Stepping around Brace, I reached down and hauled Lucy up. There was already the beginning of a bruise forming around her right eye and down her nose; she was going to have a hell of a shiner. I sat her on the couch, flopping down next to her, waiting for the energy to finish its job.
Brace and Josian were the first to stir. My mate crossed the room, lowering from his great height to bring his face right up close to me.
“Very clever, Red.” His lips brushed mine, just the slightest pressure before he pulled back.
I flushed at the sweet but slightly frustrating kiss. After our time apart I needed more. But I knew both of us were feeling the pent-up frustration simmering between us. Privacy would be the best for our first real kiss.
I spun my head as Fury awoke and went nuts. Dune looked to be the only reason she wasn’t shooting off fire balls and burning down the house. Even still, her blue flames were flickering on and off.
“What did you do to me?” she sobbed, her tears evaporating in the heat of her flames. “Why did I see that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what you saw, and it wasn’t deliberate, simply the easiest way for me to end the fight.”
She’d stopped struggling, although her breath still came in deep huffs. “Don’t do that to me again,” she said, stumbling back with Dune and sinking against the wall.
I raised my brows at her commanding tone. “I’ll do whatever I need to prevent people getting hurt. If you need a good dose of common sense, I’m happy to be the one who knocks it into you.”
She glared me down. “And I’ll be the one who’s happy to burn you and your house to the ground.”
“Fury,” Dune admonished her. “You don’t need to have this attitude; these people are not your enemy and Abby more than any is your kin.”
Uh-oh, Dune was so in for it. Fury’s face darkened, the red highlighting her tensed features. She faced him, lowering her voice and, from what I could see, started to grill the hell out of him.
Over her drama, I turned away. “So what was all the yelling about when I woke up?”
I hoped my change of subject would distract everyone from whatever dreams I’d sent their way. Sometimes it was better not to know the vulnerabilities I’d exposed to the world.
“We weren’t yelling. We were discussing the events at the dark mountains and trying to figure out the next step.” Josian made his way over to Lallielle, pulling her closer to him.
The pink aura swirling around them had my heart rejoicing. For the first time in a long time I could watch their love without feeling as if someone was stabbing me repeatedly.
“Some of us were yelling,” Lucy said, rubbing her nose.
Jen the housekeeper walked into the room then and handed Lucy a type of blue gel square. She brought both hands up to her face to demonstrate how to press it to the bruise. The moment Lucy did this relief crossed her features.
“We need you to tell us exactly what happened in the dark mountains. The sooner we finish this debrief the sooner I can have the Doreens off to inform every Walker clan of the gathering.” Josian glanced behind him. “And Lucas arrived just after us with some urgent news.”
I closed my eyes briefly. It was time to face up to my actions. I didn’t waste time, getting right to the important parts.
“It could contact me through this golden thread in my mind. I assume this was the melding bond still between Brace and me.”
Brace’s nod confirmed my thoughts.
“Every time the Bracentine came it offered me that same deal.”
Brace interrupted. “Bracentine? You’ve got to be kidding.”
I shrugged. “It was better than calling it ancient-dude-wearing-my-mate.”
He snorted, shaking his head, before crossing his arms tightly. As his biceps strained against his shirt material I lost my train of thought for a moment.
Josian cleared his throat.
I swung my head back around, but not before I caught the darkening of Brace’s eyes and the flare of heat in his gaze.
“So it said if I helped to free its third brother it would release Brace and never repossess him.”
“Why did you believe it, Abbs? You of all people are generally cynical enough to ignore a deal like that.” Lucy faced me as she pulled her legs up into a cross-legged position. She still had the gel over half her face.
“It said it’s bound by the balance of the universe. If it gives its word it has no choice but to follow through.”
Josian shifted closer to us. “That’s actually true. The original powers were the balance, the yin and yang of the star system. Which is the reason for the birth of the Seventine. They balanced out the original seven. And neither of these primary powers can be destroyed, just contained.”