Page 35 of Devastation
Unsurprisingly, they all say beer—except Hale, who says he wants nothing, drawing my focus to him. Reaching for his forearm, I pull him to me so I can talk quietly amongst ourselves. "You'll tell me if you're struggling, right?"
His face softens at my words and he drops a kiss to my forehead. "Yes, Little One. Have your drink with your friend so we don't look rude for intruding and demanding to have war talks immediately. I just want to stay sober and completely alert in case something happens."
The reminder that we truly could be attacked at any moment makes me feel guilty for agreeing to a drink with Mar and he must see it on my face. Tapping my nose softly with his finger, he gets me to look up at him as he chides me, "Do not feel bad for wanting to enjoy a moment with a friend you haven't seen in forever. There will be plenty of time to worry about the world after you're done."
Wrapping my arm around his back I give him a hug and kiss his chest. "I love you."
His chest rumbles as if he's purring in delight before he returns my affection, "I love you, too."
A small hand tugs at my arm holding my drink and Mar whines, "Dance with me, Os- I mean Lana!"
At this point, two of her mates are sulking about losing their game of beer pong while her other two are high fiving and rubbing it in their faces. They come to join us after that, and immediately our two groups of men shake hands and give introductions.
After holding back for a moment to make sure everyone is getting along fine, I join Mar a few feet away where the lights are pulsing the brightest as she shakes her hips toTemperatureby Sean Paul now.
We dance our hearts out until we're drenched in sweat and a small buzz permeates my brain from the hefty amount of tequila in my one drink. Huffing from exhaustion, I grab her arm and pull her down into a plush purple couch on the far wall.
Our men are now mingling together and playing beer pong. I hear Leo call out, "Hey! I saw you flap your wing when I tossed my ball. Don't think I didn't see you redirect the airflow, buddy."
We sprawl over the couch, our limbs jello from dancing so much. She has a forlorn look on her face as she stares at me now, making me nervous. "What?"
Raising her brows and blowing out a lungful of air, she says, "Just lay it on me. I know it's going to be some heavy shit."
Wanting to start this out on a more positive note, I open myself up to my core of powers as I shut my eyes and allow it to flow through me. When I open them, she gasps and stares intently at me, sputtering, "Your eyes...they're swirling like an endless vortex of colors."
Ignoring her observation, I focus in on the beautiful lavender tether that's streaming between us and thrumming happily with energy. Slowly, I release my hold on the energy and let the power pull back into me.
She had accepted my soul’s tether to her own without even realizing it.
"Well, the good news is that you and I have a connection, which will make this much easier."
My words confuse her as the wrinkle between her eyes deepens at her furrowing.
Licking my lips a bit nervously, I start, "I was reincarnated, and it turns out Gaia is my mom...was my mom. She was lost to us in battle against a god named Erebus."
Her jaw practically unhinges in shock and I continue on. "She died protecting me and now it has left me as the sole inheritor and demi-god of nature. I am searching the realms to restore the connections she had to her queens and to warn them of the imminent war."
A loud knock on the closed door to our room sounds and all music shuts off. Everyone's posture stiffens as one of Mar's men goes to the door to open it. He instantly relaxes and claps a man on the back that pushes a cart full of more alcohol into the room.
Everyone else goes back to their exchanges and temperaments prior besides me. Something is off, and it's as if I can feel it in the air. Mar begins talking to me but I've tuned her out completely, focusing on the jittery and sweaty looking man that's refilling the bar.
He's dressed impeccably in dress slacks and a button down white shirt, which is getting more soaked through with sweat with every passing minute. He isn't doing anything rigorous, and the temperature of the room is comfortable if you're not dancing your ass off.
He's nervous about something.
A soft tap on my hand pulls me out of my inspection of the man briefly. "Lana?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are you watching Kyle so intently? He's nowhere near as handsome as your mates."
She's correct in that. Kyle has short silver hair that's stylishly cut to be longer on top, and perhaps one would find his sharp facial features to be attractive, but there's an underlying nervousness and tick that is present in his jaw.
"Maybe I'm being ridiculous and just am a bit tipsy," I easily lie, wanting to not alert anyone to my concerns of the man that are unfounded.
No reason to alarm anyone. I'll just keep my eye on him.
"You can't just drop a bomb of information on me and then zone out, Lana! I need more," she says while shaking my arms to get my full attention.
