Page 61 of Exordium

Zane smiled slowly, “Could she be any more perfect for us, brother?”

“I don’t think so,” Zeke said, without taking his eyes off me.

Deciding a change of subject was in order, I said, “I’m a little nervous about purposely trying to bond without the ritual. Although I agree we need to do it sooner rather than later, I would like y’all to meet my parents first. I want to do it right this time, and if we appear in their living room, at least you’ve already met.” I grinned at them.

“That can be arranged. I have a friend who found his Faction here at the Academy. They stayed for advanced training, and he can create portals. I’ll talk to him in the morning and see when we can go.” Zane pulled me in for a kiss.

“Let him know it’s urgent, and we’ll owe him a favor. We need to complete our bond ASAP. I want her as strong as possible before Emberhold takes her.” Zeke finished his beer, then stood and began cleaning up.

Zane walked into the kitchen to grab another beer for us, and I followed sitting at the island. “I hope everything goes well, and I’ll be strong enough to communicate with Nathan. It’s painful being away from him."

Sliding me another beer and handing one to Zeke as he sat beside me, Zane said, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss the ornery guy.” He leaned down and rested his elbows on the island across from them.

I smile at him in affection, “I bet he misses y’all too.”

Zeke started laughing, “I’ll take that bet. That’s probably the one thing he’s enjoying about initiation, not seeing us drool overyou.” His laughter died, and he looked at me with so much heat that I felt my face warm. Zeke leaned over and slowly pressed his lips to mine as if he was savoring his ability to do so. Ending the kiss, he said, “As much as I want you to stay, if you want us to meet your parents before we bond, you better let me walk you back to your dorm.”

“I hate to agree with him, but I’m not sure I’d be able to resist forcing the issue if I got my hands on that luscious ass.” Zane smoldered my way.

I turned up my beer, needing to cool down, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” These two were gorgeous. I couldn’t blame Kristine for trying to bond them. I could blame her for being a raging bitch, but not her desire for these guys.

We finished cleaning up and left the guy’s apartment heading to my dorm. I inhaled the crisp air into my lungs as we meandered down the path. None of us wanted to end our time together.

Zane walked slightly behind me, and glancing back, I saw his eyes glued to my ass. I stopped abruptly, and Zane ran into me; he smirked and wiped imaginary drool from his mouth, “No one could resist staring at an ass this fine, so I make no apologies.” I laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him beside me.

“Come on, perv. It’s getting late, and you’ll need your rest if you’re going to meet my parents tomorrow.”

Zane turned serious, “I’ve heard a lot about them. Our parents always talked about the bravery and loyalty of the Hawthorne Faction. I always thought of them as superheroes.”

Zeke grabbed my other hand, “Our parents gave all the credit to your parents for holding back the Dark Factions, so the Aurathions that wanted to escape had the chance.” He raised my hand and kissed it gently. “Mom cried when she told us about Adelaide losing two of her men. Those stories are why Chloe sees your mom as a hero.”

“I think she should come with us tomorrow. I want to introduce them to her anyway. We can let her in on everything then and get her help finding answers.” I was excited to come clean with her. That girl was special, and her friendship was important to me.

Zane grinned in Zeke’s direction, “She’s going to lose it. This might be the only time she’s ever been speechless.” They both started laughing.

I smirked, “I wouldn’t count on it. Chloe never runs out of things to say.”

As we rounded the corner of my building, still laughing, Oren stepped in front of us.

“You shouldn’t be out so late, Miss Hawthorne. You need your rest if you’re going to help with my class tomorrow.”

The man was everywhere I turned. It was starting to worry me a little, especially since I felt the tingling start up with his abrupt appearance. There was no way this guy would be a part of my Faction, tingles or not.

“As you can see, we’re heading that way, Storm. Maybe you should take your own advice and get some rest. You’re not getting any younger.” Zeke narrowed his eyes.

“That last part was just mean. In all fairness, you’re not much younger than me.” He gave the twins a menacing smile, “You should be careful walking back to your apartment. I’ve heard that it can be dangerous around here for Passives with no abilities this late at night.” Whistling, he turned and walked away.

“How in the fuck were we ever friends with that dick,” Zane growled out through clenched teeth.

“He didn’t used to be such an asshole.” Turning to me, Zeke said, “I don’t like how he looks at you. Let me know if he steps out of line even the slightest bit. I’ve about reached the end of my tolerance with him, and Passive or not, I will fuck him up.”

I reached up and cupped Zeke’s face with my hand. “I appreciate the sentiment, but you know I can handle him.”

He turned and kissed the palm of my hand. “I know you can, but defending our Nexus is my privilege. You wouldn’t deny me that, would you?”

I swayed toward him, entranced by his words, “Do you know how sexy I find that?”

“I called him a dick, that’s sexy, right?” Zane pouted.

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