That made me smile. “I… can’t believe I finally found them. I didn’t think… I didn’t think I ever would.”
He sent me a sad smile. “I know the feeling. This gives me hope.”
Jed was even older than I was, and I knew he desperately wanted to meet his viramore. A part of me felt guilty that I had and he hadn’t. But I knew he was sincerely happy for me. Hopefully, one day soon, he’d meet his viramore too.
“Thanks, Jed.” I offered another smile and clasped his hand, giving it a quick squeeze before we both let go of each other and turned to watch the dance floor again.
Well, he probably watched the dance floor. My eyes went straight to Oakley.
Who was still dancing so beautifully. I really wanted to go out there with them. I wanted to pull them close, feel their body moving against mine. I wanted to bury my nose in the side of their pretty neck and suck their skin between my teeth. I wanted to hold them, and care for them, and love them, and make love to them.
I wanted everything with them.
But they weren’t ready.
“What are you waiting for?” Jed asked, making me startle.
“What?”
“What are you waiting for? Why haven’t you talked to them about it?”
“They’re not ready.”
He paused. “What makes you say that?”
“What do you mean? They… they haven’t said or done anything… they… don’t feel it yet.”
When I glanced at him, he was staring at me with a strange expression. One that saidare you a dumbassbut also saidwhat the hell do you mean?
After several seconds, he slowly said, “Of course they’re ready.”
That made me jerk back and scrunch up my nose. “What? No, they’re not.”
He sighed, sounding put-upon. “You know that neither party feels the pull until both—or all, in the case of multiple viramores—are ready, right? That’s why you didn’t feel the pull when they were first brought back to Garrick, right? You didn’t realize they’re your viramore until recently?”
I nodded. “It’s been a few months, but yes. I didn’t feel it before.”
“Because they weren’t ready yet. They were either too young or maybe too traumatized to deal with it, so the magic didn’t reveal itself yet. You might’ve felt something there, but it wasn’t the full viramore pull. Correct?”
“Yes.”
“But you feel it now?”
I gave a nod. “Yes.”
“Then they’re ready, and they’re feeling it too. Maybe they don’t understand it or know what it is, but they feel it. They have to if you are. They’re ready, Roman.”
I stared at him for several beats before turning back to Oakley, seeing them crack up laughing with their best friend, both of them shaking their butts to the music.
Was Jed right? Did Oakley feel it too?
I thought about all the winks they’d been sending me lately, all the leaning against me, the cuddling on the couch, the small touches.
Were they… had they… had they been giving me little signs this whole time and I was too stupid to realize it?
Jed was right that the viramore magic didn’t reveal itself until all parties were ready. It never revealed itself until everyone was old enough, mature enough, and emotionally ready.
So that meant… that meant Jed was right.
