Shadow didn't like being given only half of my attention, so when I stepped inside, she scurried around my body, making sure her aura had become as cold as she could possibly make it. Little pot licker.
Voices floated from the gathering room, covering my sigh. I was in the middle of pulling off my cloak, so I could hang it on the nifty knobs Trace had installed when Axton appeared.
He leaned to the side, looking around me before finding my eyes and smiling. “So you left Grace?”
While I turned and slipped my hood over my small carved flower knob, I nodded. “She and Corin are going over a few things for the OMIEB. Did you check the unit?”
“After we got back. Didn't find anything.”
“Good. Did you get all the books?”
“We did. Didn't have any trouble, either. Kian is already examining the list we made before. I'm transferring it onto paper. Now that you have a ferrule, the copy just represents too much of a risk for the amount of help it will give.” He shook his head and glanced behind him. “But, I'd still prefer to minimize how often you access the files that aren't directly under your purview.”
“That's fine. We can hide it once you're done. For all I know, mine is considerably more sanitized than Master Akai's. It's not like I've had a chance to compare them side by side.” I grabbed his arm and tugged him along with me as I aimed for the couches.
My muscles were aching, and my body just wanted to take a break, even if it was only for a few moments. I released Axton as I fell back onto the cushion beside Trace. He glanced over at me and returned to studying the old text that lay open on the table. Fucker didn't even greet me.
I huffed and ignored him to watch Axton sit beside Kian. Before Axton could get settled, Kian had already jumped up and started pushing Axton's legs to the side so he could pass by.
“You could have gone the other way,” Axton complained as he tried to keep his balance.
Kian didn't bother responding, but he did aim a blinding smile in my direction. So caught up in the tiny flutters that Kian's obvious happiness of me being home stirred inside of me, I didn't see Trace reach down. But when Kian leaned over, his lips already preparing for a kiss, the only thing beneath him was the couch.
Trace had grabbed my legs, twisted me, and yanked me across his lap. After Kian realized he kissed only air, he turned his head to glare at Trace.
A groan slipped out before I held up my hand. “If you two are going to fight, let me out from in between you two.”
“We're not fighting,” they said simultaneously.
Yeah, right.
“They've been like this all binal. They'll work it out, or they'll face punishment,” Axton interjected while still writing.
Both Kian's and Trace's lips curled. A tiny part of me wanted them to continue so I could watch their punishment. Each Grouping had their own way of dealing with internal squabbles, and most of them were rather creative.
They didn't. Instead, Kian shuffled towards me, sparking more flutters when he took possession of my mouth and kissed me like he hadn't seen me in ages. By the time a smug-looking Kian returned to his seat, my chest heaved, and I wanted to drag him to my room.
To make things worse, Trace decided he needed to top Kian's display. I practically melted from the heat rising inside me, then I nearly exploded from the frustration of being wound up for no reason.
I scooted away from Trace, retaking my spot as I calmed myself. While I leaned back on the couch with my eyes closed, the sound of the leisin scratching on the paper and the whisper of pages turning were the only things to be heard. Still, I could feel their irritation with one another. Well, mostly Trace's, though Kian slipped a couple of times.
“Okay, whatever the problem is, I need you two to push it aside for right now. We have a trip to make, and we need to finalize the transfer requests.” I didn't bother to sit up. Who knew when I would get a chance to rest again?
“Where are we going?” Axton asked, still copying the list.
“The DNB. I must grab something, and then we're off to Hakkon. Our quota is getting low, so we'll have to