The sound of the a cappella intro for Universal surrounds us asPitch Perfectfills the screen. Silence reigns behind me as the arguing comes to an abrupt end. William peeks his head around the corner of the hallway, and darts across the room to land on one of the seats next to me. His arm wraps around me and I lay my head on his chest.
Typical men... they grumble about me putting on a chick-flick, but what they don’t understand is I don’t want to watch a movie with violence when we’re fixing to live through a similar reality. Of course, they didn’t pause to ask what I thought. Although I never spoke up either, so I guess it’s on me as much as them. Marcus tries to nab the seat next to me, but Alex plops onto it just before he can. “Move. I was going to sit there,” Marcus growls with irritation.
“Dude, I called dibs a while ago. Spot’s been claimed,” Alex smugly answers. Marcus crosses his arms and lays across the love seat with his feet hanging over the armrest with an adorable pout.
“Anyone want anything before I sit down?” Klaus asks as he pulls something from the open fridge.
“Ohh, yes! Can you get me some popc—” Before I finish, he places a bowl in my lap. There are sections divided into the bowl with several types of popcorn. There’s buttered, caramel, cheese, and kettle corn, all awaiting to be devoured. I beam at him as he leans over my shoulder. “You remembered,” I whisper to him. A giddy flutter begins in my stomach. I reach a hand for his head, and keep the other on my bowl to prevent it from tipping.Got to keep my priorities straight!
Our kiss is sensual yet swift, you know, since I have a movie to watch and popcorn to sample. “Of course I remembered, pft, as if I could forget our bonding night.” He brushes his lips against my temple, and I catch his knee trembling wink.
Before he can say anything else, a bag of Reece’s minis drops into my lap and Derrick appears over my other shoulder. “Sweets for my sweet. Make sure you save some to share with me.” He gives me a nuzzle then heads to find his own seat, dragging Klaus along with him.
Alex scooches closer and pulls the popcorn bowl to rest between us. I gasp and clutch my chest. “Who said I was going to share?”
“As if you wouldn’t share with the man you love. Especially when I got left out on all the fun earlier!” he retorts.Way to guilt me into sharing my snacks.The Barden Bellas come on stage and I’m shocked when Klaus sings along, bobbing his head. A hand slaps over my eyes right before a splattering of vomit hitting the ground resonates through the surround sound. “Can’t ruin your appetite for trying the popcorn, Angel,” Alex explains.
His hand uncovers my eyes and dips into the bowl before feeding me two fluffs of popcorn. The buttery taste melts on my tongue. It’s good, but I’m reserving judgment for when I’ve tried them all. As the song plays, talking about walking five hundred miles comes on, Derrick turns to me and says, “I’m fairly certain we’ve walked well over five hundred miles for you, Cecily. Man, I’m digging these lyrics. This could totally be our theme song.” I smile at his adorableness, but quickly realize the shower scene is about to pop up, so I cover Alex’s eyes to repay the favor.
“What are ya doing there, Angel?” he questions.
“I can’t let you look at other naked women!” I bite my lip to keep from laughing.
“Okay, first, I wouldn’t look at any other woman. You’re the only one I want to see naked ever again. Second, they don’t show any of the good bits anyway,” he responds with a mock-defensive tone.
“Sounds like you’ve seen this movie before,” I quip, feeling as if I caught him in an admission.
“Have I been living under a rock?” he says, perfectly lining up the quote with the character on screen. I burst out laughing and lay my head on his shoulder. He once again feeds me some popcorn, this time a cheese and caramel at the same time. I raise an eyebrow, and he says, “Just trust me.”
The flavors melding in my mouth are amazing, and I’m not sure I can eat the two separately again. “That combo is the winner. It’s my favorite out of all of them.” His only response is a smirk, like he won something by being the one who showed it to me. I reach for William, snuggling between my two mates for our night of relaxation and distracting chick-flicks.
Chapter 18
Cecily
Iwake up with an odd sense of resigned calm and the strong buzz of the bond. Family night turned out to be the perfect distraction of bonding and further uniting into one unit. I’m going to try and hold on to the feeling it gave me, but fear hovers at the edge of my mind, waiting for a chance to invade.
All of my mates are touching me in some way, offering their support through sleep. I sigh, knowing we need to start our day, but not really wanting to face it. Sitting up, I look to my left and see Alex and Derrick are awake. Glancing to the right shows the rest of my mates are just lying there staring up at the ceiling. I’m comforted as I realize they’re all awake and stayed here touching me so I could wake up to the sensation of their love coursing through me.
William rubs my back as we remain silent. I soak in the peacefulness for a little longer before clearing the night from my throat. “So we leave today.” It’s an obvious statement, and no one responds to it. “Has the report come in yet of where Silas ended up?” I finally ask in resignation.
Marcus speaks up as his twin continues the comforting circles he’s rubbing into my back, “We figured we’d check once we were all up. We didn’t want to leave the bed until you woke up.”
I smile at him before taking a deep breath to steady myself for the day. “Okay, well, you guys take a look and we’ll move on from there.”
William grunts and pulls me onto his lap. Without them saying a word, my mates instantly crowd in. They wrap their arms around our whole group in a huge hug, with me in the middle. I relax into their hold, soaking up all the love they’re sending my way. After a few minutes, Alex grabs my chin, turning my head toward him. His lips softly graze mine before it turns into a desperate, all-consuming event. When he breaks it off, Derrick is right behind him, taking his place. The kissing continues until my lips are bruised, and each of my mates has a turn.
“Nowwe can start our morning,” Marcus announces.
Before getting ready, I wait to see what kind of updates we may have regarding Silas. William reaches for the phone Alex set up for him. He opens his notifications and clicks on a message from Thea. I read over his shoulder, making note of all the details she’s able to pass on to us. Silas led his people into a mountain range, just short of a day's march from here. He took them into a valley located in one of the highest ranges within the mountains, meaning at this time of year, its elevation results in snow and frigid temperatures.
She states he corralled his people into an old mining shaft and sealed it off before anyone from her team could gain access. It sucks not being able to get updates on what he’s planning inside the mountain, but at least we know his location. “If we gather everyone now, we can make camp tonight and approach the valley in the morning. That way, we'll be rested and alert when marching in on his location. We need to be ready for anything. Silas is crafty and shouldn’t be underestimated,” William suggests to Marcus as they discuss plans.
Marcus runs a hand over his face in agitation. “No kidding. A good night's rest will be vital. We need to have a tight guard rotation planned out, so they don’t try to sneak up on us during the night. Defense spells will need to be put up along with alarms. We need to make sure we fill every flask we have with fairy water, too.”
Alex claps his hands together and says, “Well, gang, let’s get this shit show on the road then. No time to waste.” My lips twitch with his show of enthusiasm for something we would all rather avoid, but the smile doesn’t quite reach my eyes.
In a daze, I pull on a pair of jeans, not really focusing on anything going on around me. My mind is busy with thoughts of putting an end to the threat against my people. Somehow, I finish getting dressed, and eat, moving through the actions by muscle memory alone.
