Free Sapphires and Desires (The Gem Fairy Series Book 1) by Tarisa Marie

persuading and promising her that I’ll see her tomorrow, she finally agrees to go to bed and leaves the room.
    Geoff is finally sobering up and I can tell that the day is wearing on him but I know that he will refuse to go to bed until I actually leave and go to bed. Even then, he might not let me leave his sight. He might insist on sleeping in my room with me.
    Geoff excuses himself from the table to use the washroom and leaves Damon and me alone.
    “So?” He asks.
    “You tired?” I ask him.
    “Laytah, I don’t sleep.”
    I look at him as though he’s an alien. Well he sort of is, I suppose.
    “At all?”
    “I can’t,” he murmurs, bored.
    I’m sure it’s been one boring day for him listening to stories about people he’s never met and hearing about things that he surely doesn’t care about. He barely said much all day.
    “When I went to the washroom earlier, I don’t actually do that either, I popped over to my place and grabbed this for you,” he says and pulls a silver ring from his pocket, a huge rectangular sapphire rests on the band surrounded by diamonds.
    “For me? I can’t accept that.”
    “You have to. It will enable me to find you if we become separated so that I can protect you,” he explains and lifts my right hand up placing the ring on my middle finger.
    “Oh…thanks then I guess.” I suppose that’s probably a good thing to have in case I get kidnapped by my evil uncle or something not that Damon can do much about that. My uncle is more likely to kill me and ask questions later anyhow.
    Just then Geoff reenters the room with a grin on his face. A grin that I know all too well. He’s up to something.
    “You guys up for something fun?” He asks pulling a flask from his pocket and sliding it across the table to us.
    I open it and take a whiff. Vodka. I take a sip and hand it to Damon who smiles and takes a gulp. I remember his canister full of it back in the Amber Evers. I also remember his cocky attitude and carefree demeanor. Where’d that disappear to? Today he’s all serious and what not.
    “Like what?” I ask replying to Geoff’s question.
    “D10.” He says and I feel my face light up. Bout time for some normalcy.
    “Sure.” I reply.
    Geoff runs upstairs to change and I suddenly realize that I’m still in the baggy t-shirt and sweat pants I put on last night.
    “What is D10?” Damon asks.
    “It’s a nightclub downtown. The only one in the city that is 18+ not 21+. So Geoff can get in, he’s only 18.”
    “Legal drinking age is 21. What fun is he going to have if he can’t drink?” He asks. I then realize that I don’t have my wallet, so I also don’t have my ID and I have no clue where to start searching for it.
    Geoff returns then and Damon’s face brightens.
    “Hey Geoff, can I see your ID for a minute?” he asks.
    Geoff shrugs and pulls it from his pocket. “Why?”
    “Well I have my brother’s ID on me because he left it in my car and he looks kinda like you, but he’s 21. I want to see if your height is close.” Damon said in an you know what I’m sayin’? kind of voice.
    Geoff’s smile is huge as he hands Damon his ID. Suddenly Damon pulls an ID from his pocket and hands both to Geoff. Geoff looks at his, puts it on the table and then shoves the one Damon handed him into his pocket.
    “Thanks man. I’m already starting to like you.”
    “Not a problem,” Damon says and takes another chug of the vodka.
    “I guess I’ll need some cash for drinks,” he says and runs upstairs again.
    When he’s gone I turn to Damon and ask, “You have a brother?” I mean sure it made sense, that his brother would look like Geoff. They looked a lot alike of course Damon was hot and Geoff was well not. Maybe I just think of him like that because he is my cousin.
    “No. Being fae has its advantages.” He says and holds out his hand, suddenly a rose sits upon it, a black rose.
    “Is that real?” I ask him.
    “As real as you and I.” he