Jealousy flares hot and lightning-fast.
Not because she's on him.
Because she didn't have to ask.
She didn't scan for tension lines in his shoulders, or the exact angle of his jaw, or the weight of his scent.
She didn't do the calculus I do every time I consider climbing into that chair.
She just assumed she was allowed.
And she was.
I feel suddenly heavy in Eli's lap.
"Did you guys have fun?" Eli asks, carefully neutral.
"It was nice. We got ice cream after. Drake won me a stuffed shark from the claw machine." She holds it up.
"She cheated," Drake calls from the kitchen, raiding the fridge. "She shook the machine."
"A valuable skill," Ragon says, amusement threading his tone.
They laugh.
I stare at the TV without seeing it.
"Hey," Eli murmurs. "You're grinding your teeth so loud I can hear it."
"Sorry."
"Don't be. Just don't break your jaw. Jasper will make us fill out forms."
I huff a tiny laugh.
Marie shifts in Ragon's lap, turning to face him more fully. She rests her hand on his chest like she has every right.
Maybe she does.
Out of nowhere, she says, bright and guileless, "So when are you going to officially bond me in and mark me?"
The room goes silent.
The movie keeps playing—cars flipping, explosions blooming—but the sound feels far away.
Every muscle in my body locks.
I go rigid against Eli.
His arms tighten reflexively.
Drake pokes his head back in, eyes wide. Jasper appears in the doorway like he materialized from shadows.
Ragon doesn't flinch.
Of course he doesn't.
He meets Marie's expectant gaze calmly.
