Page 42 of Tino
The rest of us shared a look and decided to leave Xari and Niam with his mothers. They needed a bit of privacy and we didn’t mind walking ahead to where Willow and Nujik stood.
“Is it bad?” Silver asked, done waiting it seemed.
Nujik seemed unsure how to answer that. “I’ll explain as soon as everyone has gathered here. Don’t want to repeat myself.” He winked at Silver, then tugged Willow with him and gestured for us to follow. Like with the camp site, they’d made us thrones, this time with space in front for our familiars. We’d left them behind at our house, thinking we would focus better with them not with us, butseeing how they’d made space for them had us calling them forth, surprising a few mages who stood close by.
Gilbert and Kitty had bonded with the others easily, and if the book was to be trusted, they remembered each other.
“Should we sit?” Tino asked, as unsure as me about what to do without Xari and Niam with us.
“We might as well,” Wilston said, sitting down on one of the thrones. King stood beside him, proving how he’d gotten his name as he exuded authority. Silver sat next to him with Shamus cuddling up to his legs.
Tino and I joined them, Kitty snuggling up to me like Shamus had done to Silver and Gilbert had decided to slither his way up the throne, perching behind Tino. It looked a bit comical, since Gilbert was way too big for it to fully work, but he at least got half his body to rest on it.
Xari and Niam joined us without his mothers, who’d stopped next to where Willow and Nujik stood, conversing, but it at least seemed they were in agreement on whatever they were discussing. I knew logically that we could trust Leah, but having one of the council leaders here was unnerving.
As soon as Snowflake and Leon had placed themselves next to the thrones, them being called as soon as Niam and Xari saw our familiars were with us, Nujik began speaking.
“Everyone, I know most of you know what Leah’s presence here announces.” There was utter silence as Nujik looked over the crowd of mages. “It shows that she has left her position as leader. That her loyalty lies with these young men behind me.” People started cheering, not all of them but some. “But it also means we’re out of time.” Dead silence. “Leah assures us that the council leaders don’t know our location, but how long that’ll last is a question we don’t want to test.”
I felt like squirming in my seat.Was it too late to back out?
“We leave tomorrow. For war.”
Shit.
After that shitshow of a meeting, we’d gone back to our house to freak out, or that we needed rest topreparelike we’d toldWillow and Nujik. We weren’t resting, though. Silver was pacing the floor. Wilston had begun washing dishes, declaring they needed to “shine” more. I wasn’t faring any better, having showered for over an hour before Tino dragged me out of there, muttering curses at how wrinkly my skin had gotten. I hadn’t even realized it had been that long, too deep in my own thoughts. Niam and Xari had gone to their room and closed the door, and if they were having sex right now, I had to admit I was impressed. I wouldn’t be able to get my dick up with the fear of war tomorrow. But whatever worked for them.
“Do you mind living together after this?” Tino asked, and weirdly enough, I noticed he was looking at Silver when he said it. Silver seemed to notice too and frowned at the question.
“Me?”
“You and Wilston, yes. And hopefully Niam, Xari, and Julie too.”
“You want us to share a house like we are now?” Wilston asked, walking into the living room. He’d clearly overheard the conversation from the kitchen. I was sitting on one couch with Tino on another, while Silver had stopped his pacing and was watching his bonded.
“Yes. I would prefer to live together with you all in the future. I rather like having you around all the time.” It was a great subject change, since it showed we had something to look forward to after the war, and it seemed Silver and Wilston were in on the idea, since their faces turned happy at the thought.
“I love that idea!” Silver gushed. “We could live in the castle.”
“That huge castle?” I asked, not really liking the idea of living in a place that held such awful memories.
“Yes, we could make it ours,” he suggested.
“Maybe it would be best to live somewhere where we don’t also have to work?” Wilston supplied. “I’m more inclined to buy some land close by and build our home just as we want it.”
“I’m on Wilston’s side. I would love for us to pick everything,” I said, feeling lighter now that I could picture our future more clearly.
“Fine,” Silver relented. “Maybe it would be best, since we could plan for our familiars, too, securing their happiness and needs.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Tino grinned.
“What plan?” Niam asked, entering the living room with Xari right behind him.
“We want to all live together after the war, like we do here,” Silver replied, shooting them a wink.
“Oh,” Niam said, surprised. “I would love that!”
“Me too,” Xari grinned.