Kitten pulls herself into a sitting position as Jada puts her hands on her hips, feet shoulder width apart, lecture pending.
“I’ve been spending all my time smoothing over your gamble with the dignitaries at the Black Castle, only to find out she is exactly the bad decision that they all suspect. I don’t know how long you expect to keep her, but you boys better tame her before you take her back near any of the Masters or the Dignitaries,” she says, then she tries to storm out.
She gets past me, but she doesn’t make it past Pax. I angle myself so I can keep one eye on Jada and one on Kitten. But the mortal has to lean forward almost on all fours to peek out from under our legs.
“Wait, we’re going back? I thought that wasn’t decided yet,” Kitten asks.
“It is,” Pax says, catching Jada’s arm before she can escape.
“It’s not,” Killian grunts.
“We do need your help,” Pax says softly.
Jada tries to step forward, to close the distance, the move far too bold. Killian puts his hand on Kitten’s head and pushes her back to the ground. If hearing Jada call Pax ‘sweetie’ puts Shade into a rage, then catching her trying to kiss the guy isn’t going to end well.
But before Jada gets close, Pax grabs her wrist, hard, and holds it up between them like the contact is a threat. And it is, given the fact that he could crush her bones to dust. His muscles are tense, knuckles white, and her almond eyes betray every feeling of intimidation that she has right now. She doesn’t know he has the Sigil on. She doesn’t know he can’t actually go any further
Her eyes go wide with tell-tale surprise. The woman has just worked something out, and her jaw drops.
“Oh my moons,” she gasps. “You and her? How is this possible? How are you hiding this? I knew she was a part of your plan. I knew having a mixed-gender Saber team was a brilliant idea. I knew she was going to play some important role because of Aunt Raefiya’s message – but this!”
“You read the letter?” Killian demands.
Jada nods but doesn’t stop her own ranting. “What did you do? A sigil? A potion?”
“Jada,” Pax says, a warning in his tone, and no further details follow.
Kitten grips Killian’s pant leg and uses it to pull herself upright. He grabs his belt and as soon as she’s standing, he snakes an arm out and locks her into place at his back.
“Well, a MateBond has to have been her plan. But a mortal! And you don’t want to know what her final message to me was,” Jada says.
Thane growls, which sets the woman even more on edge.
“Thane?” she asks tentatively.
Pax nods.
She swallows hard.
“What are you keeping from us?” Thane asks.
With false calm, she lifts her free hand and points at her trapped one. “Let me go,” she says softly.
I know Jada – have almost all my life. All of us have.
But Kitten comes first.
Six Paces
Pax doesn’t let her go, and it’s clear she’s hurting as she continues to talk, “I wasn’t keeping anything from you. Your mother ordered me to give you a message when you found your mate.”
Pax’s fingers uncurl, dropping her hand, then immediately slamming shut into a fist. I can see bruises on her flesh, and Killian is practically bristling. Between him acting weird and Roarke acting weird and Pax acting like he’s ready to do damage, I feel like maybe my apple-to-face reaction wasn’t extreme at all.
Jada’s eyes are a light peachy color, and she stares at Pax with the kind of intensity that makes me hate the fruit. Of course, matched with her strawberry blond hair, she is dazzling. But she’d still look better with an apple in her nose.
“Your mother said we’re on our own. The moment you accept your mate is the moment you’ll get your last piece of her advice. Her influence stops with your mate.”
The room goes cold. Pax reaches out, pulling Jada into a tight hug and muttering apologies for grabbing her wrist. Killian’s back is tense against my chest, his breathing nonexistent, and I snake my arms around his waist and hug him. My gaze is still burning into Pax and Jada, though; I can do two things at once.
“Is this bad news?” I whisper into Killian’s shirt.
He makes an ‘mm-hmm’ growl and doesn’t let me go.
I can’t even see Seth – is he tense? Angry? Worried? He clears his throat, and the sound rings with a nervous tickle, but I can’t confirm that.
My nose fills with the scent of cinnamon, not sure why, not sure where from, but I hate cinnamon.
I also hate Pax losing his shit. I wonder if, when I kick Pax in the balls, will Thane feel it too? It will save me a lot of future time if he does.
“I will,” Jada starts, then clears her throat and tries again. “I will do what needs to be done.”
Then, with light footsteps, she leaves the room, and Killian finally takes a deep breath. The kind of deep breath that forces me to step back as his diaphragm expands. Pax grabs my arm and yanks me out from behind his brother, pulling me into his sweet vanilla scent.
His arms are around me, and my arms are around him, like we’re just checking the other is still here – still exists.
“Were you hoping your mother would have other secret weapons hidden?” I ask, my voice muffled by his chest.
I’d rather ask what the hell Jada’s doing here and why the hell she was flirting with him, but this is a much safer question.
Killian taps my shoulder, chuckling lightly, “Not a weapon.”
“Bralls, yes. Did you see me move? I bet you’ve never used an apple as an instrument of death.” I manage to straighten from Pax’s hold enough to see the amused look in Killian’s eyes.
“Yes, I have.”
“Of course you have,” I grumble.
“We need to get to Lithael, incapacitate him, send the souls around his neck through the Veil, and remove his niece and nephew as contenders for the throne. Then we need to earn the Crown back, plus return the inhabitants of Tanakan to their cells and restore the border before both worlds are destroyed. Yes, I was hoping Mother would have a few more bread crumbs laying around for us,” Pax says.
“Well, I only have one thing that I feel I need to inform you of while the moment is fresh.”
Pax’s arms slip to my shoulders, and behind me Killian stiffens like, if I start saying the wrong thing, he’s going to knock me out.
“If you ever grab my wrist in anger and leave bruises on me like you just did with Jada, I’m going to punch you in the balls,” I say. “With an apple.”
Killian exhales, and Pax chuckles – the sound echoing with wolfish depths.
“I mean it, I’m getting the hang of this Allure thing, so my super-Saber-speed fist might actually do damage.”
He nods. He doesn’t believe me – or he doesn’t care.
Balls, I’m utterly delighted to introduce you to pain. Pain meet balls, I think, a mix of satisfaction and regret lacing through me as the guy drops like a rock.
Down.
In pain.
Eyes wide, then glowing, Thane’s growl slipping in amidst Pax’s groan.
“Huh,” I mutter. “One ball shot does hurt both of you. Pity I didn’t have an apple.” I’m resisting the urge to bend down and help him right now because I feel guilty as crap, but I’m pretty sure he’d push me away. “Sorry.”
Killian is chuckling as he grabs me and pulls me back against his chest. His arms easily drape over my shoulders and hug me into him.
“He won’t hit you back,” the guy laughs. “He does have anger management issues, though. You might need to periodically remind him of this.”
Pax climbs stiffly to his feet, still growling – and his eyes glowing, Thane staring out at me equally.
I want to hug the guy and apologize – again. I just barely manage to keep an offer to kiss him better locked down from the tip of my tongue. That would sound all kinds of wrong.
Then he smiles at me, lo
psided and subtle, before he rubs the back of his neck and just turns to leave. Calling out, “Roarke,” and it’s clearly an order.
“Um, was that weird?” I ask.
“No, you’re his mate. That was normal.”
“What? Mates usually use magical powers to kick each other in the balls?”
“Alpha mates get aggressive with each other. It’s one of the reasons he has trouble with his anger management. He doesn’t always see it as crossing a line.”
“Great,” I drone. “I don’t like being aggressive.”
“Then stop trying to shove apples up people's noses,” Killian says, leaving me to grab two apples for his breakfast – then on second thought, he picks up three more and shoves them into his pockets.
Roarke turns to me before following Pax. “Pain?”
I point to myself. “That’s my middle name.”
He snorts. “No, number your pain. You just Allured a kick to an Alpha, how much did it hurt?”
Oh, that. “It didn’t, actually.”
The guy’s eyes light up, but there’s still a little skeptical frown creasing his forehead.
“Is she getting better?” Seth asks, leaning against the back of the couch.
“You sound like you have doubts,” I snap.
He throws his arms up in defense, executes a smooth roll backward over the couch to land on his feet, and bounces across the room.
“If she’s learning how to use the power without pain, then it’s an improvement. There is no reason she should feel pain – if she’s using it properly,” Roarke says.
“It’s not for lack of trying,” Seth teases, but not me – Roarke. They’ve practictally forgotten about me.
Thing is I’m not really trying to do anything, but I’d like to think I’m getting better. Nope, that’s not quite right, because it’s not me at all. It’s this little quirky skill that may or may not exist only because of the bubble I’m in. Boost, enhance, refine… I’m still looking for the right word when I open my mouth and words begin to topple out.
“Damn right, I ameliorate like the best of them. He’s just a show-off, and I’m pretty sure he was born that way,” I mutter.
Pretty sure no one can hear me – except Roarke’s gaze swings from Seth, who is looking way too amused at himself, to me. His lips press thin in an attempt to keep a smile from his face.
“Ameliorate?” he asks, slipping a soft finger under my chin and tilting my head back to absorb every bit of my expression.
I can’t help smiling at him, but before I can say something, Pax shouts, “Roarke, answer the door!”
Instantly, I’m confused. The cottage door is wide open, and there is no one knocking – in any way, shape, or form.
Roarke sighs, lets go of my chin, and turns to follow Pax.
“What door?” I ask.
The man walks backwards, saying, “One of you should distract our jealous Kitten.”
Then he turns and hurries outside.
Killian basically shoves me across the room toward Seth on his way past – and Seth takes that as an invitation to pick me back up and hoist me over his shoulder again.
I’d argue – but there’s no point. “Wait, what door?” I repeat.
“The barrier – you can’t feel that pressure?”
I shake my head. “Just your shoulder in my stomach.”
He carries me out into the daylight, chuckling, and up the hill alongside the stream, before letting me slip to the ground. His hands are firm on my hips and stay there even after they’re no longer needed. The grip is somehow completely innocent and at the same time filled with a gentle intimacy. I want to fall against him and just be held, but given the guy spent the night pinning me to a bed, I don’t want to overstay my welcome.
I take stock of the fresh day. I’m still wearing yesterday’s clothes, even though I noticed Eydis’ stuff was returned to her hangers at some point during the night – which I take to mean the remaining Elorsins scented the items. I mean, Pax rolled on them, then Seth scrubbed them, then they dried, and then what? Killian and Roarke must have utilized the armpit scenting method while I was sleeping. But I didn’t have time to get dressed into something fresh this morning. And, really, the things I’m in were only worn while I ate chocolate in the attic. Roarke’s cream cotton shirt, which I start to roll the sleeves up a little on, and his beige linen pants. No shoes, because I don’t own any, and no hair tie because Roarke didn’t return it to me last night. High on my priority list is getting that band back.
I run my hands through my too-long hair and hook it behind my ears as best I can.
Fresh shoots of green have popped up among the layer of dead. The small field that was nothing but dirt is almost completely covered in short grass. Everything looks alive again. Possibly helped by the rain, but I have a feeling that my guys’ power has had something to do with it too. The area died when Eydis died – and my guys being here has breathed life back into it.
“It’s so green,” I say.
“Yeah.” Seth turns in a circle, almost as if he only just noticed. “The Potion Masters given charge of the Springs are usually the strongest alive. Doesn’t make them invincible, though. Doesn’t even make them good fighters. Just good enough to control the flow between the spring and the border.”
“So when they die, the border takes too much?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Or too little – I guess. You’d have to ask Roarke how it works.”
The house blocks the view of the boulders, the giant tree standing tall beyond it. The stream is on my left, with yellow and red fish darting between the rocks. Our five horses are tied to long leads on the side of the hill; behind them is a wall of trees.
Seth nudges my back playfully, and we start walking along the edge of the stream – getting further and further from the house.
I sink my hands into my pockets, well, technically Roarke’s. The instant my fingers find the little glass egg, they start rolling and playing with it. Like a child with a fidget toy, a sock filled with rice or a leaf torn just right to make it twirl – a simple thing that is unexplainably calming.
My other hand, however, finds an empty pocket. I almost groan out loud, remembering putting Killian’s blades and the darts on the floor in the bedroom. Between my bag and Seth’s – because sleeping with them wasn’t going to be very comfortable. I need to get them back before Killian realizes.
Roarke ambles through Eydis’ barrier with six women behind him, eyes sharp and hands resting on weapons.
I kinda wish I could grip my dagger now.
I remember Teegan from when we were cleaning the stables at the White Castle. Tall, lithe, built like a flower that could knock you unconscious. She’s following Roarke – but that’s no excuse to be staring at his ass the whole time.
The two behind her, with braids tight to their heads, are the first to spot Seth and me. They wear the usual Silvari fine cotton clothing in a perfect form-fitting size that shows off their lean but deadly figures. All Silvari women look like a cross between precision dancers and highly-skilled weapons.
I’m not by any means overweight, but I do have the build of a servant. We could all be butt naked, and a stranger would still be able to pick me out among the Sabers.
I fold my arms over my chest and, without taking my eyes off of them, mutter, “Who are they?”
“Well, the guy in front is a real ass. Stay away from him. I heard his name’s Roarke –”
I slap him on the chest because he knows exactly what I mean. He feigns injury, gasping and bending forward.
“Okay, okay. The woman behind him is Commander Teegan.” He says Commander with a complete air of insincerity. “And the blonde right beside her is Lara. Watch out for Lara. She’s a StormSeed, and they tend to get snappy. Their last member is Amber, a FireSeed.”
FireSeed makes sense, her hair is an amazing vibrant shade of red that stands out even in the tight braids.
“And the other three?” I ask, turning
my attention to the three mounted a little further back.
“Commander Rose is in the middle,” he begins, without the emphasis on Commander this time. “On her left would be Rynn – Amber’s twin and also a FireSeed, obviously.”
Obviously, because Seeds are genetic, and if you’re born to a FireSeed family, you simply are a FireSeed.
“The other one is Aria. She can be bitchy, but mostly it’s because she’s super emotional.”
They’re wearing identical cloaks with the hoods tugged low, so I’m not sure how Seth tells them apart. Years of practice, I guess.
Roarke’s escorting them, and I’d think Roarke’s relaxed amble would make them more at ease.
He inspects the clearing, a confused angle to his brow. Like being on the other side of the stream, at the end where it’s far too wide to step over and the assortment of large rocks and stones that would be dangerous to try and walk a horse through too, wasn’t part of his plan.
His gaze meets mine, a small smile crossing his lips, and he beelines for the edge of the stream.
The women stop their horses. Rose’s triune flick their hoods back almost in unison.
Rynn is easy to spot; her red hair’s out and blowing in the breeze. Her features are so similar to her sister’s, tiny noses and freckles and soft cheeks. Aria is pretty in a sweet and innocent way. She has big doe eyes that make her look almost cuddly. Which is not what a Saber should look like – so it’s probably a trap.
“Do we like them?” I ask, pretty sure we don’t.
He chuckles. “Some of them are good people. All of them are loyal to the Elorsin name. We need them. But just to be safe, maybe keep your distance. I’m sure that’s going to be Pax’s order, anyway.”
Teegan approaches the edge of the stream, looking at it with a confused crease on her pretty brow. “How do we get to the other side?” she asks.
I cup my hands around my mouth and make like I’m shouting over a great distance.
“You’re on the other side,” I call out, echoing, “Side... Side... Side...”
Then I just stand here smirking at them.
Seth bursts with laughter, full of merriment and deep amusement, but at least three of the Saber women scowl.
Shadows and Shade Box Set Page 92