Three days had passed, and though Samantha had done her best to ignore the unease curling beneath her ribs, it lingered like the aftertaste of bitter tea.
For the most part, she busied herself with Nova, her mates, and the unrelenting disaster that was "house planning" with Kai in the mix.
Still, by the time evening settled in and the household quieted—Nova tucked into her crib under a protective ward and Thomas vanishing to whatever secretive errands consumed him—Samantha felt a coil of anticipation she hadn't expected.
The playroom.
It had been days since their last session, and though they'd joked about it constantly in stolen whispers and lingering touches, schedules and family interruptions had kept them too occupied to return.
But now, with the house hushed and the night thick outside the windows, she could feel it in the air: that particular energy, sharp and sweet, humming between the four of them like a string drawn taut.
Kai noticed it first.
