One of the things I loved most about Zeke was that he didn’t care what anyone thought of him. If he felt like being corny with his Nexus, that’s what he did. Zane rubbed his head, mean-mugging his brother. "That’s what I just said, asshole."
Dad cracked a small smile. I felt my heart warm because it didn’t seem like something he did often.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get the pick of the litter, but I don’t swing that way.” Chloe pursed her lips in sympathy. “If it’s any consolation, I plan on being around as much as possible.”
Dad let out a small chuckle. I loved Chloe Moon. It really was a tragedy that neither of us was at least bi-curious.
We heard screams coming from the direction of the barn. I slapped a hand to my forehead because I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten the fortified bunker Grumpy and Pop had designated as our safe house when I was little. Taking off at a run, I didn’twait for anyone else or pause to explain. My parents must have taken shelter there.
Grumpy had drilled us on the escape procedure he’d implemented in case of an attack. He knew they couldn’t fight the more powerful Dark Factions with their diminishing abilities. Mom was key in its creation, using what was left of her earth ability to form an impenetrable space underground. She disguised the entrance so well that nobody but us could find it. They had stocked it with food and other supplies, allowing us to stay there for as long as we needed.
How in the hell could I have forgotten it?
When I was cresting the hill about two hundred yards behind our house, I was met by Rubbish, who jumped from the ground onto my shoulder, chattering in annoyance at me for not slowing my pace. He was upset about the fire and angry that I hadn’t come to see them sooner. It was amazing that I could interpret his growls and squeaks, but the urgent need to see my parents didn’t allow me to enjoy the moment.
I stopped abruptly when I saw three figures emerge, running toward me. Rubbish leaped from my shoulder and darted away, jumping onto the back of a large wolf that was keeping pace with Grumpy.
My eyes welled with tears, and I started running again.
I felt someone rush past me and saw that my dad had overtaken me. He was running so fast that all I could see was a blur heading towards my mother.
When I caught up to them, I saw Dad kneeling and holding my crying mother tightly. Grumpy and Pop looked on, frozen in shock at the sight of their missing faction brother.
Suddenly, I saw a bright white light surrounding them, and they began to glow. All their heads snapped back, and their eyes closed. The look on their faces was nearly euphoric. The lightslowly faded, and they opened their eyes, staring at one another in amazement.
I watched tears streaming down their faces and couldn’t contain my panic. “What happened? Is everyone okay?
Mom smiled at me in joy, “Our bond with Sly was renewed. With Sly and Mira’s return, I have gained two pieces of my heart that were missing.”
“I can feel you.” Dad was smiling through tears. He sniffed her hair. Closing his eyes, he murmured,“Lavender.”
They both held each other for a few minutes more. Then Mom tilted her head back and looked at him in question. “Is my Rue alive too?”
It was painful to see the hope on her face die when tears began running down Dad’s face.
“I’m so sorry, my Nexus, I just don’t know. I’ve looked for him for years but wasn’t successful in my search.” He hung his head in shame.
Mom grabbed his face, forcing him to meet her eyes. “It’s not your fault, and I won’t have you believe otherwise. You were returned to me, so we must have faith that Rue will, too.”
Mom wiped the tears from her face and helped Dad to his feet. Grumpy and Pop both pulled him into a hug. It was something I never thought I would get to see.
I felt Nathan and Oren step up on either side of me. “Let’s give them some privacy, and I’ll see if I can collect food and drinks. We can set up an area in the barn to eat and decide where we go from here.” Oren kissed the top of my head.
It was nice to have someone, or in my case, several someones, to lean on at times like this.
“Sounds like a plan,” I smiled, my heart overflowing with joy.
Chapter 8
Reverie
We entered the barn and Chloe and Zeke helped me arrange hay bales in a circle. Zane and Jet cleared the old wooden table in the corner and placed it in the center of the bales.
I felt a heated gaze as I stood looking critically at our setup. Glancing in that direction, I saw Nathan stalking toward me. The look on his face made my panties immediately damp and my heart skipped a beat. I’d missed my psycho with every particle of my being, and I wanted to have him inside me sooner rather than later.
It looked like he had the same idea.
Before Nathan could reach me, Oren grabbed his arm. Nathan looked at him in confusion, his expression changing abruptly to outrage right before they teleported out.
