His thumb brushed once more over my jaw before he lowered his hand, and his gaze, from my face, and with an extremely tentative motion, he used one finger to gently rub her belly. She woke, and he froze completely, but she only lifted her head, sniffed his finger…then dropped her head back, and not even a second later, she was snoring again. “Yeah,” his wolf huffed quietly, even as he started petting her again, “seriously the most screwed up one I’ve seen so far.”
“Hush,” I muttered, resting back against the couch, situating the blanket so he had some. “I want to watch the movie now, not listen to you make fun on my Vizoac.”
He grunted, but he carefully, and slowly, lifted her sleeping tiny body as he pulled the blanket over his legs, scooting down on the loveseat, and I quickly moved my almost empty plate to the arm of it when he pressed more of his upper body against my chest, resting the back of his head against my shoulder and neck, placing Isolde on his massive chest, then gently pulled the blanket up over them, so only her tiny head peeked out. His soft curls were tickling my cheek and his heavy muscled weight could have definitely been distributed differently, but I didn’t utter a word of complaint, not wanting to ruin this stolen moment as we began watching the movie in—what felt like—peaceful silence.
And, I realized…my mind had calmed while in his presence.
Chapter Fifteen
During training the next morning I could tell Elder Merrick was tired.
He was back to being an Elder asshole in front of the others, his tone frigid again—although it wasn’t as bad as the previous day—and he repeatedly kicked my ass, unrepentant and merciless, never helping me stand when I lay sucking oxygen on the ground, hurting and—sometimes—bleeding. But I had seen him stifle a yawn twice. And he did this odd thing with his shoulders, not a roll like some do to relieve tension, but like a half roll/half trying to pop his back motion, which had his cotton t-shirt stretching quite nicely over his chest, which I had glared at plenty, getting irritated and pissed I still managed to notice after he, or Elder Zeller, slammed…knocked…shoved…smacked…thumped…bashed…jostled…or tripped me repeatedly onto my damn back, my own body now aching.
His back issue problem probably roused from an empathic memory of the middle of the night. We had watched one movie silently, pleasantly. After it had ended, he had grabbed the remote when I hadn’t moved to go to bed—still untired and worried about closing my eyes—and found some ancient shoot ‘em up movie I had instantly cringed from, seeing all that carnage like the damn battlefield of the Barren, so I had snuck my hand out, grabbed the remote back and found another happy-sickening movie to watch, pleasing me immensely. After inhaling heavily, he had only grunted, not complaining…then fell asleep against me during the first half of it, his head tilting in his sleep so his eyes were shaded against my neck, his breathing even and soft, but the positioning hadn’t appeared all that comfortable for him, which he had demonstrated it, indeed, hadn’t been when I had eventually woken him—as much as he would be, standing and bending backward, all types of bones popping before he left the room, all sleep rumple…and carrying my damn Vizoac, damn near sleep walking. Isolde, the traitor wolf, I believe had slept with him, only appearing when he had to sit and watch me get my ass handed to me, growling at them, but staying still after I had ordered her to.
And only getting a few hours’ sleep made for a definitely grumpy Elder Merrick, kind of like the way Leric was now with a—barely—hidden expression at the breakfast table after training.
Leric’s gaze was hooded, sitting lazily at the table, one arm over the back of Roselle’s chair, but he interjected between other’s conversations, like he hadn’t even known they were talking, to state gruffly to me, “I had thought you’d…call…me last night after our day.”
I calmly ate my oatmeal understanding his code talk, ignoring how everyone sputtered off at his rude interruption. “My mind was at ease.”
His eyes narrowed the barest bit. “What did you do to alleviate your worries?”
My own narrowed. “Boundaries, Leric.”
His gaze instantly flicked to Sin next to me, then silver hard eyes came back to mine. “Answer me.”
I went still inside, just watching him. And I watched him. Watched him some more.
His tiger growled quietly.
“I don’t answer to you,” I stated slowly, patiently, even though I was irked. “Treat me with the respect you once did, and this would be going a hell of a lot smoother.”
He stared for long moments. “This is not easy for me, either.” He ran his hand over his face, and it appeared he tried to calm himself, and his tone was—somewhat—pleasant. “So, my Chosen, what did you do last night?”
I gifted him with a small smile. “I went on a bike ride, then watched movies.”
Instant, and backtracking. “Alone?”
I sighed heavily. “You know Sin and I were together. You were the one to come up with the idea.” That covered that well. For him. Not so much for Sin. Under the table I placed my hand on his leg when he ate his food more slowly, rubbing soothingly, attention still on Leric.
Silver eyes stared for a moment, then his forehead crinkled the barest bit, and he sat forward and began eating. “I’m glad my advice helped.” It…didn’t sound like it, but he was trying.
“It did,” I pushed through our bond. “Thank you.”
He only grunted in my mind, but his forehead unwrinkled a bit with the bond connection.
King Collins quickly murmured, “You do seem better today.”
“I am.” I nodded once, still rubbing Sin’s leg, feeling him relax from the news I had left him in bed to deal on my own, which I knew he would understand I had wanted him to rest.
Leric peered up to me, biting off a piece of bacon. “I forgot to tell you.” He was going for business-like, but his eyes glistened mischievously. “Dad called, and told me there have been a few…issues…arising at the Temple with the rumor of you reaching them.” White brows lifted a smidge. “We need to go and make a united front with what’s occurring in my absence. Let them know just because my Chosen is here, the Prodigy Elemental, it in no way means we are divided.” His lips quirked a bit as he sat back on his chair. “It would be an excellent time for you to pick your Lajaks.”
The room became silent.
I eyed him. “It’s needed now?” I had thought I would have some time to consider my options.
His eyes turned serious, but they still twinkled a bit at the challenge in the room. “Yes, it would be wise to bring them.”
“You’ll have yours with you?”
He shook his head once. “I’ll have the Guardians. If I brought my Lajaks with me, it might be too much for our people.” Lord, “our” people. “But, it will be the right balance if you did, and it will show we’re together, side-by-side, even with our differences.”
I tapped my fingers on Sin’s leg in thought. “When do we go?”
“Soon, would be best.” He ate another piece of bacon, but I could hear the touch of urgency in his tone. “I was thinking tomorrow morning, so you could have the day to figure out your choices.”
“Do we need to go sooner?”