Their Light

Chapter 23

Finn

As I watched Ryder down his fourth cup of coffee, I didn't know whether to be amused or concerned. I couldn't judge him, though. I was on my third cup myself and still felt exhausted. The all-nighter was rough on everyone, but it had been fun. I tried to push the bread down in the toaster again, but it wasn't sticking. I huffed in frustration.

The night had gone well. We had broken out just about every board game we owned. Pictionary turned into twister, which turned into poker. It was a never-ending series of games. Every smile and laugh from Hadley made it all worth it. A small smile spread across my face as I remembered it all.

It might have been the lack of sleep or the aftermath of that nightmare, but Hadley felt more open and comfortable with us. It was a big step from when she first arrived here. Honestly, it was amazing compared to when I met her in that cellar.

I pressed the lever down again, but the bread just sprung back up. I glared at the toaster. It was too early for this. I felt a presence behind me just as Kent reached over and lifted a cord off of the counter. It took me a moment to realize he was holding the plug for the toaster, and it wasn't connected to the wall. I resisted the urge to facepalm myself and instead spoke a quiet thanks to Kent as he plugged it in.

I pushed the toast down again and this time it stayed. I watched as the coils heated bright red. Rubbing my eyes, I guess I needed a fourth cup of coffee as well. Peter had left earlier when we broke up after the last game. He was going to get someone from Domu. My brothers had been very secretive about it. It had something to do with Zeke, but that was all I knew.

I turned to observe my brother's best friend. He leaned against the doorway of the kitchen, his arms crossed. He didn't look good. I didn't need to be an empath to see that. His gaze constantly flickered to the living room where Peter had disappeared from.

The toast launched out of the toaster, making me jump. I placed a hand over my racing heart and deposited the bread onto a plate. I picked up two more pieces and repeated the process. Hadley had gone upstairs once we finished. I wanted to have something ready for her to eat by the time she came back down.

Caspian had gone up with her after winning the tournament of rock, paper, scissors. She had mentioned something about taking another shower. She said it would help her wake up. I didn't understand that. A shower always helped me relax and go to sleep. But if it worked for her, I fully supported it. It was quiet without her. Everyone was trying to distract themselves until she came back. If I wasn't so tired, it would be quite amusing.

I heard the water running upstairs, and immediately images appeared in my mind. Thankful I lost the tournament, I tried to focus on the toast. It would have been torture to be that close, but still out of reach. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. The toast shot up again, giving me another heart attack. This was getting old. I heard laughter from behind me.

Kent was watching me with an amused look, a hand over his mouth. It did nothing to quiet his chuckles. I glared at him and pointed my finger.

"At least I'm trying to make something for breakfast," I snapped. He just laughed harder. Sometimes I wanted to kill my brothers. Ryder sat slumped at the island, sipping his coffee. Isaac strolled in from the living room.

"I'll help you," he offered, rapidly approaching the kitchen appliances.

Without raising his head, Ryder reached out his arm and grabbed the back of Isaac's collar. Isaac's arms pinwheeled as he was forced to a stop. I hadn't even had time to form a sentence. Isaac glanced at Ryder. I don't know what he saw, but the next thing I knew, he was sulking on his way back into the living room.

Once I had finished the toast, I set the place on the island counter. I then got out all of our topping options. It wasn't any fancy, but it was the best my single working brain cell could do. I made myself a place and sat down beside Ryder. The others followed my lead, except for Ryder. He nursed his coffee and glared at anyone that came close like a grumpy cat.

As I ate, I noticed Zeke checking the clock repeatedly. After a while, he began pacing the room. I couldn't ignore it anymore. I set my toast down and walked over to him. He paused, seeing me approach.

"Are you okay?" I asked, genuinely concerned. It was rare to see Zeke so troubled. He was a master at keeping his emotions contained. Peter was probably the only one who could rival him. I hated when Peter got like that, though.

He nodded, his mouth a thin line. I didn't believe that nod for one second. His gray eyes were like a storm, churning with so much I couldn't decipher. I wanted to help, but I think my one working brain cell was working on the digestion of the food I just ate. I didn't know what to do.

A familiar popping sound filled the room, saving me. Zeke whipped around, eyes wide. Peter straightened, his face flushed. He all but collapsed onto the couch. Kent head over to check on him. Long distance teleporting took a lot of energy. He would need to rest.

Zeke froze, taking in the other figure with Peter. I looked her over. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn't place it. Her hair had more gray in it than brown. It was pulled back into a tight, low bun.

She wore a traditional Kustos uniform. It took a moment to place the symbol of the Probus she guarded. I gasped when it came to me, focusing on Zeke. The lines around her eyes became prominent as she narrowed her gaze at us. Her honey brown eyes surveyed the room before landing on Zeke. He watched her warily.

There was only a momentary pause before she smiled and rushed across the room. She hesitated about a foot away from Zeke, her smile faltering. He moved immediately, wrapping his arms around her. She threw her arms around him. They clutched either tightly. I watched Zeke deflate in her arms, relaxing into the embrace. I glanced over at the twins, realizing now what they had talked about.

I didn't know a lot about Zeke's past. I did know that things weren't great for him growing up. He was always at our house with the twins. It was safer for him there. Apparently, it was also safer for me not to know the details. I still thought that was crap.

I wondered how Hadley would react to her arrival. I was also curious why the twins had called her. It must be connected to her power, but I didn't know what that was. My frustration continued to grow. I was happy for Zeke, though. He seemed more at peace in this moment than I had ever seen him. Zeke pulled back, smiling softly at the woman.

"Hi, mom."