Chapter 389: Good Morning, Cora!

Ella

“Really, Cora?” I said, nudging my sister with my toe. I shook my head at her naked sleeping form, pressed against her mate under a small throw blanket draped over them. Seriously, how weren't they freezing?

“Auntie Cora’s going to be so embarrassed,” I whispered to Rafe, who smiled and made me laugh. “We’re never going to let her live this down, are we, little baby?”

Cora blinked awake, looking blearily around as she lifted her head. Roger remained asleep beside her.

“What?” Cora murmured, looking around before glancing at me and the baby. Then, as reality hit, she gasped and clutched the blanket to her chest.

“Morning, sister,” I said, smiling wickedly. “Missing something?” I pulled her bra from behind my back.

“Ella!” she gasped, reaching for it, but I pulled it away.

“What?” I laughed, enjoying the moment. “It’s not like you were keeping it safe—I found it ten feet away, at the foot of the RV! It was the first thing I saw at the bottom of the steps!”

“No, you didn’t!” she growled, reaching for it again.

“Did too!” I laughed, tossing it to her and shaking my head. “So,” I teased, “did you guys have a good night?”

Cora glared at me as she struggled to put her bra back on without dropping the blanket. After fastening it, she smacked Roger’s ribs; he woke with a gasp as she glanced anxiously toward the RV.

“Wake up,” Cora hissed. “Put your damn pants on before anyone sees—”

“Oh,” I said, grinning. “Everyone’s already seen, sis. No reason to be ashamed now.”

Cora glared, blushing. “Hey, Ella,” Roger said, sitting up and grinning unabashedly. “Is there any coffee?”

“There is!” I said, giving him a wide, false grin, which instantly faded into a glare. “But none for you.”

“What?!” he asked, frowning. “Why?” Cora ignored them, pulling on her scattered clothing as discreetly as possible.

“Because!” I exclaimed. “If you two were going to sleep outside, you could have at least told us so we could have taken the big bed!”

“No way,” Cora said, standing in her bra and underwear and tossing the blanket over Roger. Pointing at me, she walked to grab her jeans. “I told you I don’t want you and Sinclair doing weird things in my bed.”

“You abandoned the bed!” I exclaimed. “The bed is up for grabs! I claim the bed!”

“Nope!” she shouted, stumbling as she put on her pants. “We have dibs on the bed, forever, whether we use it or not.”

I gasped at her selfishness as Roger stood, wrapping the blanket around his hips. “I’m getting coffee,” he murmured, grinning at Cora before heading for the RV, ignoring his scattered clothes. “It’s way too early for sister wars.”

I laughed and walked to Cora, grabbing her T-shirt and handing it to her. “So,” I said, smiling as she scowled and pulled it over her head. “You never answered my question. Did you have fun last night?”

“Let’s just go,” she said, turning toward the RV and ignoring me, though I saw her happy smile. “The sooner we get to the temple, the sooner you’ll stop questioning me.”

“You did!” I laughed, chasing her to the RV. “You totally did! Come on, Cora! Tell me everything!”

We had a cheerful morning, everyone teasing Roger and Cora, Cora blushing and hiding her face, and Roger happily drinking his coffee, still only in the blanket.

Even Henry joined in, deepening Cora’s blush by patting her shoulder and saying no woman could resist a Sinclair man in the moonlight.

Cora groaned, stalked to the bathroom, and slammed the door as we laughed, perhaps too hard.

“All right, Roger,” I said, laughing and taking Rafe to change his diaper. “Joke’s over—put on some clothes.”

“No way,” he said, lounging against the kitchenette booth, coffee in hand. “Have you felt this leather against your skin? It’s amazing—”

I groaned and rolled my eyes, taking my baby away as Sinclair and Henry laughed, heading to the front of the RV.

As we drove, the mood grew darker. We knew we were nearing the temple. Even though we were visiting our mother for important information, it was tense because we didn’t know what that information was.

Cora grew quiet, not wanting to play games as noon approached. I took her hand, Rafe in my other arm, and sat quietly with her, waiting.

Sinclair slowed the RV around two o’clock, glancing back. “We’re close,” he said impassively. He knew the tension but let Cora have her space.

Cora nodded, and we sat quietly as Sinclair parked as close as possible. The temple could only be approached on foot—something about a sacrifice to the Goddess? I didn’t know.

As we stepped out of the RV at the base of a stone staircase winding upward through the forest, we all felt the tension.

“Will you be all right here, Dad?” Sinclair asked quietly, putting a hand on Henry’s shoulder after he used the lift.

“I’ll be fine,” he said with a small smile. He touched Rafe’s foot. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave the little one?”

“I don’t think I’m ever letting him out of my sight again, Henry,” I said quietly, kissing Rafe’s head. Rafe gurgled, and I smiled.

“Well,” Henry said, folding his hands. “That I understand. Good luck. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

We kissed Henry before turning toward the steps. Roger climbed first. Sinclair, protectively, fell behind.

“Ready for this?” I asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Cora sighed, smiling slightly. Taking a deep breath, we began our climb.