After reaching towards her, I extended a finger, and she grabbed onto it. Aiming my thoughts through our connection, I sent images of Grace followed by flashes of Shadow watching. The entire situation with Grace had bothered me since they first announced her, but having her in our unit—unsupervised—left me twitchy.
The overwhelming sensation of curiosity overtook me, and I interpreted that as she wondered why I even asked her to stay. In truth, I wasn't really sure either. Maybe the exhaustion I felt addled my brain.
Shadow agreed to observe the newcomer before scurrying down the branches and hurrying towards the door. Some of the scratching sensations inside eased as my monster backed away and resorted to swimming.
Flipping my Sight off, my surroundings returned to normal. I turned to find Kian lounging on my bed. His cheeky grin prompted my own, and I crossed the room.
While I perched on the edge and pulled off my pants, he sat up and rubbed my shoulders. The pressure of his fingers brought a groan to my lips, and shivers ran through me. I hadn't noticed how tense I'd been until he began, but I had no illusion that it would disappear anytime soon.
“Why me?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“Why you what?” With his fingers distracting me, I didn't connect the dots instantly.
“Why did you tell her to take my room instead of Axton's or Trace's?”
“Oh, I'm still upset with their little stunt earlier. If you don't want to stay, I can fix it.” And maybe I'm addicted to how you make me feel. Pulling away, I twisted around to study his face.
“No, I'm happy to stay. Come on. Let's get you to sleep.” He eased back and flipped the edge of the covers over, patting the bed when he finished.
After I crawled to my spot, Kian pulled the covers up and wrapped them around me. Before my head could even hit the pillow, he yanked me to him, pressing us together.
With us so close and facing each other, I searched his eyes, trying to decipher what he wanted. I thought perhaps he would kiss me, but I didn't predict what he said.
“Do you think they have a point? You know what happened with Bevan. So what did you expect? For them to just smile and remain silent?” His voice held a hint of the lyrical quality that signaled his abilities were in use.
“Now you want to join them?” I pushed away from him, fighting against his grip.
“No, I'm simply asking that you try to look at it from their side. Is it so bad that we care what happens to you?” He loosened his hand, allowing me to move freely.
I flipped over with fire blazing through me, licking at my skin, and sweat broke out. I'd thought he was on my side, and now, we laid with a cavern between us.
His fingers danced along my shoulder, and I jerked away. That didn't do anything. He only followed me, sweeping my hair from my neck before he scooted forward. Soft kisses peppered the exposed skin, and I softened against my will.
“Don't be mad. I just don't want to see any of you angry at each other, especially not now, while we need to worry about the King. Just—” His whisper broke off, and he fit himself against my body, curving his to match mine. “Think about it, okay? But later, after you've gotten some sleep.”
It's your fault I'm not already asleep. Giving up the argument for the next binal, I relaxed into his hold. I soaked up his warmth and inhaled the flowery scent that rolled off him. Before I succumbed to the darkness, I wondered if having others care would be a boon or a downfall.
Chapter Sixteen
Before the sun rose, I shimmied out from under Kian's arm, carefully edging my way off the bed. The sound of his steady breaths signaled that I hadn't woken him. Good.
I snatched a pair of pants and flung them over my shoulder. Tiptoeing out of the room, I flipped on my Sight and began scanning for Shadow. Her tail protruded from beneath the door to Kian's room, so I continued until I could stoop and touch her.
My hand became nothing but a white phantom of what used to be as I reached for her. When we connected, I sent a whisper of a message , hoping to keep from agitating her.
After she expressed a subdued greeting, a sequence of images entered my mind—all of them