Chosen One (Forever Evermore #6)(123)
Elder Farrar yawned loudly. “I believe everyone was just startled,” another yawn, and he rolled, fluffing his pillow, “when you screamed all of a sudden, shaking the room, then glowed bright enough to light the entire area, only to disappear a few moments later.”
I stopped dead, rubbing a hand over my face, and if I wasn’t still receiving the peace from King Zeller I knew I would have been mortified, feebleness unmistakably exposed.
Sin grumbled defensively, “Her nightmares aren’t usually that bad.” Emerald green eyes connected with mine. “You’re sleeping with me, love. Don’t even think about getting another room.”
Sounding exhausted, Elder Samson muttered, “You’re fine, Ms. Jules.” He waved a hand at the bed. “Just lie down so we can all go back to sleep.”
Cain grunted, watching me quietly with his head on his crooked arm, more than likely bare under the sheet tied around his waist. “Every single person in this room has a past that haunts them in some way. You’re no exception to this.” He flicked a finger to my bed. “Plus, now that I’ve seen it happen, I’m fairly sure I can wake you the next time before you disappear.”
Elder Bridges snorted, lying back down. “Speak for yourself, Elder Merrick. I sleep with a clear conscious every night.”
Cain chuckled quietly, not bothering to glance his way. “Do I even need to call bullshit, Elder Bridges?” When no response came, Cain flicked his finger again to the bed. “Get some sleep, Ms Jules.”
King Zeller gave me a light shove, his magical peace disappearing as his hand fell away, but I felt mildly calm as I walked on…only to stumble when suddenly King Zeller’s voice was directly in my ear, even though he was already tucking himself back into his bed, his words softly spoken. “Elder Merrick is not as calm as he appears. You frightened him when you disappeared, and then, it didn’t help when you didn’t show for another half hour, even though I tried to explain to everyone you were only sound asleep in the One’s bed.” A pause. “In other words, try to calm him before Elder Bridges picks up on it because everyone else’s emotion will wane as they fall asleep, and Elder Merrick’s are too heightened right now for Elder Bridges to miss.”
I kept my face as blank as I could during that spiel, and then made myself move again, crawling into bed, making sure I lay on the edge, Sin pulling in close to my back, wrapping his arms around me tight. I kissed his cheek lightly, affectionately, then turned my attention to the Shifter who was resituating himself on his trundle, unwrapping the blanket around his waist to let it lie normally over him, his gaze meeting mine finally…and even though my eyes had stopped glowing, his were still dimly shimmering between his hooded lids and thick lashes, both doing a stellar job of hiding whatever it was he was feeling right now, which I couldn’t even decipher, but I rested my hand out casually over the bed, keeping the sheet draped over it…and instantly felt his warm, long fingers threading through mine, gripping my hand tightly…and that was all the invitation I needed to keep him safe from Elder Bridges.
I opened my Core, the tiniest sliver, and floated into the cosmos, concentrating on the connection to my hand. I found his shimmery, beautiful black tether instantly, and pulled it gently to my lips, whispering, “Be at peace.”
It was only the slightest touch of continuous magic, but instantly, Cain inhaled sharply, his grip on my hand turning brutal, apparently having felt the influx of my power…but his eyes stopped glowing as he accepted it, not fighting me, his body relaxing visible where he lay on his side facing me…in fact, I instantly felt the gentlest, most sweetest, brushing of soothing Shifter magic run over me from my hand up, feeling like the silken brush of heated fur, just the barest morsel, a whisper, like mine for him, but I instantly held his hand more firmly, accepting his offer to soothe me.
And we both jolted a bit when, apparently, King Zeller was speaking to both of us, directly in our ears from the trundle behind Cain’s, muttering, “That’s sweet and shit, but you’ll both need to try to relax, cut it off, and go to sleep before anyone other than Sin figures it out.”
Sin chuckled quietly behind me…so apparently, he’d heard, too, only snuggling closer, whispering softly, “Agreed, love.” A pause. “We probably shouldn’t do anything too freaky with others in the room.”
Elder Bridges groaned loudly, sounding pained across the expanse of the trundles. “I had better not see any leaves or stars floating in the damn air!”
Sin laughed outright when a few others groaned their tired agreement. “Who said I do leaves? It could be prairie grass or sunflowers or,”
“It was just an assumption,” Elder Bridges cut him off, growling crossly. “And unless you want your neck slashed I wouldn’t start any freaky shit with her tonight.”
Elder Farrar deadpanned on a yawn, “Especially, as loud as she screams.”
King Zeller started choking, and I heard him turning on his trundle.
“Leave. My. Prodigy. Alone.” My King sounded grumpy, and tired, as hell. “Now, all of you, shut the hell up!”
A deep snore echoed from Brann.
I think we all peered at him for a moment, seeing him utterly conked out.
Elder Samson muttered in tired awe, “How in the hell…?”
Flopping my head back on the pillow, I stared at Cain with an amused gaze, even as he stared back, eyes crinkling, still holding my hand while answering steadily, “The absence of the shift, then abrupt change, probably wore him out.”