“Could all of you please stop acting like a bunch of wolves?” I asked as we got in line for the buffet.
“Not wolves,” Taroc said as he cut in front of my men and slipped in behind me. “Dogs.”
“Hey!” Kel huffed. “Rude.”
Taroc cast a smirk over his shoulder at Kel. “Act like a dog, get treated like one.” He pointed at Kel and said, “Stay.”
“Even more rude!” Keltyr crossed his arms. “You'd better watch it, Tytra. If you end up in our group, I'll be able to sneak up on you while you're sleeping.”
“Youwill never be able to sneak up onme, even if I were passed out drunk in the entry hall.”
Xaedren chortled. “For that alone, I'll excuse you cutting in front of me.”
“Are you seriously taking his side over me, your fellow lover-in-arms?”
“What did you just call yourself?” Rath gaped at Kel.
“Lover-in-arms. It's like brother-in-arms but more intimate.”
“Never use that term again,” Xae said.
“What's wrong with it?”
“Having sex with me is not a battle,” I said.
“With those two,”—Kel jerked his thumb at Rath and Xae—“it can be.”
I just shook my head and let Rath and Xae deal with Kel. Maybe it was unfair of me. But I was hungry.
I filled my plate, grabbed a mug of water, and went to our table. Nex was already there, on the bench closest to the wall, so he was facing the room. And by room, I mean Evina. He had the sort of smile a man wore when he was looking at something he liked and didn't know anyone was watching him. He probably didn't even know he was smiling.
“Nex?” I set my plate down a space over from him so Rath could sit between us. “Hey, Nex!”
“Huh?” Nex looked over at me just as Rath sat down.
Rath shook his head. “Leave him alone, Ember.”
“What? I wasn't about to pull a Kel or anything.”
Taroc, who had taken the seat on my right, snorted a laugh. “He's made you into a verb, Keltyr. And it fits.”
“Ha-ha.” Kel rolled his eyes as he and Xae sat down across from us. “For your information, I'm flattered by that.”
“Of course, you are.” Rath rolled his eyes.
“How long are the acrobats going to be here?” I asked Nex.
“Why do you want to know?” Xaedren growled.
“Oh, for fuck's sake, Xae. Tell your wolf to simmer down.” I huffed, then looked over at Nex expectantly.
“Oh, uh, just till tonight. They're going to work with the kids, do a show in a bit, then they'll help the kids put on a performance later before they do a final show.”
“Nice.”
“Yeah, if it goes well, we may bring them back again.”
“Well, construction should start soon in Fress,” Rath said, “We don't know how much longer the children will be here.”
