Wren POV
Standing outside of the cabin, I am more nervous than I should be. The thought of being locked inside again makes my heart race. But Sophie knows where I have gone. She will come looking for me if I don't return. Then she will kill Destin.
The door swings open before I can knock. The smell of Fae wine wafts out, and Destin is leaning against the doorway. There is a bottle of wine in his hand, and a cigarette in the other. I look around him for the twins, but they are nowhere to be seen. Pushing him out of the way, I march into the cabin. "Where are the twins?"
"Upstairs." His words are slurred. He is fucking drunk. I should have known.
I rip the cigarette out of his hand and extinguish it in the kitchen sink. "What the fuck are you thinking? You can't be drunk and watch young children at the same time. And you might have eternal life, but I will not be around a smoker. It is bad for my health, the twins health, and probably yours, too."
He digs into his pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Snatching the pack from his hands, I crush it before throwing it in the trash. Destin pushes his bottom lip out in a childish pout. "That was my last pack. You can't get those in the Immortal Realm."
I don't have the energy to deal with his bullshit. This was the reason I sent Edward in the first place. Not caring that the door has closed behind me, I make my way up the stairs. I have to know the twins are okay. Once I do that, I will work on sobering Destin up.
He doesn't follow me up the stairs, but he waits on the bottom step. I knock before I enter the twins bedroom. I want to give them a chance to turn me away. They must be angry with me. I abandoned them.
"Go away, Destin," Coren shouts.
"It is Birdie," I call back.
Leaning my ear against the door, I listen. I do not hear anything. The ache in my heart grows. I draw in a long breath. "I know you must be angry with me. I shouldn't have left without saying goodbye. But I am working hard to make it safe for you to go outside."
"We don't want to go outside," Veyra sobs.
I let myself into their room and find them huddled together. Tears are running down their cheeks and onto their shirts. They need to be changed. Moving around their room, I find clothes for the two of them.
"Arms up," I say gently.
They raise their little arms over their heads, and I change them in silence. Once they are in clean clothes, I wipe their tears from their eyes. They have stopped crying, but they do not leave each other's side.
"Why don't you want to go outside?" I ask.
"Because we don't want to be apart," Veyra sobs.
Her tears begin falling again. I try to pull her into my lap, but she doesn't want to let go of her brother. I don't understand what is going on. "Why would you have to be separated?"
"Because it was in Mommy's book," Coren tells me. "Her book was never wrong."
"Oh," I whisper. I am starting to realize that Destin giving the tome to Sadie goes deeper than just not wanting it. This is much more complicated than I had thought it would be.
Their tiny arms are wrapped around each other, squeezing tightly, not wanting to let go. Kissing them on the tops of their heads, I head back downstairs to chat with Destin.
"Are you leaving again?" He asks drunkenly.
I roll my eyes at him. He is a terrible drunk. "Why did you give the tome to Sadie?"
He swirls the wine bottle in his hand. The liquid sloshes around inside, and I am grateful that it sounds almost empty. I reach for the bottle, and surprisingly, he lets me have it. I dump the rest down the sink.
Destin slumps over on the step, resting his head in his hands. "I read it."
Lowering myself onto the step beside him. I let my knees brush against his. "What does it mean?"
His voice is muffled by his hands. "Arabella foresaw all of this. She fucking planned for it. Evil bitch."
I cringe at his anger directed at his past mate. I have never heard him speak poorly of her before. "I still don't understand."
He runs his hands over his face. "There is a reason the twins don't have a father. They were born from magic. The only way to close the portal between the two realms and still have them tethered together is by putting one twin in the Human Realm and keeping the other here."
"Why do the realms have to be tethered together?" I ask. "Why can't we just close the portal and be cut off from the Human Realm?"
"You don't understand," he shouts, causing me to flinch. "The twins are the actual key. The portal cannot be closed without separating them. That is why I gave that fucking book to Sadie, but now that bitch has run off to Selene with it."
I try not to let my anxiety take over. "We have to have faith that Charlie will find her before she makes it to Selene."
"Then what?" He growls. "We separate them? This is bigger than them touching grass, Wren."
"I don't know what to do, Destin," I shout back. "What do you want from me? You gave Sadie the tome. You are the reason she is trying to bargain with the Moon Goddess. Not me. Once again, your inability to share important details is hurting everyone around you. You don't get to be mad at me."
He grabs my hand when I try to stand up, but I pull my hand away. The scowl on his lips is replaced with a deep frown. "Don't leave again."
"You don't get to make demands," I snap at him. "At least Charlie apologized for being an asshole."
I cross the room and place my hand on the doorknob. When it twists easily under my touch, I step away. Without speaking to Destin, I move into the kitchen and begin making lunch for the twins. I refuse to stay here, but I will not leave them to fend for themselves.