Only Muzo had the courage—or innocence—to speak up. He poked his narrow head around my chest to speak directly to Viol. “It’s ‘cause you never show up to breakfast, and when you do, it’s always with a spooky atmosphere,” he said, wriggling his front paw for emphasis. “But today, you’re super cheery. I think it’s freaking people out.”
Viol grinned at him. “I think so, too.” He leaned in playfully and asked under his breath, “Should I do it more?”
Muzo snickered, nodding vigorously. “Yeah, do it!”
“All right.” Viol craned his neck towards the other side of the kitchen and called, “Yo. Brothers. Check this out.”
Cobalt, Jade, Crimson, and Saffron—who had been pretending not to eavesdrop this whole time—eagerly spun around at Viol’s command. When he was certain he had their attention, Viol gently grasped the underside of my snout and pressed a big, dramatic kiss to my cheek.
Everyone stared in silent disbelief except for Alaric, who squealed loudly in shock before slapping a hand over his mouth, and Saffron, who burst out laughing.
“AHA!” Saffron cried, jumping up and down. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! Oh, I’m gonna go tell Aurumrightnow—”
He bolted out of the kitchen.
When he left, nobody made a sound except for me because my tail kept swishing against the couch cushion. Then a second tail-swishing sound joined in beside me.
“Aw, I’m so happy for you guys!” Muzo exclaimed. “I mean, this kinda came out of nowhere, but still.”
Taylor sighed, though he couldn’t stifle a smile as broad as his shoulders. “No, it didn’t, Muzo. It’s been a long time coming.”
“Huh? Since when?” Muzo asked.
Rorik’s dark eyes softened until he resembled a giant teddy bear. He glanced at Viol, then at me. “Since before you met either ViolorPoppy,” he explained. “It’s been fifteen years, hasn’t it?”
“Give or take,” Viol agreed.
My heart clenched at the length of time. That was too long to spend apart. But it was finally over, and now I felt freer than ever.
Unable to contain my bursting feelings, I whined softly and leaned against Viol. His protective, possessive hand kept pettingmy fur in soothing strokes. A physical reminder that he was here, and he wasn’t going anywhere.
Suddenly, Alaric stood in front of Viol with crossed arms and a narrowed gaze. “You’re serious about this, I presume?” he asked haughtily. “If youdareto hurt Poppy—”
“Alaric,” Viol said in a low growl. “Look at me.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Viol’s expression. Stark. Intense. It made me shiver in a good way.
A second later, Alaric cleared his throat. The tension in his shoulders vanished. “I see. Well, I was just checking.” He flipped his hair over his shoulder and began to strut over to Jade. “By the way, don’t think I didn’t catch you sniffing Poppy’s scent on my clothes that one time...”
Viol snorted knowingly.
I watched the corner of Taylor’s mouth curve into a small smile. I knew he felt the same way as Alaric. He’d always been one of my closest friends, and deeply protective of me. But Taylor judged actions, not words. He could see with his own eyes how much Viol cared. He had no reason to doubt Viol’s affection for me was real.
When I turned to Rorik and saw his stoic but genuine smile, I knew he had a deeper sense of what was going on. Out of everybody, he’d known both of us the longest. He was familiar with the good—and the bad.
I immediately shut that thought down. I didn’t want to think about it. Not when everything was so beautiful. Not when my life was perfect.
“Congratulations.”
Jade pulled me back to reality. He stood before us with a smile. The rest of Viol’s brothers remained in the kitchen, giving him space they knew he appreciated—though that didn’t stop the grins on their faces.
Viol grunted, blushing. “Thanks.”
“Oh?” Jade’s brows rose. “What for?”
Rolling his eyes, Viol muttered, “Cut the crap, Jade. You know what I mean.”
“Ah, but I enjoy hearing it.”
