Page 24 of Truth
Her eyes went big, “At once? Please tell me at once. Can I like . . . I don’t know . . . maybe take a swing at the other two, then? You don’t need all that man candy.”
I felt jealousy roll through my gut at the thought of someone else touching Justice and Lenin. “I will break your fingers off before you get close enough to smell them.”
She groaned and flopped back down, “I thought so. The large one is fucking tempting though.”
Lenin? Yes, he was. “You should see him without his glamour.” My core clenched at the thought of it. Why and when had I become the person who thought jade skin and tusks was sexy? And the hair – “He has the sexiest mane of hair, all the way down to the world’s most perfect ass.”
“It’s not fair.” She whined. “I want a perfect assed man and you’ve got five.”
In theory, having five men seemed great, like a fucking fantastic idea. But have you ever tried to get alone time with five fucking men? I can’t even pee without someone opening the door to try to sneak in their own alone time. Showers? I haven’t washed my own hair in like two weeks, which again, seems like a great bonus of five men, until they get too distracted by boobs to fully wash out the conditioner.
I decided to change the subject because honestly, I wasn’t planning to share any of my men, even if they were exhausting. “Fire. This whole time?”
She countered, “Ice this whole time.” She shook her head, “I can’t believe you were right there, and I didn’t even know.”
“Oak thinks –“
“That’s the hot broody one, right?” She asked.
“You’re going to have to be more specific in the future. There are at least three brooders. The long-haired, amazing eyed one.” I sighed, thinking of Oak’s soft strands and piercing eyes, “He thinks that I was fully human, but exchanging blood with them might have activated my dormant genes. So, though I was right in front of you, it would have been easy to miss.” I loved when he came up with theories and he got so deep in concentrating that a small crease formed between his brows. He definitely was drool worthy, that was for sure.
I bent over and grabbed my pants off the chest at the end of the bed as Michelle rolled off of it. “I’ll accept this since I wouldn’t want to accept the only other option, which is I’m blind as a bat and weak in my strength.”
“Are you going to train with us?”
“By train with you, you mean watch from the side as I drink a cocktail, yes ma’am.” She stood, her hands on her hips as she watched and waited for me.
“About your family –“
She looked sad, “I assume are dead. I shouldn’t have made it out. I wasn’t even allowed to be born. It was prohibited in the camps.”
“We can go there, maybe rescue them?” I offered.
“There is no point.” She sighed before turning, giving me her back as she headed toward the bedroom door. “They are probably dead by now.”
But there was a point. They were people. Her people. Justice’s people. Maybe even Oak, Sterling and Ellis’s people. I couldn’t just let them sit there, in who knows what kinds of conditions, and suffer. I didn’t want to allow it to continue.
“Little Kitten,I was afraid you would not show.” Lenin called from the other side of the courtyard. It appeared he and Oak had been practicing, and Oak looked fucking exhausted. Lenin flicked his wrist, illuminating the yard around us. “It is almost dark.”
“With that much control, I bet he likes his hair pulled during sex.” Michelle muttered as she leaned into me.
“I bet I would like to find out.” I whispered back and even though there was distance between us, I heard Oak choke.
When we stopped in front of them Lenin spoke first, “Are you ready to learn, Kitten?”
No. “Yes.”
“I have been teaching your vampire, Oak. He is a worthy opponent and a good protector.” Lenin complimented him.
I personally have no complaints. I’m alive thanks to him on numerous occasions. “He’s an excellent protector.”
My words made Oak beam as Lenin stepped forward toward me. His hands touched me, and though they weren’t in the caressingly comforting way of a lover, they still made my nerves tingle. His palm pushed back my shoulders, his fingers adjusted my chin before he said, “Posture is important. When you use magic, it comes from the energy around you. You pull it into your body, up your legs and gather it in the core of your body.” Said core tightened, and I suspected he and I were thinking of two different things. “If you are slouched, the magic won’t gather so freely.”
I tried not to smile, “Understandable.”
“Step closer, feel your Oak’s core, his center, lower. Can you feel his strength? His body makes a good conduit base. His body is hard and ready to take on the strength of magic pummeling at a second’s notice.” Fates help me for Lenin’s innocence, but I could not hold back the smirk as he talked.
I stepped forward, flattening my palm on Oak’s very hard chest as he leaned in and whispered, “You can pull my hair anytime.”