Grabbing the first thing I saw, I tossed it onto the counter and thrust my wrist at him. He scanned my device—taking payment for both the item and the tabs in my pocket—then tipped his head towards me. I reciprocated before turning for the exit.
With my overpriced, stale treat in hand, I pushed the door open and departed. My shoulders dropped with the weight of everything I had hanging over me. One wrong move would mean death for so many, most of whom had no clue what went on behind the scenes.
You will fail.
No, I just have to make sure nothing goes amiss. Focus, Zella.
I disappeared before my foot took the next step.
Chapter Seventeen
When I returned home, everyone had already woken up and apparently, concluded that arguing would be the best way to start the binal. The instant I opened the door to our unit, raised voices assaulted my ears.
“That's not what it means. You can't just make things fit,” Axton yelled.
“That's exactly what it means. Are you blind? Look, if we count teams as individuals that gives us more numbers,” Trace growled.
“Why don't we all sit down and have a drink?” The lyrical quality to Kian's voice choked me because of how thick it was.
His flowery scent rolled out of the unit like a fog. He must have been working on them for a while.
“I think—” Grace tried to interject, but her soft words couldn't match the two overheated males.
“How do you get teams out of the word individuals? That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time.”
I entered the gathering room just in time to see Axton throw up his arms and start pacing.
“Because if you read the manual, individual and Groupings are used interchangeably after the assignment is acknowledged. The whole 'we are one' mantra, remember?” Trace jabbed his finger in the air at nothing in particular.
I stopped when I reached the couches and folded my arms over my chest. They carried on, not even noticing that I'd arrived. Back and forth, they each listed 'proof' of their positions on the definitions. Grace just looked between the two and sank further into the couch with each retort.
Finally, Kian realized I'd entered and crept towards me. When he stood beside me, he leaned over and whispered, “Everything okay?”
I nodded and waved my hand to encompass the grey-faced assholes gushing anger. Their emotions were out of control, and it felt like the fiery end of a whip each time the explosions hit my skin.
“How long has this been going on? And why haven't you used your compulsion on them yet? You could make them hug it out.”
“Well, it started not long after Trace read the lines over Axton's shoulder. And we agreed not to use our abilities on each other unless it became an emergency. If they get physical, I'll jump in.”
Fuck that. “I'm declaring this an emergency. I can feel their emotions, and it hurts. Besides, we just got this unit. I'd rather not have to explain why we need repairs already.” I turned to him, taking in Kian's furrowed brow and the silent movement of his lips. “If you'd prefer, I can deal with them. It'll give me some practice and keep your agreement intact.”
The expression of relief on his face made me tense up, leaving confusing feelings in its wake.
“That would be good. I usually make them sit down and stop talking. Think you can do that?” Kian asked, rubbing his hands together.
“Probably.” Not that I intend to do that.
Just then, Axton and Trace came face-to-face—their bodies close enough to throw a punch and land easily.
Tapping into my well, I tried to do the same as I had with the Guard. When I had the fear and humility woven tightly, I thrust them outwards, targeting the pot lickers arguing over a word. They faltered for a moment, but it didn't stop them.
My mind worked over the problem. Deciding that perhaps their will was stronger than the Guard's, I drew more out of my well and kept adding to the formed daggers until they resembled swords. After hardening them, I aimed towards the center of their chests, attempting to be more precise.
Again, they wavered, falling silent as they stumbled to the side. But it didn't give me the results I needed. Since I had an advantage with them and they were now in each other's face, I tugged on the Mark, the tiny bit of my essence I'd left weaved within theirs. With the thread