“At least it’ll be somewhat smooth now,” Cobalt said. “You know, since it’s bare as a baby’s ass.”
Eyes flickered to me, and I flushed. “Sorry,” I murmured.
“Don’t be,” Raiden said, stepping up to my side and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Whatever was going on today, Silence will think twice about our strength. Even if that’s not inherently a good thing, it’s also a good thing.”
I sighed. That’s what I was afraid of. Yes, they’d see that we’re a lot fucking stronger than they give us credit for. But I now just put a target on all storms’ heads. We are a force to be reckoned with. I mean, not only did we take out all their little henchmen, but we basically just stripped a mountain clean of everything.
Guilt settled in my chest again. Especially as I watched Kohara being helped to his feet. He staggered, grunting from how much he hurt. Tempest too, his hand on his side as he scowled at the ground. Taranis didn’t look worse for the wear, but he also didn’t wear a shirt to keep his blisters from being irritated.
I took a shaking breath and headed along the path following Astro. Guilt was heavy but that also fed into the ever-growing anger that hadn’t left me since Essen’s murder. It was already personal with my sister’s death. But now it was fucking intimate.
Ineededto do something.
Hadley
It tooka long time for us to reach the bottom of the mountain. It was slow going with Kohara and Tempest’s injuries, especially since neither were willing to be carried. Although, by the time we reached the bottom, Kohara was pale and sweating. I think if Saar had really pushed it about an hour ago, he’d have given in.
Since we’d lost the majority of our belongings in the storms we created, we folded down the back seat in Saar’s car to lay Kohara and Tempest with a bunch of pillows and blankets. I was sure that under normal circumstances, they might have argued.
But right now they hurt and were tired.
Raiden rode with his brother and the injured husbands.
“We’ll meet you at your house,” Hadrian called. Miller agreed. But Anakin said he was heading home and that they’d stop by when we’ve had a chance to rest.
The ride home was quiet. I was in a car with Zilan and Aratiri. We didn’t talk as we unnecessarily squished into the front seat, needing to feel each other. No words were shared, just body heat.
The drive took longer since Saar drove slowly, not wanting to cause too much unnecessary movement with our precious cargo. We remained on a conference call for the entire ride, connecting our four vehicles. And still, only silence passed between us.
When we arrived home, Gale, Raiden, and Bronte headed to the third floor where they shoved all the furniture in the big living area between the four bedrooms so that it was all pressed against a wall. They then hauled out all four mattresses from the bedrooms and pushed them together against a corner, covering them in blankets, pillows, and anything else soft.
Saar and Raiden helped Kohara shower. Bronte and Nephele helped Tempest get cleaned. And I helped Taranis. I didn’t think he needed help, but I needed to feel him. Then again, I think he spent more time washing me than he let me run soap over him.
It was a quiet, tender moment we shared as my fingers brushed over his skin, being extra gentle and careful on his back. The way he touched me was almost reverent as he stared at me under the spray of water. I might have shed a few more tears as the fear finally slipped away. But I had plausible deniability since we were under the shower.
We brushed our teeth as Taranis air dried and we made our way out of Saar’s bathroom. He didn’t put any clothes on but I grabbed a t-shirt and shorts from Saar’s closet as we walked through it.
Tempest was already on the bed, curled up and eyes closed with Bronte wrapped around him tightly, careful not to touch his injury.
Taranis dropped onto the mattress, not caring in the least that there were Malaks and Nashs in the room. The man had no shame. I also didn’t think he even realized he was naked. It's just what he did.
He dragged himself further up the bed and he stopped at Bronte’s back, shifting so he could curl there, his arms and legs slung over Bronte. I arranged blankets but then paused as Saar helped Kohara to the bed.
Koh didn’t drop like Taranis did. He moved much slower. Stiffly. Crawling up the bed to lay down with a deep sigh. I wrapped him in blankets next.
“Come here, wife,” Kohara said, lifting his arm and the blankets for me to slide in. I bit my lip, not wanting to hurt him. Wanting to help… do something. But when he opened his stormy eyes to look at me, I nodded and wedged myself between him and Tempest.
He settled, his hand pushing under my shirt to splay across my bare skin. He sighed into my hair, taking a deep breath and pressing his lips to my head.
“Are you alright? Do you need anything?” I asked.
“No, Had. Just lay here with me. Okay?”
I nodded, turning in his arms to press my face to his chest. Gently, of course. Words were on the tip of my tongue, wanting to tell him I was so scared. That I tried to act quicker. That I was sorry. But I knew he needed sleep. Not conversation. And I knew that it would turn into him and others reassuring me and that’s not at all what I wanted.
So instead, I closed my eyes and listened to the murmurs around the room. More of my men curled up on the beds with us. Eventually, there was a head on my ass, and another body wrapped around my legs. Blankets were piled high as the sun set outside, bathing the room in a soft orange glow that lulled me into an exhausted sleep.
* * *
