Living Armor Boyfriend: Epoch 2 (special preview)

It was a surprise to me to see the changes that Wiifred and Lydia had gone through. I don’t know how long their journeys went with Coeval and Morrow, I just know there is something renewed in them. Same with me. I feel a bit ashamed of my behavior. I didn’t realize I had been relying on anger so much and holding onto the past.

I had been so ready to go to war, to fight and take down my mother, that I had become blinded. I was so angry with her, so hurt that I had let it taint everything. I very nearly got my sisters mixed up in something that could have hurt them.

“You’ve made your apologies, Edith,” Epoch tells me. “There is no need to sulk so. Be chipper, you have a new mindset and a new plan of attack, so to speak.”

“I just feel so foolish,” I sigh. “I didn’t realize how ignorant I was being.”

“Few people do.” He walks beside me while my sisters and Epoch’s brothers take the lead. “And there is nothing wrong with being able to admit that now. Be grateful you have the opportunity to realize the folly of it.”

“Yeah but, now I’m scared,” I murmur. “What’s going to happen now? What if my mother still is holding onto her anger?”

“You have us now.” Epoch takes my hand and holds it. “We will guard you sisters.”

“We are very well versed on family drama!” Coeval announces brightly from the front. “After all, our mother is a lava basilisk.”

“Whoa, no way,” Lydia gasps.

Coeval looks around Winifred to talk to Lydia. “Yes way! And get this, our dad was just some hapless knight who got seduced. Nice guy, just got confused easily.”

“Is that true?” I ask Epoch.

“Very much so,” he sighs.

“I thought you were spirits. I didn’t realize you were half basilisk and half human.”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that. Yes, we are spirits, but there’s more to the story, what with Father Klaus and the reindeer.” He scoffs, “fucking reindeer.”

“Long story?”

“Very.” He stalls as we come up to the entrance of Holly’s Keep. The large gates are shut, but the guards outside have already begun walking towards us. I start to take the lead and approach them, but Winifred has already stepped ahead.

“I am the eldest daughter of Holly Saint Nicolas,” she announces. “My sisters and I demand entrance to speak with our mother.”

The two knights look at one another. “Lady Holly is celebrating her birthday. We’ve been asked to not let anyone in without an invitation.”

Lydia laughs. “We fell out of her, that’s invitation enough!”

“No paper invitation, no entrance,” the knight insists.

I take hold of Epoch’s hand then grab Lydia’s hand. “Come on, I’ll get us over.” I start to float, prompting Lydia to snatch Morrow’s hand, who then takes hold of Coeval, who then grabs Winifred’s hand. I’m usually only able to float things, but I’ve had a few instances where I’ve been able to almost fly, which was a power of Father Klaus. He used it to make him and his reindeer fly. I think my uncle, Nicolas, has the same ability.

Everyone begins to float and the knights try to rush and grab at us, but Coeval and Morrow both kick them in the heads and knock them over. “You can do this, Edith,” Epoch reassures me. His warm hand squeezes mine very hard. “Just focus. You can fly.”