Page 69 of Their Promise

Me: That’s what they want to determine.

Kayden: We’ll be there in twenty.

“They’re on their way,” I said, sighed, and leaned back with my eyes closed.

“You’re worried they’ll change how they feel about you?” Great Aunt Leona asked.

I nodded.

“We’ve known those boys their entire lives and I am pretty certain this won’t change anything between you four,” Nana Jolie said and patted my shoulder.

She didn’t know that, but I appreciated her trying to ease my worry.

“Let me get some snacks,” Great Aunt Leona said and went into the kitchen. “Anytime there are multiple alpha males, they need snacks or they get grumpy.”

Keeping my eyes closed, I tried to stay calm and collected, to keep the darkness from activating at all.

Everything would be fine.

We would find a way to extract the darkness from the guys, they’d still be friends with me, and we’d move on with our lives with them in a better place.

We snacked on a charcuterie board of salami, cheeses, crackers, and some delicious jellies and mustards while wewaited for the guys. It always amused me how simple snacks like this could be so enjoyable.

Kayden threw open the door and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Great Aunt Leona rolled her eyes. “Always the dramatic one. Sit down and relax, Kay.”

Kayden and Mason rushed over to sit on either side of me.

“I apologize for him barging in like that,” Trey said and kissed them each on the cheek before he sat next to Kayden.

“We brought you here because Lily is worried that she somehow infected you guys with the darkness that she has from the spell she absorbed,” Great Aunt Leona explained. She squinted her eyes, drew in a deep breath, and a second later, her eyes widened. “Well, you do have some, too.”

“We’ve had it since we made the mating promise,” Mason said.

Everyone turned to look at him.

“What?” Kayden asked.

“I can see auras. Not all the time, but when I try, and I noticed it appear after that night,” he explained. Shrugging, he added, “Since it didn’t change anything, I figured it was fine and didn’t mention it.”

Great Aunt Leona tapped her lips. “Interesting.”

“We’re going to have Lily try to extract it from you,” Nana Jolie said.

“Why?” Mason asked. “If it doesn’t harm us, why remove it?”

“Because it’s not supposed to be there,” I snapped. “Because it could have changed you without you realizing it if it happened that long ago.”

“I have a theory,” Kayden said. “What if you sharing the darkness with us, giving us part of it, is helping you deal with it since you don’t have as much now?”

“How do I extract it?” I asked Nana Jolie, ignoring his theory.

“You have to consider it,” Kayden said.

“You aren’t supposed to have it, so it needs to be extracted,” I said. “End of story.”

“What if taking it back causes you to have more issues?” Trey asked.

---