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So did Mika, who was sitting on Ace’s lap, licking the last of her cake off the orange plate she held in both hands. She had frosting all over her nose and chin and one cheek.

When she glanced back at Ace, he burst out in a laugh.

I could practically feel the whole party waiting, holding its breath.

Me and Black eating our cake was some kind of starter pistol, apparently.

But we had to eat ours last.

We couldn’t eat a bite until everyone else had eaten theirs.

I pinged Jem with my light.

His presence immediately rose in mine.

Yes, yes… I know, Miri,he grumbled.I am ready to kill both of them.

I smiled, even knowing it might annoy Jem more.Can’t you get Nick to eat his? Maybe Dex will follow, just out of spite?

I have no way of speaking to either of them right now. Nick turned off his headset. Presumably because everyone was yelling at him to eat the damned cake.Feeling more amusement off me, Jem exhaled so audibly in my mind, I would have sworn he was standing right in front of me.I can’t talk to him the other way either. No blood connection,Jem added.We couldn’t do that prior to the ritual. It was part of the prep I had to do to make the cakes. All the purification stuff. Plus I had to meditate for hours––

I get it,I told him.But we can’t have the entire party waiting on them.

I know,Jem grumbled.We probably need to go up there. One of us, anyway. Any suggestions as to who it should be, sister?

Have you eatenyourcake, brother Jem?I asked innocently.

There was a silence.

Then Jem clicked at me through the Barrier.

No,he sent, sighing.And you’re right. That might actually help, since Nick should feel it, even without us being blood-connected. I’ll have Kiko eat hers, too. Maybe it’ll have some effect on Dex.

She’s still with you? Kiko?

Yes. Her and Jax. Jax has eaten his. He’s currently looking at me like he’s about to challenge me to a duel.

I laughed out loud at that. I couldn’t help it.

Jax always seemed so sweet and laid back.

Well, he’s not… precisely. Or he’s not only that, Jem amended.He’s definitely not that when it comes to Kiko. And frankly, he wasn’t totally like that on Old Earth, either.

Eat your cake, brother Jem,I advised him.

He exhaled, but I felt him agree.

When I clicked out, I glanced up at Black, who now looked faintly annoyed as well.

He leaned down, kissing my neck.

Stay out of other seers’ minds on our wedding night,he grumbled into my mind, quiet.Especially the handsome, flirty, overly friendly ones. Or it’s not only going to be Nick and Jax who are grumpy.

I laughed, elbowing him again.

I could tell he wasn’t totally kidding, though.

It hit me that I still felt borderline tipsy. Black did, too. Some of that was our own light being weird, but I figured some had to be coming from all of the extremely high seers affecting the Barrier space around us. We were getting a light contact high. Which also explained, partly at least, why Black was acting like a lunatic.