‘Me too. You’ll be proud, though.I’ve already been up and scouted the next set of tunnels with my fancy mind magic.’
I ached to feel my lover’s emotions. His words came playful, but I couldn’t tell if that was fear masked or him barely holding on.
‘They’re empty,’he continued.‘I did the final set at the bottom as well. Also empty. I’ll have crews cleaning them out and repurposing them.’
‘Well done,’I said.
‘And on the not-as-well-done side of things,’Xan said.‘We have three people missing from the family. Erick Adler Michelson included.’
‘You’re using your mental powers again. Some won’t adjust, and they don’t belong in our family if they can’t accept you for who you are.’
Xan didn’t respond right away, and I picked up my pace.
‘Have I ever told you how much I love you?’Xan asked.
It didn’t matter how long we’d been together. Every time Xan told me he loved me, my heart still raced.‘You can show me next time we have Quinn between us.’
We went quiet, imagining. My dick stiffened, then wilted under pounding strides. Running with a hard-on wasn’t in the plan.
‘What’s on the table today?’Xan asked.
I told him what I knew. What we didn’t include was any preparation for Quinn’s trials tomorrow evening. Neither Xan nor I had any idea what we could do. The Abernathys had the cage around the raised ring pulled off. New lighting flooded the center while keeping the rest of the train station dark. The spotlight was literally on Quinn.
‘Keep her calm. Let her know we love her. We will get through this,’My lover promised.
I finished my final circuit around the building. Sweat dripped off me, dampening my new outfit. I let the magic heating me ease. I couldn’t do anything about the sweat.
‘Are you certain you won’t interfere?’I pressed.‘The ones who matter will be right beside you. One memory slipped in could change everything.’
‘No.’Xan’s mind voice grew hard.‘Even if I managed to make everyone believe what I wanted, it would only lead to more suspicion. Alex is just as capable of retaliating. I don’t want to get into a battle of wills with another mentalist while The Pit is filled with pawns we could hurt. I know I’ve been adjusting my code, but there are still some lines I will not cross.’
‘Understood,’I said.
‘I’ll watch and only interfere if absolutely necessary.’
My lover was repeating himself. He wasn’t secure in his decisions.‘Understood.’
‘It’s always one word with you,’Xan pouted in my mind.‘Kiss her for me.’
A command I would gladly follow.‘Understood.’
Xan’s annoyed grunt filled my mind before he left to focus on whatever was next for him, and I returned my attention to the Westwaters.
Ravana’s rooms were just inside the east wing of the Assembly Hall. I hadn’t even made it into the building before raised voices made my hackles rise. I reached for a sword definitely not buckled to my waist and darted into the building.
Quinn stood with coffee in one hand, the other raised like a shield. A cluster of women surrounded her. Except for Joe and me, no other man was in sight.
“Am I that upsetting?” A curvy woman with pink-tinted sandy hair asked.
“No!” Quinn almost dropped her coffee.
Brit grabbed it out of her hands. The pit fighter's gaze found mine, and she winked. I still didn’t relax.
“No, not at all!” Quinn flailed her hands. “I just… I have these trials coming up, and I don’t even know what I’m doing.”
“No excuses, kid.” Ravana dropped an apron over Quinn’s head. “You enjoyed our hospitality last night; you’ll enjoy this just as much.”
Quinn turned beet red.
