Steam rose from the sky-blue cup she held in the kitchen’s doorway. With her lips parted, she looked us up and down, up and down. Whatever spun in her mind, it slunk down her throat as she swallowed.
Leaning down, she scratched her chin, and the oversized t-shirt—unmistakably Gedeon’s—rose up her bare thighs. The few ceiling lights still on illuminated the muscles she’d put on by spending countless hours in our training rings.
Those long legs… I salivated.
“Little death,” Gedeon greeted her.
She lifted her chin. The sea of healing wounds on her face and above her chest demanded attention. “No.”
He smiled. “No?”
Kali blew the steam swirling above what probably was the herbal tea Eislyn had developed an addiction to long ago. “You heard me.”
His jaw feathered.
She was in big, big trouble.
“There you are,” a familiar voice piped up.
Together with Gedeon, we twisted toward the other side of the hallway.
Storming over to us, Jayla flicked her ginger braid over her shoulder. “I want my favor, Gedeon.”
I let the basement door slam shut. “He has more important stuff to attend to. Come back tomorrow.”
“First of all”—Jayla folded her arms, her yellow dress crinkling—“I’m not talking toyou. And second”—she scrunched up her freckled nose—“you really need a shower. You reek of blood.”
“Thank you.” Backing away from her, I made a come-hither motion at Gedeon. “But go pester Ava for favors tonight.”
If steam could rise from someone’s ears, it would’ve from Jayla’s, based on her murderous expression.
Ooh, I should bring a pot of boiling water to pour into the hole Ezra’s ear had become for our next session.
“Do you know how long it took me to cut enough colored paper to fill that jar of confetti you gifted to Conall?” Jayla sputtered. “By hand?”
With the slash of her grumbles, the general mood plummeted. The news of what had occurred during our trip had clearly missed her.
“Ahm.” Kali stared into her tea, her eyebrows furrowed so hard two creases had emerged between them.
Gedeon rubbed his face. “I will take care of this.” He gestured to his study’s door. “Come on,” he told Jayla.
But the instant that door closed, I turned to Kali studying me. Her nipples peeked out through the thin cotton fabric, and her mouth opened to probably spew a protest?—
“I’m starving.” For those mouth-watering thighs to clench around my head. For her little whimpers. Because she didn’t scream every time, not by far, hoarding her melodic outcries for the last of the line of orgasms we’d put her through. “Let me take a bite of you.”
“Zion,no.” She pointed a finger at me as I began my prowl toward her. “I said no.”
“Hmm.” Nearing the end of the hallway, I mused, “TwoNosmake aYes.”
She shuffled away from the kitchen. “Not if you can’t catch me.”
55
KALI
Imanaged to take three steps before veiny arms encased my midriff.
“Zion,” I squeaked as he lifted me off the floor, spinning us around?—
