It’s tempting to draw out my hurt over what’s happened between us, but I realize in this moment, that I can’t. Yeah, it seriously sucks that things have gone down the way that they have. But like Bastien said, if we’re going to make things work, we have to own our shit, fix the issues, and move on. Plus, I can’t lie, kissing him is a level of amazing I could seriously get used to.
I huff in resignation.
“Fine, you rein in your controlling bullshit, and I’ll put on my big girl panties and move past what’s happened,” I offer hesitantly.
“I can do that,” he agrees, and I can hear the smile in his tone.
He places a soft kiss on my shoulder, and the minute his lips connect with the runes there, I shiver at the contact.
“Something about you guys touching my runes fucks with my magic. It sets off a cyclone in my chest every time. I’m not sure what it means, but unless you want to find out right now, it’s probably best not to feed the tornado,” I tell him.
I can feel the vibration of his laughter in my chest, and it makes me feel warm and lighter.
“Alright, until I’m battle ready I’ll steer clear of your runes.”
I nod in agreement and absently trace his gorgeous tattoo with my eyes. His arms are wrapped around me as we ride back and I’m finally close enough to take in the details. I find a silhouette of a deer tucked into the trunks of the trees, and the stars are so life like I almost make a wish on one that’s falling. I feel like I’m staring at an incredible picture instead of ink in skin.
“I’ll take you there sometime,” Sabin tells me, catching my intense focus on his sleeve of tattoos.
“Where is this?”
“It’s here in Solace. It’s somewhere I love to go to just sit and sort things through. You may not know this, but I can be a bit serious and over think things sometimes. This is my place to sit and make sense of it all.”
I chuckle and lean back into Sabin’s chest. We both relax into each other and fall into a companionable silence as we make our way back to the stables.
34
Sabin laughs as we walk through the garage door into the kitchen.
“I like when you pout, it does great things for this," he tells me and runs his finger down my bottom lip. “Keep it up.”
“I will pout. I thought you were going to teach me what to do when they run.”
“And I will, just not today.”
I narrow my eyes and poke out my full bottom lip even more.
“You look more like a flirty Disney princess than the brooding badass you’re going for right now," Sabin tells me on a laugh.
I swat his shoulder incredulously, and he lunges toward me playfully. I dodge his attempt to manhandle me, and sprint around the corner to escape. I come to a screeching halt when I find a group of familiar and unfamiliar faces rising to their feet in the living room.
Sabin rounds the corner, not expecting me to be standing right there and slams into me from behind. He curses and grabs my hips to keep me from tumbling forward. He starts to ask me what I’m doing, but he follows my questioning gaze and takes in the same scene I’m staring at. He straightens stiffly, as he drops his hands away from my body.
“Elders. Paladin,” he nods and greets our new audience.
“Sabin, the boys are upstairs," Lachlan tells him in dismissal.
Sabin walks past me, and I catch his nervous glance. I see the same questions in his eyes that are currently in mine.
“What’s going on?” I ask no one in particular.
Keegan is on the opposite end of the couch from Lachlan. Aydin and Evrin are standing in front of armchairs, and Silva is leaning casually against the fireplace. I quickly observe how tense they all are and it puts me on edge.
Lachlan motions for me to come to him, and it’s not lost on me that no one has bothered to answer my question. I walk toward him, but I find myself stopping next to Aydin instead. Lachlan gives me an unidentifiable look, but it quickly disappears from his face as Aydin stands up and offers me his chair.
The paladin rearrange themselves, and I observe the strangers still standing in front of the other couch. Two of them have blank looks on their face, but the one in the middle has an odd look, something akin to satisfaction. I’m not sure what to make of that, so I turn my attention to the men standing guard behind the couch.
“Vinna I’d like to introduce you to the Elders Council.” Lachlan gestures to the short, stout man on the left. “This is Elder Balfour.”
