Page 56 of Breakaway
"I have all of my stuff packed," I tell him, tucking myself as close to him as I can. Traci talked as though it was already nighttime, but that's because her show airs in the late evenings. It's just after noon now, and we have plans to visit my apartment to get some more of my belongings. "We can head out now if you want."
I don't have to be looking at Zill to know he's looking down at me with raised brows. "You can wear whatever you want, I have no issues with it, but is this what you want to pack your apartment in?"
I push away from him, looking up as I bite down on my lip. "Maybe I like how you look at me when I'm dressed like this."
"And how do I look at you?" Zill asks, his shadows applying their strength to get me to budge and step closer to him again.
"You look at me as if you want to pin me against something with your shadows and have your way with me," I whisper to him, loving how his cheeks heat and his eyes glow brighter.
He swallows hard before closing his eyes, running a hand over his face, and groaning. "You need to say these things when we're up in my ship."
"Well, let's go get more stuff packed and then I can say it again," I say, turning away from him.
I can feel his eyes tracking down the length of my body to where the fringes are dancing around my upper thighs, barely concealing the handfuls of ass that my body suit isn't hiding.
Zill goes from excited to moving my things to irritated that he can't touch me every time he and his shadows want to. They're overjoyed that we'll be living with one another, but then he's back to glaring at his own hands because he can't be trusted to keep them in modest places. He fluctuates like that during the half hour it takes us to get back to the apartment. Kolos even remains quiet, which I figure means he's aware of how close Zill is to losing it in his need for me. It feels good to have that much control, even if I want him to snap and do what he wants to me. I'm good, and only rub my body on him a little bit accidentally while we're in the elevator, while Kolos, Marr, and Ingo pretend not to notice.
Isha and Brandr aren't back yet since they had to drop Mauve off at her house before coming back. My spirits are high, and my enthusiasm to pack as quickly as possible is exuberant. And then we get to my door, and my veins fill with ice.
'You can't run from me!' is painted on my apartment door in big, bold, red letters. Zill's shadows cocoon me in an instant, drenching me in darkness and pulling me with more force than I'm aware they possess until I'm plastered against his body.
"It's still wet," Kolos says. His voice is filled with the same kind of darkness Zill's was earlier, but this is thicker, even more unnatural-sounding, as if his shadows are filling his mouth and distorting the words. "Get everything packed. I'm going hunting."
CHAPTER 20
ZILL
Breaking News! Empress's brother speaks out on how the pop star is abandoning her family and the repercussions they're all facing.
Ijust want a nice day to end as nicely as it starts, so I can go up the ship, take Reese into my private quarters, and explain to her exactly how Sombrans bond. What well and truly ruins that plan is that every time I think it's time, someone terrorizes Reese. Anger and the overwhelming need to protect her have me reordering my priorities so that bonding with her is now at the bottom.
Kolos isn't back yet, but it hasn't been more than an hour since he left. I'd pressure him to move faster except for the fact that Reese seems to be in no such rush.
When we first came inside, she was shaken, but she bounced back relatively quickly. Her first order of business was turning on some Straxion dating show, increasing the volume until she could hear it throughout the entire apartment, and then she began moving from room to room to gather her belongings. Since no one banged on the walls, I assume the apartment building had thick ones.
Besides being angry and unable to do anything to fix the situation, I've been putting whatever she brings me into boxes. I'll get it all organized and ready to go by the time she finishes.
Marr and Ingo are across the hall again, going over footage they have of the hallway. Marr knows I'm listening to his thoughts. It's why he hasn't come over here to show me what he's found. A whole bunch of nothing if we're being honest. The message was done by someone who has access to the building, which means they live here or were let in by someone else. If that's true, Kolos will figure it out while he's prying through all the residents' minds.
Reese walks back into the living area, her hands empty this time. She's still in her ridiculous pink outfit from her interview. I'm not complaining. I'm doing the opposite of complaining, but now is not the time to mention it.
"I think that's everything," Reese says as she plants her hands on her hips and looks around the room. She's leaving her furniture. I told her she was more than welcome to bring it with her if she wanted. I'll have to make a separate trip for it, but I have no problems squeezing as many of her belongings into my private ship as we can fit. She's not picky about the pieces, though.
"I'll see if Kolos is almost–"
I don't get to finish my statement before the door to the apartment opens with a bit too much force. Reese lets out a panicked shriek, mixing in with the sound of squabbling on the television that's still turned up too loudly, and it's enough to set me all the way on edge. I rush for the door, arms wrapping around Kolos before either of us really understands what's happening. His shadows swat at mine, while mine scream about him scaring Reese and wanting to make him pay.
It's made worse by Marr coming out, already growling up a storm because he thinks there's actually fighting going oninstead of Kolos and me being ridiculous. Thankfully, the Lokan has better self-control than either of us and ends up doubled over in the hallway laughing as Kolos and I pry ourselves apart, our shadows still slapping at one another. Ingo isn't far behind him, peeking over the other male and howling with laughter when he sees what the commotion is.
"Oh my goodness," Reese says, standing in the doorway. "Are you two okay?"
Kolos snorts, "Your boyfriend got a little too overprotective."
"I can see that." Reese smiles up at me. At least her show is paused now, so it's not adding to the ridiculousness of all this. "I just finished packing, so if you want to help me load up the transport, we can all get loaded up and you can tell Zill about what you found out."
"Yes, ma'am," Kolos gives her a quick, playful salute as I glare at him, but he doesn't care that I don't like his flirting with Reese.
I'm almost positive he does it because he knows it irritates me on some level. I push that feeling away, moving closer to Reese because my shadows want to make sure that she's okay and that she wasn't harmed during the ten-second fight Kolos and I were in.
