Lark whistled as he made his way out of the bathroom in the gym. He had just showered the sweat from his body after indulging in a dance session. An extended dance session, he thought, a little smugly, looking toward Ivy who was already showered and dressed and sitting on a bench waiting for him. He winked at her, preparing to push his arms through the sleeves of his black tee. Ivy’s answering smile was slow and hot, as if she too were remembering their workout. He puffed out his chest a little, inordinately proud of how he had put his flexibility to good use.
The door banging behind him had Ivy up off the seat, sickle in hand in the blink of an eye. Almost immediately, she relaxed, sitting back down and Lark knew Beyden must be behind him. Although Ivy was making good progress with the other members of the household, some discomfort and hesitancy remained. Lark wasn’t worried. Time would ensure Ivy became a part of the team – a part of the family.
“Hey, man,” Lark turned and smiled before tugging his shirt on leisurely. Beyden was one of the few who had seen the myriad of scars crisscrossing his back. Not that it would have mattered if it were anyone else. Lark was pretty sure he was over hiding the evidence of his brutal childhood from his new family. He had always told himself he had no real problem with the scars – that he wasn’t embarrassed or shamed by them. The only reason he hid them was to spare his friends feeling any discomfort or awkwardness. But now that he had Ivy and she spent a good portion of every night caressing, licking, and kissing his scars, he realised he had been hiding an important part of himself from his team. They already knew everything about him and they accepted and loved him just the way he was. And an integral part of making him the man he was today, was his upbringing. No – there would no longer be holding things back for the perceived sake of others. He knew they would hurt and rage for him but he also knew he would not see embarrassed gazes or uncomfortable shuffling. Ivy had proven that and put those final fears to bed.
Beyden didn’t answer as he walked over swiftly. Lark was beginning to feel concerned when Beyden quickly swiped out his foot, hitting Lark’s ankles and bringing him crashing to the ground. Less than a second later, Lark found himself flat on his back with Beyden perched heavily on top of him.
“Dude! What the hell?!” He huffed, trying to push Beyden’s considerable bulk off his body.
“I thought we could have a chat, you and I,” the amber-eyed Spaniard said, casually making himself more comfortable upon Lark’s chest.
“What? Chat? Now?” Lark gasped out, completely bamboozled over the sudden turn of events.
“Yes. Chat. Now. About you defiling my sister,” Beyden responded.
Lark felt sure his eyes nearly bugged out of his head, “What?! I’m not defiling your sister!”
“That’s right,” Ivy interjected from the sidelines where she was nonchalantly sharpening her sickle now. “I’m defiling him.” Her lips twitched into a small but decidedly wicked smile.
“Not helping, my love,” Lark managed to gasp out. Breathing was beginning to become a problem. Probably had something to do with the six-foot-four giant currently taking up residence on his chest! “Since when do you have a problem with me dating your sister?”
The big idiot on top of him crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, “Since I want to hear your intentions; where is this going? Are you thinking casual hook-up or marriage?”
“Marriage?!” Ivy positively screeched, the disdain and fear in her voice made the word sound like a curse rather than a commitment.
Lark rolled his eyes at the panic plain on his lover’s face. He had no intention of proposing anytime soon – if at all. Not that he had a problem with the institution of marriage. In fact, if Ivy wanted to, he would have her down the aisle in a heartbeat. But she didn’t. And he was content to do whatever made her comfortable. He knew his woman and he loved everything about her – even her commitment-phobic ways.
Seeing her dark eyes still wide on her gorgeous elfin face and her chest rising and falling quickly, he figured she was about one ‘m’ word away from hyperventilating. “Ivy, I –” he began.
“Don’t! Don’t you dare say it!” she exploded, gripping her sickle like a lifeline.
Lark huffed; the stoic woman could be just as dramatic as the rest of her species when the right button was pushed. And this was definitely one of her buttons. It – wait a minute, he stopped his thought process, is that a smirk I see on Beyden’s face? His friend wasn’t much of a smirker but the way his lips were tilted up to one side and the glint of humour but also satisfaction in his whiskey irises looked remarkably like a smirk. He squinted his eyes at his friend, only to receive a wicked wink. And that’s when it hit him; Beyden wasn’t trying to bust his balls. This was about his sister. A form of torture between siblings.
Beyden might look and sound sweet but he had a devilish streak a mile wide. Beyden’s teasing and pranks leant toward subtle, but they were always damn thorough. If he weren’t on the verge of suffocating, Lark would have found more pleasure in the two acting like normal siblings. He loved that his friend could now spend more time with the sister he was once so close to. But as it was, he was having a little trouble breathing. Besides, Ivy was already up on her feet and backing away.
“I mean it, Lark. Don’t you dare propose! I’ll say no. In fact, hell no!” she practically shrieked before fleeing the gym.
Lark simply sighed. A lot of men would have been insulted or angry or hurt over such a forceful and negative reaction from the love of their life. But not him. He wasn’t worried in the slightest. He trusted her love for him and knew she felt the same – despite her meltdown. Lark didn’t blame her for her reaction. Being in a relationship, being in love, having someone to rely on? It was still shiny and new to her. No, he didn’t blame Ivy; he blamed her brother.
Lark growled and pushed ineffectually at Beyden’s bulk, “Dude! That was low. You couldn’t have left me out of this sibling-torture thing you have going on?”
Beyden raised a dark brown eyebrow, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. This is about you and me and my brotherly duties.”
“Bullshit! You’re reaping your vengeance from any number of Ivy-inflicted incidents. Don’t deny it. I can see it on your face.” He quickly bucked his lower body, hoping to surprise the beast paladin and unseat him. The guy didn’t move so much as an inch and Lark growled feeling like an ant with an elephant holding it down.
“What are you doing?” Beyden asked, looking curious and completely clueless.
“I’m trying to get you off me!” He was beginning to feel embarrassed. He knew he and Beyden were usually evenly matched when they sparred. Where Beyden had the muscle and the strength, Lark had the speed and flexibility. But get him down and get Bey’s big butt on him and Lark knew he would always be the loser. There was no beating those muscles – unless you were Ryker or Darius. The three men were fairly close to being the same ginormous size. Ryker topped Beyden in height ever so slightly, but Beyden was far broader. And Darius was shorter than Bey, but had the same stocky build. It always amused him to see Darius standing next to his much older and much more powerful brother. Dex was not only shorter than his baby bro, but also far leaner. In fact, he was only slightly more built than Lark himself and he figured even the powerful ex-warden of the air would have a hard time bench-pressing Bey.
“Huh,” was Beyden’s ingenious response. “You’re right; I was just teasing Ivy. She told Cali about how much she liked my baby-butt. Told her she wanted to touch it, bite it, or blow raspberries on it all the time because it was the smoothest, cutest little bubble-butt she had ever seen.”
Lark gasped out a laugh, quickly choking on his own saliva. The disgruntled look Beyden gave him had him quickly closing his mouth. He had been about to admit that he and Ivy had shared many such conversations about his booty when they were on their chade road trip.
Beyden huffed, “Yeah, laugh it up. It’s not funny. Now every time Cali walks past me, her eyes go all dewy and she says, ‘aww’, all dopey-like. It’s embarrassing,” he muttered.
“I’m sure it’s just the hormones. You know – baby brain and all that,” he offered, trying to be supportive. “So, you don’t really have a problem with Ivy and I, do you? I came to you about it before …”
“Well, kind of.” He seemed to think about it for a minute, before surprising the hell out of Lark; “I mean, what about besties before testes?”
“What?!”
“You know – bro’s before hoes,” Beyden clarified.
“Testes? Bro’s?” Lark repeated, not sure if he found the entire conversation hysterical or extremely disturbing. “You’ve been talking to Axel again, haven’t you? What have we all said about that?” Lark lectured, sternly.
“Um, that Axel is a sick and twisted influence and to smile and nod when he offers advice,” Bey recited by rote. Then he shook his head, a small frown appearing on his forehead, “No, wait. That’s what we say about Max.”
Lark blinked once. Twice. And then hysteria won out and he found himself laughing so hard he heard actual snorts. Beyden was quick to follow, his booming laugh echoing in the large, high-ceilinged room. It took them a few minutes to calm down enough so Lark could actually speak;
“Dude, not that I don’t love you. But do you think maybe we could have this conversation without you potentially causing me a pneumothorax?”
Beyden scrunched up his nose, “Huh?”
“Get your big butt off my lungs!” Lark finally yelled.
“Oh, shit! Sorry!” Beyden’s eyes widened comically as if only just realising he was sitting on Lark. “Here, give me your hand,” he offered, reaching down and yanking Lark to his feet without waiting for his assent.
Lark went from being squished to flying through the air in seconds. If he didn’t have the grace of a dancer, he was positive he would have face-planted on the mats. Shaking his auburn locks from his eyes, he eyed his friend sternly.
Beyden had the good grace to look sheepish, “Sorry. I thought you were ready.”
“Uh huh. I bet,” Lark responded, drolly.
Beyden surprised him by turning serious once more, “Seriously, Lark. I couldn’t be happier for you and Ivy. I know you truly love her and I’ve never seen her happier. Not that everyone can tell, but she loves you too, you know? I know people think she’s a bad, scary ranger with no feelings and –”
Lark grabbed Beyden’s arm, quieting him. “Hey. Do I look like ‘people’ to you?”
Beyden’s bronzed cheeks flushed and he shook his head, “No.”
“Damn right I’m not,” Lark confirmed, watching a small smile grace his new brother-in-law’s cheeks. Glad that was settled, Lark moved on, “What are your plans for the day, now that you’ve successfully tortured my girlfriend?”
Beyden rolled his shoulders, “I’m heading into the Lodge to check on things.”
Lark frowned at that. Tensions were running high in their little community with the whispers and rumours becoming more and more ridiculous every time they passed from one ear to another. “I thought Ryker said no-one goes anywhere alone anymore.”
Beyden scoffed, “Ryker has turned into a mother hen.”
Lark couldn’t help smirking – it was an apt description. Ry had always been defensive and even somewhat possessive of the people he had taken under his wing. Not that the man himself would admit to being any kind of saviour or protector. But ever since they had formed their Order and Ryker had officially become their Captain, the man’s protective tendencies had ramped into high gear. Ryker would say it was due to the turbulent times they were in, but Lark knew the real reason was because the big, scary potentate was loved-up and all sappy because of Max. Being in love and happy tended to make you want the same for those around you – Lark could certainly attest to that. Now that he was with Ivy, he wished his few remaining single friends could find the same happiness and contentment which he had. Especially after all the drama Bey had been through, and the heartbreak of Axel’s past.
Getting back to the matter at hand, Lark decided to begin attaining his payback from becoming a Beyden pancake. He widened his eyes and darted a quick look behind Bey, clearing his throat. He had the immense satisfaction of seeing his tall friend freeze and gulp audibly;
“Crap! He’s behind me, isn’t he?”
Lark nodded his head gravely and Beyden closed his golden eyes, lips moving soundlessly. Lark barely suppressed his laughter – the man was praying. Bey took a deep breath, shaking out his arms as if he were about to face a challenge to the death, and slowly turned around. The apology fell from his lips when he realised no-one was there – least of all their protective, yet surly, Captain. The beast paladin spun back around quickly, a beefy arm reaching out to grab but he was too slow this time. Lark was already on the move, side-stepping and slapping the hand away. Laughing, he said;
“You should have seen your face!”
Beyden mock-growled, “You little shit!”
His response only made Lark laugh harder, the curse word sounding strange from his placid friend’s lips. Beyden rarely swore and was only just now beginning to not cringe every time their foul-mouthed liege turned the air blue with her colourful vocabulary.
“Funny,” Bey grunted, crossing his arms over his chest, his mouth forming what could only be described as a pout.
“Serves you right for riling up your sister that way. I’ll be lucky to get laid again this century,” Lark grumbled.
Bey winced, “Can you stop reminding me you’re sleeping with my sister?”
“Hey man, you brought it up when you parked your arse on me,” Lark pointed out.
“Yeah, yeah,” Beyden rolled his eyes.
“Anyway, back on track. Why are you going to the Lodge? Nobody is scheduled to go in today.” In fact, Lark thought, normal operations at the training centre had pretty much ground to a halt over the last two weeks. With the arrival of so many Orders and speculation rampant that something big was going down, training of the new recruits had been suspended.
Ryker hadn’t made a formal announcement but after the third time a fight had broken out between new trainees and old ones, Ryker had declared a cooling off period. Technically, he couldn’t shut down the training lodge without the approval of the local council, if not the international one, but he had spoken with Lake and they had agreed a few days with no gruelling training schedule would give the paladins and Orders some time to settle. Little did they know – a few days was not going to cut it. But it was a start and it was giving them the time they all needed to work through some logistics – including the missing Death Warden and the secret super chade.
It had been two weeks since Mordecai had dropped his paternal bombshell and they had all been expecting to hear news of Garrett’s messy demise. They had assumed Mordecai had left so abruptly because he was seeking out the head of the International Domain Council in order to demand answers about his son. But they had heard nothing from Mordecai or Garrett and had certainly seen no other evidence of Emmanuel – Garrett and Autumn’s long-dead-but-maybe-not-dead son. Ryker had grumbled and growled about it being proof of the death warden’s duplicity – that he was somehow involved and plotting something against Max. But Lark didn’t buy it, and even though Max pointedly ignored all talk of her father, he knew she didn’t really believe he was corrupt either. For one, Lark knew Mordecai had spent countless years hunting down chades and creating a good relationship with the rangers. Ivy had vouched for the older Scotsman and that was good enough for Lark.
Speaking of the chades, more and more chades were popping up, seeking healing, hope, and shelter. Lark had been prepared to head back out with Ivy in order to find more chades with souls but Max had told them it wouldn’t be necessary. At the time, he’d had no idea what she was referring to. But two days later, three chades had popped up out of the ground like freaking daisies right behind Dave’s. Lark had been there with Ivy, Ryker, Diana, Darius, Dex, and Max, checking on the newly healed ones inside. Ivy had promptly raised her sickle, its lethal edge coming within an inch of one of the chades’ necks. Only Max’s power over the air had saved the chade’s life, as she had halted the blade and pushed it off its course. After grumbling at the wall of bodies surrounding her and pushing her way past an unmovable Ryker, Max had smiled and welcomed the newcomers. She had then healed them and instantly charmed them at the same time. And just like that, they had three new redeemed earth wardens-come-chades on their side.
After that, the stream of chades seeking healing had become steady. Redeemable chades were being drawn to the hotel. Whether it was because of their brethren within or something else, Lark couldn’t say with certainty. But he did know that those malevolent, cursed creatures with no souls were likely being drawn to the big evil – Emmanuel – just as those with the potential for good were being drawn to Max. With that in mind, he asked;
“You going to check out the chade numbers?”
Bey shook his head, “I know training is in a moratorium at the moment, but someone should really check on the unbound paladins. They are all still awfully young and on their own.”
Lark studied his best friend. Everything he’d just said was very true but he couldn’t shake the feeling Beyden was holding something back, “What aren’t you telling me?”
Beyden pursed his lips, not answering. Lark sighed. He knew his best friend would not lie to him, so Beyden’s way around that? Don’t say anything at all. “Are you in trouble?” Lark asked, feeling worried.
“No. No trouble, I promise.” Bey was quick to assure him. Beyden looked at Lark for a few seconds before obviously reaching a decision. “Cas called me this morning. He, Leo, and Lawson have been keeping an eye on the Lodge for us, reporting which Orders have been arriving. Trent is here.”
Lark paused, “Trent? The dickbag who betrayed you?” Lark felt his anger rise on behalf of his friend.
Beyden rolled his eyes, “This is why I didn’t want to tell any of you. You all overreact.”
“Overreact? He’s the reason why you were disqualified from the Paladin Trials and all but exiled!” Lark fumed.
“It was a long time ago, Lark. We were all so young – practically kids. Trent did what he had to do for himself,” Beyden defended.
Lark didn’t doubt that for a minute. The other paladin had only been thinking of himself and not the consequences to his best friend. Bey had told him the whole story a long time ago. Just as Lark had revealed his past and his miserable father and Order. Lark knew Beyden hadn’t heard anything from his ‘best friend’ since the incident.
“Are you going so you can punch him in the face?” Lark asked, before quickly shaking his head. “Of course not. You would never do that because you’re too nice. I’ll come with you so I can do it for you,” he informed Beyden.
Bey was already shaking his head, “I don’t want him punched in the face. I just want to talk to him.”
Lark chewed on his lower lip for a moment, “Does Ryker know?” he asked.
Beyden narrowed his eyes at him, the usual light amber darkening by a few shades. It was a sure sign that the ever-patient man was getting annoyed. “He knows I’m going to the Lodge alone. He’s not happy about it but I reminded him of the Order link. I’m not like Max, I’ll keep it open and call for help if I get into trouble – which I won’t,” he added firmly.
“But Ryker doesn’t know about Trent,” Lark persisted.
“No,” Beyden gritted. “He doesn’t know about Trent. Are you going to tell mummy on me?”
Lark sighed, “Of course I’m not. I’m just concerned for you. That’s what friends do – real friends, anyway.”
Beyden lost some of his stiffness, “I know. And I appreciate it.” He clapped Lark on the back, sending him forward half a step, and Lark mock-punched him on the arm.
Ryker, Darius, and Beyden were always doing that to him and Axel. They were slighter than the giants and he knew it amused them no end. Lark didn’t really mind, he knew it was a form of affection. It was what friends did – what brothers did. He only hoped Beyden remembered who his real family was during his little reunion.