Chapter 4 Chloe
Chloe
Iwoke up sweating and realized I’d rolled partly under Oliver in my sleep. My big guy ran hot, but I couldn’t sleep without his comforting presence.
Lately, even that wasn’t helping curb my restlessness, and I knew why… but I wasn’t going to think about him before my first cup of coffee.
I carefully slipped out of bed and headed to the kitchenette to turn on the machine. This used to be my favorite part of the day. Reverie and I would meet in the kitchen before class and catch up. It’s incredible how close we became in such a short time.
Sometimes in life, you meet people who immediately feel like family. Reverie was that from the moment I met her.
Really, she’s become a sister to me, and I miss her every day.
I knew enough about myself to realize that some of my feelings, at least initially, stemmed from hero worship for Adelaide and her Faction.
They sacrificed so much in an effort to keep Aurathia safe and a home for all Aurathions.
Their efforts obviously failed, but the fact that they persevered and kept going through all the past and upcoming trials showed I was right in my admiration.
Nothing else had felt right since Reverie was taken.
Seeing the pain my brothers were in, along with her other men, was agony for those of us who loved them.
Zeke had become a completely different man, and I barely recognized him anymore.
He was no longer the quiet, thoughtful person he used to be.
Now, he demanded action and would use any means necessary to get it.
From the things Oliver had shared with me, there were no lengths he wouldn’t go to further his search.
Zane, on the other hand, had always been a little thrown off.
(I say that with complete affection. I, too, could be considered the same at times.) But now it was more than that; he’d become quieter and leaned more into the darkness he’d at least tried to keep at bay before.
His jokes had become so dark that they leaned more toward the macabre than the humorous.
The rest of Reverie’s Faction had followed them down the same path.
Granted, Nathan and Jet forged the path long before she actually disappeared. Both would rather cut your throat than speak to you if you had no valuable information in helping them get to Reverie. There had even been a few foolish girls who tried to garner their attention in her absence.
That was a mistake.
Those two didn’t give a shit if you were male or female. They would gladly dole out punishment either way. Friends of Kristine tried to make themselves scarce because both men looked for any excuse to rain down punishment on them.
Now, everyone avoided those two like the plague.
Oren had become immersed in his scrolls and tablets.
Often disappearing for long periods, I assume to locate information from outside sources.
He’d not shown up to train any of the incoming students since her disappearance.
Not trying to hide the fact that he didn’t give two shits about any of their survival.
Always looking for a way to open a portal and get Reverie back.
That’s assuming she’s still alive…
I couldn’t think like that.
I looked down at the mark on my wrist and ran my finger across it. The only people who knew about it were in our immediate circle. And that’s the way it had to stay.
This was beyond rare.
Not since Queen Lilibet had an Aurathion developed the ability to mark anyone outside of their Faction.
None of us knew what to make of it, and with the DF's attacks ramping up, research time was limited.
One thing I did know was that I now felt a strange connection to Reverie. Oliver and I had discussed it at length. Ever since we’d been marked, it was almost like we could feel when she was in distress.
The feeling was distant, like knowing you'd forgotten something, but the memory was just beyond reach. Like an itch you couldn’t scratch.
It was beyond frustrating, and the guys weren’t helping relieve those feelings at all. They wouldn’t let me participate in any of the skirmishes that had occurred lately. The main explanation being that I wasn’t part of a fully formed Faction.
Of course, Oliver and Deshawn agreed with them. Not that Deshawn had a say in the matter, because, well, he wasn’t my… my… nope, I couldn’t even lie to myself.
My shoulders fell in dejection. I knew what Deshawn was to me, but finding joy in completing my Faction felt so wrong without my bestie. Not to mention the agony my brothers were in.
I was selfish enough to know it was only a matter of time before I gave in… probably hours, if I was honest. The guy was gorgeous, a little over six feet of mocha skin, muscles, and dark green eyes.
I should get an award for lasting this long.
There was so much frustration in my life right now that I felt like I was going to explode.
Oren and my brothers were throwing excuses right and left about why I needed to stay safe—claiming that possible harm could come to Reverie through our connection.
It might be true; we didn’t know anything about our connection, but I was an excellent researcher, dammit!
And I wasn’t even being utilized in that sense.
I was tired of the excuses and being sheltered like a princess when Reverie was out there facing who knew what.
The desire to be useful was riding me hard. Whether it was due to the marks or just because I loved Reverie so much, I didn’t know. But I needed to help.
I’d told Oren as much; if fighting was out, then at least let me help more with research. If not about opening a portal, then at least trying to learn more about the marks.
Both Oliver and I felt driven to do something. We had to do something.
“What are you thinking about so hard, Aegisseer?” Pantar popped in suddenly, scaring me half to death.
He’d begun calling me that after Reverie marked me. I didn't know what it meant, and he refused to explain.
I hadn’t gotten used to hearing him in my head yet, either. “Damn, you’ve got to quit doing that!” I held a hand to my fast-beating heart. “And where have you been for the last few days?”
Reverie’s mark had allowed both Oliver and me to hear the large Fellat… among other things.
He gave his creepy grin, showing all of those shark-like teeth. “Mira and I have been busy continuing to try to open a portal into Aurathia.”
“I thought you gave up on that.” The coffee machine beeped, and I poured a large cup of the delicious brew.
Pantar looked at me in disapproval. “We never gave it up. I find it insulting that you would think as much.”
“What my La’ u alofagia meant was that we hadn’t heard anything from you about it, so we assumed you’d moved on to looking for other solutions.” Oliver walked in with bare feet and no shirt, only those sexy as fuck grey sweatpants of his.
He was well aware of what they did to me.
I poured him a cup of coffee and licked my lips at the sight he made. “That’s exactly what I meant. I’m just not as good at wording things as my sexy man.”
Oliver blushed under his tan complexion. “Your talents lie in other things.”
I walked over and stood on tiptoes for a kiss. “Is that so?”
“Yes… it… is.” He said, spacing each word between kisses.
This man had become my everything, along with Deshawn— dammit—he who shall not be named.
Step Brothers wasn’t the only movie franchise I loved.
Pantar prowled into the living room and shrank his size to lie on the back of the couch. “There are no other solutions. I have tried to tell Storm that, but he does not want to believe me.” He licked his paw, “Mira thinks that with a little more time, I will be able to get to my Nexus.”
I frowned, “You said 'I', not 'we'. Does that mean you won’t be able to bring the rest of us?”
“I am not sure yet. If bringing everyone is not possible, then I will join her alone and work on a solution from Aurathia to get the rest of you there. Our connection isn’t completely broken. I can still sense her emotions.”
I raised my eyebrows, “You’ve never mentioned still having that connection.”
“I have not, and I do not wish you to either.” Pantar turned his head toward the door. “The denied one is here.”
“Denied one?” I was confused. Then there was a knock on the door.
Oliver went to answer, and Deshawn barged in before the door was completely opened.
“Well, come on in,” Oliver smirked, happy to see him. They’d both become good friends since Deshawn had become a part of our community.
Of course, not much bothered my big guy. He was the most even-tempered person I’d ever met.
Until he wasn’t.
“I brought donuts.” He leaned down to kiss me, and I turned my head, the kiss landing on my cheek.
Oliver looked at me in disapproval, but I just shrugged.
I knew I was being an asshole, but I felt like a stick of dynamite with a very short fuse. One kiss on the lips, and I might throw him down on the floor and mount him immediately.
At least that would clear up one of my frustrations.
Deshawn didn’t let my action bother him in the least, “Come eat, Firefly. It’s from Java and Jam, your favorite.”
I realized I couldn’t go on like this much longer, and I understood how important it was for us to complete our Faction. I just had to find a way to move past my irrational feelings.
Taking a donut, I hopped up on the counter and faced both of my guys, “Thank you, to what do we owe this early morning visit?”
Oliver and Deshawn glanced guiltily at each other, but then Oliver seemed to come to a decision.
“We’ve reached our limit,” he growled in his deep voice.
“You’re limit?” I felt my temper rising.
“That’s right, we have.” Deshawn stepped close enough to me that my leg was touching his.
“And just what limit have you reached?” The nerve of them to discuss me behind my back.
“Your need to punish yourself because your friend was taken. I was there, La’ u alofagia, there was nothing either of us could do.” Oliver stepped up to my other side.