I opened my Core, the tiniest sliver, and floated into the cosmos, concentrating on the connection to my hand. I found his shimmery, beautiful black tether instantly, and pulled it gently to my lips, whispering, “Be at peace.”
It was only the slightest touch of continuous magic, but instantly, Cain inhaled sharply, his grip on my hand turning brutal, apparently having felt the influx of my power…but his eyes stopped glowing as he accepted it, not fighting me, his body relaxing visible where he lay on his side facing me…in fact, I instantly felt the gentlest, most sweetest, brushing of soothing Shifter magic run over me from my hand up, feeling like the silken brush of heated fur, just the barest morsel, a whisper, like mine for him, but I instantly held his hand more firmly, accepting his offer to soothe me.
And we both jolted a bit when, apparently, King Zeller was speaking to both of us, directly in our ears from the trundle behind Cain’s, muttering, “That’s sweet and shit, but you’ll both need to try to relax, cut it off, and go to sleep before anyone other than Sin figures it out.”
Sin chuckled quietly behind me…so apparently, he’d heard, too, only snuggling closer, whispering softly, “Agreed, love.” A pause. “We probably shouldn’t do anything too freaky with others in the room.”
Elder Bridges groaned loudly, sounding pained across the expanse of the trundles. “I had better not see any leaves or stars floating in the damn air!”
Sin laughed outright when a few others groaned their tired agreement. “Who said I do leaves? It could be prairie grass or sunflowers or,”
“It was just an assumption,” Elder Bridges cut him off, growling crossly. “And unless you want your neck slashed I wouldn’t start any freaky shit with her tonight.”
Elder Farrar deadpanned on a yawn, “Especially, as loud as she screams.”
King Zeller started choking, and I heard him turning on his trundle.
“Leave. My. Prodigy. Alone.” My King sounded grumpy, and tired, as hell. “Now, all of you, shut the hell up!”
A deep snore echoed from Brann.
I think we all peered at him for a moment, seeing him utterly conked out.
Elder Samson muttered in tired awe, “How in the hell…?”
Flopping my head back on the pillow, I stared at Cain with an amused gaze, even as he stared back, eyes crinkling, still holding my hand while answering steadily, “The absence of the shift, then abrupt change, probably wore him out.”
My King growled, “Or it’s the simple fact it’s three o’clock…in the fucking morning!”
There was a minute pause, then Sin moaned deep and soft, “Just a little faster, love.”
I started laughing silently, my shoulders shaking.
Dry words from Elder Samson. “Someone please tell me I didn’t just hear that.”
Sin’s voice sounded breathless. “You’ll thank me once you’re sleeping under the stars.”
I kicked his shin hard, enjoying his grunt, no longer laughing. “That’s not funny.”
“You know…” Elder Samson muttered, interrupting us as Sin tried to soothe me, rustling on his bed. “I actually wouldn’t mind some stars on the ceiling. Can you work that, Ms. Jules?” A pause with chopped, choked words. “Without a climatic end?”
I grinned softly as Cain started rubbing his thumb back and forth over mine. “I can do you one better.” I let myself glow, then tilted my head, studying the ceiling before pushing my power, brushing my free hand wide, creating a large version of the screen right before calling someone outside the Temple, expanding the entirety of the ceiling above, the cosmos shimmering down on us.
There was silence all around, except for Brann’s quiet snoring as I cut my glow off, but left my Core open, eyes glowing dimly, to allow the best vantage point as everyone stared at the beauty above us.
Time slowly ticked away, then Sin mumbled, staring at the ceiling, “Love, I have a serious question.”
That was never a good thing. “Hmm?”
“You know how we all grow more powerful with age?”
“Yeah.”
“Well,” he flicked his hand at the ceiling, then lowered it back to my waist, “Do you think since you’re going to own all that damn galactic power eventually in your crown,” yeah, they had asked that one the third night they were here, “that when you climax, later in life, it won’t just be the stars that manifest from your body?” Another wave at the ceiling. “It’ll be that?”
“For the love of God, Sin!” My King barked, waving his hands at the ceiling. “We’re staring at all this goddamn beauty and that’s all you ask?”
I cleared my throat delicately, and knowing Sin was actually asking a serious question, just curious for my input, I murmured, “I believe some of it already is.” I pointed to one of the planets that looked like Mars. “That was there the last time.” I rubbed Cain’s hand soothingly with my thumb when it tightened marginally on mine, obviously not liking me talking about our private affairs…but it was Sin…so my finger flicked to the far left where a planet with two moons rotated. “So was that one.” I dropped my arm. “A few others were, too, but they weren’t in your field of vision.” Had to keep with this mindset that Sin was my lover around this group, thanks to Leric’s outburst. “So, yes, as I get older, and gain more power, I believe that’s what will happen.”
He hummed quietly, kissing my neck softly, and then stared silently at the ceiling.
Elder Bridges cleared his throat after a silent moment, muttering, “I know I’m not the only person in this room wondering what damn position he was in that those weren’t in his line of vision.”
King Zeller grunted, stating smoothly, “Blindfolded, for one.”
Snapped fingers from the Vampire Elder. “Dammit, that was too easy.”
“Yep.” King Zeller chuckled quietly. “Losing your touch for the dark side, Elder Bridges?”
“No,” arrogant words, “But, I just couldn’t visualize…never mind, they just seem too cute for the darker arts.”
I murmured slowly, getting my point across, “How about we all go to sleep now?”
“Best idea yet,” my King muttered on a yawn.
Elder Farrar spread his arms wide, staring up at the ceiling, mumbling absently, “Does anyone else feel like they’re going to be sucked into the big, black chasm?”
No one answered, and my lips trembled.
He brought his hands back to his chest. “Guess that’s just me.” A flicked finger up at the ceiling. “It’s like a bad acid trip the harder I stare.”
“Actually,” Elder Samson mumbled, his words muffled on his pillow. “I believe that’s exactly what Ms. Jules warned us would happen if we touched the screen during our private calls a few weeks ago.”
A tense pause, then Elder Farrar griped loudly, “She didn’t fucking explain that to me!” An irritated huff. “All I had to go off was the previous call at the manor!”
I cleared my throat once. “Oops.”
Cain started chuckling silently, shaking his head at me, eyes crinkling again, appearing all types of amused, even as Elder Farrar muttered a few curses under his breath, fluffing his pillow again by punching it.
My King’s reprimand was quiet. “Caro…”