My stomach heaves, and my teacup starts to rattle against the saucer. It feels as if saying the words out loud will somehow make everything more real. But it is the whole reason why I’m here, disturbing Pink’s peace.
“I think I may have accidentally mated with Sammy,” I blurt out far too fast.
Pink splutters on his tea. “I beg your pardon?”
I know he heard me, he just needs a moment to process. So I stay quiet and give him time.
“What happened?” he asks.
I take a deep breath. “He jumped into the pool but he can’t swim. He was drowning. I brought him to the surface and over to the edge. It’s not the sea, so I’m not sure if it counts. But I think it might.”
Pink’s eyes grow enormous as I speak. I watch his face intently as everything I just said sinks in. Pink is clever and very well educated in all manner of things. He probably knows more about mating lore than I do.
“He doesn’t know.” Pink states.
I blink at him.
“Sammy told me about jumping into your pool. He said you became upset and swam away, and he was worried he had annoyed you.”
An unpleasant feeling twists in my stomach. I was upset, but not at Sammy. It was a stupid accident and I hate the thought that I’ve worried him.
“He still has no idea?” asks Pink.
I shake my head. “None.”
Pink lets out a low whistle and collapses back against his pillows. He doesn’t look as if he is going to say anything.
“Do you think it counts? Are we mated?” I prompt.
He sighs. “I’m sorry, Blue, I don’t know that much about siren mating magic.” Suddenly, his eyes widen and he sits up straight. “Though Gray was staring very intently at Sammy this morning, maybe he saw a bond or something.”
Oh crap. That doesn’t sound good at all. And I had completely forgotten about Mal and Gray. If I have mated Sammy, I’ve gone and bound myself to their son. Without their permission.
Fuck! This is terrible. Things are still uneasy between Gray and me after our fight. Now this? What a flipping mess.
“Can it be undone?” I ask.
Pink blinks at me and then shrugs. “I don’t know. Lello's bond with Ritchie was near impossible to break, but he is a kelpie. Perhaps one of the others…”
“No!” I interrupt harshly. “No one else can know!”
“Okay,” says Pink slowly as doubt and confusion swirl over his face.
“Please Pink, promise me? I’m going to figure this out and fix it, but in the meantime, no one can know.”
He stares at me for a long time with an intense, searching look that seems to burrow into my soul.
“Okay,” he agrees eventually.
I sigh in relief and take a shaky sip of my tea. I need to figure this out. And the obvious next step is something I really don’t want to do.
I should talk to Gray.
My heart is beating so fast it can’t be healthy. Maybe I’ll have a heart attack and drop down dead and that will solve all my problems.
I shake my head to clear it of my dark thoughts. Wallowing in self-pity will not help the situation. I need to breathe and get on with it.
One deep inhale through my nose. One deep exhale. Great, now I’m standing outside the house, near the door to Gray and Mal’s basement, while breathing heavily. At least I’ve remembered to put on a pair of shorts.
