Alpha Ember (ALPHA KANE BOOK 2)

41. An Assassination Attempt

Ember

Kane's bathroom reminded me of Arius. That is, the way the fae was always dressed entirely in white. From the ceiling to the floor tiles, the walls and sink, everything in the room was white. It didn't stop there either- all of Kane's bedroom furniture was the same color too. I wondered if he chose the design himself and if he did, did he realize he had something in common with Arius?

The thought made me smile.

"What are you thinking about?" Kane asked.

I glanced over at him. Like me, he was sitting on the cold floor by the huge bathtub. Unlike me who had my arms resting on the rim of the tub though, he was sitting with his back to it.

"You don't want to know the answer to that question." I grinned, amused that he was keeping his promise and wouldn't read my mind no matter how confused he appeared most of the time now.

"You won't tell me?" he pressed.

"Nope." I smiled lazily up at him, scooting over so I was leaning against his side. I haven't felt relaxed enough to feel lazy these days but being close to him was loosening me up considerably. Distance makes the heart fonder perhaps? We have been separated for several days, first because of our argument and then everyone was so busy with plans last night that we all ended up sleeping in the living room. I would've traded comfort for strategy anyway, it wasn't just about making sure we succeeded in killing Light- it was important we also had other options in case we didn't succeed.

One of those options included Kane's ring.

Needless to say, it was my least favorite alternative.

But right now having dreadful thoughts about what would happen if Rina (the mermaid assassin) failed wasn't all-consuming. It was like we were in our own private bubble, safe and sound where outside threats couldn't touch us. I wanted to wrap the moment up in my palm and hide it away for keeps, but I knew it wouldn't last long. All the more reason to treasure it while I could.

"If you won't tell me what you were thinking about," Kane said, shifting closer to cup my cheek. "I might arrive at some wild assumptions of my own."

I placed a hand over his. "What do you have in mind?"

He pointed at the bathtub which was filled with cooling water. "You were thinking we haven't had a bath together yet."

Blood rushed to my cheeks and my lips parted on an exhale, a movement Kane tracked intently-

"Ugh, can you two not do that while I'm in here?" Ian said.

I jerked away from Kane, turning around to check if I'd heard right. But Ian really was in the bathroom with us, sitting on the toilet seat on the other side of the room with his arms folded over his chest, expression extremely displeased.

"When did you come in?" I asked him.

"I've been here the whole time," he replied.

That explained the pouting.

"The more important question," Kane said, "is why you are still here?"

"Is that a hint for me to get lost?" Ian asked.

Kane nodded. "Yes. Get lost."

"So you can do something nasty where we'll all be sitting soon?" Ian walked over and squeezed his way between us. "No way."

Scowling, Kane shifted over so we weren't packed together like sardines. There was plenty of room anyway, the bathtub itself was big enough to fit several people. Good thing it was too because as Ian had pointed out already, we were all going to be gathered around it soon. When it glowed. Like the mermaid said it would.