"Rob and I hit our twenty-third anniversary last month," he said, changing the subject. We both knew his relationship was the safe zone, as far as conversation went. Mine was not. Past, or present.
"How are you guys not mated yet? You're obnoxiously adorable."
"Superior self-control and extreme guilt on my end about the constant rain, mostly," Larson drawled.
"Rob was always my favorite of the three of you," I said. "Where is he? Does he know we're doing this?"
"He's updating the wards way out in the Shadow District for the next few weeks. Unraveling this magic isn’t too dangerous, so he was fine with being left behind. He’ll spend the nights with me here, since I know you don't mind." Larson eyed me. "And we both know Rob's not your favorite. You and Niall were basically glued together from the night you met."
"If we’re fixing the spell for real, you can finally let yourself seal a bond," I said with a small smile "I’m happy for you. Do you have a date planned for the mating ceremony?"
"Of course. Your invitation is in one of my bags. I expect you to be my best man."
I laughed. "I’m sure your brother willlovethat."
"He hasn’t been warned yet, but he'll be on board if it means you're there."
I wanted to ask how Niall was, but didn’t want to open that can of worms. So, I just tipped my head back to avoid his gaze and tried to keep my throbbing feet from touching anything.
"For the record, he hasn’t dated anyone since you broke up," Larson said. "I don't think he's even looked at anyone like that, on the rare days he actually leaves his apartment or his studio."
There was no way in hell I could let myself imagine him dating someone else without losing my shit. "He’s free to fuck whoever he wants. I'm the one who dragged him around the city all the time. He's happiest when he doesn't leave his house and studio much."
"He's happiest with you. And I don’t think he’s fuckedanyone."
"He’s probably just discreet about it."
"I don’t think so. I think he misses you."
"He doesn’t."
"He does, Liv. He's told me. And he hasn't been able to paint anything but you since you threw him out."
Niall was a professional painter. Anincredibleprofessional painter. He'd been famous for it long before my family and I established Rumor.
"I don’t want to talk about your brother," I said.
"We can talk about your alleged mate, instead."
"I don’t want to talk about him, either."
"How about the weather? Are you tired of the rain yet? I thought Callum was going to kill me the last time this spell didn’t work out, but I guess Niall was a better target. How he convinced your family to leave him alive, I don’t know."
"He let Niall live so you'd keep trying to fix the wards. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hates rain as much as a winter fae whose magic turns everything to ice. Callum’s been extra cold for the past hundred years, thanks to you."
"At least he has that pretty little werewolf to warm him up now."
"He’s infinitely happier," I agreed.
"I assumed he’d end up with someone more powerful, to be honest."
"Callum doesn’t need more magic, and he adores Kat. If you ever see them together, you’ll get it." I sighed. "I have to start moving again. My magic is freaking out."
"You need to fix your feet first."
"They’ll be fine."
They wouldn’t be. I just handled the pain better than I handled the anxiety my magic generated.
