Twenty-Seven
Kai
I woke up with a start, my heart thundering in my chest as I gasped for breath, my lungs burning as they tried to draw in a full breath. I couldn't breathe. Was I still drowning? Without my coat, I couldn't swim as well, and I couldn't breathe underwater either. It felt like I was still underwater, even though I could feel the smooth, dry sheets under my feet.
"Hey, hey." Warmth and the scent of fire and ash surrounded me as a pair of big arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a wall of warm, cloth-covered skin. "Breathe, sweet Kai. Please breathe for me."
I sucked in a sharp breath and tried to match Ember's breathing as I wrapped my arms around him and clung to him, suddenly remembering everything that had happened after I'd been thrown into the water. Ember was barely more than a stranger, yet I felt safe in his arms, and I kept clinging to him as I caught my breath.
"Shh, you're safe, baby. You're safe." Ember's murmured words finally calmed me down, and my heart stopped trying to beat its way out of my chest. Had he just called me baby ?
With a trembling exhale, I loosened my arms and tried to pull back even though my heart insisted I should stay right where I was because it felt warm and safe.
"Are you okay?" Ember asked as he peered down at me when I finally forced myself to pull away, and I shrugged.
"Sorry. Bad dream."
"It's okay. I'm just glad I could help," he said with that gentle smile of his, and I smiled back hesitantly before glancing away.
Shifting on the bed, I realized how sweaty I was, and wrinkled my nose, pulling the wet shirt away from my skin.
"A warm bath might help," Ember suggested, and I nodded, quickly sliding out of the bed. "I'll get you some fresh clothes."
Standing up, Ember started digging around the closet, and I realized it was the same one Cam had given me clothes from, and I blinked, then glanced around. "Wait...is this your room? Like the three of you."
Ember turned to me with a stack of clothes, and I took it from him automatically. "Well, I moved in just today, but yes, this is the master bedroom."
"Oh. I didn't realize. Sorry about..." I waved at the twisted sheets that were certainly as sweaty as my own clothes. I'd walked into the first bedroom I'd found earlier, too tired to look around as I'd crawled under the sheets and fallen asleep.
"It's no problem. You're welcome to sleep here again, or you can take one of the guest rooms if you'd rather sleep alone."
The easy smile on Ember's face told me he was fine with either option, and I nodded before hurrying off into the bathroom.
After a warm bath—despite my nightmare, it felt good to be back in water—I changed into slightly too-big clothes, dried my hair with the towel, and then made my way downstairs.
I blinked at the living room, wondering just how long I'd slept. The previously spacious living room was now a maze of boxes, and I stood there staring at them for way too long before Ember called my name from somewhere behind the boxes. Making my way through, I found an open sliding glass door leading into the backyard, where Ember and Micah sat on the porch in similar armchairs, their hands wrapped around steaming mugs while Cam threw a frisbee for Jodi, their giant dog.
"Will you sit with us for a bit?" Micah asked, glancing up at me with dark eyes, and I nodded, taking the empty chair that faced the backyard.
Ember removed the lid covering a mug on the table, then held it for a moment before offering it to me. "Here. It's hot chocolate."
I stared at the mug for a moment before hastily taking it from him. A careful sip had me humming as the thick, warm liquid slid down my throat, and I gave him a small smile. "Thank you."
Ember smiled back at me, then turned to look as Cam started laughing loudly.
I followed his gaze, and something like fondness filled my chest as I watched Cam get lovebombed by Jodi. He was on his back on the ground, and Jodi stood over him, licking his face and neck and any bit of skin she could find.
"Kai?"
I glanced away from the spectacle, turning to Micah, who was watching me hesitantly.
"Yes?"
He exhaled shakily, and my brows furrowed. He'd seemed anxious since the moment I mentioned Ravenshire, and I got the feeling he had a past in that place.
"Can I ask how long you were there? In Ravenshire?"
I shook my head, turning my gaze to my mug. "Not long. A few days, I think. Just enough for me to let my guard down. I never should've gone there. It was stupid of me."
My parents would've been ashamed of me if they were still alive. After all they'd taught me about keeping myself and my coat safe, I'd let Osric trick me so easily.
"It wasn't stupid," Ember murmured, placing his warm palm between my shoulder blades, then rubbing up and down my back. "He took advantage of your trust. You're not to blame."
I wished I could believe Ember, but I should've been more careful. I shouldn't have let Osric's sweet words fool me. Was I making the same mistake again with these three?
But they had no reason to. I was nothing without my magic, and had no worth to them. Not unless I really was their mate.
My eyes jerked up to meet Micah's as I remembered he was a telepath, and his brows furrowed before he shook his head.
"If you're worried I'm reading your thoughts, I'm not. I promise I won't do that again." He exhaled softly, and his eyes flickered to Cam. "When we found you, I had my shields down because I have Cam’s and Ember's permission, and because keeping the shield up all the time is exhausting. Then I got distracted by everything and didn't remember to put it up. My shields are firmly back in place now, though, so your thoughts are safe."
Ember—who sat between us—took Micah's hand in his free one, giving it a light squeeze. Micah gave him a slight smile, his eyes warm and full of adoration, and I wondered if maybe someday he'd look at me the same way. Could I truly be a part of this beautiful relationship?
Micah
I had a headache.
Cam and Ember were curled up on either side of me, Ember's arm thrown over my chest while Cam lay with his limbs spread all over the mattress. Kai was in the guest room, and I couldn't fault him for opting to sleep there. We were still practically strangers to him.
I'd kept up my shields for most of the day, and I wasn't used to doing that. While I did sometimes hear stray thoughts from our neighbors, they were easy to ignore, and with Cam and Ember's permission, I kept my shields lowered at home.
But with Kai here, I couldn't. It was like Sisyphus with his rock. I had to constantly keep pushing magic into the shield to keep the voices out, and even after years of practice, it still took a lot out of me.
Since I'd had to keep the shields up for so long, even Cam and Ember's hugs weren't helping to relieve the headache.
Carefully, I moved Ember's arm off me, placing it on the mattress as I sat up. Sneaking out from between two extra-sensitive supes wasn't easy, but I somehow managed to do it without waking either of them.
Tiptoeing out of the room, I made my way downstairs. While painkillers didn't really work on supes, I had some tea from Raph that helped. If it was daytime, I could usually just go to him and he'd make the headache go away with his magic, but the tea worked fine in a pinch.
Walking into the kitchen, I made a beeline for the cabinet where the tea was, then turned around to fetch the kettle.
A shadow moved in my periphery, but I didn't pay it any mind, assuming it was Saaya. She'd kept her distance all day, probably because she was wary of Kai.
When I turned around with the full kettle, I realized the shadow was way too large to be Saaya. Hurriedly, I flicked on the lights, ready to send a mental shout to Cam, then relaxed as I realized it was Kai.
"Shit, you scared me!" I said with a shake of my head, my hand trembling as I placed the kettle on the stove.
"Sorry. I was lost in thought. I should've said something," he said with a sheepish smile, ducking his head so his long fair fell forward, hiding his face.
I wasn't sure if that would've helped or just scared me even more, so I didn't say anything. "Would you like some tea?"
Kai glanced up at me, then nodded hesitantly. Smiling, I turned to fetch some chamomile tea for him.
"Couldn't sleep?"
Kai nodded, his eyes on the countertop as he traced random figures on the marble with his index finger. "How ironic is it that all my nightmares are about drowning?"
I winced, sympathy welling up in me. That would be like Ember having a nightmare where he was on fire and it was actually hurting him.
"I'm sorry," I said, unable to find anything else.
We were silent for a minute as the water started bubbling, and I turned off the stove, pouring water into two cups and dipping a tea bag in one before sliding it over to him with a small pot of honey. In the other cup, I added the loose leaves from Raphael, watching as the water glowed a faint green color before settling into a light brown shade.
"Was that magic?"
I nodded as I stirred the tea, then strained it into another cup and added some honey. "Yeah. It's Raphael's special brew. Helps with headaches."
"Oh," Kai murmured. Then his brows furrowed. "Why do you have a headache?"
I didn't want to tell him, mostly because I was worried he'd blame himself for it. He had every right to not want his thoughts read.
"Just the strain of magic. It happens a lot, hence the tea."
Kai stared at me for a few moments, and I focused on my tea, ignoring his intent gaze.
"I have a question. You can refuse to answer if you want."
"What is it?" I leaned my elbows on the counter as I took a sip, exhaling softly as the warm liquid slid down my throat.
"What's your connection to Ravenshire? I could tell by your reaction that you were...affected when I mentioned it."
I sighed, lowering my gaze to my cup, and wondered how much I could bear to tell him right this second. I had been affected when he'd said his coat was stolen by a mage from Ravenshire.
I tried not to think about that place, and in the last few years, I'd succeeded pretty well. But now that Kai had brought it up again, I couldn't stop thinking about it.
"You don't have to tell me," he said softly, and I shook my head, meeting his gaze.
"I...I was born in Ravenshire," I admitted, and his eyes widened. In as few words as possible, I gave him a highlighted version of what had happened.
"When my parents discovered my type of magic, they had me arrested. I was there with another mage who lives here now, Aeron. Then he managed to escape during a torture session, found his way here, and met his mate. My dads were friends with Niall, his mate, and they came to rescue me because Aeron asked them to. Then, they adopted me."
The day Dad and Papa asked me if I'd be their son was one of the happiest days of my life. It was the first time I'd felt wanted, and I owed them everything.
"Is everyone in Ravenshire an awful person?" Kai asked, a hint of sadness in his voice, and I shook my head.
"I don't think so. I mean, Dad and Raphael also lived in Ravenshire until like fifteen years ago, and they're some of the best people I know. There have to be more people like that. It's just the people in control who seem to be the worst of them."
Wasn't that always the case? People in power became greedy or narcissistic and destroyed everything while the common people paid for it.
Fuck, this was not a conversation that would lead to good sleep.
Draining my cup, I eyed Kai, whose gaze was back on his empty cup, his shoulders hunched as his thoughts ate at him. I wasn't reading his thoughts—and I was going to pay later for putting up my shields again—but I could tell just by his expression that they weren't anything good.
"Would you like to watch a movie or something?"
Kai's eyes shot to mine, slightly wide as he swallowed hard. He let out a loud breath, then nodded, getting to his feet and taking his cup to the sink.
I smiled, and after clearing the counter, I followed him to the living room. We'd managed to put away most of Ember's stuff. Cam had insisted on not changing our plans to move Ember in today, and recruited Papa, Rhiannon, and Niall's help to pack up and move all of Ember's things—Papa and Niall finishing the work quickly with their vampire speed while Rhiannon created a portal to transfer everything here.
We settled on the couch, and when Kai told me to pick, I chose a low-stress rom-com I'd watched before, losing myself in the familiar story with Kai by my side and our other mates comfortably asleep upstairs.