“How well can you read magic?” Calix countered.
Akello smiled. “Let’s have a conversation over these knives later, hm?”
Calix nodded, but he didn’t share Akello’s smile. His eyes were still narrowed, his shoulders tense. He was angry.
I understood that. The more we learn, the more dangerous this game becomes. When you love eleven people with everything in you, you have a lot to lose. And I couldn’t lose any one of them.
We needed the game to end while we were all still whole.
Bronte
We saw moreof Yonbe over the next week than I think I had in the last year. My family and I didn’t leave the top floor or the bed much. As much as I’d like to say it was filled with sexy time, it wasn’t. While Tem and Koh were feeling better, they were still tired and sore. Tara was achy as well, though Raiden seemed fine once the magic was off his skin. But then, he hadn’t been stuck under the net as long as Tara had been. Maybe it was the length of time exposure that upped the ante.
Which made sense. If you’re going to incapacitate your captive, you’re going to need to increase the pressure more and more until they’re down and out. Tara was about at that point.
Then again, maybe it was in response to the victim’s fight. Tara was certainly trying to get out of it on his own. Trying to fight the effects. Whereas Raiden wasn’t because he has something like an allergic reaction to magic, his fight was already basically out of him.
Anyway, while we lounged around sticking close to each other, Yonbe fed us and cleaned around us. When he left the room for the fourth time on the eighth day we were holed up together, I said, “I think he needs a raise.”
“Agreed,” Saar said. “When we’re moving around again, I’ll up his pay by 15%.”
“That’s a very generous raise,” Hadley noted. “I’ve never gotten more than four or six at a time.”
“Then you’re not as appreciated as you should be,” Aratiri said.
“Hm,” Hadley answered, closing her eyes again.
After a few minutes, Kohara got to his feet and stretched. “Okay, I need a break from laying down. My muscles are decaying. I can physically feel it.”
I snorted, not moving from where I had my face buried into Saar’s ribs.
“I’ll go with you,” Gale said through a yawn.
Wordlessly, Raiden and Notus followed.
“I think I’m going to shower,” Taranis said, rubbing his face. “Or go to the gym? I don’t know. I need to get up and move, too.”
He stretched his back as he moved, grimacing. When he paused at the door, leaning against it before continuing, Nephele and Aratiri followed him out. I was glad that we didn’t need to speak to know that we were always going to take care of each other.
A minute later, Zilan got up as well and headed for the stairs without a word. No idea what he was doing. Probably just needed a break from laying in bed. Yeah, I got that. And yet, I just wanted to lay here pressed against Saar’s side. Hadley was on his other side with Tem pressed against her back.
Since I’d been so irritated and unable to keep the growing aggravation inside without it seeping into my words, I’d been pretty quiet. While I knew life wasn’t exactly fair, I was drowning in my anger over how unjust this was.
We were literally doingnothing. Not a threat to anyone, human or supernatural. What the fuck had we done to even have caught their attention? How had they found us? I can’t imagine that it was by coincidence since they came prepared for twelve storm monsters. But that still didn’t explain how they knew where we’d be.
“I can feel you grimacing,” Saar said, his fingers stroking through my hair.
“I’m not,” I said, though he was probably right. No idea. “Just thinking.”
“Loudly and filled with anger,” he said.
I sighed. “Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. As long as you know that you’re not to do anything stupid.”
Snorting, I shook my head. “No. I wouldn’t do that. I can’t bear to be parted from you, so leaving to do something would be horrible.”
“Good,” Tem said, his hand reaching across to stroke my face. When I met his eyes, he smiled heatedly. “You know, I have an idea what might take your mind off things for a while.”
