She gasped, a laugh building in the back of her throat, and Niko’s lips twitched like he was thinking of laughing as well.
“I don’t think it’s very common to discuss your sexual experiences with your parents,” he said. “So … that would be a no.”
“What difference does me being your mate make?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
His hand flashed up, brushing away the strand of hair that had slipped over her cheek. He glared at his own hand like it had acted without his permission, before dropping it to the bed.
“It means something different.” His gaze traced her face. “Anything I do with you will mean something different.”
“Like what?”
“All right, naked girl, that’s enough.”
He carefully bundled her into the blanket and was lifting her from the bed like a burrito when Theodore burst into the room.
“There you are,” Theodore grumbled, kicking the door shut, relief written all over his face.
“Here I am,” Niko drawled sarcastically. “And I have a naked Sigma. What should I do with her?”
“Feed her!” Isobel whisper-shouted, freeing one of her arms to pump her fist into the air.
“Okay.” Niko dropped her back onto the bed. “I’ll fetch Kilian to sneak you back into his room then we can go get some breakfast.”
She nodded, clutching at the top of the blanket. Theodore gave her a droll look as Niko left. “You gave me a heart attack. Even the string was gone.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s wrapped around me,” she replied, feeling around with the hand that was still stuck inside the blanket. Sure enough, the string had become tangled around her waist. “What should I do with it?”
“Anything but cut it,” he answered seriously. “I need to take a picture to show the others.”
She struggled to her feet and then wiggled the blanket loose, parting it along her side. Theodore caught her hip and snapped a quick picture of her naked waist before pulling the blanket back around her. Niko returned with Kilian a second later before disappearing into his bathroom. Kilian gave her an amused look, sweeping her into his arms and striding out of the room.
He deposited her in his bathroom, leaning close, his cheek brushing hers. “You smell amazing. Did you sleep well?”
A smile broke over her face. “I got another soul artefact.” She parted the blanket again and his fingers played across the red string, plucking it gently.
“Thread?” he asked. “It wrapped around you?”
“No, it tied me and Theo together by our pinkies.”
“Well, that’s disgustingly adorable.” He reared back, checking to see if she was serious, before he laughed. “How do I get myself a disgustingly adorable soul artefact, now that you’re giving them out again?”
She shrugged. “Ask me nicely.”
“Cute.” His expression grew serious, his pale eyes digging into hers, his face unreadable, before he suddenly backed off.
“The Consolidation Day festival will kick off soon and you still need to pack for the holidays. I’ll let you shower.” He stepped out but paused in the doorway, tapping his fingers against the frame. “It’s nice seeing you happy, Illy. We should have guessed the key to your smile was dancing.” He lingered a moment longer, just staring at her, before he forced a smile and disappeared.
She wasn’t sure what to make of that comment, but luckily, he hadn’t stuck around for a response. She raced through a shower and picked out one of her designer dresses for the day, since she wasn’t going to do any training for once. It was a pretty pale yellow—a diagonal panel dress with ladder trims stitching each section together. The neckline was a soft diagonal slash that looped over one shoulder, a loose chiffon sleeve falling down her arm. The other sleeve was attached to the bodice, and it hung from her bicep.
She tucked her phone—which Kilian had put on charge—into her over-the-shoulder bag and added the red string in case any of the others needed to examine it in person. She brushed out her hair and slipped her feet into some tan sandals before planting herself in the living room to wait for the others.
After a minute, she pulled out her phone to sort through the notifications. Theodore had posted the picture of her string-bound waist to the group chat she was in, and it seemed like he had done it without an explanation.
Oscar: The fuck? Are we choosing outfits again?
Kilian: That is not an outfit. That is a piece of string.
Cian: Some outfits are pieces of string.
Moses: No, those outfits are still just string.
Niko: I don’t understand. She was naked when she came to me, but you took that while she was still in my room?
Elijah: Rewind. Explain.
Niko: Isobel teleported to my bed half asleep while I was on a video call with my mom.
Niko: And she was naked.
Mikel （admin）： A habit of hers, I’m afraid. Although the nakedness is new.
Gabriel: Not as new as you might think.
Oscar is typing …
Oscar has been muted.
Kalen （admin）： Is that a soul artefact?
Kilian: Yes, it is.
Theodore: Sorry, was in the shower.
Gabriel: When did it appear?
Theodore: Last night. Tied around our pinkies.
Moses: Wow. I just vomited in my mouth.
Kilian: You weren’t vomiting in your mouth when Isobel was manipulating the shit out of you last night.
Cian: I would kill for tickets to that show.
Kilian: It was highly entertaining.
Oscar has been unmuted.
Kalen （admin）： What were you doing when the string appeared?
Theodore: Platonic bonding.
Mikel （admin）： Isobel?
The messages stopped there, and she swallowed, typing out a hesitant reply.
Isobel: I’m not sure how much detail I’m supposed to go into.
Kalen （admin）： Jesus Christ. Did any of you follow the goddamned rules?
Isobel: What rules?
Oscar: Not a chance.
Moses: No.
Kilian: Yes.
Theodore: No.
Elijah: Obviously.
Gabriel: Don’t insult me.
Niko: Of course.
Oscar and Moses were chuckling as they strode into the lounge, both looking her up and down as she quickly pulled to her feet.
“Morning, rich girl,” Oscar mumbled, rocking back on his heels, and shoving his hands into his pockets as he surveyed her dress. “Don’t you smell nice today.”
“So everyone keeps saying.” She eyed him, trying to figure out if he was being sarcastic or not.
Moses only nodded at her, his stormy eyes doing another pass over her dress.
“Ready for the festival?” she asked, as Niko walked toward them from the hallway, followed by Elijah and Gabriel.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Moses grumbled, moving to the front door, and shouting over his shoulder, “Hurry up! We’re hungry!”
“Wonder why,” Cian asked, shouldering past everyone to drop an arm over Isobel’s shoulder, his nose brushing along her hairline. He sniffed her but didn’t comment on her smell.
She glanced up into his face, noting that his expression was a little drawn. “Any more dreams?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t pull your card.”
“What do you mean?”