I was stressed—mentally, emotionally, whatever word lived at the edge of burnout. That was me. My thoughts felt loud. My body too still. And everything Theo had said kept echoing in my skull like a warning bell I couldn’t shut off.
I curled up in one of the oversized chairs in the living room, legs folded beneath me, arms wrapped tight around a throw pillow that did absolutely nothing to help.
The Kings were around, of course. One on the couch, one by the window, the other pacing near the hallway like he was mentally preparing for a fight that hadn’t started yet.
“So,” I said finally, voice scratchy. “If any of you have advice on how to shut your brain off when you’re overwhelmed and probably turning into a sea monster… now would be the time.”
Kylan grinned, throwing a piece of chocolate in the air and catching it with zero effort. “Sex.”
Kai didn’t even flinch. “Meditation.”
Kylan groaned. “That’s just sex but alone and sad. Which is almost like masturbatiom but more…lonely.”
Kieran,
