Page 102 of Cathmoir's Sons

Caileán grins around the crab claw. “What are you going to give me for taking half your punishment?”

“A week of foot rubs?” Luca offers.

Caileán wriggles against my side. “Thatisa good offer. Sweeten it with feeding me olives whenever I want, and you have a deal.”

“Isn’t it grapes?” Law asks after swallowing a mouthful of shrimp.

“I think they’re out of season and I prefer olives anyway.” Caileán accepts another crab claw from Law. “The local ones are amazing. Remember?”

My kit nods enthusiastically. “They gave us a whole dish of local olives as a starter at the restaurant in Scilla. I could have eaten them all night.”

“Is this going to be a thing?” I ask. I’ve negotiated our relationship extensively with Luca; I know the boundaries of it. I was still feeling out the contours of our power-exchange with Kellan when things went to shit. Throw in the twist of Caileán not seeming particularly submissive and I want to be sure I’m not making assumptions about what she is and isn’t up for. “You two sharing punishments?”

“How often does he earn punishments?” Caileán asks.

“Smart woman,” Law says. “Make sure you know what you’re signing up for. My brother’s the biggest brat on the planet.”

“Better’n being the biggest asshole,” Luca mutters.

“Case in point.” Law points at his twin with a crab leg.

“Pretty regularly,” I say. “At least weekly.”

“Real punishments or funishments?” Caileán asks, although she doesn’t sound concerned either way.

“If you consider ruined orgasms or an hour of edging funishments, then the latter,” I explain.

Caileán stretches her legs out, wiggling her toes in baby blue socks with a white cat face across each set of toes. “I’m up for those,” she says. “Particularly if we can be punished at the same time. Something about that, going through it together, appeals to me.”

I squeeze her shoulders. “I love the idea of punishing the two of you together.”

Law shifts in his chair. “I can see the appeal.”

Caileán sets her crab claw on the edge of Law’s plate and takes his hand. “I know our situation’s a little unorthodox?—”

“Actually, it seems par for the course among your friends,” Law says. “I didn’t realize there was arelationshipbetween Teddy’s husbands.”

Caileán nods. “Darwin and Gabe dated before either of them met Teddy. It was incredibly messy to start with. Lots of hurt feelings. Darwin tried to kill Teddy at least once and she more than returned the favor. Almost as messy as our beginning.”

Law snorts. She sticks out her tongue at him.

“Anyway,” Caileán continues, “I want you to be part of everything. I miss you when you’re not with me. But I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I know it must be a little strange to share me with your brother and his lover.”

Law shrugs. “I wasn’t raised among humans the way you were. Cait have different mores. I’ve never wanted to have a mate I didn’t share with Luca.” His eyes slide to me. “Sharing you with Luca’s human is ... a bonus.”

I roll my eyes at him. “Dick.”

Law purrs. “Shall we cross swords, human?”

“Fuck, no,” I grumble over Luca’s puking noises.

Law buries his chuckle in a crab claw.

Once the twins finish their second or third or whatever it is dinner, we wander upstairs, poking into the different rooms. There are a lot of bedrooms. One’s clearly a master with an attached bathroom. Compared to the luxury of Cait House, it’s warm and homey. No marble. No jacuzzi that can seat six. But I like the claw-footed tub and chipped enamel fixtures. Creamy pillar candles clustered on every flat surface flare to a warm glow as soon as we enter, reminding me that this was a human home and not a witchholme. I wonder if Law was nodding to Kellan’s mixed heritage when he bought the place.

The candlelight gilds Caileán and Luca’s high cheekbones and pale curves as they explore, hand-in-hand. There’s something particularly fae and otherworldly about them tonight, despite the cute blue socks. It’s the way the golden light reflects in their gemstone eyes. The grace with which they occupy an unfamiliar space. I’ve never seen them as a couple before. Kellan’s been resistant and Luca’s been reticent to push her boundaries. But whatever’s united them since Doctor Prince’s memorial, it’s been a melding of more than emotion. They’re attuned to each other now, physically, spiritually, magickally.

I stop in the bathroom doorway and hold my arms out to them.

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