Chapter 101 101. Mindlink 101
Tabitha’s POV
The brothers all take their seats around the table. I glance at the food in front of us and my stomach growls. The scrambled eggs are fluffy, the pancakes stacked high, and the bacon smells perfectly crisp. I don’t waste any more seconds before I dive in. The flavor explodes in my mouth. The eggs are well-seasoned and the pancakes are like clouds in my tongue and they’re not too sweet! Just perfect to start the day. The bacon is also exactly how I want it.
"This is really good. I didn’t peg you guys as people who could make something like this," I say, smiling.
Reed raises a challenging brow at me. "We were raised by our mom who loves to go camping, princess. Do you think we bring some maids whenever we go camping?" he asks, smirking.
"You don’t?" I tease, raising an eyebrow as well.
Luca snorts beside me. He looks amused as if his favorite morning show just started.
"This may come as a shock," Reed continues while cutting into his pancakes, "but we’re actually quite self-sufficient. If we ever got shipwrecked on an isolated island, we’re the ones more likely to survive. We have the survival skills of a forest child."
I grin. "A forest child, huh? So you can survive in the wild but not in the city?"
I grin, leaning back slightly. "Survival skills of a forest child, huh? I wonder if you can actually prove it," I tease, arching an eyebrow at Reed.
"Worry? Not at all.” Reed laughs, cutting into his pancakes. “You’ll see, princess, we handle ourselves just fine," he says, smirking as he cuts into his pancakes.
I raise an eyebrow. "Just fine, huh? You sound so confident. I’d love to see you prove that.”
Reed lets out a laugh that sounds shamefully sexy in my ears. “Oh, look at that. The little kitty is challenging us.”
“Actually, you know what?” Jace leans forward suddenly as is a bright idea just pinged in his mind. "Since your mom thinks we’re on a five-day camping trip, how about we use it as a chance to explore the forest on our own?"
I almost choke on my orange juice. About that…
"Well, uh, actually, I didn’t really explain to her that I followed you. I just kind of bolted out of the house without telling her." Now, I feel stupid and guilty for just running away like that without properly explaining to my mom where exactly I was going.
Shit, I didn’t even bring my phone! I don’t have the means to contact her right now. She’s probably worried sick that I didn’t come back home.
“Oh my god. She’s probably rallying a search party right now! I told her I was gonna come back in a while, but I ended up spending a night out!” I put my fork down, my hunger now replaced by panic.
Luca smiles and wipes his mouth with a napkin. “Relax. No one’s gathering a search party. I had Wyatt inform your mom and, uh, our dad—not that he cares—that you ended up joining our camping trip, after all.”
“But I didn’t? We ended up leaving and well…” I blush. “We spent the night here in the cottage.”
“They don’t have to know that. The important thing is that your mom doesn’t have to worry because she thinks you’re with us, which is true, although not for a camping trip.” He smirks.
My gaze lands back on my plate and I try my best to calm down or else my face will end up looking like the color of this cherry placemat.
“T-Thanks for that. But… won’t the other campers, I mean, the ones who saw us leave have a contradicting statement?”
“You don’t have to worry about them. They don’t have any reasons to tattle on your mom. They’re gonna have a fun camping trip while we also get our delightful time in our little cottage. Once the five days are over, we go back home and pretend we had the best camping trip ever.”
“Gosh, you guys really think you can get away with anything, huh?” I say, smirking and shaking my head.
“We would have come up with a better excuse if you had given us a proper heads-up instead of barging into the campsite without any preamble,” Jace counters, sporting an evil grin.
I sheepishly chew on my bacon, trying to hide my guilty smile.
Reed tilts his head at me, smirking. “Right. Were you really that desperate to see us that you just had to show up unannounced?” he asks, voice teasing.
I glare at him, but unable to clap back. I mean, they’re right. Looking back, it was a little pathetic of me to barge in there like some desperate stalker. I made a total fool of myself not only in front of them but also in front of their friends! And Isabel, and Melanie! Goodness, I probably look like a bratty stepsister with attachment issues and someone who wants to be the center of attention.
To be fair, that would be the best case scenario. Better than them finding out I had a full-blown orgy with my stepbrothers right after we left the campsite.
Luca chuckles as he drinks his coffee like he just remembered something funny. I shoot him a covert glare. If you really think about it, I wouldn't have acted so desperately if these four refused to talk to me for a whole week! Also, how can he smile like that knowing that watching him getting all fuzzy with Isabel almost drove me crazy in jealousy? And Reed too! The brute is smiling while chewing on a pancake slice that is bathing in maple syrup.
“Getting worked up over us again, huh? Isabel was just helping me with my injury. You don’t have to go on a jealous rampage,” Luca says as he puts down his cup.
I freeze, my stomach twisting. Did I just… think that out loud? My fingers curl around my fork in embarrassment. Oh my god. I should seriously pull myself together!
But my mouth doesn’t seem to understand the assignment because it proceeds to embarrass me some more.
“Helping with your injury? Is that why she was leaning all over you like she was the only one capable of holding a bandage?” God, I really should stop talking!
But I can’t help but feel upset upon remembering the previous days. I volunteered to help them so many times after what happened. But they ignored me at the hospital and still blatantly ignored me once they were discharged and got back home! Reed ignored me. Luca brushed me off. But Isabel? And Melanie? They get to hover over them like some sainted nurse?
Reed laughs under his breath.
“If you wanted to put a bandage on me that badly, you should’ve said so, princess. I’ll let you do it next time I’m injured… or you can lick the wound instead. Whatever you prefer.”
My entire body goes stock-still. Okaaay. I know I didn’t say anything out loud this time.
I shoot up from my chair. “H-How did you… You can’t possibly know what I was thinking.”
“You didn’t say anything. But we still heard it,” Jace replies.
“Huh? But that’s not—” I clutch my head when I feel a terrible migraine, like someone just smacked a pouch full of coins to my head.
Ugh. Why is my head pounding so bad?!
“You didn’t say anything. But we still heard it,” Jace replies.
“Huh? But that’s not—” I stop when a sharp pulse slams through my skull. The pain spreads across my temples so fast it feels like someone swung a pouch of coins straight into my head. I clutch my forehead and squeeze my eyes shut, trying to breathe through the sudden pressure. “What… what is happening…?”
Luca winces and rubs his own temple. “You might want to tone down your inner voice, princess. You’re practically shouting in there. You’re giving us a migraine.”
What the hell are they talking about? I wince at the pain that explodes in my head again. I almost tumble down the chair as I lose my balance. Evren rises from his seat. His hands come up and cup my head with a gentle pressure, his thumbs brushing slow circles against my temples. Warmth spreads from the touch and slips through the pain like a wave.
'You are confused because your mind has become too loud all at once. You activated the capacity to use the mindlink,’ his voice pounds in my mind. It’s the last thing I remember before my vision swims and everything goes dark.