“Ugh.” Brushing bits of twigs and leaves from my jeans, I straightened and faced Dathal. When I’d asked him to teach me how to fight, I thought he’d bring out his daggers and let me use those. Not knock me on my arse every chance he got. “You know,” I said, dancing out of the way when he darted forwards. “If I’m ever unlucky enough to face Vai Zh’alek again, I’m not going to stand a chance unless I have a weapon.” I tried for levity, but Dathal grabbed my shoulders, expression darkening.
“He’s not getting anywhere near you again. Ever.”
Closing my eyes, I put my hands on his. “You can’t stay by my side every minute of every day, Dathal.Noneof you can,” I added because I knew he’d go there. “You shouldn’t be spending any nights here at all.” I opened my eyes to meet his violet ones, a mirror image of my own except for the fury now burning there. Ignoring it, I clasped his wrist instead, removing it from my shoulder and gently turning it to expose the intricate ink running along the underside of his arm from wrist to elbow.
He and Nick were joined by fae magic.
The pact itself performed by Lady Sarhin herself.
“You should be with Nick,” I said softly. “This is still so new.” I traced the black swirls with my thumb and Dathal shivered. “He’ll feel the ache every time you leave him.”
“I know.”
I’d done a little research since Dathal and Nick had chosen to take this step. Although the fae method of bonding wasn’t as physical as the shifter claiming bite, it held certain similarities after the fact. One of them being the need to be near each other in the weeks, maybe months after they were first joined.
Dathal having to spend so much time here with me had to be putting a strain on their relationship.
Fuck, I couldn’t believe I was about to offer this, but I refused to come between Dathal and Nick when they’d been through so much to be together in the first place. “I could go live at the main pack house for now.”
Dathal’s eyes widened.
Then he laughed.
And not just a chuckle either, but a full-on belly laugh.
Crossing my arms, I waited him out.
Grin huge and eyes dancing with amusement, he put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m not sure where to start with that.” He shook his head. “Ignoring the fact that you’d literally have no privacy in a home full of shifters. You would willingly live in the Dark Forest Pack main house. A house where I’m pretty sure you’ve fucked at least one of the current residents, not to mention a couple more who are bound to visit at some point. A building that also housesTalis.”
“It might be a little awkward—”
“Awkward?” Dathal stared at me. “Awkward is the two of you side eyeing each other at Midnight before avoiding each other for the rest of the night.”
“I can avoid him just as easily in the pack house. It’s not like I wouldn’t have my own room.”
“Axel. You’d be living in his home.Hissafe space. Your scent would be all over the place regardless of what you do.”
Well, when he put it like that.
I blew out a frustrated breath. “Promise me, Dathal.” It was my turn to grab him by the shoulders. “If any of this starts to make things difficult for you and Nick, promise that you’ll tell me, and we’ll figure something else out?”
His amusement faded. “I promise.”
Darkness had fallenby the time Dathal was ready to leave for Midnight. He sauntered into the living room wearing the tight leather trousers of his guard uniform and a sheer black shirt.
“You know Nick’s going home with you regardless, right?” I waved a finger at him. “You don’t have towoohim anymore.”
“Woo?”
“Dress like that.”
Dathal grinned. “He likes these trousers. Good things happen when I wear them.” His smile turned sly. “It makes him bossy and—”
I slapped a hand across his mouth. “Goddess, stop.”
Laughing, he peeled my fingers off his lips. “Maybe you should come with me. You’d be safe there, and you could do with relieving a little tension.”
I scowled.
