A bright jovial smile crossed her face, "At least you aren't naked this time."
I laughed, and then threw my body over her, holding her tightly in my embrace. "I have missed you, my friend."
Her arms squeezed me tightly back, "I sense it has been a long few days for you," she teased but then hugged me tighter anyway.
I sniffed and then released her, pulling her into sitting, "As if you don't already know. You have a lot of explaining to do, shifter."
She grinned again, "Haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about."
"Nina!" cried Riella who wasted no time crawling into the shifter assassin's lap. "These are for you," she smiled, shouldering up to her the heavy provision bag packed for each one of them.
Penina took it and arched her brow. "Please tell me there are at least some rainbow unicorn furs in here."
Riella giggled. "Don't be silly, Maedere says we must remain hidden from the queen. All our attire is gray and white." She waved down at her thick white hide snowsuit and gray boots. A trim fur lined her hooded cloak framing her bronzecherub face.
Penina wrinkled her nose, "White you say…I do like white." Opening the bag she rummaged through it with pursed lips. "I suppose I can work with this."
My lips twitched and I snickered, "Work quickly then if you can, I still need to wake the others and you are the one who knows the most about these lands. I don’t particularly care for our exposure."
Penina's eyes glowed deep brown as she looked out into the tundra, "At least it is not night yet, there are caves along this summit that we can seek shelter in and then start in the morning. We have some time before the worst of the Sanguine comes out to play."
Setting Riella beside her, Penina quickly began to undress, muttering under her breath over Riella’s rambling story about our recent adventures. "Honestly, it’s a crime to be wearing the same outfit for three days in a row.Andit’s wrinkled of all things!" She gave my daughter a horrified look that caused her to giggle.
Shaking my head, I moved towards Riley.
"Wake Bane next," Penina called out, shoving a long sleeved shirt over her head.
I turned to arch a brow as she hopped off the platform and shimmied into a thick pair of white leather pants.
Feeling my questioning look, she added. "Bane is a fire elemental, he can keep us warm and his lightning may be needed to protect us. He will be our best defense against the beasts of this land, as much as I hate to admit it. He will also take the most time adjusting to the shock of returning here…not that I care but we cant have a frozen fire elemental fossil when it's colder than the goddesses tit out here," she growled, shoving an arm through a long gray coat. "At least whoever packed this had good taste."
I shivered again, not from the cold this time but from the image of Bane's broken look when he failed to save both Lova and Calliope.
The shadows rubbed against me softly and I patted their dark tendrils thankful for the comfort.
It was clear Penina knew very little detail of the circumstances surrounding her birth, and I was goddess damn sure the fool of a swordmaster would never tell her. All she had ever revealed was the brutal way she was born but she knew not of the tenderness of Bane carefully wrapping her in his own furs, covered in blood andash, forgoing his own warmth to hold her in his arms, cooing and soothing her while grieving a great loss of two friends.
Riella's giggle pulled me back. "It was grandfather Shea and grandmama Eve that packed for you. They said maedere could not be trusted."
Penina nodded, "Yes, that makes sense, I heard Eve always did have excellent taste, it is only right that her mate would as well.” She glanced over at the sleeping swordmaster with pursed lips, then back towards me with a wink, “Unfortunately, they are right, that talent did not pass down to your mother."
I snorted, shaking my head while I approached Bane's coffin. Waving towards the shadows, they wasted no time throwing open the glass and driving straight into his chest. Switching to my aura sight I watched as his soul returned. The deep navy color returning, the color of a troubled guardian, one who had lost much but could not stop himself from protecting others despite the pain it caused. Grimly, I released the sight, and stepped back, preparing myself for his awakening.
He did not disappoint. Where Penina was joyous, Bane wasreactive. His eyes snapping open with fire igniting over his hands. Instinctually, he rolled from his platform onto the ground, shooting flames straight towards our heads.
Flicking my hand, I guided the shadows to intervene. They hissed their displeasure, snuffing out the blaze just seconds before it seared my furs clean off.
I sniffed. "Nice to see you too, swordmaster."
"What in the fucking goddess' hairy cunt have you gotten us into Dark!" he roared, popping back up into standing, his blue eyes cutting towards me and then widening as he surveyed the frozen tundra around us. “Fuck.”
"Quiet down you old fossil before you get us all killed. We are in the Sanguine, you bloody fool," Penina hissed, standing fully dressed with her bag slung over her shoulder.
Bane's sharp blue eyes glared back but I did not miss the paleness to his face. "I know where we are girl, what I want to know is how and why?"
I sighed, "It's probably for the best that I wake you all first before I explain. I'd prefer not to tell the tale twice."
Bane's dark brows rose, "What do you mean wake the others?"
