Page 64 of Exordium

Iopened my eyes to hazy sunlight shining in through my window. I couldn’t believe that I had slept all night. Since Nathan had been gone, I usually only got three or four hours of sleep.

Sitting up, I yawned and rubbed my eyes. Pantar was already gone, he probably went hunting again this morning. Taking Zane’s shirt off, I brought it up to my nose and inhaled deeply. His smell comforted me. I knew it was the reason I was able togo back to sleep after the strange dream I’d had about Nathan. I folded his shirt and placed it under my pillow, grabbing my robe, I headed to the bathroom to shower. Chloe must still be sleeping because I didn’t smell coffee or hear her moving around.

I turned the water on as close to scalding as possible and let the water cascade over me. Thinking back on my night with the twins, I couldn’t help but smile. Their acceptance just cemented my feelings, and I knew they were meant to be mine. Knowing about my ability to bond without the ritual should’ve made them want to take things slower. Not informing the Council of the incident was risky and could put them or their families in danger. But if anything, it seemed to excite them more.

Now, if only my Psycho would return. The ache I felt at his absence was intense. I knew I loved him but didn’t realize how much his presence comforted me. Knowing he always had my back gave me an undeniable sense of security. Hopefully, bonding with the twins would strengthen me enough to communicate with him and find out what the hell was going on. He should have been back by now. The only thing keeping me from losing it completely was Zeke and Zane and knowing that if he had been killed, I would feel it.

Getting out of the shower, I threw my long, dark hair up in a towel, slipped on my robe, and went to my room to get dressed. These days, my clothing choices were repetitious. My hair was the only thing I changed, I wore Viking braids. My mother had taught me to do them a few years ago. Mom said that she wore them during battle, and since I was meeting with ShitStorm later today, I felt like the hairstyle was appropriate.

Looking in the mirror, I was satisfied with the result. I grabbed my bag and left the room, almost running into Chloe.

“Hey girl, you look ready to kick some serious ass! You’ve got to teach me how to braid like that.” Chloe smiled, heading into the kitchen to make coffee.

“How about I do your hair tonight before meeting my parents?” I smirked waiting for the explosion.

“Yeah, that sounds……. WHAT??!!!! I’m meeting your parents. Bitch, you better explain!” Chloe ran over to me and grabbed my shoulders, shaking the shit out of me.

“Calm down and quit shaking me before you give me whiplash!” I was laughing so hard I could barely speak. “I wanted to introduce your brothers to them, and we thought you might want to tag along.”

“Hell yes, I do! Oh, shit, I should probably skip class so I can decide what to wear. Should I bring a gift? What does your mom like? I bet she would love some donuts from Java and Jam! I should head there now. See you later, my most favorite person in the world, except for your mother,” She slammed the door behind her. I stood there with my mouth hanging open, left silent in the wake of Hurricane Chloe. It was amazing that she had that much energy before coffee.

I waited for the coffee, grabbed a to-go cup, and left for class. I wanted to get there early and maybe grab a seat by Jet. He’d kept his distance lately, and I wanted to check in with him. The fact that he was a found Passive concerned me and was part of why I had agreed to help Instructor Storm. Not that Jet needed any help in that area. He zipped through the courses almost as fast as I did. As good as he was it seemed like he might have had some kind of training.

Unfortunately, initiation wasn’t just about physical skills; knowledge of other dimensions was also necessary, as well as past initiations. I wanted to help him with these things if he’d let me. I was just going to ignore the reason I was so concerned.

Leaving my building, I saw Zeke waiting, holding a small white bag,

“Hey, handsome, how long have you been out here?”

He smiled and pulled me in for a hug, “Not long.” After squeezing me hard, he handed me the bag. Opening it, I could immediately smell the delicious aroma of glazed donut holes.

“I wanted to make sure you had breakfast before class. I know you haven’t been eating right since Nathan was taken.” Zeke gave me a concerned look.

I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him, “Thank you. It’s very thoughtful.”

He immediately pulled me back in for a longer kiss. “It’s not hard to be thoughtful when you’re always on my mind. Are you headed to History?”

“Yes, I thought I’d get there early and see if Jet needs help with anything.” I dug into the bag and ate one of the delicious little dough balls.

“I’ll walk you.” He took the bag from me and popped a donut hole in his mouth.

“Hey, I thought you bought those for me?” I grabbed the bag back.

“I did, but I made sure there was enough to share.” He winked. “I may have had an ulterior motive.”

“And just what would that be?” I smiled at him.

“Other than seeing your beautiful face, I wondered how Chloe took the news of meeting your parents.” He grinned.

I laughed, “I didn’t get another word in after giving her the news. She started talking a mile a minute and headed out the door.”

“I can’t wait to see her reaction when she meets them. Zane and I made a bet. He’s taking the speechless option, and I’m going with verbal diarrhea.” He waggled his eyebrows.

I punched him in the arm, “Hey, watch it. That’s my friend you’re talking about.”

Zeke rubbed his arm and grinned, “Holy hell, that’s quite a punch you have. My girl is strong!” He looked proud like he was personally responsible for that.

“You got that right, so you better be sweet to Chloe or else.” I held up my fist and growled. I tried to keep a serious face, but when he suddenly crossed his eyes at me, it was so out of character that I started laughing.

---