When I do step back into the living room, the scent of food hits me. The men have cleaned up, re-dressed, and the space has a quiet, comforting warmth.
Kane spots me immediately, and his eyes drop to my clothes with a frown. Black leggings and a jumper. Comfortable, soft. Not at all revealing.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, heading towards him.
“You’re not wearing my shirt.”
Fuck this man is so cute, I can’t help but smile. “I can’t walk around in your shirt forever, Kane.”
“Why?” he asks, genuinely unsure.
I laugh, sliding my arms around his waist as I rise onto my toes and whisper against his lips, “I’ll wear it tonight.”
Then I slip away, turning to flash a sly smile over my shoulder. I feel his gaze tracking my every step, even as I curl up on the sofa and pull a large, fluffy throw over myself. He stares at the blanket like he’s trying to burn through it.
But then Julien’s leaning over the back of the sofa, taking my attention as he hands me a large bowl of food. I thank him, and he smiles.
The others begin to hover nearby, forming an uneven wall in front of the sofa—close, but also not crowding. More like they’re guarding me.
As I begin to eat the heavenly concoction, mostly rice and fresh vegetables, the low sound of their voices fills the room. But even though their voicessoundnormal, overlapping naturally, relaxed, the bond betrays them.
Tension pulses beneath every careful word, beneath the smiles that don’t quite reach their eyes.
They’re waiting, or dreading, and the longer I pretend I don’t notice, the heavier it gets.
I set my fork down, placing the bowl of half-eaten food beside me as I swallow against the sudden weight in my throat.
“You’re all… nervous,” I murmur, looking between them. “Is it because of me?”
They all face me, immediately alert.
I try to laugh at their reaction, but it comes out wrong. Tight and off. “It’s okay. If something’s changed, I wouldn’t blame you. But… you did promise not to lie.”
No one speaks.
“Remember?” I hedge. “Even if it would upset me, you said you’d tell the truth.” I glance at the large wall of window behind them, suddenly not sure I can meet their eyes. “If what happened with Kane was too much… if all this feels like too much. I said if anyone wanted out, they—”
“Jasmine.”
It’s so rare for Julien to use my name at all, let alone like that. Never sharp. Never like a warning.
I flinch instinctively, shifting back on the sofa.
He sees it, they all do, and every jaw tenses.
“No, mon âme,” he says gently, removing all traces of his previous tone before easing into the seat beside me. “I apologise for my tone. But it isn’t that, not at all.”
“Fuck no,” Sai snaps next, sparks flying as he drops onto the seat on my other side. “Hellno, Red.”
“You think we’re nervous aboutyou?” Ezekial’s eyes blaze silver, hard and hot with disbelief as he crouches in front of me, knuckles brushing the edge of the blanket. “No, Jasmine. Never.”
Kane hasn’t spoken, but his obsidian stare somehow hits harder than all their words.
Then his darkness flares like it’s been threatened. Shadows leak from him in jagged lines, and with each step closer, more of them splinter out until he’s towering before me.
“You’re ours.” His voice is low, rough, and so possessively dark it scrapes down my spine as he sinks into a crouch beside Ezekial. “We’re yours, Jasmine. Never question that again. Ever.”
Did Kane’s threat just give me butterflies? Apparently so. That weightless swoop in my belly is undeniable.
