Mischa’s eyes met mine. “I’ll bunk with Jessa,” she said.
I gave her a smile. Sometimes it felt as if my twin was trying really hard to build our relationship. I wanted that too, but it was going to take more than forced proximity. Only time could create the bonds we should have had. I didn’t mind sharing with her, though I’d have preferred one of the quads.
“Sounds good,” I said. The joy that shone from her expression was reward enough.
Grace was perched in the doorway of the spacious, white-tiled kitchen. “I’m happy to be by myself. I’m used to it, and magic users don’t have the same pack tendencies. It will be easiest for me.”
Jacob shoved some of his white-blond hair back, ruffling its smooth strands. “Alright, well, I’ll share with Tyson’s lazy ass, and that leaves Max and Brax, the dynamic duo. They take up the most space anyways with their brooding and general pretty-boyness.”
Tyson snorted. “Yeah, we’d better give them the biggest bathroom, their beauty crap takes up a lot of space.”
The wizard barely had time for a second snort of laughter before he flew through the air and smashed into the glass windows to the left of where I’d just been standing. He clattered to the floor in a messy tangle of limbs. I was surprised to see that that the glass and paneling seemed to have suffered no damage. They must have been reinforced to withstand the weight and strength of supernaturals crashing into them. A great idea with our hotheaded natures.
Braxton was standing in the spot from where his brother had just taken his little flight across the room. He looked calm, deceptively so, arms hanging loosely as he locked eyes with Tyson. The magic user was already on his feet, streams of gold threading the brown of his eyes. This was about eight seconds from World War Ten – the other nine counted only the major battles between the quads over the years – it was time to end this now. I stepped to the center of the room, between the boys, and held up both of my arms.
“Stop! If you two fight, I’m going to tear you both a new ass–”
“Jess!” Horrified, Mischa cut me off. Her over-the-top fear of crudeness of any description was enough to lighten the tension.
“I’m going to shower and change,” said Grace gently, as if the boys weren’t squared off to fight. “We should all hurry. We only have forty minutes to meet back with those fey.”
She maneuvered through the room, avoiding Tyson, before grabbing her bag and entering the closest bedroom. Within moments I heard the sound of running water.
This was my chance to end the secrets between us.
I waved my arms. “Bring it in.”
Our group tightened until Mischa and I were the center of a hulking mass of males. Five sets of eyes locked in on me. Tyson’s were back to honeysuckle brown, already over his shitted-at-Braxton moment.
“I need to tell you something.” I focused on Jacob and Tyson. I didn’t mince my words, quickly detailing the dragon marked abilities, my dual shifting and what had happened in Vanguard. “I didn’t say anything when we first escaped because of Grace. It’s not the sort of information which should be general knowledge.”
The silence was heavy, filled with anger and slivers of hurt and mistrust. I didn’t drop my eyes. I forced myself to see and feel every facet of pain visible in Jacob’s leaf-green eyes and Tyson’s honeysuckle.
The quad wizard was uncharacteristically somber. “Do you have any more hidden information? Because I’m about done with all the secrecy.”
Braxton and Maximus stepped closer into me. I’m not sure they even realized they had done it, their instincts always to protect me, even against their brothers.
I shook out my hair. “No more secrets, I promise. I agree with Max, we can’t fight effectively if we don’t have all the information, so full disclosure.”
It might have been what I said, or the fact that truth rang clearly in my tone, but the tension slowly filtered out of the boys.
Jacob folded me in his arms. “I adore you, but sometimes you’re a real asshole.”
I chuckled. He was right, sometimes I was.
With everything fixed between us all again, I gathered my bag – a large black duffle which had been stored in my closest for emergencies but never used – and followed Mischa into the second door past Grace’s. I had no idea what the hell sort of clothes Louis would have packed for me. It didn’t much matter anyway, I didn’t care as long as it wasn’t ruffled or lacey. Once we stepped into the surprisingly large room, decked out with two double beds and a full length mirrored-door closest, I threw my stuff down and crashed onto the soft bed.
Mischa stood over me, hands on her hips. “You doing okay? I can’t even imagine how you’re still going after the last few days.”