Sixty-Five
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Dianna
B right morning sunlight poured into the room, nearly blinding me as I
awoke. I groaned and rolled out of bed, stopping in the bathroom
before padding downstairs on bare feet. I headed through the foyer and into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“You finally came?”
I tripped over the long ends of my pajama bottoms, practically
stumbling into the kitchen.
Samkiel.
His back was to me. He was slicing more fruit and adding the pieces to two separate plates.
“What?” My voice came out a squeak, and my cheeks heated.
Had he heard me? A shiver went down my spine and not from embarrassment but excitement. No, if Samkiel had heard me, he would have burned the stairs with how fast he climbed them to get to me. That, I knew for a fact. He slid the plates across the counter and turned toward me.
“With your powers suppressed, your hearing must be no better than a mortal’s,” he said. “I practically screamed your name.”
My belly clenched, remembering that I had envisioned him doing exactly that last night, but under very different circumstances.
“I was… tired.”
“I made breakfast.”
I forced a small smile, need gripping me even after last night. What was wrong with me?
“Thanks.” I sat at the island and picked up the fork he had placed near me.
“Sorry I returned so late last night.”
I damn near dropped my fork. “You were here? Last night?”
He hadn’t come upstairs.
He tipped his head, looking at me quizzically. “Yes, but it was close to dawn, and I didn’t want to disturb you. I checked in on you, but you were fast asleep. I think I even saw you drool.”
I scoffed. “There was no drool.”
An air of uncertainty hung around him. Didn’t want to disturb me? So he’d slept downstairs instead. The only time he’d acted that way was when we were fighting at Drake’s, and he’d been avoiding me. Was he avoiding me now? Maybe all I’d said the day before had been too much. I had been so cruel these last few months. Why would he want to pick up where we’d left off?
My heart thundered with fear. Samkiel glanced at my chest before meeting my eyes, and I knew he could hear the rapid beat. “Are you alright?”
“Yes. Fine.” I set my fork down and placed my hands under the table, my appetite for both food and sex fading away. The yawning void left behind threatened to swallow me again. Was I too late? Had he decided I was too much work? Too dangerous? Too broken?
Samkiel watched me, his focus absolute as if I were the only thing that mattered. I must be insane. Now I was imagining things.
“What?” I asked, hearing the defensiveness in my tone.
“You haven’t touched your food,” he said, pointing at my plate with his fork. “Are you not hungry?”
I glanced down at the fruit, eggs, and bread. Bile rose, my stomach
giving a definitive no.
“No, I feel kind of queasy, actually.”
“Have you felt like that before?”
I shook my head.
“Well, if you wish to stay in today, that is fine. I had something planned for you, though.”
Hope flared. Maybe he wasn’t avoiding me again. I sat up straighter.
“What is it? Where are we going?”
“We,” he enunciated, “are not. I have… Umm… I’m going to be busy.”
My hope died.
Samkiel seemed to sense it and went on, even as the space between us grew. “I wanted you to have some fun since I won’t be around today. I also figured The Hand would enjoy a day off.”
My shoulders slumped. “Busy, huh?”
Samkiel went to open his mouth right as a loud crack accompanied by a flash of cobalt made me jump.
“Okay, I waited long enough. Did you tell her? Can we go now?”
Cameron demanded as he entered the kitchen.
Xavier followed him in, snickering and shaking his head. For once, neither of them were wearing their dark council garbs. Instead, they wore tank tops and shorts. They looked so normal, not the fierce, deadly warriors meant to keep us all in line.
Samkiel finished chewing a piece of toasted grain and sighed, rolling his eyes. It was an expression I hadn’t seen in a while, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“I thought he’d banished you or whatever gods do to those who piss them off,” I said to Cameron and Xavier. Xavier sat beside me, and Cameron stood on my left. Samkiel’s gaze lingered on Cameron, a muscle in his jaw twitching. I wondered if he was still jealous, while another part of me was thrilled at the thought he might be.
“Have no fear,” Samkiel said. “Cameron and Xavier are still paying for their mistake.”
Xavier sighed as if the punishment was torture, but Cameron only smirked a fraction harder.
“Now,” Samkiel grabbed a napkin, wiping his hands, “I have to go to Onuna for a meeting with the ambassadors. Vincent will accompany me, but I feel the others could use a break.”
Samkiel stood to his full height, my eyes following his every movement as last night flashed through my head. I bit my bottom lip, my core tightening. Heat flooded through me in a rush, my hunger for him returning tenfold. I bit back a whimper and shifted in my seat, trying to extinguish it, keenly aware of Cameron’s abilities and what my scent might reveal. I felt my cheeks flush and quickly dropped my gaze. Cameron had gone uncharacteristically quiet, but I refused to look at him. I shoved a piece of fruit into my mouth, not responding when Samkiel said he’d see me later
and left the house.
“I saw that.”
I stabbed at the cold egg on my plate. “Saw what?”
Cameron leaned on the counter and stole a piece of fruit from my plate.
Xavier said nothing.
“The smile, the way you practically eye fucked him when he stood up, and let’s not talk about the scent in this house.”
I groaned and put my fork down before covering my burning face with my hands. “Has anyone told you the smelling thing is fucking weird?”
“Plenty of people.” Xavier chuckled.
“Solo activities, Dianna? Tsk, tsk. You know, gods are very possessive.
Samkiel would be oh so very hurt if he learned you’d rather take care of yourself than let him.”
I dropped my hands and glared at him. “Well, he seems all too happy to
be occupied at the moment.”
Xavier snorted. “Unlikely.”
“It doesn’t matter how busy he is. If you said you needed him, he would be here,” Cameron said, oddly serious.
Xavier grunted in agreement, popping a piece of fruit into his mouth.
Cameron lifted a brow. “You do realize we aren’t the same red-blooded males from Onuna, right? His pride would be wounded. He already thinks you want nothing to do with him. I mean, I doubt he’ll come back once he finds out, and we have a council meeting tomorrow, so then he’ll be gone even longer. You know those take a while, but then that would be fine with you, right? Not like you care anyway.”
“I don’t like threats.” I grabbed the dull toast knife and pointed it toward him. “You won’t say a word to him about my… activities,” I hissed.
Amusement flashed in his eyes, and Xavier whistled under his breath.
Cameron had baited me on purpose and was more than happy with my
reaction. “I won’t. If…”
“If what?”
“If you actually hang out with us all today. Have fun, real fun, and your secret is safe with me.”
Cameron shifted the knife away with two fingers, and I let him. Mostly because I didn’t have any powers right now and because what he was
offering didn’t sound terrible.
“That’s it?”
He nodded and grinned. “That’s it.”
“Fine.”
“Great.” He clapped his hands. “We’re going to go meet the others.
They wanted to get something ready for you.”
“For me?” I asked, so shocked it came out a squeak.
“Yeah.” He glanced at me as if I was the crazy one. “Oh, I forgot, everyone you ever knew has been a dick to you.”
I flipped him off but jumped off the stool, a flicker of excitement lightening my mood. At least I wouldn’t be alone today. “Where are we
meeting them?”
“The beach.”
M y back hit the sand so hard it knocked the wind out of me . I choked on my laugh, still gripping the ball in my hands.
“That’s a point for us!” Imogen screamed.
Cameron cursed, punching the air. Neverra walked over and pulled me to my feet. A net stretched between the boys and us, three against three.
“You still need one more. Don’t get overconfident now, Immy!”
Cameron shouted back before huddling up with Logan and Xavier to devise a new game plan.
I wore the swimsuit Samkiel had made me. Neverra had said she and Imogen had gone shopping to prepare for today, and I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me a little happy to know they were even remotely excited about hanging out with me. It shocked me they would want anything to do with me after how terrible I’d been.
Neverra, Imogen, and I stood in a tight circle. I dropped the ball between us and propped one bare foot onto it.
“Okay, I love my husband, but if we’re going to win and have bragging rights, we have to take Logan out,” Neverra whispered.
Imogen snickered and elbowed Neverra, the two of them sharing a look.
“Okay, how so?”
“His right knee. He damaged it in a battle he refuses to talk about.”
“Pride.” Imogen snickered.
“We get him to move quickly to the right, and he is out.”
I smiled and nodded, glancing over Neverra’s shoulder at the guys.
Xavier’s head popped up, and he made eye contact with me before quickly ducking back into the huddle.
“Okay, Cameron has a powerful arm, one spike, and we lose.”
“I can take care of that.” Imogen rubbed her hands together. “I really want to win, and I will do what I have to for those bragging rights.”
I nodded and kicked the ball up into my hands. “We’ll win. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Are you guys done plotting yet?” I called out. “Or are you ready to lose?”
Imogen, Neverra, and I split up. Neverra stood in front of the net, Logan across from her. He blew her a kiss and winked. She mimed batting it away.
Imogen took up her spot on the left, across from Xavier. He stretched his arms from side to side, his grin brilliant and his eyes sparkling. That left me to face off with Cameron.
“Do you really think you’re going to win, Didi?” He placed his hands on his knees, swaying side to side.
I tossed the ball up and down with one hand. “I think you are all talk, Cam. All talk, no cock.”
His jaw dropped, and then he threw his head back and laughed. I tossed the ball high, jumping as I spiked it over the net.
Cameron recovered quickly and hit it back to our side. Imogen slapped it back, only this time at an angle. Logan dived but too far to the right and slid. I thought we had them for a second, but Xavier was quick. He slid across the sand, hitting it high as Cameron did a follow-up. He jumped, spiking it so hard that Neverra and Imogen ran into each other.
I saw the ball hurtling through the air. Neverra and Imogen landed on their asses, watching it spiral in the air, and Cameron was already hollering
for a win.
Oh, no. I don’t think so.
They wanted to win. I saw it in their eyes. They wanted a whole week to rub this victory in our faces.
I took a running leap, feeling like I was flying. My face slammed into the ground, sand going up my nose and scraping my chest, stomach, and legs as I fell, but I felt the smooth surface of the ball fall into my hand.
“Oh, come on!” I heard Cameron scream.
I jumped to my feet, Neverra and Imogen piling onto me, cheering. I tossed the ball to Neverra and tried to wipe the sand from my face and torso.
Cameron paced with his hands on his hips. Logan sat laughing, holding his knee, and Xavier chuckled, his dark eyes sparkling in the sunshine.
“She cheated. I don’t know how, but she did,” Cameron said.
“You’re such a sore loser,” Xavier told him.
“Are you sure you don’t have your powers back?” Cameron accused,
but I saw the humor in his eyes.
“You’re such a baby,” Imogen chided.
They sparred back and forth as Neverra and I headed toward the blanket she had laid out, a large umbrella providing welcome shade. A cool chest sat on one corner beside a small tray with glasses.
“Let’s go relax, shall we?”
I nodded but paused to cover the spot where I’d landed after my leap, making sure to obscure the shimmer of glass in the sand.
I sat on the large knitted blanket , the tassels at the edges blowing in the breeze. Neverra reached into the cooler for the sandwiches she’d brought, the brim of her hat bending back in the wind. My breath caught, my heart clenching, as she turned back and smiled at me, offering me a paper-wrapped sandwich. For a fleeting moment, I’d seen Gabby, but only for a second. I forced a smile, accepted the sandwich, and unwrapped it. The guys whooped and hollered behind us, continuing to play.
“I had yours made with extra mustard and no tomatoes.”
My eyes widened, my fingers tightening on the sandwich. “I hate tomatoes.”
“I know.” She didn’t say how she knew, but I knew. Logan and Neverra had lived with Gabby for months.
Neverra bit into hers, watching me, waiting for me to eat too. My system had become accustomed to a different type of sustenance, and food
did not sit well, but there was no way I would not eat this sandwich. One bite, and for once, my stomach didn’t protest. Neverra grinned happily.
“It’s pretty here. I haven’t been before.”
“It is,” I said, looking out over the waves. “Samkiel brought me here the other day. The ocean, the beach, is still hard for me, but he’s—”
“Stubborn.”
I laughed and took another bite. “Very.”
“He was like that on Rashearim. The gods hated it because it meant he didn’t listen to them. Especially when he first found all of us. It’s like talking to a brick wall once he has his mind set on something,” she paused, “or his heart.”
I hummed behind my sandwich in response, not quite knowing what to say. The sand shifted next to us, and I half turned, surprised to see Imogen.
She was half covered in sand and trying to brush it off without success.
“Cameron tackled me. I think he is still mad that they lost,” Imogen said. Her eyes darted toward the open basket of food, to Neverra, and then to me. She placed one arm behind her back and gave me a hesitant smile.
“Can I sit with you guys?”
I blinked. How was it that one of the fiercest warriors known throughout my world and the next was asking nervously if she could sit with us? But then, I guess she had every reason to be hesitant around me. I hadn’t been nice to any of them and tried multiple times to kill them. More than that, I’d been mean to her because of her past relationship with Samkiel. Especially after finding out she’d been his betrothed. Logically, I knew it wasn’t her fault, or his, for that matter. It had all been due to my own jealous insecurities.
Shock must have registered on my face because her expression fell, and her gaze dropped. I heard the sand shuffling as she turned away, taking my silence as a refusal. I leaned forward and practically yelled, “Wait!”
She stopped, and it felt like everything had stopped with her. The boys’ laughter died as they looked toward us. The ocean no longer slapped against the shore, and the wind stilled as if holding its breath. They glanced at each other, everyone waiting as if my approval of her on my terms meant something to them all.
“Sit. Neverra made more than enough to feed an entire city. I can’t eat it all.”
The way her eyes lit up as she smiled made my chest ache. How cruel had I been?
Imogen sat on the blanket and grabbed a sandwich.
“That save was great earlier,” Neverra said as Imogen unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. I saw the way Neverra watched her, how her body language changed around Imogen, and how close they really were. They had no blood bond, but they were sisters. I could see it. That’s what they all were. They were a family.
“Yeah,” Imogen said around her food, “how did you do it?”
I shrugged. “You guys wanted to win.”
They were both silent for a moment as Imogen ate some more. I didn’t know why I asked or what came over me, but I had fun today, and seeing the sun getting closer to the ocean made me apprehensive. I didn’t want today to end.
“Do you guys want to come back to the palace this evening? Samkiel said he would be in Onuna all night, and I don’t want to be alone. If that’s okay. And if you want. You don’t have to.”
Imogen froze mid-bite, and Neverra smiled so widely I almost regretted asking. Logan, Xavier, and Cameron raced toward the water, yelling as they jumped into the ocean.
“I thought you’d never ask!” Neverra said.
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