“I agree, but still, she attacked you,” Rex said.
“And I promise I’m fine.You don’t have to worry about me.”
Rex’s expression was soft when he answered.“I think it’s too late for that.”
“For you not to worry about me?”
“That train has left the station.I think I’ll always worry about you.”
“And that’s our cue to leave,” Mallory said.
He pulled Arlen along as he hurried away, maybe to give Rex and Harmon some space.Harmon didn’t want to talk about their relationship in the middle of the hallway, though, so he was glad when Rex didn’t bring it up right away.They actually managed to get back to their rooms before Rex spoke.
“We have time to talk now,” he said.
“We do.What did you want to talk about?”
“Maybe how the stock market is going today?”
Harmon blinked at him, then laughed.“You think you’re funny, but you’re not.”
“Maybe not, but you chose me.You’re going to have to deal with my bad humor for as long as you want me to stick around.”
Harmon couldn’t have imagined that his trip to help Kieran and his pack would end like this.The thought of what it had given him was a bit overwhelming, but very welcome.
He made sure that the door was closed.He didn’t want anyone interrupting this, and he didn’t care if Merrick decided to fly home.He could do whatever he wanted.
“I do want you to stick around,” he told Rex.“I’m not sure how that’s going to work, considering I have to go back to the coven, but I’m sure we can find a way.”
Rex nodded.“How would you feel about having a new coven member?”
“Is that what you want?”Harmon remembered what Rex had told him about never having been part of a coven.
“I want to try, at least.I don’t know how I’ll do in one, but it’s the only way to be with you.”
“Or we could have a long-distance relationship while you stay with the pack.Another option would be for you to move closer, but not be a coven member.You don’t have to live with us if it makes you uncomfortable.I realize that living with so many people isn’t for everyone, especially since we share one home.”
“You live in a castle, Harmon.It might be your home, but it’s big enough for you not to live on top of each other,” Rex pointed out.
“It still doesn’t mean you’ll be comfortable there.I want to be with you, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to change your life to be with me.If you really don’t want anything to do with the coven, you don’t have to deal with them.Maybe I won’t even want to be coven leader in a few years.”
Rex stared at Harmon for a moment before shaking his head.“You’re never going to leave them.You’ll be their leader for as long as they want you to be, and if they know what’s good for them, it’s going to be forever.”
“You have too much faith in me.”
“You don’t have enough faith in yourself.People know how lucky they are to have you, though.You’re the only one who can’t see it.”
Harmon didn’t want to become emotional.This wasn’t the place, even though they had privacy.Besides, Merrick might have threatened to leave without them, but Harmon was sure he’d be knocking on their door sometime in the next five minutes if he didn’t see them outside.He wouldn’t leave anyone behind, but especially not Harmon.
“How about we give this a try for a while?”Rex asked as he pulled Harmon into his arms.Harmon wrapped his arms around Rex’s waist without hesitation.“I don’t think I’ll ever want to stay with the pack, even though my family lives there now.It would’ve been hard for me to explain why I was leaving before meeting you, but now, they’ll understand when I tell them that I’m leaving for you.”
“I wish you wouldn’t,” Harmon teased.“They’re going to blame me.”
“They won’t.They’ll understand why I want to stay with your coven.They’ll accept it more easily than if I didn’t have a tangible reason to leave.”
“Is that why you want to do this, then?”Harmon wouldn’t be offended.He and Rex hadn’t been together long enough for him to think that he was the center of Rex’s life.If, for now, the only thing was that he was a good excuse, that was fine with him.
“Well, no.I do want to spend more time with you, and I know that if things go well between us, I’m going to have to move in with your coven eventually.Maybe I can do that now and see how things go.If I feel like I can settle down there, we can talk again, but I really want this to work.”
