Page 65 of Enchanting Her Monsters
My cocks come to life and press uncomfortably against my pants. I hold my hands in front of my groin and enter, quickly sitting down at the table on the other side so no one notices. I’m not ready for their jokes about my body, and now isn’t the time.
Maxum plasters on a playful grin to ease Jade’s anxiety spike after seeing us return. I sense through our bond she worries something bad has happened to Calder.
“Is he okay?” she asks.
“He’s still asleep,” Maxum answers vaguely and then he notices the teeth marks on Arran’s shoulder. “What have you been up to?”
“We’re fully bonded,” Arran says proudly.
Maxum whips his gaze to Jade. “But how?”
“Probably because I’m a mutt.” She shrugs and winks at Arran.
Maxum kneels in front of her, taking her hand in his and daring to irritate the wolf with his new mate, but Arran doesn’t react. The completed bond must soothe his territorial nature.
“You, my dear anomaly, are a designer breed.” Maxum kisses the tops of her knuckles and Jade giggles.
Maxum sits down next to them and sighs heavily. His good cheer fades like the drop of a mask.
The blood drains from Jade’s face, as she knows bad news is coming. “What’s wrong?”
“I want to preface this with you promising me you will take time to think about what I have to tell you before rushing off to be the heroine.”
“Okaaay?” Jade says, drawing it out as a question. She glances at me for some clue as to what’s going on.
I don’t shut down our bond, but I don’t feed her any information.
Out of all of us, Maxum is the best to deliver news. His stone-cold killer instincts allow him to be rational when he needs to be, and over his eight hundred years, he has developed the ability to communicate.
During my long life, I’ve shied away from talking and connecting.
Connecting is something that I only want to do now, exploring it with my Heartstone.
Maxum leans forward and presses his lips flat. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. At least not so quickly. It’s his place to tell you, but he’s stubborn and messed up from his past.”
“Is he not going to live?” she whispers.
“It doesn’t look good.”
“Because of what I did?” Tears fall down her face. “Because of the soul fragments?”
Dammit. Maybe Maxumisn’tthe right person to tell her.
“No,” I say firmly, just below a shout, so she listens. I correct my volume, but I still am forceful when I finish, feeling angry at the birdbrain male. “Because he’s rejecting his fated mate.”
Her hand goes to her chest and she guesses, “Osen?”
“You,” all three of us say together. Even Osen’s voice chimes in through her mouth.
“I can’t be hisfated, can I? He was only starting to get past despising me because I’m a witch. He was fine before we left.” The words fall from her lips like a chaotic storm. Her eyes are wide and frantic. “He said he didn’t think he could be a mate. And I can’t make someone accept me. He barely can touch me. How is this even happening?”
I’d find her rambling endearing if it weren’t that she was so stricken with sadness. She wants to help him.
Goddess, she is a blessing—one that none of us truly deserves.
“His phoenix flame touched you, tasted you.” Maxum takes her hand in his and rubs his thumb over her palm, calming her. “After that, it was all over. Raithe said Calder is now suffering from a mating fever on top of his soul mending.”
Jade swallows down her nerves. With our connection, I can feel her fear and confusion. She doesn’t understand how to fix this and is desperate to find a way.
