His gaze dropped to her lips, tracing them as she grinned up at him. “We’re not.” He shook his head. “We’re not,” he repeated.
He pushed open the door, shooing her in ahead of him. Behind her, he muttered something about talking being overrated. He led her past an unmanned desk and into an office.
“Well, that doesn’t seem very efficient,” she remarked breathlessly, tilting her head toward the empty desk as they entered.
“I sent my assistant to get breakfast. I figured you might want to eat,” Thomas told her, looking up from his desk. He dropped his pen and leaned back. “You need to eat. You look like hell.”
“Thank you.” That must be why she felt a little giddy. She needed to eat. She eased herself into a chair. She sat for a moment, uncomfortable and aware of them watching her. Finally, she cursed softly and pulled her legs up, tucking her knees under her chin.
Alex sprawled in the chair next to her.
Thomas leaned back in his chair. “That was quite the performance with Guardian Wils.”
“You said they needed a demonstration.”
He gave her a long look. She looked right back, completely unrepentant. He exhaled and frowned at Alex.
“She fits right in, doesn’t she?” Alex deadpanned.
Thomas laughed, a quick burst of sound. He nodded agreement. “I guess she does. Except when we get mad at her, we can’t work it out in the sparring ring.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she smirked, “I could probably take you—both.”
They looked at her in startled silence, then both threw back their heads and roared with laughter.
“Yeah,” Alex said, wiping tears away, “you probably could take Thomas. He could never hit a woman.”
“And yet I hit you all the time, Alex.”
“Are you two really going to sit there and use ‘woman’ as code for being weak in front of the girl who could stop your heart in five seconds flat?”
“You’re right,” Thomas said, “We don’t want you to get mad. You might, I don’t know…” He looked at Alex for help.
“Explode?” Alex offered.
Thomas nodded. “There’s the word I was looking for. Yeah, explode.”
She made a face at them.
“What was that all about, Lena?” Suddenly all business, Thomas seemed worried. “The glow? The massive energy—” He gestured with his hands.
“I don’t know. I really don’t. It’s only happened once before, and not like that. I have no idea why it happens.”
“Except it happens when you’re really angry?” He glanced at Alex, who was already shaking his head.
“No, she was healing me last time the glow happened.”
Thomas digested that. “And you weren’t angry?”
Lena shook her head.
“No strong emotions?”
She shook her head again.
“Nothing held back or—” He widened his eyes, clearly grasping at straws.
She started to shake her head again, but then stopped, considering.
“What? What did you think of?”
She could feel her face getting warm. She shook her head. “No….”
Thomas leaned forward. “Lena, this is important. We have big plans. We want to include you. But there are motivators that may upset you. We won’t share them if we think you’ll be a risk to yourself or anyone else as a result. So if there’s something, spill it.”
She took a big breath. “When I healed Alex, there may have been a strong reaction. To touching him. One I suppressed.” She refused at look at Alex. Like the man didn’t already have a huge ego? “Not anger.”
Thomas flicked a glance at him.
She would not look over.
“I see.” Thomas rubbed his lips. Was he trying not to laugh?
She closed her eyes in mortification.
“No, really, it’s fine,” Thomas continued drily. “That happens a lot with him. Happens to me sometimes when I hit him.”
She did laugh at that. She shook her head and looked at Alex. He wore a small smile, but he didn’t have anything to add.
The three of them fell silent. Lena cleared her throat. “So…. Big plans?” She prompted.
Thomas made a gesture for Alex to go ahead.
“You remember that we started all of this after noticing certain discrepancies?” Alex asked.
She nodded.
“After we made the decision to move, to make a change, we decided the one advantage we have that the Council does not is our longevity.”
Lena frowned. “But the Council uses Sparks?”
“They use them, yes. But no Councilor is a Spark. Never has been. And under current traditions, there never will be.”
She looked at Thomas, questioning. He was a Spark.
“They don’t know I’m a Spark,” he told her. “I’m very careful to maintain that side of the role when I’m outside of these walls. I only travel after a thorough grounding. And I never use the Spark, ever, anywhere but here.”
She nodded her understanding.