Page 49 of Bonded By Tea and Tarot

“Siobhan?” Aury says. “Can you uh, maybe let go of his shirt?”

“Hmm?” She blinks, breaking her hold on me, and we both turn to look at Aury.

He gestures to her hand fisted in my shirt, and her mouth pops open in surprise.

“Oh!” She releases my shirt like it was about to burn her, then she glances up at me. “Oops, sorry.” She pats the material, then strokes her hand down my stomach in an attempt to flatten the wrinkles, and heat shoots through me. Her nostrils flare again, and then her perfume swirls into the air around us.

“Good grief,” Aury says with a disbelieving laugh.

Hayden chuckles, the enticing sound right next to my ear. Then their arm is around my neck and Aury’s arm is around Siobhan’s waist, and they’re pulling us apart and standing us next to each other instead. I turn to face her, but Aury stops me as he walks by.

“Face the mirror,” he says, then leans closer and lowers his voice. “You can see her just fine that way too, trust me.”

He’s right. I have no idea what I’m doing, but my eyes are glued to the way Siobhan’s body moves in the mirror. Every so often, I’m distracted by how lithe and graceful Aury is, and my gaze will ping between them. The couple times I’ve deigned to notice Hayden, they’re as enamored as I am.

Siobhan seems to be dividing her attention equally between all three of us, which doesn’t rile my instincts as I would have thought it might. Seeing her watch Hayden, checking out their arms and legs, admiring how much glowing bronze skin is on display has me appreciating them both. Same with her clear appreciation of the way Aury moves. His toned muscles ripple beneath his skin, and his voice is smooth and confident as he guides us through the movements. I don’t even notice any of the others in the class. I’ve completely forgotten about them, so I’m surprised at the end when Siobhan’s friends walk up to her and hug her goodbye.

“Do you have a few minutes?” I ask her, pulling her to the side.

“For you?” she says, her blue eyes twinkling at me. “Of course.”

I don’t know if my skin will ever go back to my normal tanned-white, but so long as she doesn’t mind having a pink alpha, I suppose I’ll learn to live with my constant flushed state around both her and Aury.

“I have something for you.” I pull the wrapped box out from under the flannel I had draped over it on the bench.

“Another gift?” She immediately perks up with excitement. “I loved the flowers. Oh! Did you happen to bring that book with you?”

“Shoot,” I say, mentally kicking myself. “I completely forgot to take it with me this morning. I’m so sorry.”

“That’s okay, next time,” she says. Her smile is soft and kind, no hint of disappointment, so I don’t hesitate to hand her the small box. She tears the paper off and then carefully opens it and pulls out the bracelet. “Oooh,” she breathes. “How pretty.”

“I um,” I rub the back of my neck, feeling stupid now. “The beta at the shop told me about how crystals have different meanings, so I—” I gesture to the different crystals adorning the bracelet, and she beams at me, then inspects them more closely.

“Moonstone on the ends, yes?” She continues with a smile when I nod in confirmation. “New beginnings, a good start. Then we have labradorite, which generally signals transformation or moving forward.” She glances at me with a mock-stern look, then winks. My heart skips a beat and if I’d been walking I think I would have stumbled. That wink did things to me.

“Is this citrine, it looks like?” she says, but I don’t get a chance to answer. I’m not sure if I could have anyways, I’m still reeling from the last few moments. “I’m guessing you chose that for either abundance or opportunity, maybe both. Black tourmaline for protection.” Her nimble fingers move along each bead as she names them, moving from the outside towards the center. “Amethyst, of course, is a staple for intuition and calm clarity, protection too.”

At this, she pauses and glances up at me with another pretend scowl. “Why do you think I need so much protection, hm? You know I’ve been taking care of myself just fine since before I was old enough to stay home alone.”

I certainly don’t like the sounds of that. What does she mean since before she was old enough to? What about her parents, family? I open my mouth to question it, but she keeps going, moving her finger to the last, center bead. It’s a pretty pale pink and cylinder shaped rather than round, so it’s longer than the others.

“Rose quartz?” She touches it lightly with one finger tip and then pierces me with those knowing blue eyes. They see too much, those eyes. Just like Hayden, always seeing what I’m not ready for them to yet. “Rose quartz is for love.”

I swallow hard, then nod once.

Her eyes flick between mine, and I’m tempted to look away. Too much, too vulnerable, but she deserves to see all of me. She deserves more than I have to offer, so I give her as much as I can.

She rewards me with the most tender smile I’ve ever seen, then she closes her fist around the bracelet, drops the box, and launches herself into my arms.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Aury

My voice dies when Siobhan throws herself at Jayce and he scoops her up like she weighs nothing. I instinctively turn towards them, my conversation momentarily forgotten. She wraps her legs around his waist and their lips lock so fast I miss it when I blink.

“Oh,” I say, and then Hayden’s entire presence washes over me.

“They’re stunning, aren’t they?” Their voice is a smooth temptation, so enticing it sends a shiver humming down my spine.