Chapter 24
Amara
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Aseries of soft clickshas me burrowing deeper into my pillow with a groan. But when said pillow grumbles its protest and drags me closer? Everything from last night comes crashing back and my eyes fly open to find Kodiak within striking distance, grinning like the cat that caught the canary.
“Yep, this is my new wallpaper. Too fucking adorable.” Tapping a button on his cellphone, Kodi tucks it into his back pocket. “Sleep well, firefly? Or did our fearless leader keep you up all night?” He waggles his eyebrows suggestively, his smile only broadening as I flip him off.
Last thing I remember, Raiden and I were watching a movie on the couch, him working from his phone, and me trying to get my mind off of everything. At some point we must have both passed out; him sliding down enough to use the armrest as a pillow, and me giving his stomach the same treatment. If I were a better person, I might apologize for the drool puddle that’s likely turned his belly button into a pool beneath his shirt, but I’m too tired to waste energy on being embarrassed.
Raiden’s fingers flex, tangled possessively in my hair over my mark. “If I’d kept her up all night, trust me, you’d have heard. Keep instigating, Kodiak, and I’ll have no choice but to make her scream my name in your bed. Don’t play games you aren’t prepared to lose,bràthair.“
Dark blue eyes flash dangerously as they settle on me, obvious in his languid perusal. “Lucky for you, I know how to play nicely with others.” A slow, wicked smirk twists the corner of his mouth. “Embracing that spirit, how about a group date today?”
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Raiden massages hisfingertips over the back of my head and neck, nearly putting me right back to sleep. It takes a solid effort to stay conscious for the conversation, but I perk up with interest at Raiden’s skeptical tone. “You’re willing to give up your alone time with Amara without a fight? What are you playing at, Kodi?”
“You wound me, bossman. And here I was, benevolently including you in my evil plan of showing our lovely mate the fun of team building exercises.” He saunters out of the room, tossing a wink over his shoulder. “I’ve waited several lifetimes for you, firefly. I can be patient a little longer.”
***
“Is this... Hell?”
The glass doors close behind us, the unfiltered shrieks of children coming from every which way. Kids are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, and parents are sitting around tables in the lobby looking about two seconds away from throwing themselves in front of a bus. Off to the right, the concession stand helps mask the scent of sweat with cheap pizza and popcorn, and I blink up at Stone while Kodiak buys the four of us our wristbands to get in.
“He’s punishing us for something, isn’t he?”
Stone looks around with a grimace. “Seems like it. Maybe if you ask nicely, Raiden will fake a heart attack. I could put the doctor card to good use.”
My lip twitches, but it turns into a resigned sigh as I catch sight of Raiden watching all of the chaos with a nostalgic smile. Surveying the scene from a different angle, I try to see past the pandemonium to find the appeal. Beyond the lobby are different zones; one with people throwing themselves at padded walls and bouncing back onto the buoyant floor, a group in the middle of trampoline dodgeball, another playing basketball. The ages increase the more I crane my neck until I see teenagers and young adults lined up down one path.
There’s a method to the madness, it’s just easy to miss when everything is a sensory overload of epic proportions.
Passing out paper wristbands, Kodi guides us to the small anteroom lined with lockers and checks his key, searching the row for the one he rented. “Your version of Hell is an obstacle course?”
Stone wavers a hand in front of him. “An eternity of exercise surrounded by screaming children? Yeah, kind of.”
It’s hard not to smile. For being ancient dragons, they’re pretty down to earth. “Is this supposed to be a metaphor? Overcoming all of the obstacles I actually have the power to?”
Kodi snorts, joining me as I take a seat beside Raiden to stuff my feet into the grippy socks. That should have been my first clue that something was wrong; anyone that thinks I can survive this, let alone make it to the finish line, is certifiably insane.
“You vastly overestimate me, but I love that you think I'm that deep. No, I actually assumed you might be feeling pretty flighty after that bullshit yesterday, and this would help scratch the itch to run. Plus, you'll be too exhausted to overthink and will sleep like a log tonight.” He hops up, bouncing on the balls of his feet in black sweatpants and a navy t-shirt like a rebel for a change, adding a splash of ‘color’ to his wardrobe. “And if not, I’m happy to keep you company all night.”
Tucking the ends of my sleeves into my gloves out of habit, I pause. I’ve been doing better easing into the idea at the house, running around in a t-shirt for a couple hours here and there, and skipping the gloves more often than not. But in a crowd? While theoretically Kodi is the only threat anymore, my gloves are my security blanket that curb the potentially crippling anxiety from overwhelming me.
I don’t need them.
Not entirely sure if I’m talking about the gloves or the guys, I carefully peel them back off and toss them in the locker with the rest of our stuff.
“Are you sure you weren’t just looking for an opportunity to show off?”
Kodi leads the way back to the main area teeming with far too many people. “That depends, will you think I’m obnoxious or endearing if I admit the truth?”
