“Yeah. That’s nice. But my brother is moping around like a lion with a thorn in his paw. Jessie is cranky as hell. And I never thought I’d see Cara bitchy, but she is.”
Zach’s heart twisted. Jessie wasn’t happy? “I’m sorry it’s not going well. But it’s not my fault.”
Kitani waved her arms in the air, as if in supplication to some phantom god of intelligence. “Of course it’s your fault, you idiot.”
Zach stared at her. “What are you talking about?”
He sensed her confusion, even through the walls. Her eyes flared gold. “Hasn’t anyone explained to you about the triads?”
“I know more than I want to about triads.”
Her brows lowered. “Sabres almost always mate in them. A triad is always stronger than a duo. Three legs are stronger than two. Each of us brings something different to the relationship.”
Zach shook his head. He didn’t know where this was headed. “I’m happy for you.”
She tilted her head at him. “Kade told me you linked during the fight. And helped Jessie change to Were. And you linked again when you helped me.”
Zach braced his hands on his hips. “That’s true, I guess. I hooked into their mate bond.”
Her eyes glowed. “Hooked into it? Are you dense? You werepartof it. Youarethe third leg of the triad.”
Zach’s gut was twisting into knots. He so didn’t want to have this conversation. “My ability means I can link with people’s emotions. It’s what I do.”
“You were talking to them. In your head. Not reading their emotions.”
“Kitani, it doesn’t matter.” The words burst from him. “There is no way Kade wants me as part of this. And there is no way I want to be part of a triad.”
Her eyes widened in confusion. “Whyever not? Don’t you love Jessie?”
Zach swallowed. “I love her. But she belongs to him.”
Kitani seemed to struggle. “If you are part of the link, you both belong toher. You are a part of a triad, whether or not you admit to it. And not admitting to it is causing everyone a whole lot of pain.”
“I can’t do it, Kitani.”
“Not good enough, Zach. I need to know why.”
“I want her. God knows I do. But I can’t do this three-way thing. I just can’t.”
“Cara was right. You are being ridiculously stubborn and unreasonable.”
Something broke loose inside Zach. “I’m stubborn and unreasonable because I don’t want to have sex with Kade? How unfair is that?”
Her eyes widened, and she started to laugh. Big, whooping laughs that doubled her over.
Zach stared at her. Shatza bloody Sabre. No, dammit. That was a Sabre curse. He sidestepped, intending to stalk past and leave her, along with her offspring, in the pasture.
She stepped into him, blocking his retreat as she regained her composure.
Kitani laughed. “Oh, you are so funny. Typical male. Everything is about sex.”
When Zach glared at her, she relented. “The guys in a triad don’thaveto screweach other.” She hesitated. “Although some do. It’s up to them, not a prerequisite of the bond. In my triad, Cody is pretty open to things, but— ”
Zach held up a hand and waved her off, backing away. “Please, stop.” But his heart pounded. “Are you saying that I don’t have to have sex with Kade to be part of the triad?”
Kitani threw her hands up in the air. “I thought I just said that. Not unless you want to—”
“No, no. Not with Kade.” Zach struggled to get a grip. “We hate each other. How can it possibly work?”
