“What the fuck, Sheena?” He yells, quickly transforming his claws back into normal human fingernails.
“Hush and just watch.”
She waves us off impatiently, then presses her bleeding finger against the dirty old book. Before I can comment about how unsanitary that is, smoke rises from the pages and the book pops open. Gideon’s jaw drops. He looks as shocked as I feel.
“Right?” She giggles. “I almost had a panic attack last night when it did that.”
“How in the world did you figure that out?” I ask, impressed that she thought to use blood magic to get the book to trust her.
“Don’t be mad.” She dips her head. “I went to talk to Idris last night during your meeting. The blood was his idea.”
Of course it was. That shady shit thinks of everything.
I take a deep breath. “I’m not mad,” I assure her.
“Was he polite?” Gideon asks. “He didn’t try anything, did he?”
Sheena groans, swatting at him with the book.
“Careful. That binding is like a thousand years old, and you’re slinging it around like a used magazine,” I tease.
“He was a complete gentleman.” She hesitates. I tilt my head, considering her guarded expression. I don’t think she’s lying, but there’s something she’s leaving out. Before I can push for more, she fills the silence herself. “What happened to you both, anyway? I tried to wait up, but that was a really long meeting.”
“Last night was wild, baby,” Gideon says. “The meeting was boring and tense, but after it was over, Callum found out I’m a great kisser.”
Gideon stretches his arms over his head with a yawn as I flinch. Sheena blinks slowly as she glances between the two of us and processes what he just said.
“Sweetheart, are you upset?” I ask, eying her carefully.
“Yeah, kind of,” Sheena admits with a pout. My heart sinks like a rock in my chest as I imagine a dozen ways to punish Gideon for his poor planning. “You two kissed in real life, and I wasn’t there to see? Will you kiss again now? Please.”
Sheena slides her index finger inside the book to hold her place and looks between us expectantly with wide eyes. Gideon bursts out laughing, falling back onto the pillows.
“I told you. You were overthinking it, Cal.” Gideon laughs for so long I get a little offended. When I climb out of bed to get some distance, two sets of eyes follow me.
“I think you’ve hurt his feelings,” Sheena says to Gideon. “You should kiss him to make it up to him.”
My lips curl against my will at her one-track mind. Gideon follows me out of bed, stretching to his full height before stepping closer to me.
“You really think so, baby? You think I should kiss him?” He addresses her while breathing in my air.
Suddenly, I can’t think about anything but the heat building in the room.
“Yes, please,” Sheena whispers, biting her bottom lip.
Gideon grabs my neck with one hand, yanking my lips to his. I do my best to control the kiss. When Gideon digs his thumb into the hollow of my throat, I retaliate by sinking one of my hands into his hair roughly and rubbing my bare chest against his. I bite his bottom lip hard and he growls into my mouth.
It’s only when I feel Sheena’s lust spike and merge with ours that I groan and shove him away. “Are we going to read the djinn book or just stand around all day making out?” I try to play it cool, but my panting ruins the effect.
“I mean, if I really get a choice—it’s option two, for sure,” Sheena says, sinking back into the pillows with a huff. “You two are so hot. I’m not going to be able to focus on anything.”
I shake my head and hide my smile as I walk to the bathroom.
By the time I come back, Sheena is sitting on the love seat and holding the book studiously. Gideon is staring at it over her shoulder.
“It snaps shut if he even thinks about touching it,” Sheena explains without looking up.
“That’s what she said.” I snicker.
