Chapter 4

• The ten stood around the little grove.
• Steven glanced up to Dade on the knoll signal it was clear. Looking over, Rachel did the same on the other side. He looked at Leena about ten feet away. “You want to start big and fall on our faces or small and work up?”
• Leena grinned. “Big.”
• He laughed. “That’s what I like to hear.”
• Chris stood on the one side of the area and Patrick on the other. In case this worked they’d want to know if they could see each other. “Make it in a hurry,” he suggested, we’re not going to get warning when the real deal is here.”
• Steven nodded and looked at Cora as he walked ten more feet from Leena. “Cora whenever you feel like it just yell go.” He stopped to gauge the distance between himself and Leena, it had to be at least thirty feet.
• “Go!” Cora yelled.
• Steven raised his head and his hand at the same time focusing as hard as he could, quickly. He saw the wind forming and felt it rising. Looking up he took a deep breath and tried to control the height.
• Leena smiled at him as they watched it hold in place. He could see her controlling the height from where she stood and concentrating on holding it steady between the two of them. It was easier than he had thought, he didn’t have to concentrate so hard he wasn’t aware of what was going on around him.
• “How long can they hold it?” Owen asked walking to Chris.
• Chris shrugged and looked from Steven to Leena. “They both look like they’re enjoying it so I’d say long enough.” He pointed towards the wall. “Can you see Patrick or Rhonda on the other side?”
• Owen shook his head.
• “Me neither.” Chris said with a grin and then began to clap. “We have a winner folks.”
• Leena dropped her hand and jogged over to Owen excitedly. “That felt sooo good.” She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
• Steven caught Rachel up in his arms as she ran from the edge. “Need sex, angel. Now.” He growled against her throat. “That just stirred me up like you wouldn’t believe.”
• Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and bit his lip. “Then let’s go over and see if we need to discuss plans, then we can sneak away.” She grinned. “I’m willing to give up dinner to spend some time licking your whole body.”
• Steven grinned and started walking towards the others. They had better make this fast. “I’ll feed you in bed.”
• Patrick looked around at everyone. “We have our barrier.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Now if we could figure out how to herd him.”
• Kasey smiled over at Rachel. “Let Rach and I deal with that, we’ve been practicing a few things.”
• Steven looked from one to the other. “Do I want to know?” He was about to ask to see when a slap of wind sent him back two feet. Rachel grinned at him. Another slap came from behind and sent him back to where he’d been standing.
• Kasey giggled. “Try to walk to Cora.”
• Steven took two steps towards Cora and hit some sort of wall he couldn’t see. He dropped his head and hissed out a breath. “You ladies scare me.” He grinned at Chris. “We have direction, or lack of.” He said trying to feel if the wall was still in front of him.
• Rhonda sighed. “I want to do the slap thing, it could come in quite handy.” She pouted at Steven.
• Patrick studied her for a moment. “Your words hurt enough, my dear.”
• “Did I miss all the fun?” Kevin called out coming over the knoll. “My censors told me a little, ah, fun was about.”
• Rachel grinned. “You’ve got a face!”
• Steven studied him, Kevin had cut his bangs much shorter, taking him from his Boy-band look into a more mature, good-looking appearance. Damn.
• Kevin stopped and ran his hand over it. “Yeah, decided to save my eyes the strain of trying to see through it.” He looked at her then followed her arm down to see Steven holding her hand. He glanced at Steven and grinned. “Caught up to her I see.”
• Steven grinned. “Told you I was working on it.” He snuggled Rachel into his body.
• Patrick looked from one to the other and shook his head. “You’re late. Again.”
• Kevin flashed him a sheepish grin. “Was… otherwise occupied.”
• Patrick sighed. “You’re going to drive Jean crazy soon.”
• Chris lifted his eyebrows. “Jean from event planning Jean?”
• Kevin shrugged. “Keep trying to tell her age doesn’t matter.”
• Chris studied him for a moment. “Not to sound cliché, but how old are you?’
• “Just turned twenty-two.” Kevin winked at Rachel. “I like women older, what can I say?”
• Owen hugged Leena to him. “You can say you’re going to stay away from mine to start with.”
• Kevin looked over and studied Leena for a moment then sighed. “As gorgeous as yours is, mate, my heart is set on another.”
• Kasey leaned back against Chris. “Well you keep trying, Jean’s not that much older. Is she?”
• Kevin shook his head. “Eleven years.” He looked around at everyone for a moment. “So, what did I miss?”
• Rhonda smirked. “Kasey and Rach were slapping Steven around with wind.”
• His jaw dropped. “Cool. Can you do it again? So… I can see, you never know when something like that will come in handy.” He winked at Rachel again.
• Patrick sighed. “No, they’re not going to do it again. Has Justin filled you in on what’s going to be happening, or at least what we’re hoping for?”
• Kevin nodded quickly. “Yep and I’m just happy to know it doesn’t involve tree climbing.” He smirked at Steven. “I almost fell out a few times.”
• Rachel turned and put her face into Steven’s shoulder. He leaned down and whispered. “Could have been worse, Cora could have seen and replayed it for everyone.” She grabbed his jacket and hid her face more.
• Chris looked from Kevin to Rachel hiding her face in Steven’s jacket. “I don’t need to know,” he said softly.
• Kevin grinned and put his head down to study the ground. “Probably not.” He cleared his throat. “Kathy is cooking up a storm back at camp and I missed lunch trying to get the paperwork caught up to get here.”
• Owen nodded. “Food would be good, we’re eating for two.” He hugged Leena.
• Leena grinned. “You always eat for two.”
• Kevin laughed. “Congratulations to both of you.” He looked over at Steven. “I hear from Jean the couples handfasting is growing.”
• Steven nodded and turned towards camp to follow Owen. “Yep, we bachelors are a dying breed.”
• Rachel smacked him. “What do you do when you’re not climbing trees?”
• Kevin smirked. “Paramedic, ambulance mostly, which is how I got to be the medic at these events. Of course, usually the worst thing I have to deal with here is sunburn or scrapes from too much mead impairing judgment. It’s like a vacation from work.”
• Steven hugged Rachel. “Where do you work out of? I haven’t seen you come into the ER in Russle.”
• Kevin shrugged. “I kind of float, cover for people on sick leave, holidays, although they’re going to be one short in your district soon, so maybe I’ll try for it.”
• Rachel smiled. “Then we could see you all the time.” Steven pulled her around to the side away from Kevin.
• Kevin held up hands. “Relax, Doc, after…well…” He let out a long slow hissing breath. “Your woman is far too much for me to handle.” He grinned at Steven. “You’re my new God though.”
• Steven laughed and hugged Rachel. “That could come in handy if I need favors in the future.”
• They had caught up to Dade trailing behind Cora. Kevin walked up beside him and looked over at him. Leaning closer he whispered. “She’ll never know if you don’t tell her.”
• Dade whipped his head to look at him. “You have the ability to see, too?”
• Kevin laughed. “I wish. No, it’s quite clear every time you look at her and the way you look when you watch her. I’ve been watching you watching her for a few years now, it’s getting old, you need to do something about it.”
• Dade stuffed his hands in his pockets and sighed. “It’s like hitting a wall every damn time. Painful.”
• Kevin shrugged. “I was afraid to look at her last time at the dance, thought you might remove my eyes for me. Every man there knew who she belonged with, so maybe you should let her know too.” He patted him on the back and walked ahead towards Cora.
• Dade watched him talk to Cora and her laugh. Little puke, he thought with a smirk, it was too bad he liked him. She did belong with him. Problem was whenever he had the chance to tell her something else happened. They seemed to spend more time bickering than anything else.
• He dropped his head and grinned. He liked getting her all worked up though, her pale eyes would flash at him and every nerve in his body would sing. Of course, when she looked at him with smiling eyes it did the same, just in a slow burn way.
• He glanced up and watched old Charlie walk along pushing a wheelbarrow full of wood, as always, he was mumbling away to himself. Shaking his head, he walked over towards him. “Hey, Charlie, need a hand with anything?”
• The older man’s head jerked around. Charlie studied him as he walked in his direction. Setting the wheelbarrow down, he shook his head. “No, just thought with it being so damp I’d bring more wood over.” He glanced at Dade and then back down at the ground. “Don’t want the dancers to get cold,” he mumbled.
• Dade grinned at him. “No then they wouldn’t dance, would they?”
• Charlie grinned at him and shook his head before looking back at the wheelbarrow.
• “Let me know if you need any help, you can’t miss where I’m staying, it’s that eye sore of a bright yellow building.” Dade informed him.
• Charlie picked up the handles again. “Ya, I saw. Has to be better than pink though.”
• Dade laughed. “True. I’ll see you later. Don’t work too long or all the food will be gone.” He watched Charlie head towards the circle mumbling again under his breath. Strange man that one, he thought. But, without him the gatherings wouldn’t run as well as they did.
• Sighing, Dade turned, it was going to be a long night and he wasn’t going to pass on the only chance to sit and relax.