“Where are you?”Jarred interrupted.
“Heading to the Grand Hall.”
“I’ll get there.”And the screen went black.
“What power buildup?”Salis asked after a while.Wave was still pissed, but Marc’s comment about healing curbed some of her annoyance.Shewasstarving.Still…
“We are not changing the subject,” she huffed.“I would looooove to know what you want me to do about all of that.”She pointed generally at everyone around the yard.
“Nothing, sparkle,” Marc replied.
“Then why—”
“I think he’s worried, buttercup,” Salis said and hurried to continue when Wave’s lips pursed.“I know I am.Myfeelings would be hurt by all the people whispering and commenting behind my back.”
“Yeah, that,” Marc agreed.“It gets under my skin when they call you easy or a slut.I already got Grant to beat up one idiot who planned on cornering you at the first chance he got.”
“You what?”Wave half shrieked.
“He’s in Grant’s staffs and polearms class.He got volunteered to spar against him.”
“And that, Wayla darling, is why everyone is so scared of them,” Salis said with a lecturing tone.“They can hold their own well enough, but they also watch each other’s backs.I guess you’re included in that now.”
“But why,” Wave began to murmur and then cut herself off.Power.They all held a lot of it, and while none of them pushed that aura around as far as she was aware, it didn’t mean that power wasn’t there.“Okay, fine,” she sighed and buried her face against Marc’s chest.
He kissed the top of her head.“You are my girlfriend, sparkle.It does come withsomeperks besides the sex.”
Salis tripped, and Wave lifted her head just in time to see him almost faceplant.His skin turned darker as he climbed up to his feet, looked at Wave, then at Marc, and then at Wave again.
“Power buildup.Girlfriend,” he choked and covered his face.“I get the pillow now.”
Marc started laughing so hard that Wave bounced against his chest.
“Ha-ha,” she huffed, but managed to hold in her smile.“The pillow was Jarred’s idea,” she added primly and was rewarded with Salis stumbling again.“Hellion helped.”
Salis stopped, turned to gape at Wave, who kept her face serene, and then gulped.Marc was still laughing.Salis took a couple of deep breaths, and then a devious smirk spread over his face.
“Please tell me there’s a video.”
Tuesdaymorning,Wavefeltmuch better.Almost all the soreness was gone, and her muscles only ached mildly.Marc and Jarred had made her stuff her face at lunch and then tasked Salis to make sure she had snacks for the rest of the day.
The moment her final class was over, Hellion had been there with a smoothie.They weren’t willing to push her strained body through healing, but they were clearly hellbent on offering her own body all the tools to heal itself.
Food, massage, nap, more food, another massage, and then an early night.Pampering bastards, Wave thought with a wide smile on her face.
“Are you sure you should go for a run?”Chrissy asked from her upside-down yoga position.
“I need to move,” Wave replied.
“Sure, but maybe do some yoga with me instead of running.You know, a high heart rate might not be the best for now.”She was clearly worried, and Wave sat on the floor next to her.
“And you mean to tell me that whatever that is,” Wave pointed at Chrissy’s twisted body, “is less straining than a jog around the park?”
“Well, obviously, you’d start with beginner stuff.I’m thinking you’d benefit from some limbering, considering the number of men I saw marching in and out of your room.”She giggled and lost her posture, smoothly rolling down and then up to her feet.
“I’m very limber, thank you very much,” Wave replied and demonstrated by straightening her legs and grabbing her knees with an exaggerated moan.
“So, tell me,” Chrissy said as she grabbed Wave’s wrists and pulled her into a proper stretch, “have they already gotten over the pampering and worry phase and moved into anger and lecturing?”
