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Sloane snorted as he dropped his hand and turned away. “It seemed like the right thing to do at the time,” he said, his tone harsh in the still of the afternoon.
“For who?” Kallie asked quietly. He turned back to look at her, and she raised an eyebrow as she regarded him. “You’re always doing things for others, Sloane. I think you need to focus on yourself.”
Sloane tried to hide his shock, but he felt the truth of her words. “Well, there is a big old war coming our way, so for now...it does not matter.”
“Of course it does,” Kallie protested quietly. “You need to talk to her.” She saw his hands tighten on his legs. “That is why you are out in the snow instead of inside eating all the cook’s food, is it not? Or helping Michael train?”
Sloane cast an assessing look to the Akrhyn beside him. “And when did you become the expert in Sloane Ivanov?” He tried to make his words light-hearted, but he was genuinely curious.
Kallie flushed scarlet, and Sloane watched her try to hide her discomfort. “I’m just being an unbiased friend.”
“Okay.” Sloane turned his head to hide his smile. His eyes fell on the two Akrhyn coming towards them. He saw the red robes of the Castor and recognised the Sentinel beside him. “Look at them,” he said with amusement. “Anyone would think they were young lovers on a stroll,” he said to Kallie with a grin.
“How do you know they are not?”
Sloane chuckled as he stood. “Because he is my brother and she is my cousin. Trust me, they are talking plots, conspiracies and vengeance.” He waggled his eyebrows at Kallie as she too stood.
“Sounds like fun.” She winked at him, and he laughed again at the Akrhyn beside him.
“I want to know what they are saying, do you?” he whispered conspiratorially to her. Neither his brother nor Tegan had acknowledged that they were not alone in the afternoon on the grounds.
“Yes!” Kallie nodded eagerly. She started to walk towards Tegan and Cord, but Sloane pulled her back gently. “Sentinel?” she asked him questioningly.
“Thank you, Kal,” Sloane said softly as he brushed snow off her jacket.
“For what?” Kallie reached up and mimicked his movements, dusting the snow off of him.
“For making it better,” Sloane admitted with a sigh. “Iwasout here wallowing.” He tugged her hood. “You made me better.”
Kallie smiled up at him and ran her hand over his shoulder one more time on the pretence of removing the snow even though she knew she was just making an excuse to touch him. “Well, in that case, you are welcome.”
With a soft smile for the Akrhyn in front of him, Sloane switched his attention to his brother and Tegan. “You both look like you’re up to no good!” he called over the grounds.
Cord’s head turned to him, and even from where he stood, Sloane saw the tension leave him. Tegan raised her hand and waved as they began to walk over to them. Tegan frowned as she saw Sloane dip his head to speak to Kallie, who nodded in response.
“Snow fight,” Cord said with a resigned sigh.
“Excuse me?” Tegan said as her head jerked to the Castor.
“They are going to attack us with snow,” Cord told her patiently.
“Why?”
“Because it is Sloane, because it is snowing, and because it is…fun.” Cord grinned at Tegan suddenly and then, ducking down, picked up snow, formed it into a ball and threw it with alarming precision towards his brother. Tegan laughed as it hit her cousin and he yelled with delight. She saw Kallie drop all pretence of walking to them as she hastily dropped to the snow and started forming her own balls of snow.
“They’re called snowballs,” Cord told her as he knelt in the snow in his robes. “And the aim is to hit your opponent as many times as possible to win.”
“Show me,” Tegan demanded as she knelt beside him and mimicked his movements.
“You’ve never had a snowball fight?” Cord asked incredulously and felt a twinge of pity for her.
“I do not think I have.” Tegan bit her lip as she thought about it, drawing the Castor’s eyes to her mouth. “Maybe when I was younger? Training was doubled in the snow.” She stood with a grin and then threw a snowball at Kallie, hitting the female Akrhyn soundly in the chest. Tegan’s burst of laughter made Cord grin. Soon the four of them were dodging and throwing snowballs, their laughter ringing around the Headquarters. Tegan was hit from behind, and she spun, her snowball raised and ready as she ducked from another snowball from her brother.
“They’re behind us too, Castor,” Tegan called out in warning. Cord spun and laughed as Michael and the red-haired Akrhyn who also had watched Zahra came running up to them. He laughed louder when Briony and Kallie switched sides and both females started attacking their former male partners. Tegan saw the move and spun to Cord. Her grin was gleeful.
“Little tiger, I am on your side,” Cord warned her as he backed away.
“I just realised it is not teams but all Akrhyn for themselves!” Tegan let loose a flurry of snowballs at him.
