Slamming the door behind me, I race through the house and almost sprint for upstairs, but decide against it. It would leave me trapped with only a second story window for escape, and I highly doubt that I could manage to shift before crashing to the ground. Changing course, I head for the front door, hesitating with my hand on the knob.
Ultimately, I throw that idea out as worse than upstairs. Even if I can protect myself better now and no one has given us any issues since Ben started frequent visits a few weeks ago, it’s fucking cold out there.
Snow is the bane of my existence.
Kahl’s footsteps grow louder as he opens the basement door and I tear up the stairs, still a better option than going outside. I scan the four doors, quickly weighing my options. Faye, Ben, and Kins are in Ezra’s old room and Eli’s is occupied by the others. That leaves only the bathroom and library, which makes my choice far easier.
Kinsley cracks open the door and peeks his face out at the sudden thundering footsteps. “Where’s the fire?”
“Keep away, a little more than four minutes left,” I rush out, and he chuckles.
“What did you steal from him?”
Sprinting to the end of the hallway past the two bedrooms and bathroom, I hastily open the door as Kahl’s steps grow louder. “Me.”
Chuckling softly, Kins shakes his head. “Not a smart move, stealing from a dragon, love.”
Winking, I slam the door and flip the lock. The largest bedroom in the house, it was converted into a library after their parents died. A couch and various chairs litter the center space, offering ample seating for everyone to lounge around here instead of the living room if they wish. Shelves wrap around the room, bracketed directly onto the walls, and they’re nearly full. The highest one holds assorted beautiful knick knacks, sentimental reminders of their parents, and only the shelf nearest the floor still has any empty space. It won’t be long before we’re going to need to figure out a way to add onto the room for more space.
The door rattles as he tries it, cursing because there’s no way he’d break it unless it was an emergency. So now he’s going to have to waste more time picking the lock while I just soak up an easy victory.
That is, until it clicks open far sooner than I anticipated. Kahl leans against the doorframe with a broad grin, flipping his knife shut and tucking it back into his pocket. “I win.”
Scoffing, I adjust my stance, preparing to sprint. “Hardly. Haven’t caught me yet.”
He raises an eyebrow in challenge. “You don’t have anywhere to run; you boxed yourself in.”
I shrug a single shoulder. “Should be easy for you then.”
He takes a step forward while I take one to the side, putting the overstuffed couch between us. As he takes another to my right, I take one to the left. He narrows his eyes, clearly seeing that I’m just planning to circle until I have a clear shot to the door while he’s blocked by the furniture.
“You’re just going to wait down the clock, aren’t you?” he accuses with faux indignation.
Licking my lips, I hold my palms upward, shrugging again, all ‘what ‘ya gonna do?’ He tests the water by taking a half step back, seeing if I’m going to continue to mirror him reflexively, but I just take one back as well to annoy him.
“I’m not nearly stupid enough to think I could outrun someone that spent his toddler years doing sit ups like a psychopath.”
A laugh bursts from his lips and a genuine smile takes over his face as he kicks the door shut, making it that much harder if I actually make it. “Who has time for naps when there are pull ups to be done?”
“We really need to discuss your priorities one of these days,” I tease, bolting as he feigns a step forward before changing direction.
We end up on opposite arms of the couch, his back to the shelves and mine to the solitary window. The door is just to my right, but there’s no way I’d be able to make it with him having just as clear of a shot.
“What’s there to discuss?” he challenges playfully, leaning forward to grip the arm of the couch, fingers digging into the fake leather. “Take care of my mate and my family. Seems like I have all of my priorities in order. Exercising is just a part of that, and working the forge another.”
Leaning an elbow on the back of the couch across from him, I rest my cheek on my open palm casually. “You didn’t put yourself anywhere on that list. You’re so busy taking care of everyone else, you always forget about making sure you get what you need.”
He pauses, smile fading away as he processes my words. “As long as everyone’s happy, so am I.”
Face softening, I push just a bit more. “When’s the last time you did something just for yourself? Something completely selfish that does nothing more than make you happy? Doesn’t need to make money, or get something done. A hobby, or hell, just doing nothing but listen to music and going for a walk without worrying who’s going to handle dinner.”
His brow furrows, thinking over my words. But the whole point of this game was to get him out of his head, so I let the words hang for him to consider later.
“A minute left,” I warn him, pulling him back before he gets lost down the rabbit hole. His face changes in an instant as he smirks, and with predatory grace, uses his grip on the couch to launch himself across it. “Oh shit!”
I only make it a step back before he tackles me, twisting on the way down and palming the back of my head to make sure I don’t get hurt as we slam into the ground. The carpeting helps cushion some of the impact, but it’s far from a soft landing.
“I win,” he murmurs into my hair, holding me against him as we lie on our sides, my face buried into his collar.
