Bastian made his way over to the island as well, taking the seat next to Ronan. I leaned against the counter near Gabe, who began to prepare sandwiches for everyone.
My eyes swung to Steele, finding him at the dining room table, staring at me intently. Rather than letting his attention rattle me, I asked, “Are you going to join us for once, or are you just going to awkwardly sit over there and listen quietly?”
His eyes widened at the same time that he clasped his hands together on the table.
He’d shown he could be civil this morning, so perhaps this was the way forward for all of us. If he could be a kinder person now, and seemingly put the past behind him, I could attempt to do the same.
It didn’t erase our history, but something told me it would take all of us to forge a path forward, and I wouldn’t let anything get in the way of the promise of that future.
5
KIERAN
Of course,Steele still chose the seat at the very end of the kitchen island, leaving two chairs between Bastian and him. It was progress, though.
“Worried I’m going to kiss you or something?” Bastian asked, tilting his head with the question as he observed Steele. A second later he pursed his lips, making kissing noises.
My chest shook with the laugh I held in, soaking up the uncomfortable air radiating from Steele as his upper lip curled. “I’m more concerned about your blood obsession,” he muttered in response. “What if you like mine more than Kieran’s?”
A loud scoff sounded as Bastian visibly recoiled. “As if.”
I couldn’t help but preen a bit as both of their gazes swung to me, doing a small little hair flip and blowing a kiss to Bash. “He knows quality when he sees it.”
Perhaps it was a small dig, but old habits die hard. I couldn’t just beentirelynice to Steele from now on, and honestly, I didn’t want him to be sugary sweet to me either. It felt too odd. Banter, and digging at each other, was what we did.
Steele let out a chuckle and nodded for a few seconds. “So, I’m going to give you all a rundown of where our forces are before Kieran’s head grows too big for us all to fit in this room.”
I flipped him off, smirking. “Better hurry up then.”
It seemed he shared the sentiment of keeping the jabs going between us.Good.
The mood quickly turned somber and serious as he began, his arms crossing over his broad chest as his commanding tone held my full attention. “There are still several unstable patients in the medical center, but as of now, we’ve lost over forty lives. It would have been a hell of a lot more without Niz, and I will personally be thanking him when he wakes up. Because of all of you, and our forces, we tallied over two hundred deaths on Alfemir’s side, and my lieutenants were able to lead our forces into pushing the remainder into a retreat.”
Because of all of you.
My breath caught at the sentiment, a harsh reminder of what I had grappled with before coming down from my room. Gabe’s gaze jerked to me at the hitch in my breathing, concern shining in his vibrant, green eyes.
I mouthed, “I’m fine.”
“We should have slaughtered every single one of them while we had the chance,” Ronan rumbled, staring a hole into the counter as I looked at him in shock. The emotion was echoed by those around me, Gabe offering him an arched brow of surprise and Steele staring at him almost cautiously—as if his belief on who Ronan was as a person was being challenged.
While a vicious opponent, he wasn’t typically the bloodthirsty one of this group. Bastian clapped him on the shoulder, squeezing lightly. “We’ll get vengeance for Niz. Be patient.”
It dawned on me then, where this thirst for blood came from. I should have guessed, but I was too busy being thankful Niz had pulled through than taking the time to think about who had hurt him to begin with.
Steele’s throat cleared. “Actually, after I left Amelia at the medical center and before coming home last night, I inquired about the angel who injured him during the brief with my lieutenants.”
My interest was piqued, and once again, I was surprised that he even thought about the well-being of someone from our group. With a tight frown, he sighed before continuing, “The angel was killed and his sword was taken into custody. It’s sitting with all the other weapons that were recovered in our training room. It was noted that it seems to be made of a different material than other weapons.”
Ronan seemed to deflate, shoulders slumping and face falling as his palms flattened against the counter. He nodded in understanding before looking at Steele. “Thank you for that.”
Seeing the two of them being polite with each other made me wonder if there was magic at play here, transporting me to an alternate universe. That was the only option, right?
Steele gave him a sharp nod back before moving on. “Our weaknesses have been exposed, and we will be funneling more time and resources into ensuring our medical center is able to handle such an influx of injuries. Unless more healers find their ways into our ranks, though, our hands are tied. As for the entirety of the Rebellion camp, we have to face the hard truths that come from this battle.”
Gabe began passing out plates with our food on it as Steele continued, yet none of us made a move to eat.
“While our location is covered with magic, it’s never acted as a barrier to keep unwanted persons from actually entering the space if someone found their way into it. Now that they know our location, there’s nothing stopping them from coming back. The council is meeting today to decide if we have the resources to relocate the camp or if we need to hunker down and prepare for another attack.”
