This is the man who I consider one of my brothers.
Shaking my head, I say, "I might be the calm, rational one but don’t mistake that for weakness. I won’t hesitate to kick your ass if you ever try to harm anyone in our group. Remember that.”
I walk away from him and up the stairs to check on Lana. I’m so proud of her for connecting with her powers today and I don’t want this issue with Ash to set her back in her training.
Knocking on our bedroom door, I call out to her, "Lana? Can I come in?"
"Sure, I don't own the place."
Ugh, not a good sign.
I enter and close the door behind me, making my way over to where she’s laying spread eagle on the large bed. Her hair is spread around her, still wet from her shower, and her skin is flushed, probably from stewing in her anger.
I sit on the edge of the bed and run my fingertips lightly up and down her forearm. "So, you connected with your powers today. I'm so proud of you, Little One."
She whips her head towards me, regarding me suspiciously. She probably assumed I would bring up Ash but I don’t want to push her if she isn’t ready. Besides, she was so happy for us when we unlocked our powers and I don’t think anyone has realized that they haven’t returned the favor.
A small smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah. I did. It was such a surreal feeling. Serenity said it's only a small sliver of my powers but hopefully I'll be able to pull more out soon."
"We all have to start somewhere. I know you'll excel and overtake all of us soon."
She moves her arm and pats the spot next to her. I leap onto the bed, excited to have a moment alone with her. As I settle in, I pull her body to mine and she quickly molds herself to my side with her head on my chest.
As she draws circles on my abdomen with her index finger, she says, "What if I don't surpass you all? What if I can't control my powers?"
Running my fingers through her damp hair, I answer, "I think that you won't stop trying until you master your powers. I think that you’ll surprise everyone, even yourself, with your tenacious nature. You're a force to be reckoned with. Don't ever doubt that."
"How do you always know what to say?"
Chuckling, I lower my head to kiss the top of her head. "You're my mate. I was meant for you, remember?"
I feel her grin against my chest before she tilts her head up, drawing me into her gorgeous eyes, which appear to have silver flecks in them now. As I run my hand against her neck and cheek, her eyes flutter shut and she sighs. "I love you, Hale. Thank you for being my rock."
Fuck. I will never grow tired of hearing those words come from her gorgeous lips.
"I love you too, Lana. We'll get through this. I promise you."
As she rests back against me, I continue running my fingers along her skin, thinking about what’s to come. We all need to be at our strongest so that if this dark Fae decides to show his face, we'll be ready. Ash needs to get his shit together and remember we’re all here to love and protect Lana.
As if sensing my thoughts, she says, "What if Ash doesn't want to do this anymore?"
Then he’d be the biggest fucking moron in all the realms.
Taking a moment to collect my thoughts before answering, I squeeze her to me. "Ash loves you, Lana. I think he's just struggling with figuring out how to share you with everyone and it’s still so new. He wants to feel wanted by you, just like the rest of us do. I think you guys need to have a talk when you feel ready."
"I didn't mean to hurt him," she admits softly.
"I know that, Little One. I'm sure he knows that too, deep down, but he's just being stubborn and needs to lick his wounds."
She yawns against my chest and I kiss the top of her head again. "Let's get some sleep and then we can tackle these problems tomorrow. I can't have a grumpy, sleepy mate on my hands. We already struggle to make coffee fast enough," I rib her lightly, wanting to make her smile.
She laughs and pokes my side. "I'm not a morning person, so what?"
"Sleep, Little One."
She snuggles further into my side and I sigh contentedly, taking this moment. Something inside me says they’ll be few and far between in the coming months.
Something dark is coming for us. I can feel it deep in my soul.
I'll protect her from whatever—or whoever—it is.
Chapter Twenty
Lana
I wake like a zombie after a long night of tossing and turning. Falling down the rabbit hole that my life has become. The moments of sleep I managed to get were interrupted by any slight movement from the guys. I'd be up in a heartbeat wondering if it was Ash, finally coming to bed, but no—the moody asshole camped out in the living area all night.
Does he even want this anymore? Will he walk out on me, on us? Could I handle that?
Gaia said we wouldn’t be able to bear being apart. Was that true? I guess, if our relationship keeps progressing as is, we’ll find out soon enough.
When we all go downstairs for breakfast, I’m not surprised to see him on the couch, his arm draped over his eyes, as still as a statue. I wonder if he's even still breathing.
Zedd puts out some milk and cereal on the kitchen island as we all take our seats on the stools. Other than the sound of me playing with my food, the whole house is eerily quiet as we eat in silence before going upstairs to dress in our leathers for the day, walking around on eggshells it seems.
The coffee isn’t strong enough this morning. I know I need to have a long, calm talk with Ash but I just don’t know when the right time for that is. I don’t want to start the day off with an argument and I'm almost positive it will turn into that.
Where’s the tequila when you need it?
The group remains quiet when Serenity appears to transport us to the training grounds. At the ominous silence in the air, she throws me a side-eyed, questioning glance, clearly asking what the fuck is going on.
I shrug in response. Your guess is as good as mine.
Today, we’re back in the original training area with the sparring mat and the weapons room to the side.
Serenity claps her hands together once, creating a loud echo in the open room. Placing her hands on her hips, she gives us all a stern, disappointed, 'mom' look. "I don't know what the fuck is going on with you all. I left a nice surprise in the house which should have helped you bond more." She pauses to sigh and roll her eyes dramatically. "How you guys managed to fuck that up is beyond me."
Fragile masculinity. That's what fucked it up.
She waits for one of us to say something but we all remain tight-lipped. I glance over at Ash, who just looks bored with the whole situation, and frown.
Serenity shrugs. "Okay, keep your shit bottled up. It'll serve nicely for today's sparring matches."
Choking on my spit like the elegant person that I am, I pat my chest and cough. "I'm sorry, did you say sparring matches? I don't think my ears are working."
A few of my men chuckle under their breath, which just makes Serenity roll her eyes again.
"Be careful, those are going to get stuck in the back of your head."