by Brea Alepoú
Kail shrugged. “Well, now that you’re good.” He sidestepped and went to move around Gin.
His opportunity was slipping away.
“Where are you headed off to?” Gin finally asked.
Kail stopped and stared at Gin for a long while. His dark blue eyes seemed to study him intently. “Downstairs. Ginger had them place gym equipment in one of the spare rooms.”
Gin wasn’t a fan of working out, but watching Kail get sweaty might not be such a bad idea.
“Mind if I join you?”
Kail’s gaze swept over him and stayed glued to Gin’s shoes. They were his favorite leather black platform boots with buckles.
“In those?” Kail asked.
Gin shrugged. “You’d be surprised how easy it is to move in these.”
Kail looked skeptical. “Yeah, I doubt that. I bet they are heavy as hell.”
They were, but Gin had long ago gotten used to them. Walking in them felt normal, and he was more than capable of running in them, not to mention they hid some secret weapons of their own.
“Fashion is worth it.”
Kail’s gaze went up and down on Gin again, making him shiver. It felt as if Kail touched him as he took Gin in completely.
“Sure,” Kail said.
Not as enthusiastic as Gin was hoping, but it wasn’t a no either. He turned to follow Kail downstairs and to the room that was practically a glorified gym. There was every machine possible and even a lifting section.
“This was one of the spare rooms?” Gin asked. He whistled as he took it all in. Who the fuck slept in there, a giant?
Kail stopped short and looked around the room. “When I mentioned that I’d like a place to work out, I wasn’t expecting this.”
Gin chuckled and moved next to Kail. The thinnest sliver of air was between them.
“You joining?” Kail asked as he started stretching.
Gin was too occupied watching the man bend every which way that his response was slow, and it took Kail standing up straight and staring at him and waving at Gin for him to actually answer him.
“Uh, no?”
Kail stared at him for another beat before shrugging and hopping on the treadmill. Gin found himself a spot on a bench on the far wall. He could see the entire room, and his gaze instantly zeroed in on Kail.
Kail went for a run and then hopped on another machine, and all too soon, his shirt was being tossed haphazardly across the room. He seemed to lose himself in exercising, and Gin would have believed that the man had forgotten he was there, but he’d caught Kail staring at him one or two times.
A bead of sweat rolled down his chest and shimmied its way in the middle of Kail’s abs before disappearing in the waistband of his shorts. Gin swallowed thickly as he took in all the tattoos that decorated Kail’s body and the way his muscles bunched every time he pulled himself up.
Gin made a mental note to thank Ginger personally. He wondered if she liked chocolate or flowers.
Kail dropped down, and Gin was up, handing him his towel. Kail gave him a lopsided smile.
“Are you just going to watch or work out as well?” Kail asked.
Gin nodded.
Sweet laughter echoed around the room, and the effect of it punched him right in the chest. He rubbed absentmindedly at the area.
“Nodding isn’t really an answer. Why don’t you just try something? I’ll even help you,” Kail said.
Gin’s brain short-circuited. “You just want to see me sweaty and struggling.”
Kail cocked a brow at him. “Isn’t that why you came in here with me?”
Gin choked on his own tongue as he tried to come up with a response.
“Okay.” Gin took a step forward, but Kail lifted his hand up and halted him.
“Take off the jacket and some of the jewelry. It might get in the way.”
Gin gave Kail a smile. “Are you just trying to get me naked?” The words slipped out without thought. He stopped and turned to gauge Kail’s reaction.
“Possibly,” Kail said, shrugging.
Gail felt his mouth drop open. What was he supposed to do with that information? He was sure Kail would never truly warm up to him. The man had made such a big deal about Titos not needing anyone else.
Kail closed the distance between them and helped Gin close his mouth. “Come on.”
Gin nodded, lost for words. He stripped his jacket off and took off all of his bracelets and rings. He felt more naked with his jewelry off than if Kail had asked him to take his clothes off. He shook the feeling off and followed Kail over to the pull-up bar.
“Alright, grip the bar, and make sure to tuck your thumb under your fingers for a more secure hold,” Kail coached.
Gin was just praying he didn’t make a complete fool of himself. He was in shape, but he was more of a run-for-his-life kind of guy, not the pull-ups and lifting weights kind.
He glanced over his shoulder at Kail and caught the man’s reassuring smile. Yeah, Gin could do this, and maybe it would earn him more Kail points.
He jumped up and hung limply from the bar. “Uh, so now what?” His body swung a little bit until warm hands touched him, making him all too aware that it was just him and Kail in the gym.
“Steady yourself. Here.” Kail’s fingertips grazed over the small sliver of flesh that was bare thanks to his shirt rising up. If Gin’s brain was having trouble before, it was getting close to complete shutdown now that Kail was touching him.
Gin didn’t question how the others affected him; he just knew they did, and it felt right. Gin shook his head to focus.
Warm breath ghosted over the back of his neck. “Okay, try and pull up. I’m here to help if needed.”
Gin was proud of himself as he pulled his own body weight up three times before his arms started to shake. Kail had made it look easy, busting out twenty reps back-to-back. Sweat beaded on his brow, and once again those distracting hands were on him.
“Great job,” Kail said.
The praise was a hot ball in the pit of Gin’s abdomen. If he had the upper-body strength, he’d go for another one. Without his say-so, his grip decided to cave under his weight, and a yelp left him. It wasn’t a far drop at all but unexpected, to say the least. Kail’s arms wrapped around him, and Gin was pressed against his chest.
Yeah, there was no doubt in his mind he wanted to join them and not to be just with Titos. Gin wanted the whole package.
An invitation from an unknown house was the last thing Titos expected Ginger to deliver.
“Who is this?” Titos asked.
Adom took the invitation from Titos and inspected it. “They must be one of the smaller houses. It’s not one I’m familiar with.”
Everyone was gathered in the library upon Ginger’s summoning. She might have only been half edoli and didn’t have an ounce of power in her body, but she practically ran them. Titos was perfectly fine with that. If anything, because of Ginger he was able to focus on other things, like their enemies and what he was going to do about the council.
The card went around the room, and Kyo looked it over and shrugged. Titos had held out some hope she might have known with her and Gin traveling around and offering their services to various houses.
“Yes, the Amongie house is very small. Even smaller than our own. They reside in Beatrice, Nebraska,” Ginger started. She stood in the middle of the library and instantly held everyone’s attention.
“What are they known for?” Adom asked.
“Nothing. They stay to themselves. The house and territory are of course registered under the queen that rules it, but they stay clear of all edoli affairs,” Ginger said.
That was good. If only Titos could do the same, but it seemed no matter what he did, he made enemies. Even while he was living in hiding, his old house had sought out to kill him.
“Why have they sent us an invitation? No one knows that Titos has taken over this house yet,” Seth said.
“And they still do not know. However, the terr
itory is still registered as a place that a significant amount of edoli live in.” Ginger turned on her heels and pulled out a remote control. “Theo, hit the lights.”
The room plummeted into darkness as Ginger clicked a button on her remote. The projector turned on, and a face appeared on the screen of a woman with bright blue hair, strong cheekbones, fair skin, and black-colored eyes. A scar ran over the bridge of her nose. It didn’t take away an ounce of her beauty; if anything, it enhanced it further.
“This is the queen of Amongie House. Julyanah is only twenty-six, but she came into power when she was sixteen upon killing the previous king of the territory. Ever since then, she has ruled over the territory.”
“Why—”
“All questions are to be held off until the end,” Ginger said, interrupting Mazki.
Mazki: Damn it, why am I always the one to get in trouble?
Adom: Maybe because you’re a brat.
Kail: Don’t you know the basics? She’s only on slide one. Haven’t any of you attended school?
Mazki: No, want to be my teacher?
Seth: When the bird attended school, they were still using stones to take notes.
Alfrik: Mazki probably skipped school. He can’t stay still unless—
Titos muffled his laughter. All of his keepers were picking on Mazki. It was times such as these that filled Titos with unexpected warmth, their chatter filling his head and their bonds glowing with the connection.
“Your Highness, no talking through your links either,” Ginger reprimanded. She leveled them all with a glare. “Focus.”
Titos straightened up in Seth’s lap and nodded. “Sorry.” He hadn’t been the one talking, but he hadn’t told anyone to stop either.
Ginger smiled at him and turned back to her slide. “She took over due to her sister being raped by the previous king and forced to bond with him. I know someone who works right under the ruler and can confirm this was the case.” Ginger flipped the slide, and it went from just the woman to her and three others. “Julyanah has a total of three keepers, two shifter types, and one magic user. She, however, only recently got the third keeper last year, and it was someone from this territory who was wasting away with no one to serve.” The awe in Ginger’s voice was easily detectable.
Titos studied the picture more. Three men stood behind her, but one clearly held her hand to the left. Ginger hit the slide again. “She has since then married one of her keepers and had a child. Because she was born of an unknown ruler, her bloodline is still fairly new, but it shows promise. I believe there will be talk of her soon enough. The bigger territory holders will take notice of her. Especially with her being pregnant again.”
Titos was surprised by that. Regular edoli could reproduce just fine, but rulers tended to have a harder time conceiving. And the fact that the queen had multiples was going to make her very important. Her house was going to be considered powerful. Ginger flipped through more slides as they learned more about the Amongie house. Titos sat and took it all in until the end.
“Theo, flip the switch,” Ginger said. She fixed her fluffy pink skirt. “Now questions can be asked.”
Everyone looked at Titos. Right, he was the king. He cleared his throat. “I get that she is great and all, but with me still hiding from the council, is accepting her invitation the greatest thing?”
“It cannot hurt to have allies, especially against the council. Amongie house might not be large, but they have built up enough of a reputation with the council to be left alone,” Ginger said.
“She is right. We are still in the unknown right now, but sooner or later, the council will either find us out or we will come out,” Adom said.
Titos looked to all his keepers, and they each nodded. He might have included Gin; even if he wasn’t officially bonded, it had felt right. “Kyo and Liby, what do you think?”
“It’s risky. Just because they are known to stay out of trouble doesn’t mean that they will willingly accept yours. Why should they risk themselves and their people to help you?” Kyo pointed out.
“That’s true,” Titos said.
Kyo shrugged. “Then again, I don’t know them personally. They might be willing to assist.”
Titos was grateful for her optimistic add-on. He hadn’t planned to get anyone else involved in his shit. It was enough that his territory and keepers were all tangled up in what amounted to Titos being alive instead of dead.
“I still speak with my cousin Dakota. He says nothing but good things about her,” Liby said.
Titos nodded. “And Ginger, you think this could be a good thing?”
“Yes, the bigger houses won’t pair with you right away, but the smaller ones are stronger together than apart.”
Seth: What is wrong?
Titos sighed through the bond while keeping his face neutral.
Titos: This is risky.
Kail: If you haven’t noticed, everything we do is risky.
Kail had a point. Titos glanced over to the man who sat at his feet. He was taking everything in stride. Sure, he hit some bumps, but who wouldn’t when everything around them was new and strange.
“Okay, we will attend,” Titos said. He held the invitation in his hand once more and looked it over. It was a simple dinner party. “Will there be any other houses there?”
Ginger nodded. “Yes, two others, but one of them will be sending the prince,” she said.
Titos cocked a brow at that. Princes and princesses tended to be kept under lock and key. They were a prize of certain bloodlines as next ruler of such territory. Ginger noticed his skepticism and continued talking.
“The territory he is coming from, the king is currently ill. He is unable to sustain power,” Ginger clarified.
“Do we need to know about these other territories?” Titos asked.
Ginger nodded. “I didn’t make a slide about them due to them not being the main focus. Their territories are both located far too close to powerhouses. It would be far too risky to publicly partner with them. The larger houses would take it as a threat, indicating a war.”
Titos might be fighting multiple enemies at once, but he was nowhere near ready to go to war. He’d only just gotten the edoli in his territory to bow down to him. To ask them to go to war for a king they hardly knew was unfair. He wasn’t going to be a soft ruler, but he wasn’t going to be a power-crazed dictator either.
“Okay,” Titos said.
There was a beat of silence before Adom sat up straighter. “When we attend this gathering, what is the secondary goal?”
“I say making sure they can’t be a threat to us,” Seth said.
Titos glanced over his shoulder at his alpha keeper. His warm, light brown skin was soft to the touch. His hazel eyes glittered back at Titos before focusing back on the room.
“We will have to be tactful with it,” Alfrik said.
“They could easily take the show of power as a threat,” Mazki said, sounding too serious.
“They might do that anyway,” Kyo said. She was already feeling like a part of their team. She didn’t hold back her opinions or what she felt. “With Titos walking in with five keepers, that’s a bold statement in itself.”
“Six,” Gin coughed.
A sly smile curved Mazki’s pouty lips. “What was that?”
Titos just stared at the man in shock. He knew Gin wanted to be a keeper, but for him to boldly blurt it out made heat blossom over Titos’s face.
“Aww, look, you made Titos blush,” Mazki teased.
“Shut it,” Titos said through clenched teeth.
Seth slightly trembled under him, and Titos caught the man trying his hardest to hold back his laughter.
“You all know I want to join. I want to bond with Titos,” Gin said.
Titos’s mouth dropped open.
“I knew it,” Mazki said cheerfully.
Kyo groaned. “I mean, I can’t say I’m surprised.”
“So what will it be?” Gin asked.
&nb
sp; Titos audibly closed his mouth. His first thought was to shout yes, but Gin still didn’t know the important fact about him, and neither did Kyo. Titos glanced at his keepers, and they all sent encouragement through the bonds.
Titos rolled his shoulders back, taking in a deep breath. “Before I give you an answer, I need to tell you and your sister something.”
Kyo uncrossed her legs and sat up, and Gin’s smile only dimmed a little. It was like he was saying he still held hope that whatever came out of Titos mouth wasn’t horrible.
Titos could only pray that was the case. “I’m a soul eater.” The words were pulled out of him like sawing a head off a body. Messy and tiring.
“Okay, and?” Kyo said.
Gin’s head tilted to the side. “Is that all? You don’t ask for children to be sacrificed or demand people kill the family pet?”
Titos balked at the question. “What the fuck? No.”
Gin and Kyo shrugged. “I mean, you do seem different. I haven’t seen any of you drink blood much, and even Liby takes less than before.”
Gin nodded. “And what the council had put about soul eaters seems falsified. There are plenty of things in edoli culture that is just made up.”
Silence stretched for a few minutes as they took that in. It wasn’t exactly a lie—there were a few conspiracies about the council, and many of them lies they told to keep edoli complacent.
“Not to rush or anything, but you didn’t give an answer,” Gin said.
Titos glanced around. The room was entirely too full.
Kyo stood up and tugged on Liby’s arm. “Come on before it gets super awkward in here. I do not want to see my brother that way.”
Gin winked at his sister as Titos tried to squash the embarrassment running wild inside of him. He caught Liby’s gaze and gave her a nod. He could feel her question through the link they had.
Liby and Kyo were the first to go.
“I will get everything ready for when we leave,” Ginger said. She stopped short of leaving with Ethan and turned to face Titos once again.
