and his breath come in short gasps.
I was a little offended.
Oren huffed from his spot against the wall, shooting Xander a chastising look.
“Is the idea that ridiculous?” I asked testily as my brother wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. It was lucky that he didn’t want my help with his mates because I rescinded that offer, anyway.
“You killed the Councilors whose spot you’re running for. You’ve got bigger balls than me, sis,” Xander chuckled as my mates growled discontentedly.
“You best not be advertising the fact that Shira had anything to do with Flight Milain’s… disappearance,” Ezra warned.
The barely contained fury in his voice reminded me that while Ezra had seemed sweeter and more even-tempered recently, that was solely for my benefit. He wasn’t going around being nice to everyone. I decided I liked that, I didn’t want to share his soft side.
“What? Of course not.” Xander looked appalled, all traces of humor gone from his voice. “I wouldn’t put Shira at risk that way, though you clearly don’t share my concerns or you wouldn’t have her within a hundred feet of the fucking Council.”
“They’re not my keepers, Xander, nor are they forcing me to do anything against my will. I want to do this. I think I could make a difference. I’m not meant to stay in the den baking almond cakes all day.”
Xander snorted. “I don’t doubt that. Is this the next best option, though? Putting yourself front and center at the Council? When did you even decide you were keeping your mates?”
Seff’s arm around my waist heated so rapidly, I glanced down to see if flames were coming off him. Not yet, but there were more scarlet scales than skin on show. I rested my hand on his knee, squeezing it gently to calm him down.
“I’m keeping them,” I said, deciding I didn’t owe my brother any more of an explanation than that.
“And we’ll keep Shira safe, should anyone get suspicious. Which they won’t because no one is going to say anything,” Ezra growled, a slightly feral edge to his voice as he pinned his glare on Xander.
“Can we all take a few deep breaths or something?” I muttered. There was a suffocating amount of male energy in the room. My mates all looked like they wanted to shift and take Xander down a peg, and my brother looked like he was game.
Was this what the all-male Council was like? How did they get anything done between all the growling and posturing?
“I’m not sure about these guys, but I trust your judgment, Shira,” Xander said eventually, focusing on me. “If you feel like this is the right thing to do, then I support you. But please, please be careful. The Councilors may be old, but they’re not stupid. Don’t underestimate them.”
A chill of foreboding ran down my spine. I was more of an act-first, think-later dragon. Caution wasn’t my strong suit.
“I won’t. We won’t,” I amended, giving Xander a tight smile. He gave me a long searching look before nodding his head in satisfaction.
“I came here because I wanted to check you were alright, but I need to get back to Laurel. We’re staying nearby in her family den on Arshire Slopes until we get our own. You can find me there if you need me.”
He reached out hesitantly, and I met him halfway to give his palm a quick squeeze. Levi, who had been hovering quietly in the doorway, moved to walk Xander out and I shot him a warning look which made him smirk. He’d probably say something to rile Xander up anyway, but at least Levi was the calmest of the five of them.
I relaxed against Seff while we waited for Levi to come back. We didn’t do this a lot, this cuddling thing. I only cuddled them in my sleep and it seemed like a waste because it felt very pleasant. I should do this more.
“How are you feeling?” Levi asked as he strode back into the room and sat next to me on the couch. “I hope Xander’s warnings didn’t spook you.”
I hummed quietly, thinking about his question. “No, not spooked. Though I should have been better prepared before going in there today.”
“That was our fault,” Seff said, leaning into my hair. “We didn’t take into account your, er, inexperience with the Council and its function.”
My lips twitched as I tried not to smile at his polite euphemism for the twelve years I spent imprisoned in some form or another.
“There’s