Zane’s voice fills my mind next.
Are you alright?
I feel the words rather than hearing them, and the direct contact nearly makes me jump out of my skin. Concern stitches within the interaction in a way I don’t want to acknowledge.
Stiffening, I realize he could feel my shift in mood. Of course he did.
“I’m fine,” I mutter under my breath, even though he can’t hear it. The bond hums again in silent question, persistent and annoying. Admittedly, more endearing than it has any right to be.
I scowl at myself anyway.
Stop that.
A moment later, he responds right back before going quiet again.No promises.
Trying to mentally block him out again, I take a deep breath and focus on my surroundings.
The last thing I need right now is him making a habit of checking on me like I’m something he needs to take care of.
Even if a small part of me doesn’t entirely hate it.
Chapter 19 - Zane
The fire crackles loud enough to drown out most of the noise, and that’s probably the only reason this works despite the tension from before.
If we were all just standing around in silence, staring at each other like we had the other day, this get-together would’ve fallen apart before it could even really start.
Instead, there’s movement, familiar voices, and something in the air that feels mostly normal, aside from the glaringly obvious problem preventing this from being any different from our usual outings.
I lean back in my chair in the circle around the fire with a drink in my hand I haven’t touched in a while, watching as the others fall into something familiar. After the way they confronted me the other day, this feels much easier.
“Alright, I’ve decided you cheated,” Isaac says accusingly while barely resisting the urge to throw the cards in his hands.
“I didn’t cheat,” Dominic replies, completely unfazed, with a subtle grin on his face. “I just know what I’m doing.”
“You absolutely did. There’s no way you could beat me every round.”
“That just sounds like a skill issue, my friend,” he returns while gathering the deck up again.
Isaac scoffs. “You were definitely hiding a card or something.”
Eve snorts beside him, nudging his shoulder. “You’re just mad you lost.”
“I didn’t lose; I was robbed.”
“Same difference,” Dominic mutters. Then, he glances briefly at Eve, and his lips pull faintly while he easily shuffles the cards between his hands. “You should take some tips from your sister…she also knows what she’s doing.”
“Damn right I do,” she returns with her chin up and a proud smile. Then her gaze narrows slightly in Dominic’s direction. “And quit looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
She huffs out a vaguely annoyed breath, but fails to keep her own amusement from creeping up to the surface. “Never mind, just deal.”
Dominic chuckles to himself, always the most pleased with himself when he can tease Eve and get under her skin. Knowing him, he likes how easily she reacts to him, and he wasn’t very subtle when asking if she would be joining us. He didn’t even bother to ask about Isaac.
Luke shakes his head, obviously used to this by now, while Caleb just watches with quiet amusement. Hunter’s off to the side, quieter than usual but not as tense as earlier, and Zeke’s leaning back, looking like he’s enjoying the show. He has always been one to get in on the fun.
For a moment, it almost feels like it did before everything got complicated. Before Naia, the bond, and before all of this started piling up.
