Page 29 of Bonded By Tea and Tarot

We soak in each other’s presence for a moment, basking in the mutual desire as her scent swirls around us. It melds perfectly with the temperate fall air, and I want to bury my nose in her neck. So I do. I lean down and nudge along her slender throat. She angles her head, giving me more access, and I drop a soft kiss to the tender flesh, memorizing the feel of her.

She shivers, goosebumps dancing along her skin, and I pull back, still grinning like a lovesick doofus. Which sums up how I feel pretty well, actually.

“Do you want to come on the date with me tomorrow?” she says, then quickly clarifies. “With the alphas.”

“Alphas?” I say.

“Right, I have a lot to fill you in on, I guess.” She explains the situation, how she spoke with Hayden and Jayce, then she shows me the picture they sent.

“He’s hot,” I say, and she giggles. It sends sparks shooting through my veins, and I tug her closer. Then decide she’s still not close enough, so I pick her up and plop her sideways on my lap.

“Aury,” she laughs, swatting the back of her hand against my chest.

“What? I wanted you closer. Is this okay?”

Her expression softens and she melts into me with a nod. “Yeah, this is nice.”

I decide not to go on the date with her, instead suggesting she take some time with them on her own, first. Get a feel for them and figure out what she wants before mixing things up too much. Plus, there’s still a part of me that whispers she doesn’t need me, won’t want me after meeting the alphas. Once she sees how much more they have to offer, why would she choose a beta?

She agrees to see how it goes before deciding anything, and we spend a few more blissful minutes together in the park before I catch her shivering and insist on driving her home.

Chapter Eighteen

Jayce

“Are you sure I look okay?” I ask Hayden as we step out of the car for our date. I’m a nervous wreck at the thought of meeting Siobhan for the first time. Our potential future.

“You look strong and capable,” Hayden says, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “Because you are. If she doesn’t love you, I’ll order another CT scan for her head.”

“Fuck off,” I grumble with an amused huff. Insufferable alpha.

They laugh and squeeze once before letting me go, and then we’re striding into the bakery to order half the pastries since we don’t know what Siobhan prefers. I suppose we could wait and ask her, but I think they’re as eager to make a good impression as I am.

Ordering two of each will make a good impression… Right?

Suddenly, I’m doubting everything. Is this too casual for a first date? Should we have taken her somewhere more romantic?

“Hey,” Hayden says, sensing my spiral. “Go snag a table, I’ll grab the treats.”

“Right, yeah.” I find a table in the front with enough space for multiple alphas and plop down. My fingers twitch with anticipation and I force myself to calm, sitting up straight and running one hand through my short hair.

Hayden takes the seat next to me a few minutes later and their hand grips my thigh under the table. A silent reassurance.

And then the door opens and the world around me goes quiet. Like when you’re underwater and everything is muffled, moving in slow motion. The gorgeous omega from the picture saunters towards us, her scent snaking into my brain and deciding it lives there now. She’s a part of me, irrevocably.

“Hi.” Her voice is breathy with what I hope isn’t nerves. She has nothing to be nervous about, although I suppose there’s no way for her to know that.

“Siobhan,” Hayden says, gracefully standing and pulling a chair out opposite us. “Thank you for coming.”

“Yeah,” she says, lowering herself into the chair. Her blonde hair is down in soft waves, and she has a septum piercing glinting in her nose that makes my cock twitch with interest. Then she turns a little more towards us, and I can see the rest of her face. Her eyes dart between me and Hayden, wide blue crystals swirling with questions and a hint of guardedness that I want to dispel immediately. Though I don’t know how.

And then I take in the bruises. She has a nasty gash along her hairline, purple bruises fading to a greenish yellow on her temple and jaw. I suspect there are more beneath her oversized cardigan that I can’t see. I surge to my feet, my chair clattering to the ground while a growl punches out of me and she jumps, as do multiple others in the bakery.

Her eyes widen and she leaps from her seat with a gasp, darting behind it to get as far from me as she can. My inner alpha is thrashing inside me, wanting to kill whoever harmed her, even though I know it wasn’t anyone’s fault.

Hayden’s face suddenly fills my vision, blocking my view of her, and their hands dig into my shoulders. “That’s enough,” they demand, a low alpha bark forcing me to cut off the growl rumbling from my throat.

“Fuck,” I whisper, realizing what I’ve done.