Page 56 of Exordium

I yelped when I was picked up suddenly.

“Were you actually leaving without kissing me goodbye?” Zane asked cocking his eyebrow.

“No?” I squeaked out.

“You don’t sound sure,” Zeke frowned playfully.

Putting me back on my feet, Zane said, “Maybe a punishment is needed for this slight? Would you agree, brother?”

Zeke’s eyes heated with desire, “I couldn’t agree more.”

A little confused about what they meant by that, I stood on my tiptoes to kiss Zane.

“It’s too late for that, my Nexi.” He gave me a peck on my puckered lips,

“You can settle up tonight for not saying goodbye to your men correctly.”

Hearing the words “my Nexi,” I felt my eyes tear up.

“What’s wrong, baby,” Zeke pulled me into his arms.

“Hearing ‘my Nexi’ made me think about Nathan and how much I miss him. I can’t stand not knowing what’s happening to him.” I cried into Zeke’s shirt. Zane rubbed my back.

“I’m sorry sweet girl. I won’t call you that again.”

“You can call me whatever you want. I’m being ridiculous. I have every confidence my sweet psycho will be fine. I just miss him and want us all to be together.” I sniffed, tears running down my face.

Zeke leaned back and used his thumb to catch a tear before it fell. He brought his thumb up to his mouth and sucked off the moisture. A bolt of heat shot through me at his action, and I stopped crying.

“That crazy bastard will be fine. Nothing in this world or any other would keep us from you, on that you can count.” He smiled and leaned down to give me a soft kiss. “Have fun with the girls, and we’ll see you tonight.” Turning to leave, I felt a sharp sting on my ass. I jerked around and Zeke winked at me, “That’s one. You’ll get the rest tonight.”

Feeling my cheeks turning red, both sets, I took off like I was being chased. I could hear the two assholes laughing so I flipped them off over my shoulder but never stopped walking.

Catching up to the girls, we walked to Java and Jam. Finding a table in the back after getting some Snickerdoodles and hot chocolate, Joan grabbed a cookie and took a large bite.

“Girl, I think I got pregnant just watching you with those, hot as fuck, guys.”

Chloe started gagging, “I don’t know if I’m more grossed out by you talking about my brothers like that or seeing your mouth full of masticated cookies.”

“I’d like a mouth full of your brother’s cookies, if you know what I mean.” Joan waggled her eyebrows.

We all laughed, “On a different note, are you doing all right in your classes? Finding out about this world and that you were Aurathion probably came as a shock to you.” Chloe blew on her hot chocolate.

“It was a huge shock. We lost our parents in a car accident last year. Keeping a roof over our heads and food on the table has been tough. Paige and I have been holding two jobs, but we barely scraped by. Even as dangerous as this is, we welcome the challenge. At least we go to sleep with a full belly.” She took another bite of her cookie.

I was shocked by her revelation. “I’m so sorry to hear about your parents. Losing two of my fathers before I was born sucked, but I have three other parents. I can’t imagine what you and your sister have gone through.”

“How did that work? That’s something we’ve had a hard time grasping. Was there no jealousy? Did humans just accept the dynamic of your family?” Joan asked in rapid succession.

“Damn, girl, take a breath.” Chloe laughed.

I smiled, “I don’t know about Chloe’s family, but I think people assumed mom was only married to one of my fathers andthe other lived with us. My mom liked fucking with everybody by never confirming which one she was with. She’s a unique individual,” I smiled fondly. “Most Factions don’t have that issue because they live in Aurathion towns. Those towns take measures to keep humans out.”

“My dad is Nexus, and we grew up in an Aurathion community in Ohio. There was never any jealousy between my parents. It’s hard to explain, but once your Faction is formed, those feelings don’t exist.” Chloe said.

“It’s hard to wrap my head around. I see so much jealousy and cutthroat behavior here. I can’t imagine how that’s all put aside once your Faction is formed.” Joan frowned in confusion.

“The important thing is that when forming your Faction, you trust your gut. You get a special feeling when you know someone is right for you. Choose a Nexus or Faction based on that instead of who they are and what advantages they bring.” I took a sip from my mug. “The forming of a Faction can be a messy business. Just wait until more Nexus are revealed. Then things get ugly. Even with a class our size, there probably won’t be more than ten.” Chloe popped another cookie in her mouth. “Some Factions only consist of two people. That leaves lots of Passives out and unable to access their abilities. Nexus vary in strength, so the number of Faction members they can support depends on that.”