Page 23 of Forged

At the same time, Bax noticed his cousins whispering to each other while glancing in his and Nick’s direction. He and Nick had taken seats next to each other at the table where the feast was served, and the others seemed to grasp some sort of significance in that.

The first hint that something was afoot came when Rafe quietly excused himself, claiming jetlag, and headed back to the house. A few minutes later, Nally went after him.

“I’d love to stay,” Rebecca said as the meal portion of the evening was winding up, “But Claudia has just remembered we were supposed to meet up with some friends at the pub.”

“We were,” Claudia said far more emphatically than she needed to, her face flushed pink.

“It’s alright,” Bax laughed, pretty sure he knew what his cousins were up to.

The others hung on for a little bit longer, probably because they thought it would be obvious what they were doing if they all ditched them at once. Robbie and Toby wandered off fifteen minutes after Rebecca and her beaux, pretending that they just couldn’t keep their hands off each other, which might not have been pretend, actually. Blaine and Alfie claimed they’d just received a phone call from the orphanage that they had to deal with immediately a short while after that. At least Rhys and Early stayed around long enough to help clean up the feast.

While they were gathering up plates and cutlery and putting them in a bin to take up to the house to wash, Bax’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He was certain it would be one of his cousins who had already left texting to explain they were trying to get him and Nick alone, but when he looked at his phone, the name “Callum” popped up.

Frowning, he stepped to the side and tapped to look at the full message.

“Hey, Bax. I just found out you left Damien’s coven. We’ve got a spot in ours if you’re looking for a new home. Come on over to Gretta’s place tonight and join us for Imbolc. We’d love to have you.”

Bax blew out a breath. Callum was a friend. He’d left Damien’s coven shortly after Bax had joined to start his own. They’d always got along well.Reallywell on an occasion or two. Being offered a place in Callum’s coven was exactly what he’d hoped for, exactly what he wanted.

He glanced up at Nick, who was over by the old forge, sorting the Dutch oven and the last of the pheasant and veg that had been cooked in it. He had his work gloves on and was using tools to move it to a cooler part of the forge. He must have felt Bax looking at him, because he glanced up and smiled when their eyes met.

Bax’s heart rolled in his chest. Something was definitely going on between the two of them. Whether Nick knew it or not, he had a chance.

He glanced down at his phone again and quickly typed, “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got things covered tonight. Happy Imbolc.”

He sent the message, then switched his phone to silent and put it on the table next to him. Then he walked over to Nick and asked, “Need help?”

“I think I’ve got it,” Nick said. “The Dutch oven is too hot to clean out at the moment, but as soon as it’s cool, we can take it up to the house.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Nick looked up and around the forge. His expression dropped to worry. “Where did everyone else go?”

Bax twisted to look at the now empty forge. He knew the answer to that question, but he shrugged and said, “I guess they don’t feel comfortable performing a Pagan ritual.”

Nick sent him a flat look. “It’s the Hawthorne family. They’ve probably been secretly performing Pagan rituals for centuries now.”

Bax laughed. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Nick’s smile returned. “Are you ready to do the ritual part?”

“Sure,” Bax said. “It’s not particularly complicated. The Anglican Church is way fussier than I am about their rituals.”

True to his word, he kept the Imbolc ritual as simple as possible. Nick stood with him as he recited the poem he’dwritten about Brigid and the joys of the hearth and as he called on her and the elements to welcome the renewal of the light and the beginning of spring.

Nick lit the candles with him, taking the ceremony far more seriously than most people who didn’t know what they were doing would have. It endeared Nick to him even more.

“Is that all there is to it?” Nick asked once the candles were lit, a few more words were spoken, and they stood back to appreciate the glow.

“Well, we could have done more,” Bax said. “And we should have started with the ritual before the feast, but everyone else was here, so it seemed like a good idea to feed them first.”

“Shit, sorry,” Nick said, blushing adorably. “I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine,” Bax laughed, turning fully to him. “You did amazingly for your first time. I can’t thank you enough for doing all this and for making me feel so at home.”

He intended to leave it at that, but something within him wouldn’t let him. He stepped forward, placing a hand on the side of Nick’s face, and lifted on his toes so he could touch his lips to Nick’s.

It was just a brush at first, barely qualifying as a kiss. Bax couldn’t leave it there, though, especially when Nick sucked in a breath and raised a hand to Bax’s waist. He practically shivered with energy, so Bax shifted forward and kissed him more deeply.

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