Page 40 of Dancing Moonbeam

“Mine,” Jaytee snarled tenderly as he yanked Raidh into his brawny arms. “There isn’t a law in this universe that will supersede fate’s decision.” He hugged Raidh close and whispered in his ear, “My heart, my soul, and my very existence belong solely to you, Moonbeam.”

Crackers. Jaytee was going to make him bawl his eyes out. “I give the same promise in return,” he whispered right back. “Not even death can separate us.”

A soft chuckle rumbled in Jaytee’s chest. “You stole my line, naughty fairy.”

Covertly, Raidh used Jaytee’s shirt to wipe away the tears that had escaped his control, determined not to let anyone see him cry.

“I’ll treasure this shirt forever now that it holds your tears, Moonbeam.” Jaytee kissed the skin near Raidh’s ear.

“You’re determined to make me cry in front of everyone, aren’t you?” Raidh nipped his chest.

“Not a chance,” Jaytee replied. “Your tears are solely for me.”

Raidh frowned. “So you only want me to cry around you? That doesn’t sound like a very happy relationship.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Jaytee started his beard-stroking thing again. “I honestly don’t know how to phrase it without it coming out all wrong. Help me out, hon.”

“Nope.” Raidh grinned. “You’re gonna sink or swim on this one, buddy. Feel free to use my tears if you’re low on water since you’re gonna hog them all to yourself.”

Raidh nearly jumped out of his skin when a loud burst of laughter erupted behind him. What the snickerdoodles? He was shocked to see it was Jaytee’s dad who’d caused the shockwave of laughter.

“Sorry.” Kalen’s blue eyes danced with amusement as he gestured to his ear, indicating his superior hearing had picked up every word. “That shit was funny as hell. Keep him on his toes, son.”

“Didn’t hear a thing.” Jax curled his lips in, but it was dang obvious he was fighting not to laugh if the flood of bust-your-gut sparkle in his eyes was anything to go on.

“He’s a damn liar.” Damon chuckled. “Looks like my Rick Blaine charm has rubbed off on you, fairy.”

“Please don’t rub any part of yourself on Raidh.” Elvine gagged. “I’m going to have to scour that image out of my head.”

“You’re just mad I don’t want to rub off on you.” Damon’s brows shot up. “Wait, that didn’t sound right!”

It looked as if the twins had that in common.

Elvine made a fake retching noise just as Kalen whapped the back of Damon’s head, the sound reverberating in the suddenly hushed room. “Pup, that’s a lady you’re speaking to. Show some damn respect.”

Raidh gripped Jaytee’s shirt tightly, worried things were about to turn violent.

“You threw a frying pan at her!” Damon argued.

Eyes bugging, Elvine fluttered close to the ceiling. Jax’s mouth dropped open.

Raidh heard Jaytee quietly curse and mutter, “Fucking idiot.”

“She startled me,” Kalen growled. “If I’d known it was a woman coming into the house, the pan wouldn’t have left my grip.”

Corn nuts! Raidh couldn’t let this escalate. Kalen looked as if he’d use the frying pan to beat manners into Damon. The thicker the tension grew, the higher Raidh’s anxiety flared.

“Guys, please.” Raidh’s voice shook as he spoke, never once confronting predators, especially when they were ready to fight. Raidh had clearly lost his mind.

He extended one arm, gripping the oversized short with his other hand, and plead with wide eyes. “Can we just take a second to breathe? I just don’t like… Please.”

The kitchen was filled with suffocating levels of testosterone, making it feel almost impossible to breathe. Which probably explained why Raidh was hyperventilating as he looked between the two men.

“Tone it down to zero,” Jaytee growled low in his throat. “You’re scaring my mate.”

Rapidly descending to the floor, Elvine grabbed Raidh’s arm and examined it. “What happened? How did you get this laceration?”

Suppressing a hiss, Raidh tried to pull away from her tight grip. The slice on his forearm throbbed painfully, even worse than when Jaytee had examined it earlier. “I cut myself to cast the concealment spell.”

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