"Ten bucks says it's Liv," I murmured against him.
"I'm not taking that bet. My friend is needier than yours."
"I heard that," Liv called from the kitchen. "Andourfriend Jonah is probably about to become his ex-fiancee's Beta, so we're both going to lose him, Kat. This is a true crisis."
Callum sat up, tucking the blanket around me and pulling me with him. I rolled my eyes at his worry about my lack of clothing, and he kissed me lightly before glancing at Liv."Jonah can't replace me as your best friend in a matter of weeks."
Some, but not all, of his tension returned as he recaptured his hold on the pain magic that had radiated off of him lightly, the way his ice magic usually did.
"I don't know, he's pretty great," Liv tossed back.
"Are you guys still running together every day?" I asked, slipping off Callum's lap and heading into the kitchen. It was the only route to our bedroom, and I needed to get dressed.
"Yeah. We’ve spent a few nights dancing at the club together, too."
"And in bed together afterward," Callum drawled, catching up to me. His hand caught my elbow, even though it was covered by the blanket. The touch wouldn't ease the pain he would've started feeling as soon as we weren't in contact. He just wanted to be close to me.
"We've only hooked up three times."
"You'd fucked Niall at least threedozentimes at this point of your relationship," Callum pointed out.
"The sex with Jonah isn't great. So what? If I could only pick friendship or sex in a relationship, I'd choose friendship. It's nice not to be alone. Things were so good when I was with Niall, and..." She cleared her throat. "I'm moving on. Friendship is enough."
"You promised me a girls' night," I said over my shoulder, as I headed down the hallway. "Don't forget. I want to hear more about you and Niall."
"Now that I know what you're going to ask me about, I'm not interested," Liv called after me.
"Now that you have someone warming your bed, you're not interested," Callum called back.
"No one talks like that anymore!" Liv yelled behind us as we reached our room. "And I'm going to lose him to Gwen anyway!"
Callum closed the door behind us.
"Now that we know your magic can't hurt me, could that be a way for Liv to know if she and Jonah were mates even without a bargain?" I asked him. "If her power felt different to someone than it did to other people, that would give it away."
"It's something to consider. My magic's effect on you couldn't be caused by anything other than fate."
"We'll have to tell your family."
"I'll send a text."
"That does sound better than an uncomfortable conversation about our sex life."
I pulled on a pair of shorts and a cropped tee, like always, while Callum stepped into the closet to get dressed.
"If Merrily could be with Grayson without her magic affecting him, maybe she'll change her mind about the situation," I added, as I tied my curls up in their usual bun. They were particularly wild at the moment, but I didn't really care.
Callum stepped out of the closet, and I gaped while he tucked his button-up into a pair of light-washjeans.
"Keep staring at me like that and we won't be making it to the challenges, Kitten."
"You don't own jeans," I said, refocusing on the tube of mascara I was still trying to decide whether or not to swipe on my lashes.
I hated makeup, but it was technically a special occasion.
"I do now." He paused, eyeing the fabric in the mirror. "Unless you think they're too casual."
A snort escaped me. "You barely look more casual than before. Your shirt is still tucked in."
