Finn clearly saw it on my face. “Bear with me, Lexie. There’s something about the number three—three bonds. See, here—” He shoved his journal in front of my face, too close for me to read. I took it from him and set it on the table.
Bonds of three shall combine, bring forth what’s destined to be thine.
“Okay…” I said slowly. “But what are the three bonds?”
He tugged his hands through his hair. “That’s where I’m stuck. But a little farther down, it says ‘seven stars combine to pierce the night, fire flashes with love’s pure light.’ I think the seven stars and light in those lines may refer to that Starfire you mentioned.”
Perhaps love’s pure light referred to the mating bond? I looked sideways at Griff. Could that be one of the three? But what were the other two?
Finn devolved into some long explanation about word choice in prophecies and completely lost me. I knew he’d get to the point eventually, but I could tell we had some time.
“So, picking up where we left off,”I started,“I’m just curious—what did you have in mind before we were dragged in here?”
“You do realize we’re in the middle of a technical discussion about the prophecy and your role in it, right?”
I ignored that.“Because I know what I had in mind. I was going to strip everything off and climb into my tub for a nice, long soak. The tub is rather small, but if you wanted to join me, I suppose you could have sat on the edge of the tub, and I would have been in the water between your knees and?—”
He shifted, the chair squeaking loudly.“Will you stop that?”he bit out.
“Am I distracting you?”
“You’re always distracting me. I live with you distracting me.”
I smirked inwardly, carefully keeping an innocent expression on my face.“Then you should be used to it.”
I’d learned to read Griff’s moods through how he said my nickname—respectful when he was serious, teasing when playful, clipped when I’d pushed him too far. That last one was probably my favorite, watching his mask crack to reveal the real Griff underneath, even if I’d frustrated the hell out of him to get there.
When he was truly past the breaking point, that was when he used my name.
I continued with my description, watching him attempt to keep his composure from the corner of my eye.“So I would be on my knees before you, and I lower my head to wrap my lips?—”
“Lexa,”he snapped.
I grinned. There it was.
Freya’s eyes were bouncing back and forth between us, and she let out a squeal when I made accidental eye contact.
“That’s what you get for messing with me, Princess. Better do something about that,”Griff told me.
I was already out of my chair, hauling Freya into the hallway. Finn looked up, distracted.
As I slammed the door behind us, Finn asked Griff, “What’s that about?”
“It’s Freya. Who can tell?”
Freya was bouncing on the balls of her feet when I turned back to her. “You got laid!”
I sighed heavily. How could everyone tell?
She grinned impishly. “It’s written all over your face. He looks like he knows what he’s doing. Tell me he knows what he’s doing.”
I was lost in memories for a moment.
“Oh!” she squealed. “He does! I love mating bonds. You are mates, right?” she asked suspiciously. I supposed my face confirmed that as well because she squealed again, clasping her hands. “Then why haven’t you told anyone?” Her head cocked to the side, as though listening to something. “Oh shit,” she breathed. “Finn.”
This was not a conversation for a hallway, not that I was doing a lot of speaking. I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the nearest empty room.
“I think Finn is in love with me,” I admitted softly.
