He could say that all he wanted, but the more I was around them, the harder it was not to touch them. I couldn’t deny that they helped calm my racing mind, and I needed that right now. In truth, I wasn’t worried about them, I was worried about me. If I didn’t walk away now, I wasn’t sure I would have the strength to leave later. Travis's fingers running through my hair soothed a headache that had started to form, and the relief had me hanging my head. I didn’t answer him. I couldn’t.
There was a knock on the door, and it slowly opened when David called out. Kait came in, closing the door softly behind himself. With a small grin, he pulled me up into his arms. I wasn’t blocking my thoughts, and both he and David had probably heard them all. Shit. He startled me by sweeping me up into his arms, then he sat down on the bed, settling me into his lap. I curled up just enough to put my head in the hollow of his neck. I breathed in his Christmassy scent and let go of the last of my apprehensions. I sighed. They had won. For now.
“So, what did Alarr actually want?” David’s voice was hard.
“He really did just want to meet Evalia. I told him I wasn’t comfortable with that right now, and he agreed to wait and meet with us later. He was attempting to appear open and didn’t erect any mental blocks that I could feel. He didn’t explain how he found us, though. I am not sure I completely trust him, but he didn’t seem to be working with the Svikari, and he was genuinely surprised at everything that has happened in the past week. It appears to be bad timing on his part.”
I had to stop cowering here. I sat up. “Well, what’s the plan then?”
Kait snorted. “We will meet with him next week, at a neutral location that I will pick. I am not going to tell him what the location is until right before we meet. In the meantime, you need to go to class. We will continue with the original plan, and I will accompany you to your classes. Just because Stefa is in custody does not mean the threat is gone.”
“I’m not happy with that, Kait.” I pushed away from him and got up. I couldn’t think clearly with him that close.
“I’m aware of that, Evalia. It doesn’t change it.” His voice was slightly amused, which just pissed me off more.
“Kait…”
He interrupted me. “Evalia, do not argue with me. You agreed to let us protect you, and regardless of your feelings on the bonding, we will continue to do that.” It wasn’t fair, he used his authoritative voice that I have a hard time ignoring. I pouted at him, and a smile softened his face. He reached for me, and I allowed him to pull me back. “No matter what happens with the bonding, it is very hard for us not to protect you. It will make us all feel better to know that you have one of us with you.”
I couldn’t argue with that logic. I huffed, then finally conceded, “Fine.” He kissed my cheek and let me go. As my heart jumped and my body warmed, I tried to hide my reaction to him, but I don’t think I managed it.
Travis patted the bed next to him. “Come on, babe, I drew the first night. Are you okay with me in the bed, or do you want me to sleep on the floor?”
I sighed and started looking for some pajamas. While digging in the bag, I said, “I can’t make you sleep on the floor, Travis, you are still recovering.” Once I found the pajamas at the bottom of the bag, I stood up. “I’ll be right back.” I went to the bathroom, and quickly changed and took out my contacts. When I got back to the room, David and Kait were gone, and Travis was already under the covers, with them pulled up to his chin. He looked adorable, and the dark colors of the comforter just highlighted his beautiful blue eyes even more.
This was going to end up killing me. I don’t know how I was going to be able to keep them at arm’s length if this continued. I climbed into the bed, and Travis rolled over to me. After a minute of indecision, I put my back to him, and scooted until my back was against his front. He froze for a minute, then hesitantly put his arm around me, placing his hand on my stomach. I took a deep breath and his scent wound through me, helping me relax. Within a few minutes, I was fast asleep.
I woke in the morning, sweating. Warm arms held me to a warmer body. It took a minute for me to remember where I was and who was holding me. I started to stretch before I thought about it but froze when Travis groaned.
“Babe, roll away before you do that, please. I’m having a bit of a morning problem.” His deep voice rumbled through me, doing funny things to my body. I wasn’t thinking about what I was rubbing against, but now that I was aware of it, I could feel his body’s reaction to me and the morning though the thin pajama pants he wore. I didn’t want to move, but I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, either. While I was frozen, Travis took the decision from me, kissing my neck lightly and rolling away. The kiss sent a tingle all the way through my
