Page 267 of Seer Prophet

“Mind on the job,” he said softly, mimicking my voice.

I laughed, quietly, but kicked off my own wet shorts.

I used the small but highly-absorbent towel I’d shoved into my bag to get off the excess water, then tossed it on the edge of the metal crate. Reaching back into the bag, I fished out a black, camisole-style top. It’d just pulled it over my head and arranged it awkwardly over my still-damp body when Revik moved suddenly, the motion sharp enough to jerk my eyes to the opening on the other side of the storage crates.

Seeing who stood there, I stiffened, even before I saw him staring at Revik’s naked body. I was still watching when he clenched his jaw, looking away.

Revik continued to stand in front of me, shielding me as Dalejem approached where we stood. The long-haired seer still hadn’t spoken. I saw his eyes flicker down Revik a second time. Watching him stare at Revik’s bare ass and cock more heatedly, I jabbed my husband pointedly in the back with my fingers.

Jumping a little, Revik turned, glancing at me.

Watching me finish pulling up my underwear, he colored at my glare and turned to block his own body at least partly from view.

Without looking at either of us, he tossed the towel he’d been using on the edge of the container and reached into his bag, pulling out a pair of boxer-briefs and tugging them on hastily. I continued to watch as he found a dark T-shirt and yanked that over his head and back.

I pulled my hair into a ponytail once I had my skirt on, squeezing it out as hard as I could, then winding it up into a tighter bun at the back of my head, to make it less obvious that it was wet.

When I saw Dalejem watching Revik again, I almost said something.

Before I could open my mouth, the other seer stiffened, looking over his shoulder at the end of the aisle of storage crates.

I barely had time to comprehend what he was reacting to, when Dalejem moved swiftly. I was still tugging a shirt over my head when he appeared by my side. I looked up at him right as his muscular arm wrapped firmly around my waist, his hand squeezing my side once he had ahold of me.

“Go with this, Esteemed Bridge, I beg you,” he muttered.

I turned, giving him a hard look, about to speak, when a shout rose from the other end of the crates. My eyes shifted in the direction of the sound.

Before Dalejem caught hold of me, I’d been tugging the stretchy shirt around my back, a shirt that still left my midriff bare under the cami, and now I realized I still looked half-dressed, given my lack of shoes and the short skirt.

Revik’s pants were half undone, too, but he seemed to be on board with whatever Dalejem was up to. I saw him move deliberately to block us from view, right before Dalejem used the hand and arm out of sight behind Revik’s body to shove our bags deep into the cracks between the storage crates, presumably so they wouldn’t be seen.

Once he had, Dalejem grasped hold of me tighter, and dragged me with him towards the opening in the aisle, where three uniformed guards now stood, along with a man in local civilian clothes who scowled at us.

“What the fuck are you doing down there?” he said, speaking Arabic.

“Brother, brother…” Dalejem raised his hand, speaking lazily in Arabic. “Do not get excited, brother. We were only testing some of the merchandise. It is a small thing. And here she is back with you, safe and sound.”

I stiffened for a single beat of my heart, then softened all at once, melting my body into Dalejem’s side. I felt his light react sharply?and Revik’s flare from behind me.

Before I could adjust to either of them, Dalejem’s hand wrapped possessively around my ass. It made me jump a little, and his light flared a second time. That time, I couldn’t stop a corresponding flush of pain off my own light. I felt Dalejem feeding more light into mine as soon as I opened enough to give him the opportunity, likely to mimic that we’d shared light recently?which in no way made it any less unnerving.

Revik liked that even less.

I felt a flush of real anger off him, but the fact that we shared a connection made it difficult to tell how visible it was to anyone else.

Either way, Dalejem didn’t withdraw his light, and I kept mine open, too, which caused me to react to what Dalejem was doing even more. I felt Revik fighting to remain silent as Dalejem’s arm squeezed me tighter against him.

The male seer leading the soldiers?for he was a seer, I could see now, from his dark blue eyes with their odd, white flecks, and his height as we approached him?stared at us from the opening between storage crates. I saw him sum up the situation, right before he frowned, placing tanned hands on his hips. He wore a spotless white robe, like something out of a movie about sheik princes.

“Who are you?” he demanded of Dalejem, still speaking Arabic. “I could have you arrested, do you know this? You do not simply ‘borrow’ merchandise meant for the markets… brother.”

Dalejem smiled, gesturing an apology, but he didn’t look or feel apologetic.

“We thought there was no harm.” He glanced at me, using the fingers of his free hand to tug at the loose neck of my shirt. He pulled the thin fabric up over my shoulder, sliding a few stray wet locks of my hair behind my ear, right before he caressed my collarbone with those same fingers, pulling at my light. “We intended to return her very shortly, my brother. As you can see us doing now.”

Behind him, Revik let out a laugh.

I was probably the only one to hear the anger in it.

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