“And food,” Seth adds.
“Jada, can you go help Teegan and Roarke? Then we’ll talk,” Pax says, not looking back at the woman.
She scowls at him, then glares at me, but turns and damn sashays down the hill. Only, she makes having a tantrum look freaking sexy. All graceful hips and long legs.
“What are you looking for?” I ask Killian, whose gaze has shifted to the ground.
“Apples,” he mutters, before meeting my gaze out of the corner of his eye.
His sneaky smile is gone in a blink when the guy shifts all of his energy into advancing on Seth. But damn, that smile could knock the wind out of a girl. Deep. Dark. And a glimpse into his soul.
Seth has just enough time to curse before Killian grabs his shirt and yanks him out of the tree. Seth almost lands on his head, which doesn’t slow Killian down one bit.
“We’re training,” Killian says.
Seth pops up, bouncing on the balls of his feet a few times like he’s ready to dodge a fist. But Killian doesn’t throw one.
“Okay, I deserve that,” Seth says.
For a long moment, Killian just stands in front of Seth. A slow smile fills Seth’s expression – from lips to eyes – before Killian extends his arm and Seth grabs it in the kind of handshake that has them gripping each other at the elbows, then pulling each other in for a hug and back slap.
“Your Seed will be the death of us, one day.” The guy still doesn’t look impressed, and the whole scene feels kind of scary but also not.
“But not today,” Seth says, both of them turning towards the cottage.
“Take me too,” I announce, slipping from the rock and standing on slightly shaky legs – when did my legs get shaky?
Pax crowds in on me instantly, his hand resting on the small of my back. The sensation is calming, but not enough to ease the shaking.
“Shadow, I need to smash something, and I can’t hit you,” Killian says.
“Damn right, you can’t – but maybe I need to hit something too,” I say. Though instead of something I really should have said Jada. I need to hit Jada.
And every other woman down there.
Except Rose. I kinda like Rose now.
Killian looks like the air around here is intense, like he’s breathing the same bitter-metallic tang that I am.
Then he looks to Pax for permission. Which would piss me off except Pax instantly nods.
“But he goes first,” Pax says, pointing at Seth, and nudging me towards the cottage.
“Priorities. Spring. Food. Training. Repeat,” Killian says.
“What? I just want to –” I cut myself off before, distract myself from my jealousy. “We’re not planning my life here.” Killian grunt-chuckles, so I add, “No, honey, no life planning. Just let me hit something …” Other than her.
I don’t get a chance to say the other than her part because, before I can chuckin’ scream, Killian grabs me by the hips and slings me over his shoulder.
“Hey!” I exclaim, and get ignored.
“Did she just call you honey?” Seth asks, rushing to catch up as Killian basically strides down the boulders like the things aren’t even there.
“Again,” Killian says.
“She’s called you honey before? Why didn’t I know about this? What does she call me?” Absently, like there’s no thought involved, and without a hitch in his conversation, Seth cartwheel-flip-somersaults down the boulders.
“A pain-in-my-ass,” I mutter too low for Seth to hear.
Killian laughs. His chest rumbles right through to mine – and oh, does it make the air smell so sweet.
“What’s wrong with Sethy?” I ask.
“If I’m Sethy, then his name is Killy,” Seth says. He’s sulking, lips drawn down as he tumbles like a crazy person over three boulders at once and lands like the ground itself has offended him.
“Killian,” I say, rather loudly given I’m being carried down the grassy hill by him. “Honey, do you mind if I call you Killy?”
“Yes,” he growls.
“Do you mind if I call you honey?”
“Yes.”
Seth laughs at me, way too hard, then detours off towards the cottage while Killian keeps carrying me – as if I weigh nothing – towards the stream. I could call him Lilian – but I’d prefer he were unconscious again before I do that.
“What can I call you then?”
“Killian.”
“You call me Shadow.”
“The All-Mighty All-Deadly All-Inspiring All-Feared All-Empowered Killian.”
“Killian the Omniscient,” I poke, using Roarke’s new word, hopefully in the right way.
“You’ve been spending too much time with Roarke,” he mutters. “I insist on The All-Mighty All-Deadly All-Inspiring All-Feared All-Empowered Killian.”
I laugh so hard that I think maybe I should have asked for a toilet break. That’s it. That’s all I have.
Killian’s hard chest and shoulder press in against my aching stomach, which is exactly the moment I realize he’s chuckling too.
I watch Seth and Kitten clamber over the boulders and into the trees. Pax is talking, and after a while the warriors around us kneel. But I can’t move my eyes from those trees; allowing myself to watch is the small concession that keeps the floodgates from opening. Even though I can’t actually see them from down here.
“Roarke,” Pax snaps.
All of the information that I wasn’t listening to here floods in.
Rose is leaving to hunt. Rynn and her sister are riding into town for supplies. If they split up, the townsfolk will likely amalgamate stories, and if anything gets retold, it will be that one lone Saber came through the area. Lone Sabers are a common enough sight. The blessing of twins. Those are our only keys, three all up because of course Jada has one.
That leaves Teegan, her StormSeed, and Rose’s FaunaSeed – Aria.
And I need to work on the spring.
“I’m on it,” I grumble, but only because my whole body is still so bloody tense that my throat muscles won’t relax enough to let my voice out.
Pax and Killian stalk off, tugging just lightly at my speed in their own struggle not to race after Shade.
Teegan
