Chapter 88 You're ready?
“Like a renaissance painting,” the cold bass said.
My shoulder tensed, and I had begun to turn around when he chided, “Don’t. Stay.”
I relaxed my shoulders again, just as a single shutter click cut through the room.
I swallowed. Taking candid photos of me appeared to be a shared habit in this house.
What was interesting about my sitting here, in the seat of the French windows that looked out onto the street, knees drawn up to my chin and lost in thought.
I caught a whiff of mint just before I heard, “Hi.”
“Hi," I whispered in return, turning around to drown in midnight blue eyes.
He settled behind me and wrapped his arms around me. My eyes closed briefly.
“What are you doing?” His voice was soft, chest moving against my back in deep breath as we huddled together.
I had been in a state of despair after leaving Draki in the closet. I glanced across the bedroom to where he stood now, scrolling through his phone, probably looking through the pictures.
I still did not understand it, but his presence in the closet just now had shaken something inside me. Prodded awake something that felt old and musky.
And it has left Rhea restless. But I could not tell Hale any of this, so I said, “Chilling?”
“Chilling.” He repeated, tickled.
The corners of my mouth twitched, “Coming from you, that word sounds horrible,”
This was an old banter between us. He repeated all my new gen-slang, and I pretended he had committed a thesaurus felony.
“Chilling,” he pressed, his ribs moving from the effort to hold back his laughter.
“You’re annoying.” A strangled snort escaped me, and his head fell into the crook of my neck, wheezing.
We were like twelve-year-olds now, struggling for composure, trying to breathe through our quiet laughter at a grown-up party.
My body froze suddenly. This was not the plan, sharing intimacy with just one man. And it was impolite.
Draki may feel excluded.
Shivers ran through me when my eyes met him across the room.
He was staring right at me, an unwavering gaze that seemed to be looking through to my soul.
“Are you cold?” Hale kissed the back of my ear, and brought a mug around us, from behind him.
“He’s staring at me.” I whispered, watching steam curl out of the mug.
Hale glanced sideways to where Draki sat on the Chesterfield couch. Draki winked at his lover, and Hale's cheeks moved against mine in a smile.
“I think our dragon is falling for you, fairy.”
“What’s in the mug?” I sputtered with haste, flustered, desperate to change the subject.
It was hard enough to guard my heart from two men who were intent on winning it, but three?
“A little brew to help you relax. Will you try it?” Hale responded from behind me.
I gave a nod, and he unwrapped his arms around me.
Finn undoubtedly made this. Did he think of me while he did it? He had left without a word after the Hearthrown Alphas disappeared earlier.
It hurt. Even though it was me who first pushed him away.
I brought the mug to my lips. Milk, sweetened with honey and some sort of lavender infusion.
“Nice,” I looked up after a few sips, smelling the vanilla and nutmeg in my breath.
Come, doll.
“Excuse me,” I glanced at Hale.
His brows furrowed in surprise as I hopped off the window seat and crossed the bedroom, still cradling the mug.
“You too, shining knight,” Draki said out loud, rising from the Chesterfield couch.
Hale's surprised voice reached me, “You communicate non-verbally with her?”
“She consented.” Draki stopped behind the low chess table by the fireplace and waved to one of the white modular armless sofas.
The men sat opposite me, and as I cradled the toasty mug in my palms, I could not help worry that this was about to be an interrogation.
“I’m sorry about your Luna,” Draki began.
I gave him a nod and brought the mug to my lips, holding both sides for comfort.
The tension in the room was crackling at this point, and my heart began to race.
“How do you feel? Take your time before you respond.”
I paused with the mug to my face, inhaling the smell of vanilla and sweet honey.
“Wistful. I didn't know her well.”
“But then you grieve for your colleague.”
I looked up to meet those silver eyes, exactly like mine. “Somewhat.”
Describing the chill I felt earlier tonight at the sudden realization that all creatures on this earth were dispensable, would sound dramatic.
Neither did we have the sort of relationship where I could tell them that I worried they would not remember me in ten years, by the time the next Ascendant came around.
So I remained quiet.
The men exchanged a glance after a couple of minutes in this silence, and Draki said.
“Your Alpha thinks tonight is the perfect night to fuck you.”
I narrowly saved the mug from slipping. My cheeks were on fire, and my heart was pounding.
Hale groaned at my reaction. “Forgive this uncultured man, fairy. Mating is nothing quite as crude. You have an idea but…”
“I like it.” I jerked my head up, my cheeks still burning. “I like the idea of fucking.”
My voice sounded strange even to my own ears. I could not believe I was saying this, but I did not want to give them the wrong impression.
I asked for this, begged for it. We had procrastinated enough.
Besides, tonight was the one time I most ached to feel alive.
The world had gone mad, a Luna could die over a game of chess, skin walkers could invade a pack meeting without consequence, and there was a ritual older than me, bigger than me, that I was no longer confident I could maneuver.
The only thing I had control over right now was my body. And I want to experience everything the rumors said they made women experience.
“And I like the sound of that word in your rich-girl voice,” Draki winked.
My clit kicked. The blush spread down my chest, hot and tingly.
Hale looked between us, and threw his hands in the air in mock exasperation.
“So you're ready?” The deep bass said, silver eyes shining with wicked promises.
“Yes.”
“We’ll have to go over some details then.”