Tarnished Embers: A Dark Stepbrother Fairytale Retelling (Dark Retellings)

My fists clench as I watch the private ambulance drive away with my soulmate inside. It feels like my soul is rending in half, the pain of knowing that she needed something I couldn’t give her almost bringing me to my knees. I can’t help feeling that I failed her once again. I know that makes me all kinds of selfish because this is what’s best for her, but I still can’t stop the toxic worries swirling around my mind like mosquitoes, waiting to land and draw blood.

“Come on, Prince. Let’s go back to the house and get some of her things to take once she’s settled,” Cas urges softly, pulling out his phone and calling our driver. Funny how Odette didn’t let him go, although, if she’s had access to Ember’s funds this whole time, I guess she didn’t need to fire everyone. I guess she just didn’t want their eyes on her, seeing what she put us and Ember through.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

We wait in silence, the familiar black car pulling up next to the curb, and then we all pile in.

“Is Miss Ember not with you?” the driver—Davis—asks, and I take in a measured breath, trying to force the black claws of panic down. She’ll be okay.

“She’s going to spend some time at Serene Haven,” Cas informs him, and the man lets out a sigh.

“My cousin spent a few weeks there last year,” he tells us gently, catching my gaze in the mirror as he pulls away. “It’s a really nice place. Tranquil. Calm.” He gives me a soft smile, and I have to swallow around the lump in my throat at the kindness of this practical stranger.

“Thank you,” I rasp out as a warm hand interlaces their fingers with mine. I look to the side to see Oct, then I squeeze his hand back, my heart aching for everything that’s happened in the past week.

He rests his head on my shoulder, and I press a kiss to his soft hair, uncaring what Davis thinks as I just need the comfort that Oct is offering. We spend the rest of the journey in silence, and I’m not the only one who takes in a sharp breath as we approach the house.

It held such hope for all of us when we arrived, but that was dashed the night Odette sold us all to monsters. No, it was the moment she orchestrated the death of Robert. My skin flushes, my vision clouding for a moment as I think about all that she’s taken from my brothers and Ember. All that she’s taken from me.

For what? Because my dad left her with a small child? Plenty of people face similar situations and they don’t turn into black fucking widows, wreaking death and sorrow in their wake.

With heavy footsteps, we make our way upstairs, heading straight to Ember’s room to pack her a bag. She’ll want some familiar things around her to help keep her grounded. Maybe we should give her some of our shirts too, she enjoys wearing them and I’m sure it’ll help soothe her.

I’m just about to suggest this as we walk through Ember’s door, but I stop dead in my tracks when I spot Odette sitting on Ember’s bed, legs crossed and with a smug as fuck grin on her lying face.

My lips pull back, a snarl of rage hissing from them.

“Get. Out.” I can barely speak, my fists clenching and unclenching at my sides, my muscles twitching and aching to hurt her.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Prince,” she coos, standing up and taking a step towards me. The sound of her voice is like nails on a chalkboard, and I have to close my eyes for a moment just to try to breathe past the red haze that wants to descend.

“We know about the Will,” Cas says from beside me, his own voice shaking, and I glance at him to see his eyes bright in his flushed skin. “And the murders. You’re done, the police know all about your fucked up parties and they are coming for you.”

There’s the barest of twitches around her eyes as she takes in his words, then she smoothes her hands down the front of her blouse.

“It’s not an issue, not now that your sister is locked away and I’m listed as her next of kin.” Her grin is full of triumph, and I snap, advancing on her. She backs away, her smile faltering for a beat and her throat bobbing as she swallows hard, but I keep going until we’re outside, her back pressed up against the balcony railing. My hand wraps around her throat, and my muscles shake with the need to tighten my grip and cut off her air supply, watching as the light drains from her devilish eyes, but she just fucking smiles wider. White-hot rage fills my very bones at the sight. “All her finances are under my control, so anything you’ve done can be stopped with enough money.”

The distant wailing of sirens sounds, and a feline grin tugs my lips upwards. “Not this time, mother.” I practically spit the word, and her smile falters. “It’s in the hands of the law now, all the evidence of your sins, the murders, the living off immoral earnings.” I lean in closer, watching her eyes widen, the whites showing as my words sink in. “The sexual exploitation of children.”

Her mouth opens, then closes, and my grin grows wider. “You are finished, and you will rot in jail for the rest of your miserable life, knowing exactly what you’ve lost.”

With a final sneer, I release her, turning my back on the bitch for the last time.

“Prince!” she exclaims, her hand grasping at my bicep, but my reflexes have me spinning around, knocking her off me.

Everything slows down, like time is moving at a snail’s pace. Her arms pinwheel, pure terror on her face as she tips over the balcony railing, a scream ripping from her throat. Then time speeds up as her heeled feet disappear from view, and I’m rushing over to the railing.

I rear back when I see what lies before us. She’s impaled through the chest on the pointed arrow of the Cupid statue that stands in the fountain, blood tinging the water red, her eyes open but unseeing.

“I always liked that statue,” Oct says from beside me after several moments of silence, and bastard that I am, a huff of laughter escapes my lips.

“Fuck,” I whisper just as several police cars pull to a stop outside the front of the house, their sirens blaring and blue lights flashing.

“I called them as soon as we saw her,” Kit tells me, and I tear my gaze away from the shitshow to look at him. “They knew of the charges and were looking for her.”

“Shit, this might take some explaining,” Cas rasps out, and I wince. What if they think we killed her? That I killed her? Did I?

I play through what happened, and my hands shake as I realise I knocked her away which caused her to trip. Nausea swirls in my stomach at the idea that I had a hand in my mother’s death, but then something in my chest loosens. She’ll never hurt any of us or Ember again. I’ve saved us all from ever having to deal with her scheming and manipulations for good.

“We should probably let them in,” I tell them in a gruff voice, straightening up and heading to the balcony doors.

“Hey, Prince,” Cas says softly, and I pause, my back still facing them all as a deep inhale makes my chest rise. “Thank you, brother.”

I close my eyes, letting the weight that has held me down for years fall away, leaving me light as a fucking feather.

EMBER

Serene Haven lives up to its name. It’s on the outskirts of London and is surrounded by rolling hills and wooded areas. The building itself is an old manor house, and I love all the old paintings that line the walls, the rooms spacious, each with their own bathrooms.

The communal spaces feel more like an upmarket hotel, but with an air of tranquillity that immediately puts you at ease, with soft, muted tones and lots of cushions and throw blankets scattered around.

I spend the first couple of hours settling in, meeting some of the other residents—they don’t like the term patients—and my therapists. I will take part in group therapy and one-on-one sessions. Plus, they have art therapy and lots of exercise programs.

I’m taken for a tour and they show me an indoor pool and sauna setup, a gym, and yoga studio. They believe physical exercise and meditation are as important for healing as talking through our problems.

I’m in the garden room several hours after my arrival, nestled on a large soft sofa with a blanket and a sketchpad when one of the staff members walks towards me, three guys following.

“Little Sis!” Oct yells, rushing past the orderly and scooping me up in his arms before pulling me in for an enormous hug. “Fuck, I missed you, beautiful.”

“Oct,” I breathe out, wrapping my arms around him, my sketchpad forgotten at my feet as I just breathe him in. All tension drains from my body, leaving me almost boneless as I lose myself in his arms.

“Hey, Pretty Thing,” Kit whispers against my ear, encasing me between them, and my entire body sags in relief.

“Hey,” I murmur back, letting go of Oct and turning in his arms to hug Kit to me.

“I’d forgotten how beautiful you were,” Kit tells me, pulling back to rake his eyes all over me.

“You saw me a few hours ago.” I laugh, spotting Cas and stepping away from the twins to give him a hug too. “Hello, Cas.”

“Fuck, Cinders,” he rasps out, pulling me so close that not a breath of air is between us. “How are you settling in?”

I loosen my grip on him to look into his beautiful copper eyes. There’s a tightness around them, and I frown as I realise Prince is missing.

“Where’s Prince?” I ask, my stomach knotting as Cas heaves a sigh.

“You best sit down for this, baby,” he tells me, keeping me in his arms as he sits on the sofa, pulling me into his lap. The twins settle on either side of us, both touching me.

“What’s happened?” My voice is quiet, straining over the sudden lump that has formed in my throat. How much more can we take?

Cas sighs once more and my body lifts with the movement, it’s so deep. “Odette is dead, Cinders.”

My whole body goes stiff, my eyes widening as I wriggle to look up at him.

“What?” It’s a hiss of air, a breath that colours the surrounding air in shades of grey.

“She…fell off the balcony,” Cas says softly, and he looks away for a split second, letting me know that there’s more to the story.

“What happened?” I gasp out, my hands trembling. Oct takes one in his, rubbing over my cold knuckles, and it soothes some of the anxiety racing through me.

“Prince and Odette were arguing after she confessed to having you committed,” Cas informs me, and my wide eyes go even wider at that.

“She had me committed? To here?” My head is reeling, all the peace I’d found lost. I’d come to terms with being at Serene Haven was the best decision for me, but to find out it was forced upon me…that woman has tainted it.

“So she could control your money, Little Sis,” Oct grits out, his jaw tight. “And Prince confronted her about it. They were on the balcony, but he’d turned his back on her, and then she tried to grab him.”

Dread fills my veins with ice, and I shiver, even though the afternoon sun shines through the large windows.

“Then what happened?” My voice is barely above a whisper, but like watching a car crash, I can’t look away and need to know the rest.

“He broke her hold, and then she was falling,” Kit continues, and I twist to look over my shoulder at him. The skin around his eyes is tight, but he doesn’t look sad. None of them do. I guess after everything she did, she doesn’t deserve their grief. “She landed on the fountain.” He winces, and I don’t need to know the gory details to know that it probably wasn’t pretty.

“So where is Prince now?” I question, my stomach quivering. Sweat slicks my palms, even though I feel freezing.

“He’s still with the cops, answering questions.” Cas huffs out a breath. “We called John, and he’s with him and will represent him if it goes further, but he doesn’t think that’s likely, given our statements.”

Oh, my poor Prince. I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now. She may have been an all-round bitch, but she was still his mum, and to be so closely linked to her death, even if it was accidental… Fuck, this is a shitshow.

“So, what happens now?” I ask quietly, my shoulders rounding with the weight that seems to settle on them.

“Hey, Cinders, baby, look at me,” Cas urges softly, and his warm palm tilts my face until I’m staring into his copper eyes. “Nothing has to change if you don’t want it to. You can stay here for as long as you need. We’ll still be waiting for you to come back when you’re ready.”

My forehead creases, my chest loosening at his words. “Are you sure? It’s just…” I take an inhale, preparing myself to tell them the truth of how I feel being here. “It’s just that I feel calmer here, like it might actually be exactly the place I need to be.”

I nibble my lower lip, my stomach churning at the admission. I don’t want them to think that I don’t need them too. I just need this more right now.

“We understand, Little Sis,” Oct murmurs gently, bringing my legs across his lap and massaging them, sending delicious tingles along the aching muscles. “And you’ve actually made me think about seeing someone too, to talk through all the shit.”

“Really?” I ask, a small smile tugging my lips upwards. “That’s great, Oct.”

“Yeah,” Kit says from behind me, placing a kiss on my shoulder. “I think we could all do with a little help.”

I take another deep inhale before snuggling into Cas and releasing it, Oct massaging my calves and Kit wrapping me up from behind. There’s a twinge of pain in my chest, because I wish Prince were here too, and I can’t help the worry that leaves me a little nauseous that it won’t work out and he’ll be charged for Odette’s death. Her last act of control over his life.

“Tell us more about this place, Cinders,” Cas quietly demands, and I look up into his eyes to see that he knew my mind was worrying. Giving him a grateful smile, I tell them all that I’ve learned so far, and the way they ask questions and seem genuinely happy for me makes a warmth blossom inside my chest, easing the tightness and the pain.

Maybe things might be okay after all.