"I'm human right now, bro!"
"Almost worse."
"What do you need?" Micah asks me with a weary sigh, turning away from them.
"Not a what," I clarify. "A who. I need someone with more expertise to look over the ritual components."
Four sets of eyes stare at me intently, waiting. I take a deep breath, knowing they're not going to like this. Knowing how men usually take the news that someone is encroaching on what they see as their territory.
But no matter how doting and charming they are on the surface, I need to know how these wolves are going to react in that kind of situation before I fully commit to being their Bonded. It's as much of a test for them as it is a necessity for the ritual.
"I need to see Villeneuve."
Sean groans dramatically, tipping his head back like I've just shot him. "Not the Snape-looking motherfucker!"
Micah and Rowan are more neutral, but they exchange a worried look. Killian looks like I've just suggested we invite Kyle himself to move in and use the fraternity flag as a jockstrap.
"No," Killian says flatly.
"Killian—"
"Absolutely not." His voice drops to that deep rumble that makes me shiver in spite of myself. But he's not using his bark like most alpha wolves do the minute they're challenged. Interesting. "We'll find another way."
"There is no other way," I reason, setting my coffee down. "I need someone with ancient magical knowledge, someone who knows about siphons. And like it or not, Villeneuve is our best option."
"Idon'tlike it," Micah grumbles.
"Nobody likes it," Rowan agrees.
"Technically, Regina likes it," Sean points out, earning a glare from Killian.
"I don'tlikeit," I correct. "I'm being practical. This ritual is complex, and if we mess it up, anything could happen. We could fail to break my current bond, or worse, someone could sprout an extra head or lose a finger or?—"
"A third asshole," Sean breathes ominously, breaking the silence.
We all turn to look at him and my head whips around so fast my neck actually hurts.
Rowan pinches the bridge of his nose. "IknowI'm going to regret this. But how the fuck many holes do you have, Sean?"
Sean squints like he's thinking about it and starts pointing at his eyes and nose as he counts. "Uh… the normal amount?"
"Okay, but when you say athirdasshole, that implies the existence of a second," Micah says, waving his hand around for emphasis.
At no point did I ever think my life was going to take a direction that would lead to me arguing about "holes" with frat shifters in the kitchen, but at least it's a momentary distraction from the heavy tension between me and Killian.
"Dude, that's my point!" Sean says, throwing his hands in the air. "Imagine how bad the ritual could go! Where could a third asshole evenbe?"
"Oh my God," Rowan mutters, scrubbing a hand down his face.
"He has a point," Micah reasons.
"Does he, though?" I ask. "Does he really?"
Killian paces the kitchen like a caged predator, ignoring the rest of us. "He'sdangerous, Regina. We still don't know what he is."
"He helped me before," I remind him.
But he has a point. Villeneuve has to be some kind of shifter, at least partly, but he's also capable of using magic on his own. That's…technicallyimpossible. Even more so than a siphon being mate bonded to a shifter pack.
