Myrri was just as dumb as Xeik in a way. It was a relief to hear for how long. She hadn’t been imagining it. “So… You’ve literally liked me since we were toddlers?” She was joking with him now.

Lila held his hand tightly and it felt so new from all the times they did so as children. She couldn’t see him really all that well but she nodded up at him. “Yes…” If he didn’t do it soon she might not forgive him. She pulled him to her and kissed him soundly.

It felt surreal and she lingered on his lips for a while. Her face felt hot as a blush spread across it. Her emotions were going full force. So full force that the resonance snapped back into place. She couldn’t feel Janus. That asshole was probably out with a girl.

“…Do…” She took a breath. “Do you want to go back to your dorm and kiss more?” Nothing more than that right now. It was the weekend and they were still free tomorrow. “That and I want to kill my brother when he comes home.”

They got back and sat down on his bed. It was slow and sweet. Thanks to Myrri’s werewolf blood he was so warm to her. She also ran a bit hotter than normal thanks to her own bloodline but as she was finding out… He was quite a bit warmer to her. It felt good. She snuggled into him and they ended up laying down after a while.

There was laughter and talking about when they were kids. They didn’t need to go fast, they had their whole lives. They had made it this long… They didn’t need to be like Janus. Lila fell asleep in his arms and when she woke up she was entangled with Myrri in his bed.

Hey Asshole. She brought herself up and looked over at Janus’s bed. Her eyes got wide. “Myrri… Janus never came home.” What was more worrying as she got up and started to tear his bed about. “I can’t feel him still.”

Where was her fucking brother?!

Myrri was surprised at how perfect it actually felt with Lila.  It was like she filled the perfect little part in his life that made everything work, and it was so natural.  He was happier than he had ever been.

When he woke up, though, it was strange.  He had expected Janus to come in and make some comment about them, but it was Lila waking him up.  “He never came home?”  He sat up with Lila, and looked around.  Something definitely had to be wrong.  “Can you sense him at all with your resonance thingy?”

Lila’s brow furrowed.  “I think…”  Her eyes went out of focus, and she swayed a little before Myrri held her steady.  “Found him.  He’s still on the campus…”

She led the way, and Myrri followed.  They had no idea what to expect.  Much to no one’s surprise, he was in the girls dorm, only he was in the basement.  An odd place, but maybe he was being secretive.  

“I can smell him,” Myrri said with a wrinkle of his nose.  Janus’ clothes were scattered about as they entered the basement.  There were spare beds, desks, and chairs about, making it hard to see too far into the room.  Finally, they found a bolted door, behind which the scent of Janus was the strongest.  

Myrri rammed the door, taking it off its hinges.  

“Oh hey,” An upside down Janus said.  He looked genuinely surprised.  And was very naked.  Beautiful, silver hair was wrapped around every part of his body, suspending him several feet in the air.  “Guess you caught me just hanging around.  Let me tell you, I have learned a few things about myself tonight.”

“What the fuck?” Myrri exclaimed.

Lila stared in utter disappointment at her brother. “Janus…” On one hand, she was actually happy to see her brother in one piece on the other. “You are a fucking idiot.”

“I’ll give it to you this time… I probably shouldn’t have followed a fey back to her den,” Janus bobbed his head the best he could to his words.

“…” Lila took Myrri’s hand and looked up at him. “We should leave him.”

“Oh, you two finally got to second base?” Janus chimed in. “About fucking time. I didn’t think Myrri would ever grow the balls to ask you out.”

Lila pulled Myrri with her. “It’s not like he’s in danger.”

“Oh… No, I’m absolutely in danger. She’s bat shit crazy.”

Pausing the twin sister looked up at her brother. “Fine,” Lila said out of spit before lighting all the hair on fire. “But the next time you get lured into a fey’s den I’m not saving your ass.” She started to throw his clothes at him. “I’m tired of seeing you naked. I haven’t seen you naked since the Moor’s pond when all three of us thought it was a good idea to go skinny dipping. That was what three years ago?”

It was a pond located in Taevalinn and they had most definitely trespassed into someone else’s backyard to do it. Sure, they could have done it at home but where was the thrill? Lewis, however, hadn’t been thrilled that his daughter had gone skinny dipping and she had gotten an earful.

“Come on lover boy… Let’s get you out of this room…”

The incident involving Janus was resolved rather quickly once they ‘rescued’ him. The campus authorities were alerted, and the fae student was taken to be held while her parents were contacted. Ultimately it would end with her expulsion from the finishing school, though what consequences that might have were unknown for the twins and Myrri.

“So uh,” Janus asked as he sipped on some hot chocolate in the nurse's office. “Can I…go?”

“No,” both Myrri and the nurse said simultaneously. “I want to treasure this moment,” Myrri commented with an evil grin. “I will never forget this moment.”

“Oh, you will,” Janus replied. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“I’m going to tell your precious mom, and she’ll be so disappointed in you,” the werewolf boy teased.

Janus turned a bright red, “I swear to the gods that if you tell her anything about this moment, I’ll tell Dad you got Lila pregnant.”

“Too late,” Lewis said as he and Simone walked into the nurse’s office. “They sent for us the moment they found out the incident even occurred. He crossed his arms and looked at Janus with a weird mix of disappointment and pride. “I applaud you for your attempted blackmail, but using your sister is a little low.”

Janus was busy getting looked over by the school nurse for any signs of enchantments or prolonged problems he might have from his imprisonment. Lila wasn’t too worried, he seemed to be in good spirits about it all… For a kidnapping victim, he was sure calm.

Lila was about to shoot back with her own comment when Lewis walked in. She just crossed her arms even tighter to her chest. “Oh… You are in trouble now.”

“Fuck,” Janus said under his breath.

Lila had a wicked grin on her face. “Oh, this is sweet, sweet karma.”

Simone rushed over to Janus and was checking out his face, “I was so worried Janus!” Hugging him to her it was less about the fact it was a fey who lured him and more about how just not careful he was. “You are just like your father was when he was young.” She said it as a matter of fact. They were reckless when they were younger too. “Please… don’t do something like this again.”

“Something like ditching us in a room by locking us in so he could get more girls?” Lila spoke up.

“Something like that… It’s less about the girls and more about you both being safe. We know Myrri and he is safe to us. We don’t know any one else here. You both have your resonance why on Angela’s Good Graces was it off?” Simone was looking between both of them. “It’s not like you both to fight so much. There’s respecting each other sure but don’t ever turn it off unless you have to.” Simone was frowning and hugged Janus to her more. “You should have turned it on and told your sister where you were.”

“I forced it,” Lila said in her defense.

“Lila, we don’t know what that can do to you,” Simone scolded again. “Forcing it hurts but what hurts more is the fact that you two haven’t been getting along like you used to. I understand you both are growing up but you are each other’s greatest strengths.” Simone held her arm out and Lila came over for a hug. “So please makeup with each other… I don’t mind if you two fight but please don’t harbor ill will.”

Lila grumbled and she looked down at Janus. “I’m not sorry for calling you a pretentious ass but I am sorry it took me so long to notice you weren’t in a good situation.” It took a few moments but Simone nudged her. “And I don’t know what I would do without my twin brother. It would be weird.”

“That being said… It’s fine to turn it off when you both are doing something you don’t want the other to feel… The moment you know something is wrong though… You should turn it back on.” Simone looked to Lewis to add anything but she wasn’t sure what her husband could have for them. “You both are still our babies… So it worries us greatly when we get messages like ‘Janus went missing and he’s being treated for enchantments’.”

Janus was surprised at the way everyone was treating him. The worry was something he didn’t understand; Simone and Lewis did things like this all the time. The stories he had heard, the things he had seen…was it not supposed to be like this? A life filled with adventure and danger?

“I’m sorry Mom,” he said finally. “And..I’m sorry Lila. I…just wanted to let them have fun on their first night. And I figured I could get out of any real issue, honestly.”

Lewis sighed and sat down in one of the waiting chairs. “Janus. I get the feeling that’s not all.”

“It’s just…you and Mom went through so much. Exciting adventures and living dangerously…”

“I’m going to stop you there,” Lewis said as he held up his hand. “All three of you need to listen when I say this. What we did when we were younger…Me, Simone, and Xeik…we were lucky to have survived. Hell, there were moments where we shouldn’t have survived. We fought hard for what we have now…we fought hard so you wouldn’t have to go through what we did.”

“But…what about adve-”

“You’re on one right now, aren’t you? Simone and I never went to school. We never had this kind of adventure where we lived with roommates like this, and went to classes to learn and grow. Think of the friends and connections you’ve made here, and how they’re so much different from what we went through. Your adventure might be less dangerous, but it’s no less fulfilling than ours. Hell…it’s probably more fulfilling.”

Janus smiled. “Thanks Dad…most of that came from Mom, didn’t it?”

“Eh…sixty-forty…” Lewis replied, shrugging.

Lila smacked her brother upside the head. “We’re not you. We haven’t even discussed that. It wasn’t even on our to-do list I bet.”

Simone let Lewis do most of the verbal talking. She was adding to everything he was saying mentally as not to overwhelm their kids. There was a smirk when Janus called them out on it. “That’s just what parenting is… We just get to cut out the middle man,” Simone added to what Janus said and kissed his forehead.

“We’re not saying you can’t explore and figure out who you are… but please do so safely.” She stroked Janus’s hair and smirked a bit. “You guys got to set good examples for Remy, Damond, and especially Camille. Camille watches everything you do Janus. At least when she gets to watch. You are her biggest hero. So your adventure, the one you are on right now, it matters to her.”

Simone took Lewis’s hand and kissed his cheek. “Lewis is right though. We suffered so you all didn’t have to. That was the point of the island… that was the point of quitting his job… All so we could make sure our family was safe and healthy. It’s not boring at all. It’s just a new set of adventures. You took us on adventures all the time… Remember? Those adventures are what matter the most… Not the dangerous ones.”

She did miss it every once in a while, and so did Lewis… but their family mattered the most.

Simone hugged her kids again and even hugged Myrri. “You three stay out of trouble alright? We need to get back home before Camille wakes up from her nap and demands to come here and make sure you are alright herself.” She put her hands on both kids’ cheeks and stroked them with her thumb. “Remember we’re just a portal away. We’ll drop whatever we’re doing to come to help you. And for God’s sake… please make sure you write home to Camille Janus…”