I’m not cut out for this stuff.
Moving on to the next room, the bedroom is absolutely filled with Legos. There are various creations spanning the entire room and bins of the things pushed beneath the bed. Taking some pieces off of various parts of the massive labyrinth, I stick them in random spots, enough to be noticeable at first glance when Eli sees it. Smiling to myself, I’m happy he’s managed to hold onto that much of his childhood despite everything he’s been through.
Pushing the giant tote bin ahead of me, I move onto the next room, smaller than the last bedroom. There’s a faint charcoal scent to the space, and monochromatic colors everywhere. It’s pristine to the point of obsession, which makes this perfect. Hefting the bin onto the bed, I tip it over the footboard, an avalanche of Legos assaulting the space. For good measure, I stuff a few handfuls inside the pillow case before jumping off of the bed, the wood panel squeaking beneath my foot.
Careful of my step, I brush some of the building blocks away so that I can kneel down, pushing against the board. It groans again as I frown, recognizing the signs of a hiding spot well. As much as I know it’s none of my business, I can’t resist the pull of curiosity, prying the wood up.
Briefly, I consider how dumb it is to stick my hand into the dark space, knowing anything could be hiding inside of it. But no one would stow something like a tarantula or a hornet’s nest beneath the bed; that space is reserved for sex toys or secrets.
The back of my fingers brush against something cool and smooth and I flinch back before tentatively reaching back inside, practically shoulder deep at this point. Yanking my hand out just as quickly, I unfurl my fingers to reveal several small, smooth stones in various colors sitting on my palm.
Sitting down with my back resting against the side of the bed, I trace a finger over the white veins on the amethyst one, moving on to the speckled blue and grey one next. They’re mesmerizing, each one uniquely beautiful, and have a calming effect; like meditating out in the middle of nature.
“What was that cr-“ Kaiden demands with breathless worry like he just sprinted up the stairs, storming into the room. I don’t even look up, attention rapt on the tranquil little stones.
“Shit,” Kinsley breathes quietly, him and Kahl joining their brother.
“Saige, love,” Kahl starts slowly, sidling closer before crouching in front of me. “Why don’t you put those back and I can show you the ridiculous thing Kins came up with?” he suggests, keeping his voice low and even.
My lips curl back in a snarl as he starts reaching to take the stones from me, my fingers snapping closed around the rocks and clutching them to my chest. I hiss in his direction, attempting to slide away, yet the bed blocks any escape and my heart rate spikes, feeling suddenly caged and defensive.
“There are some lines you just can’t cross,” he continues, unperturbed by my reaction. “Hurting people is a big one, but stealing from someone’s hoard is above that on the list. The last thing any of us wants is a flight of dragons destroying the city in a fit of rage. You think Ezra’s bad enough as she is, but you haven’t seen what hell will happen if you break into a mated man’s house and steal from him. Trust us, angel, you need to put those back.”
He reaches for me slowly, but as soon as his hand wraps around mine, I start struggling. Before he can blink, I kick out at his shin, knocking him off balance in surprise. Scrabbling back onto the bed, I roll to the other side and land in a crouch, slowly rising up and eyeing them warily.
“Kaiden.” Kahl states the single word and nothing more.
In the next moment I watch as Kahl reaches into the pit, withdrawing a handful of stones and holding my gaze as he stuffs them into his pocket. I barely even register moving, halfway across the bed as I launch myself at him to try and get them back, anything to keep him from taking them.
Kaiden’s arms band around me, plucking me out of the air and keeping my arms trapped against my chest. Bucking, I attempt to hook my foot around his ankle and throw myself backwards, but he doesn’t so much as budge. Kinsley is suddenly in front of me, apologizing profusely as he pries my fingers open and steals the stones back from me, him and Kahl tossing them back into the pit before putting the loose floorboard back into place.
As soon as it’s clear that it’s safe, that even if I can’t hold them, no one is trying to take them away, the fight starts to leave my body. Sagging in defeat, I lean into Kaiden’s touch, but he doesn’t slacken his grip, assuming it’s a trick.
“What the hell was on those things? Was I just roofied by-” I stop mid rant, realization dawning on me and making my stomach somersault. “No. I don’t want my hoard to berocks!” My voice starts to rise, and my temper right along with it. “Those are fucking everywhere! I can’t finally be in a position to go outside just to have my goddamn weakness all over the damn place. No, no, no.”
Shaking my head in denial, Kinsley steps directly in front of me, palming my cheeks to stop me. “We can help train you to overcome knee-jerk reactions like that. With enough dedication, you can even get to the point where it doesn’t faze you unless you’re really rundown. And from what I saw, each of those stones aren’t regular gravel from the sidewalk. They’re pretty, unique ones. That just means you have good taste.”
Swallowing, I nod, accepting what he says at face value, even if it’s just stretched truths to make me feel better. But after losing complete control of my senses and body, I’m freaking out and shaken up. Knowing that there’s a way to keep that from happening again helps to prevent me from spiraling, so I desperately cling to his words. As they’ve proven, they’ll protect me even from myself. Rather than just trying to make me happy and let me run rampant, they help keep me in check, want to help me get to a spot where I can live with myself. They try so goddamn hard for my sake, that I owe them the same.
Breathless, I ask, “So, I hear you came up with something ridiculous?”
He pauses before leaning in to kiss me, his relief bleeding into his soft touch. “It’s not ridiculous, it’s perfect.”
Kaiden releases me slowly before spinning me, cupping both of my cheeks and tilting my face up to kiss my forehead, warm breath fanning across my face as he sighs. “I’m sorry I had to do that. We good?”
As much as I hate where his mind is at to ask that, I love his consideration. “More than good,” I assure him. “Thank you for keeping me from doing something I’d regret.”
The corner of his mouth twitches with the hint of a smile. “A real sacrifice to have you grinding your ass all over my crotch, really.”
Resting my head on his chest for a moment, I close my eyes, inhaling his familiar scent and using it to punch my dragon in the face. Hopefully the feral bitch will either settle the fuck down and go back to sleep, or she’ll channel that anger into hornier ways.
Kinsley takes my hand and leads me back downstairs as Kahl comments, “I’m surprised you had the balls to fuck with Ezra’s hoard too. It’ll be a miracle if she doesn’t burn all of our hair off on principle.”
Cringing at my failed assumptions, I debate the merits of running back upstairs to frantically clean up all of the Legos before they get home. This prank stuff is clearly not my forte and I’m better off just trying to stay out of everybody’s way from here on out. All of that seems suddenly far less important as I pull to an abrupt halt in the living room, glancing around in fascinated horror.
“But...why?”
There’s an obscene amount of sketches taped to all of the walls and furniture. Clowns in various colors or grayscale look back at me, their beady little eyes seeming to follow me when I move.
