"Yes, we are."
She pushes against my chest, struggling enough that I set her down just in front of the stairs. Her expression is distressed, but her warm brown gaze is serious as she looks up at me. "Asher. You're glowing with god magic right now. You have matches here, and…sooner or later, you should really meet them. So let's just make it sooner and figure things out."
I shake my head, cupping her face and kissing her birthmark. Godsdamn, she's just so gorgeous, and every touch affects me more than I can stand. I'm not giving this up.
"Hard pass. I have everything I need already," I tell her, glancing at the other three as they watch with various frowns. Ian is thoughtful, Zak looks concerned for Heidi, and Kaenon, kind soul that he is, looks sympathetic for me. "Ready? I'll just transport us as close as I can to Heidi's?—"
"Asher,"Heidi interrupts, reaching up to take my face and make me look at her. "This is okay. We'll all make it work. So let's go upstairs, and you can find out who you belong with because?—"
"I don't want to risk—" I start to grit.
"BecauseI'm not going anywhere, either. You're it for me, too," she whispers before looking at the others, too, and smiling softly. "You all are."
Emotion clogs my throat as I gaze down at my gorgeous, eavesdropping, flirtatious, ridiculously irresistible doe shifter.
"She's right," Ian tells me, his blue gaze serious. "It's better to figure this out sooner and find a way to make things work, even if you're matched to other people. You could be platonic with them," he adds.
"Or you'll just accept your place as the forever side piece today," Zak offers, shrugging.
He's probably trying to lighten the mood, but I want to punch him in the face.
Kaenon gives me an encouraging nod. "Fate is mysterious, but perhaps it will be kind today. Have faith in what we have already found, and the rest will fall into place."
They're all in agreement on this.
I'm so torn that it takes Heidi gently gripping my softly glowing hand and pulling me along after her, up the stairs, for me to start to accept that this is happening.
For me, everything is a blur of dread when we get back to the ballroom. Everyone in here is oblivious to what just happened in the dungeon as they chatter excitedly, watching the otheridentified keepers who are lining up near the stage to find their groups, one by one. A few legacies stare as we walk through the crowd, partly because of Kaenon and Ian both being smeared with varying amounts of blood, and partly because of me.
"Asher Douglas is a keeper?" someone whispers as we pass.
The person beside them nods. "Makes sense, actually. I can see it."
"Does this mean he isn't a saint?" another idiot hisses as we get closer to the line of future keepers.
"Why the hell is Skidmark holding his hand like that? Shit, were they dating?"
"If they are, this is going to change that pretty damn?—"
"How about you all just mind your motherfucking business for once?" I snap loudly, glaring over my shoulder at the gossipmongers in this area of the massive crowd.
They shut up quickly, but it draws more attention this way as more people whisper.
Heidi squeezes my hand, smiling up at me even though that furrow between her eyebrows hasn't gone away. "We'll be right here."
I try to swallow the hornet's nest in my throat. "We could still just get out of here. We can go back to your place and watch whatever the hell lame romcom you want, okay?"
She half-laughs, half-sighs as she lets go of my hand, shaking her head almost sadly. "Asher. Come on. Get those buns of steel in line."
I glance at the others. "Any kind of backup would be appreciated."
"Stop bitching and go," Ian huffs.
"We've already decided we'll figure shit out," Zak agrees.
Even Kaenon shoos me on.
Godsdamn it.
