Kol groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Maybe we need more males who have mated to humans to give us tips and tricks.” Nero thought aloud. “Maybe we should start an organisation for this. We can call it ‘When In Doubt, Have A Mated Male Help You Out’.”
Kol and Nero burst into joyful laughter. I stared between the pair of them, wondering which one I should hit first. I was distracted when the door to Kol’s living chamber open and in glided Nova. I jerked my attention from her almost instantly and looked down at the floor. I didn’t even react when she said my name.
I looked up but kept my eyes on Kol.
“Nova.” He growled. “We have spoken of this.”
“Kol, please,” Nova pleaded. “He is my brother-in-mate. I want to have a relationship with him like I do with the others!”
Kol growled softly. “I know this.”
“Then please let us be a family,” she almost begged. “You forgave me for my part in what happened. You have to forgive Ezah too.”
I remained silent.
“I have forgiven him, shiva.”
I felt my body jolt. “You have? Since when?”
“Since you came to me recently to talk about humans.” Kol shrugged, answering my question. “I’m just giving my instincts a little longer to get the message … I still want to punch you when I see you.”
“I want to punch him every time I see him too, kin,” Nero offered. “We have that in common.”
I paid Nero no mind and focused on Kol.
“I can be in your space then, yes?”
“Yes, baja.”
Before Kol had finished speaking, I stepped forward a few paces and wrapped my arms around him. He wasn’t expecting my embrace, so he stumbled back a few steps. When he clapped his hands against my back and chuckled, I felt as though a piece of my heart had healed. The burden of almost ruining my relationship with my favourite brother had taken its toll on me. I was so happy it was a burden I no longer had to carry.
“Thank you, little brother.”
When Kol and I separated, I was distraught to find Nova was beside herself with tears as she watched us even though she was smiling. Without a thought, I stepped into her space and gathered her up in my arms. She was so little that I couldn’t help but snort when she tried to wrap her arms around me.
“No tears,” I implored. “We both know my brother will do anything to make them stop … like letting you pilot the Ebony.”
Nova giggled as she wiped her eyes, and Kol nearly choked on air.
“You told him?”
“Of course I told him.” Nero snorted at Kol’s outburst. “I told everyone who would listen.”
“Imauni!”
“Tell me something I know, kin.”
“It’s tell me something I don’t know,” Nova corrected.
Nero chuckled. “What your mate said.”
Kol grumbled under his breath as I placed a kiss on the crown of Nova’s head. I was roughly shoved away from her by my brother, which I expected. He was newly mated, so kissing his mate anywhere was asking for a fight. Kol was actually showing a remarkable amount of control. Still, I just knew he was entertaining thoughts of killing Nero and me for being so close to his pregnant mate, especially so soon after a bond forming.
“An accident.” I held up my hands. “I promise.”
Kol glared at me as he tugged Nova against his body.
“Oh, I’m so happy.” She beamed. “This is just what I wanted.”
She wrapped her arms around Kol, who looked like he would give her the entirety of Ealra if she simply asked him. It was a look all Maji males reserved for their mates. Kol’s glowing eyes when he looked at his female was something only true fated mates experienced.
“I am pleased I can call on you both now too, sister,” I said, inclining my head. “Right now, though, I need your help.”
“With what?”
I exhaled a deep breath. “I need you to answer a question for me.”
“Ask away.”
“Nova, how does the human female mind work?”
Chapter Eleven
Levi
“Archery,” I grumbled. “Why does today’s lesson need to be archery?”
I kicked my foot against the luscious green grass.
“I am really bad at it. I can’t even hit a non-moving target, Nuni. A child was helping me the last moon cycle. He was barely a pre-teen, in looks anyway, and he felt so bad for me that he even readied my bow, aimed it, and used my hand to pull the string back and release it. It hit the target, and he celebrated as if I’d done it by myself. I’m mortified whenever I think about it.”
Nuni covered her mouth with her hand, making me playfully shove her.
“We’re here.” She dropped her hand. “Because you’ve been in a funk for three days running. You hang around the homestead and simply sulk. Getting out and inhaling fresh air will do you some good.”