I can sense that everyone is in the living room before I open the door. I’m a little late on purpose because the more I hang around, the more anxious I will get.
I wish everyone was gathering together for a happier reason. Everyone is so busy these days, it feels like an age since we were all in the same room, and that’s such a shame.
As I slip inside, my gaze lands on Lello and just like that, something inside me snaps. I haven’t seen him since he pushed Sammy into my pool, and the sight of the kelpie ignites a surprising amount of feeling.
I’m hissing and my claws are out. Lello’s eyes are wide and I’m nearly on him when suddenly a big, muscled linen-covered chest is in my way. It’s Carter, Lello’s mate.
My claws swipe, but arms wrap around my waist and pull me back, out of reach. Sammy’s arms. The feel of him is a calming balm. My rage dissipates as quickly as it gathered, and I blink.
Lello peeks around Carter. His eyes are enormous and his complexion is pale.
“Blue! You were so brave!” he says.
Shame and guilt flood me. My gaze flicks to Gray. I had a violent fight with him not too long ago. I’m not always a pathetic coward. Though, I can’t blame Lello for thinking that of me. It is all he saw in the harem. The only thing I was capable of being.
I cast a quick glance at Carter and find him glowering at me, which is fair enough. But surprisingly, I’m not too bothered. Even though Carter is a big human male and he is angry at me. Looks like I really am getting braver.
Lello’s face lights up. “Maybe Sammy is good for you and you shouldn’t undo the mate bond?”
A wince wracks my body. Hell no. I can’t keep Sammy tied to me for his entire mortal life just because he makes me less of a sniveling weakling.
“No!” I snap vehemently.
I feel the force of Sammy’s flinch. The jarring motion spreads from his arm that is still around my waist, to every part of me. He snatches his arm back and my skin feels cold without his touch. And just like that, all my new found bravery has melted away like sea-ice under a hot sun.
I stumble into a chair. I can’t look at Sammy. I can’t look at anybody.
Red clears his throat. “Okay, so we all know why we are here. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to undo Blue and Sammy’s mate bond?”
Silence. It’s almost deafening. My feet shuffle on the carpet, just to make some sort of noise. Eleven people crammed into one medium-sized room should not be this quiet.
“I think we should see what we are dealing with first,” says Brodie. “Let’s have a look at how deep this bond goes.”
Murmurs of agreement flow around the room. In the periphery of my vision, I see people nodding. Conversation starts to flow, and I’m so glad something is finally happening.
But I’m also hyper aware of Sammy sitting quietly beside me. He is not saying a word, and why would he? He must feel like a fish out of water. This is all new and unknown to him. Unfamiliar waters.
Tentatively, I ease my hand closer to him. My pinky brushes his. The tiniest of gestures. But hopefully, some sort of comfort. He returns the gesture and my heart goes all fluttery. I’m an asshole who has upended his life, but he is kind enough to forgive me. Sammy is wonderful and I know that’s not the influence of the mate bond making me think so. I’d be proud to call him my mate.
If only I wasn’t such a broken, useless mess.
“Alright,” says Pink decisively.
I look up and blink. Everyone has been busy while I’ve been lost in my thoughts.
Pink is standing in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips. Two chairs are next to him, back to back. Four more chairs are placed around them, facing the middle.
Pink was raised in an arcana that is very ritualistic, so I guess it’s not surprising he wants to do things this way. It’s just a little unsettling.
“Come take a seat, you two,” he says as he points to the two chairs in the middle of the circle.
I swallow, and flash Sammy a look that I hope is reassuring. Together, we walk up to the chairs and take our seats. It feels strange to have him right at my back, but it is more than bearable. I don’t think I could stand it if it was anyone else.
Pink, Ned, Jade and Brodie, take the four seats around us. Oh, wait a minute. This is interesting. Each chair is aligned perfectly to the north, east, south and west. Very potent and very rational. But I still can’t stop shifting uneasily.
This configuration is clearly Pink’s idea, so it makes sense he is here in this circle. Brodie is our healer, so I understand his presence. As for Ned, I guess vampires are stupidly powerful. Jade’s presence I’m less sure about, but fey descendents do have unusual abilities. And truly, it doesn’t matter. I trust all the boys, and their mates. So, by that definition, I have faith in everyone in this room.
Any of them could take a place in one of these chairs and I’d be confident that they’d do their best. So it’s fine. It’s all fine. Time to take a deep breath and try to calm down.
