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, lopsided 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
