“Oh, yeah. Maxum grabbed some clothes for you from the lake house before we left.” Arran guides me down the hallway, pulling me away from Flint. “I’ll help you shower and dress you.”
“I’mcapable of doing these things.” But I grin happily after my half-hearted protest, because doing them with Arran sounds much more fun than alone.
“Hmm.” Arran rubs his chin thoughtfully, but with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “Not sure if you’ve recovered yet. I should be there to supervise.”
He herds me into the bathroom like a border collie. I can’t stop laughing at his antics. I love this silly side of my werewolf. And I sense he loves the idea of playing and having me alone for a moment.
This brings up an issue that I’ve only had to deal with as aWhy Chooseauthor, but now I must juggle in my real life. How to make sure I give so many men my attention.
I worry again that I’m going to fail at this. I could barely handle one guy, even if he didn’t really want to be around me much.
“Hey, sweet mate.” Arran brackets me in with his muscular arms against the sink vanity. He presses his forehead to mine. “Don’t fret.”
“Do you know how I’m feeling?” I ask, meeting his golden gaze.
“Yeah. Mate bond and all that.”
I avert my eyes, feeling crappy. “I should tune in more to our bond. Also protecting you from my emotions. It’s like I’m on a rollercoaster lately.”
He places a finger over my lips and gives me a sad smile. “Don’t hide your emotions from me. It’s my role as a mate to be there through all of it.”
“I’m messing up this mate thing.”
“My moon, I only have you to focus on. You have five bastards with all our chaos and baggage. I’m happy you’ve been able to block out our possessive, violent minds over the last couple of days, especially as we dealt with Rob.”
“But I didn’t mean to!” My head drops to his broad shoulder.
“Sweetheart, we are all charged up with emotions and with our mate bonds clicking into place. Once we settle into them, we’ll find our rhythm. Osen just returned from the dead. Calder just got the pieces of his soul back. Of course, you’re going to be there for them. I suspect you’ll give a big chunk of your energy to Maxum when you finally solidify things between you two. It’s the nature of this dynamic.”
“Logically, I know you’re right.” I say, and he puffs out his muscular chest. “But please let me know when you need me,” I plead.
“Wolf shifters are very touch oriented. Even a brush of your hand or a snuggle will ease a lot of my tension. And when I needmore, I’ll just chase your plump ass down and fuck you in the woods.”
I burst out in laughter. “Deal.”
“And the same goes for you.” He snags my gaze and holds me hostage with his golden eyes. “Come to me with anything you need. To talk, to snuggle, to fuck. Whatever it is.”
Through my bonds, I sense Flint’s love enveloping me, echoing Arran’s sentiment. I idly wonder how it will feel when all the bonds are fully formed. Will I be overwhelmed? Or will it become as natural as breathing?
Arran turns on the shower to let it warm up, which is instantly.
“Wow. Fae plumbing is great!”
He guides me into the shower stall. “This one has a few great spells on it.”
Arran proceeds to make me properly filthy and then ensures I have all my bits clean before we get back out.
36
COMEUPPANCE
JADE
After my shower, Arran and I discover Maxum pacing in the bedroom.
My handsome demon watches silently while I get dressed in leggings and a long sweater. He’s uneasy.
I pull on an expensive pair of new boots that I definitely didn’t buy, so they must be something Maxum purchased before we fled the lake house. “Thank you for grabbing some clothes for me.”
