I point at Seth.
“Don’t look at me! We were asleep when he came in,” Seth says, pointing at Killian.
“Shhhh,” Shade whispers from the floor, flapping an arm around as if to shoo us away. “I’m trying to sleep.”
The sound of her voice makes Pax relax. He crosses the room, scoops her up, and carries her upstairs. The calm on his face hints that he’s more than happy to spend the night next to her. It contrasts with the tense set to his shoulders and the thump of his boots on each step – which I’m going to guess means Thane has been pushing his boundaries again. Or maybe Pax is reaching the end of his own patience.
Aeons, we all are.
If the woman wasn’t interested, we’d turn away. All of us respect the word ‘no.’ That would make life so much easier.
Oddly, I’m pretty sure it would actually make me more miserable.
Easier – yes. Happier? No.
And now we wait – to see what steps she has left in the morning. This could be a good time to fill Seth in on the line Darkness was hiding – that topic could be nicely distracting.
Five Paces
Pax and Seth talking right beside the bed slowly wakes me up. I roll over to eyeball them with an it’s-too-early-to-be-opening-my-eyes moan. A person should sleep until well after the sun’s up. Which is not a luxury I’ve always had, but one I’m determined to foster. Contrary to the time that these guys like to rise and shine.
Seth smiles, grabbing a pillow and dropping it on my face. “Go back to sleep, then.”
I push the pillow away and find Pax’s face right in front of mine. He moves in, presses a soft kiss to my lips, then retreats. “I’ll be outside.”
“Why?” Why is he leaving?
“Jada is waiting down stairs.”
“What? She’s still here?” I demand, though I have no idea why that annoys the bralls out of me. Of course, she’s still here. I’ve been asleep, so for that matter Teegan could still be here and a dozen others could be here, which is the next thing that shoots out of my mouth. “Who else is here, and where are they, and where the chuck did they sleep?”
Pax gives me one more quick kiss before stalking from the room. His gentle demeanor sheds with each step, replaced by a cloak of control and command that he wears so easily. Like it’s been tailored to fit him perfectly, confident stride, powerful posture, don’t mess with me vibe.
It’s not until he’s out of the room that I can gather my thoughts and demand, “Seth, answer me?”
“Nowhere. Sabers don’t sleep.”
“They do sometimes. How do I know they didn’t need sleep!”
“Jada is the only other one still here. Rose and her team could have done with the rest, but there’s no way they were going to ask for it and no way Pax would let them in the house. They were short on time and long on crap to do, so they left.”
“Not them,” I press, there’s another Saber much more dangerous than Rose.
“Yes, Vexy, Teegan has left.”
I groan and throw the pillow at him.
With one punch he sends it flying back at me, wearing a big grin. I only just manage to catch it and completely miss my chance to get out of the way of his running jump.
He rolls straight over me.
The bed creaks, the mattress bounces, and I squeal. “Seth!”
Which makes him laugh. He lies back, linking his hands behind his head and taking up ninety percent of the space.
Before I realize what I’m doing, I’ve moved in close, slipped my head onto his shoulder, and found the most comfortable position to sleep in. Little content moans fall between us. I can hear the muffled beat of his heart as the scent of sweet oranges fills my nose. He’s shaped so perfectly, and the only possibility is his shoulder was made specifically for me.
“Mallow,” I whisper, closing my eyes.
He slips one hand from behind his head and strokes it over my hair, then down to my shoulder. Tracing a long line to my elbow with the tip of his finger, then back up again.
“Other Sabers?” I force myself to ask.
“Zuri was supposed to meet us here, she’s a strong ally. You’d like her – a lot like Rose. Imogen and Kaia are still on assignments in the south and haven’t been brought up to speed at all.”
“Are there any male Sabers? Any?!” I would sound far more upset if I wasn’t so comfortable.
He chuckles. “Eliijah, Alerik, Miles, and Stone are all male triunes.”
I sigh with relief, which is a bit overdramatic.
“Roarke wants you in the attic as soon as you wake up – and he just took the last block of chocolate and a whole plate of fruit up there. I say we go steal it.”
“No, he didn’t.”
“Yes – he did.”
I’m about to argue again – why would Roarke steal my chocolate? But this is Roarke we’re talking about, and the chocolate was in Seth’s bag, which technically makes it unclaimed in the eyes of his brother. Means there’s no time to waste.
I launch out of the bed and rush past Seth. Well, almost past Seth, he snags the corner of my shirt to halt my momentum.
“Is this a race?” he asks, yanking me back a step then overtaking me.
I rush to regain my lead and both of us burst to the top of the stairs in a fit of gasping giggles.
Roarke springs up from his cross-legged position on the floor, with a curious raised eyebrow and an unimpressed pinch to his lips. Not sure if he’s about to defend his space, chastise us like children – or both.
He has a plate of fruit cut into rough squares, along with several opened books, some kind of dried leaves, and a mug of a pinkish liquid that’s fizzing and popping.
The fizzing and popping steals my attention.
“What are you drinking?” I demand. It doesn’t look
