heart stickers. There's three lipstick marks, and someone had scrawled the name Bracken underneath the unicorn's muscled flank. Kendra holds her sides, leaning on the wall to keep from falling to the ground in her laughing fit.
"That can't stay," she wheezes to herself, tears of sadness becoming tears of joy.
"What can't stay?" questions a voice. Through tear-blurred eyes, she sees a familiar silver-haired figure peeking his head through the door.
"Bracken!" Kendra gasps, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You're not supposed to come in until –"
Bracken's amused smile cuts her off short. "—until you're finished, yes, I know. But you won't be able to find my main gift without a bit of friendly guidance."
He glides over to Kendra, placing one hand on the small of her back. To Kendra's horror, he glances at the poster. A smile quirks his lips. He chuckles and mutters, "The signature was me idea."
"Was it? I hate you." Kendra shoves him playfully, looking up at Bracken with adoring eyes. "Thanks for the hammock chair. I got a bit emotional when I saw that."
His smile melts Kendra like the wicked witch in the wizard of oz. "I'm sorry. But that's not my main gift, either." Kendra gazes up at him curiously, gesturing around the room.
"There's not much left that you can be hiding," she points out, jabbing him in the ribs. His smiles broadens, and his hand wraps around her hips.
"It's not in this room. It's not even in this house." Bracken's mischievous smile makes Kendra abruptly nervous.
She glares at him potently. "If you got me a palace, I swear to God—"
"No palaces," promises Bracken in amusement. Kendra's mouth twists in an expression of distaste, but she allows him to tow her over to the empty bookshelves. His arm drops from Kendra. Bracken reaches up and touches the tiny golden unicorn plated onto the bookshelf with two fingers, glancing behind him at Kendra's fascinated face. "Nobody knows about this. Not even Boro, or your grandparents. It'll be your secret."
"A unicorn sticker?" questions Kendra incredulously.
"No," he sighs.
"Oh, forgive me, a unicorn sticker on an empty bookshelf. My bad."
Bracken rolls his eyes, and lays his other hand on one of the shelves. It instantly fills with books. "Boro forged a connection between this bookshelf and my gift to you, that way you can access all of your novels with ease."
"Oh." Kendra bites her lip. "I thought you said he doesn't know about your gift."
Bracken's smile is strangely devilish for a unicorn. "I told him it connects to a library in the Fairy Realm. Which, in a way, it does."
"You're making me sooooooo curious," protests Kendra, moving beside him. She glares at Bracken's innocent face. "Or maybe you're doing that on purpose."
Bracken grins. "I might, I might not be."
Kendra elbows him roughly in the ribs. "How do we do this, Unicorn?"
"Place your hands on this" – Bracken clacks his nails against the golden plate – "and whisper, Thisaway."
Feeling incredibly stupid, Kendra places two fingers like Bracken on the metal unicorn. Blushing red, she whispers, "This away."
"No," chuckles Bracken in adoring amusement. "That's still English." His other arm twines around Kendra, pressing her against his warm body, and instinctively, she leans back until her temple is resting on his cheekbone. His pulse rolls over Kendra, like the beat of a beautiful drum. Their arms lean against another, and their fingers twist together. His lips move next to Kendra's skin, and Bracken breathes, "Thisaway."
"Thisaway."
Bracken smiles from the doorway as Kendra explores his gift with childish delight, running to and fro. Love kindles deep in his chest, each of her ecstatic glances towards him adding a new log to the building fire. His heart aches with the passion behind his adoration, but there's no way he'd ever allow Kendra to see the sorry extent his love reaches. Finally, she twirls back to him, eyes brimming with adoration and amazement. "You really shouldn't have."
Bracken takes a step forward. "How could I not?"
Kendra's jaw drops as the world comes back into focus. She gawks at the fairytale world surrounding her, stumbling away from Bracken's embrace in breathless awe. It's a giant room, huge, bigger than Kendra could've ever dreamed. Spread over the green and white marble checkerboard flooring are immense beanbags and humungous life-size stuffed animals. A soaring ceiling sails above. In one corner, there's a chocolate dispenser. In another, there's a popcorn roaster and a flatscreen TV. Two stone staircases gilded with marble meet on the far end of the room, almost a sport's field away, joining together in front of a cheerful fireplace. And, lining the walls, filling the tables, lying in strategic positions everywhere, are thousands upon thousands of…
Books.
Shelved in rows upon rows upon rows of neat coppery brown nooks, they all seem to smile at Kendra. The heady scent of ink and paper floods her, and Kendra gasps. Mingling with the aroma is the fragrance of magic. She drifts over to the balcony's railing, gazing down at the marble floor far below. Her eyes rake over the staircases identical to the ones across the way leading down to the main floor. She whirls back to Bracken, and a tear rolls down her face.
"You shouldn't have," she gasps, not letting herself believe this yet.
His beautiful smile is intoxicating. In that moment, Kendra would've killed somebody if Bracken had asked. He takes a step forward and throws out his arms in an offering. "How could I not?" Bracken cocks his head, silvery eyes glowing. "Technically, this isn't a palace."
Kendra hesitates, eyes wandering over the fantastic, gleaming room in lust. She returns her attention to her fairytale prince, the Fairy Prince. "I still am allowed to jump in your arms, right?"
Bracken's smile is so genuine that Kendra's heart flutters. His extended arms reach out further. "C'mere, you."
Kendra takes another flying leap into his embrace. He staggers slightly, but holds firm. His lips graze her brown hair, and he closes in around Kendra. Inside his arms, Kendra feels safe. Not physically safe, like she does inside the house. Not mentally safe, like she does when she stands in front of the wolf figurine Chaos had carved for her out of driftwood. Not even emotionally safe, like when she pops in her earbuds and ignores the world. No, in his arms, she feels whole and complete and right. He is hers, and she is his. Nothing could ever come between that.
"Wanna know the best part?" he murmurs, lips moving against her forehead. "I have a way in, too, straight from the Fairy Realm." Kendra starts with delighted surprise. "Of course, don't you ever try and come for me. You'll be burned up by the amount of energy scorching your flesh. Never come through my door, ever. Understand?"
Kendra nods against him, calmed by his steady breathing and rhythmic heartbeat. She nuzzles his chest. "Yes. Thank you so much."
"Not a word of this to the others." Bracken winks.
"Not a word," vows Kendra, eyes shining.
The happy birthday song drifts to an end, leaving Kendra blushing beet red. Chaos breaks out in wild opera for the last verse, throwing his head up and obviously enjoying himself. His voice slides all over the musical scale, like someone rattling the keys of a piano with desultory patterns. She blows out the candles on her, ahem, unicorn shaped cake and silently wishes for something. Kendra can't help her eyes flicking briefly up to Bracken's handsome face as she decides what to wish for, and can't keep his eyes off her mind as she blows out the blinking candles. And then she remembers Bracken's handy-dandy mind-reading horn, and mentally curses herself at his amusement.
"TOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOO YOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU!" finishes Chaos, grinning at Kendra and making his eyebrows twitch sexily. River-Song snarls, "You think you're such a lady killer."
He looks at River-Song, offended. "You obviously haven't met any Persian she wolves. They are all over the whole stripes gig."
River-Song rolls her eyes, using one of her hind feet to shove Chaos away from her. Mom pales and scoots a little closer to Bracken, of all people. Kendra's approval drifts to him, and he shoots her an amused glance.
"Happy birthday!" sings Brach, nudging her roughly with his wet black nose. From his shoulders, Jhama and Yetta grin toothily.
"Thanks, everybody!" Kendra grins around the circle of family. Well, family and River-Song.
"Right!" hoots Chaos. He glances around superstitiously, and his cloak billows as an ethereal wind sweeps throughout the house, cold and smelling like the special flowers that only bloom at night. "Sorry to party crash, but Cadeliah is getting impatient…"
"What?" questions Fiona icily, glaring at him from her throne on the couch. Her eyes ablaze, and Boro touches his nose to her flank comfortingly.
"I can see dead people." The hood of his cloak gets tossed up by the wind, shielding his face. "Cadeliah is dead. And she's getting impatient."
"Shocker," mutters Seth under his breath. Then he shivers and says louder, "I can feel it, too. Something's definitely getting aggravated. Something powerful."
"Cadeliah would be powerful," agrees Thunder-Bolt, and Flash-Foot nods next to him.
"What?" wonders Dad aloud.
"Cadeliah," explains Grandma Larsen. "Tippy-top powerful, motherly, loving, caring, Queen of Wolves that they befriended. Touchy subject. She died for them. Long story."
"Ah," concludes Mom.
Chaos looks at Kendra with his purple eyes. A shiver tremors down her spine. "As much as I like you, Kendra, I didn't come solely for your birthday." He brandishes his head high. "I am here to discuss the last will of Soul Bearer Cadeliah, the Mother of Wolves. But first…" Chaos sits back on his haunches and claps his front paws together eagerly, eyes shining with childish delight. "Bracken, let's open your present!"
If you were shocked by that will thing, dishonor on you.
Anyway, I don't have much to write here. Pretty much what's going to happen is that Chaos's going to read off the will (well, sort of) and then Kendra's going to make a choice and then the end. I might make a sequel if you guys really want me to, but I'm not promising anything.
POLL: who is your favorite character now? Mine is Chaos. I think he's fun to write about, plus fun in general.
Ciao,
~wolfluvermh