Fallon stiffened as our legs touched.
“Easy, mate.” I reminded her in a low voice as Eilie screeched in outrage and they tossed hands again. “Think of this as the test run before you meet the rest of the pack. You can do this.”
“Easy for you to say. You believe in this junk. I’m just a human. With magic. With food magic. Whatever. You know what I mean.”
I slipped my hand over her knee and she didn’t knock it away. That would have to do for now.
You’re going to have to pretend to believe in it too. It would be strange if we really were mates and not touching each other. The Old Magic has made our pack a bit more traditional than the rest of the Harrowlands. You wanted a list of rules. Well, this is one of them.
Long separation of mates is unheard of. Interest in otherpartners is nonexistent, even before you meet your mate. Once together, you crave their physical touch. Mates become possessive of each other.
I had always been protective of Honey. She just didn’t know it.
If you feel the need to knock out another female with a meat cleaver, let me know first.I winked at her.Our ultimate union would be the mark you’ve seen with Maggie and Evie.I added when she said nothing.
You bite me, and I’ll giveyouthe cleaver.The look in her eyes glinted with murder.
I wanted to snark back. I did. I should have, but something deep inside me pulled out the truth. My lips all but brushed her neck to whisper dark words against her wildly beating pulse.Careful about giving up things you might beg for someday, Honey.
She flushed all over and I shook her knee, my point made.
“None of you get to go next,” I reprimanded my siblings. “Tell them about flying with Evie, Fallon.”
While it wasn’t the safest topic, with the whole banishment thing, Fallon’s eyes relaxed as she related her best friend’s comedic attempts to learn how to fly. My siblings roared with laughter and pride filled me. Most beings in the Harrowlands would never get near a dragon, let alone ride one, and her courage and fearlessness shone through. How could I not admire her? My mate was still in shock that she might never weather one of Evie'serratic flight patterns again, but I hoped holding onto the memory made the blow softer.
Her story petered out into a brittle silence, and bless him, Cosomo took up the baton before it became awkward. As he started his account of the elk hunt he led, I kept tuned to Fallon. Not that I wasn’t interested in my brother’s story. It was just that I had heard tales like this throughout my entire childhood. One elk kill was much like any other elk kill. I finally had a reason to place Fallon at the center of my world. I wouldn’t miss even one of her breaths.
She didn’t relax. In fact, the tension around her mouth spread into lines between her brows. Her breathing grew shallower. Fallon flexed her left hand when she thought I wasn’t watching.
What do you need?
She startled under my clutching fingers.Nothing. I’m fine.
You were doing so well acting like a mate. Better work harder if we’re going to fool my Momma.
Was it unfair to push her buttons when I knew just how to smash them? Probably. But all was fair in mates and wooing.
She looked down at her lap as if she were embarrassed to need anything.A hot cup of something, then. Anything warm I can hold. My hands are still cold.
I took in every part of her neutral expression, breathing out with conviction. She was lying. All thosetimes when I felt something was off, I now realized she was lying to me. To all of her friends. Sensing my scrutiny, she looked into my eyes and froze. At this point, Fallon would have been out the door, retreating to her room, so I backed away first and warmed up a kettle as Cosomo got to the bloody heart of his story where he heroically leaped on the elk’s back and went for the kill. I nudged a smooth stone closer to the open fire as I took down a tin cup that would transfer heat better.
“Who else wants a night tea?”
My siblings stared at me with a puzzled expression. We usually ended the night with wine and song, but Eilie timidly raised her hand. I got myself and Eilie a cup to match Fallon’s so there weren’t questions about why hers was different.
I took the pot, the kettle and cups to the table, letting Fallon steep and pour to her exacting specifications of tea doneness while I wrapped the smooth stone in a flannel and slipped it onto her lap as I sat down.
The relief on her face was obvious and I itched to know what was wrong so I could make it better. I wouldn’t confront her and embarrass her in front of my family. At least her body relaxed, and as much of a smile as she ever wore returned. A tension still hovered around her eyes, but I could drop my shoulders
Yawns started up around the table, and eyes darted to the one bedroom in the cabin. We all used to pile together on the bed as wolves when we stayed here as kids, butthere was no way anyone was going to be in that bed but Fallon.
“The floor’s looking real comfortable. Right, gang?”
Eilie tried giving me the sad eyes but I was in motion before anyone else could move. Scooping Fallon up out of her chair, I ran to the bedroom, slamming the door behind me. Wolven whines and scratches at the door eventually subsided and allowed a wet panting to fill the room.
I looked down at Fallon, and she stared back at me, suppressing her laugh between pressed lips.
“It’s not me!” she said.
