Page 33 of When Kings Fall

As it did now.

Lev went around me, dodging me in that skillful way of his.

But instead of doing what I’d thought and reaching into his pocket where he always kept a pick set, he just pressed his ear to the door.

And then he stepped back, telling us, “Sounds like she’s taking a shower.”

“So, let’s just leave her to it, yeah?” I said.

However reluctantly, he still gave a nod. “Yeah. All right.”

I gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Look, brother, it’s been a lot for her. Finding out the likes of Lynch is alive and kicking, even trying to reclaim power, is major for her, as I’m sure it was for you when you first found out. And we get that you want to share that shock and fallout with her, and we’re sure you will. But you had time to process it on your own first, you’ve gotta give her the same.”

“It’s been a lot for all of us coming up here too, so that’s compounding things,” Mason added, helping me out. “Being displaced, knowing what’s coming, it requires some adjustment. For you too, Lev.”

“Yeah, right on,” I agreed. “So, let’s all take a beat. The rest of the day. Mason, head to the bookshelf in the living room. There’s that Dreiser book you were only halfway through last time, Sister Charlotte.”

“Sister Carrie.”

“Right. And, Lev, head out to the shed. You can finish up that spice spinning thingy you were making for the pantry before we had to leave here earlier than expected last time.”

“And you?” Mason asked.

“I’ve got my old acoustic up here. I’ll play a little, write some songs.”

“Sounds good.”

With that, we went our separate ways, taking the space and processing time and, honestly, the day to just chill and decompress.

And, aside from some intense fucking, the best way I knew how to do that was through my music.

I’d been blocked for a couple of hours as I’d tried to clear my head of all the bullshit that was going on, but then I’d managed to sink into my music, finding comfort in that and accessing that inspirational headspace from all the bad and all the worry.

Actually because of that.

My inspiration had been our foursome and as soon as I’d tapped into that theme, the words had flowed and the melody had followed easily with an edgy, hard feel, my vocals fueling it with raw emotion.

“Dangerous, feral, ruthless/ Far from toothless/ Dark horses to the rotten core/ We collided with a ball of sunshine/ Pink bubble-gum, cotton candy/ Vicious things tangling in the night—”

I pulled up short when I registered movement over by the big-ass shed where Lev was working within on his woodworking stuff.

I’d been sitting out here in the grass working away within sight of where Lev was at so that I could make sure he didn’t succumb and try to head to Bree when she clearly needed a break from it all.

The three of us might have agreed to give her space, but Lev had a hard time sitting back and doing nothing at the best of times, let alone when it came to her.

Although he hadn’t actually admitted it out loud, perhaps not even to himself, it was clear as the brightest day to me and Mason that he was in love with her.

Intense emotion like that wasn’t exactly his thing—not positive ones, anyway. He was like Mason in that way. So it was hard for him.

I’d made a promise to myself to help him without giving too much direct interference.

I didn’t want the two of them fucking things up with her, especially when Mason had already come close during a time when I hadn’t been watching out for it.

She brought Lev a lot of happiness, something he’d needed for a long time.

Mason was feeling it too.

And as for me, I was already there and smitten with her. It wasn’t a long jump from that to those three special words for me.

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