“You’re being dramatic.”
“I’m not.” Eric frowned and let out a deep sigh. “Matheson, we don’t know how much time we have. We don’t know if Noro was telling the truth or not. A month may be an overestimation. The gryphons could come for you at any time. And when they do, I want to be ready. I wantallof us to be ready.”
“All of us, meaning…?”
“All three of us. Me, Ramsay, and Colton. It’s our responsibility to protect you. Even if we don’t know which alpha is the one in the prophecy, we should act like we are, and that means defending you with our lives.”
My heart fluttered at the gravity of his words. He was really serious about this. Eric wasn’t going down without a fight.
“Thank you,” I murmured, staring at the floor. “I don’t know what I did to deserve all this besides just being an omega, but I appreciate it.”
Eric snorted. “You’re kind of dumb sometimes, aren’t you?”
I bristled. “What?”
There was no malice on his face. Just a smirk. “Matheson, you’re smart, funny, kind, and good looking. You may think you’re some average guy, but you can’t see your own good qualities. I’m not just saying this because you’re suddenly an omega, either. You’re anyone’s dream catch.”
A startled blush crept into my cheeks. “N-no, I’m not.”
Eric rolled his eyes. “And there you go, denying it. That’s why I said you’re kind of dumb.”
“Didn’t you just say I was smart? Like, literally that was the first thing you described me with.”
Eric’s smirk widened and I saw a flash of his fangs. “You can be smart and dumb at the same time.”
“Fuck you,” I said, but I was laughing.
Beneath his smirk, I saw a hint of a true smile. In that moment I realized Eric wasn’t just some douchebag looking to taunt me. He cared for me, in his own kind-of-annoying way.
I noticed now that, during our conversation, we’d slid a bit closer together. Our elbows touched again, and this time, Eric didn’t pull away.
His eyes flickered to the rain outside. “So, I’m guessing you’ve made… progress with them? In terms of Noro’s suggestion?”
I grew intensely aware of the warmth of Eric’s skin as we brushed against each other, and the intimacy of his question probably wasn’t helping.
“If you’re asking if I’ve been trying to see if I can fall in love with them, then yes,” I said softly.
“Hm. Good.” He nodded as if we were talking about a business transaction. “That seems to be the best course of action, based on what the prophecy says.”
“Why?” I said, a bit teasingly. “Are you excited for your turn?”
Despite his frown, his cheeks turned a shade darker. “N-no. I’m merely looking at this from a logical standpoint. If what Noro said is true, unlocking your magic depends on finding love with one of us. That’s all.”
“Right. So to have the highest chance of success, I need to try my best with each of you.”
As I spoke, I leaned closer to him so that our arms lay flushed together and our hips bumped for a second. Despite all his blustering, he seemed strangely shy compared to Ramsay and Colton.
“Yes, that’s true,” he muttered.
I paused, noticing Eric had stiffened, as if uncomfortable.
“Do you, um, want me to stop touching you?” I asked plainly.
“No. You’re fine.”
I wasn’t really convinced, but I didn’t move away. For some reason, his shyness made me want to draw closer, but pushing him too quickly would be rude.
I cleared my throat. “All right, then. If you don’t want to ask me anything else, I should probably go help Ramsay and Colt make dinner.”
