Page 35 of Cam's Treasure

"Micah?" Cam's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I glanced up at him.

"I'm gonna walk Ember out." He waved toward the backyard, telling me Ember was planning to fly back. "You okay?"

I nodded immediately, but I couldn't bring my legs to work as I watched them get up and leave. I stayed where I was, watching as Ember and Cam talked softly on the way out, and shaking my head at how comfortable they already looked in each other's company. Then again, Cam could befriend a tree if he put his mind to it, so I wasn't really surprised they were getting along.

Iwassurprised that I'd caught Ember's attention like that. He seemed to like Cam, but he'd also seemed to like me. I shouldn't have been surprised since he had a bond with both of us, but still. I'd thought I would need to work a little to get him interested in me.

He hadn't even seemed annoyed by my mind reading, and I'd thought only Cam could feel that way. Was he truly that nice, or had he tried to tolerate it because we'd just met?

Slim fingers sliding through my hair pulled me back to my surroundings, and I glanced up at Cam, who stood in front of me. He watched me with concerned green eyes, and I tried to smile up at him to get the look off his face.

I must've failed, because he went on his knees in front of me, moving closer so he kneeled between my legs, his hands cupping my cheeks. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged, but he waited patiently, and I remembered my promise—to him and to myself—to do better at communicating.

"I'm not sure how I feel. Ember was...unexpected."

Cam snorted. "Tell me about it. Of all the ways I imagined meeting one of our mates, I never thought he'd crash into our backyard. It'll make for a good story, I guess."

Only Cam could make me smile when my mind was whirling in a thousand different directions.

"You know, if you wanted, I could tell Ember that we're not ready to date yet."

I peered into his eyes, and realized he really meant it. He would do it. He would postpone his own relationship with Ember for my sake.

"No, that's not necessary. I...I am interested in him. It'll just take me a bit of time to get used to it."

Cam's eyes scanned my face as he tried to decide if I was telling the truth. I would've been offended, but I didn't exactly have a good track record, so Cam was well within his rights to doubt me.

"Okay, then. I gave him our numbers and also made a chat group with the three of us, so we can talk and make plans together. Later."

Smiling, I leaned forward and rested my forehead against his, sighing softly when his palms slid to my neck, anchoring me to him.

Meeting Ember had been unexpected, but as long as I had Cam by my side, I could take anything life threw at me.

Ember

Sitting in my empty living room, I wished I'd taken Cam up on his unspoken offer to stay.

If I'd remained, I would be cooking them a good meal right about now, something that would make them feel warm and full and nourished.

For as long as I could remember, I'd enjoyed taking care of people. I liked turning a house into a home, filling it with care so its residents felt safe and comfortable within its walls.

Hatching alone with no signs of my mother or any other phoenixes, I'd spent most of my life drifting from one place to another.

For someone who couldn't stay in one place for more than a few decades lest the humans notice I didn't age, I had a tendency of getting attached way too easily.

I still remembered so many of the humans I'd taken care of, whether it was when I worked at an inn, or more recently when I volunteered at soup kitchens and various charities.

I'd learned early on to focus my need to take care of people into something professional, because I could never hold on to personal bonds, whether it was because I couldn't stay anywhere too long—when I was involved with a human—or because I had to disappear every hundred years—when I was with a supe.

But now, I'd met two men I could take care of, two men—and a third, they'd said—who were mine.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I smiled down at the chat group Cam had made for us.

The Best Mates, he'd named it, and I couldn't help a chuckle as my thumb hovered over the keyboard. Would I seem too eager, too pushy if I texted them right now? Cam had said I could text them anytime, but not Micah.

My thoughts flickered to the telepath, the sweet, quiet man who'd watched me with eyes full of nerves and anxiety. From the way they acted around each other, I could tell Cam was used to taking the lead, at least when it came to being social, that he thrived in it while Micah preferred to stay in the background. They also seemed to share a mental link of some sort, because more than once during our conversation today, they'd talked to each other without ever opening their mouths.

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