Page 94 of Laid Bare

“Thanks. They make me happy…”

“But?” Thaddeus stops, releases my hand, and grips my shoulders, turning me toward him. “Why do I feel a but coming? Are they different when no one’s around? My offer is still open to send them all to winter in Faerie.”

I chuckle, though inside, I wish that’s all it was. A trip to the winter lands would surely straighten any man out.

“But,” I drag out the word. “I don’t know.” I rub my knuckles over my sternum, trying to soothe the ache. “I still feel like something’s…missing.”

“Ahh.” Thaddy nods like that explains it all. “It’s the mate itch. A single person with more than one mate, unbonded fated mate, I should say, will feel unsettled until they have all of their mates. When you bond with the final one, that itch will go away.”

“What if I don’t find them all, or I choose not to mate with one of them?” I wring my hands together, worried about the outcome since my feelings toward a certain Lycan are more loathing than I want to bone and bond you.

“Fate,” Thaddeus murmurs, a reverence in his tone, “is a fickle thing. In the end, what’s meant to be, will be. There’s a saying, Fate will always find a way. Same thing.”

Fate will always find a way. Never have more truer words been spoken.

“Thanks, Thaddy.”

“No problem, sunshine.” He clears his throat, adopting a more serious look on his blue face. “I know you don’t want to talk about what happened, but I hope you’ll let me explain some things that you’re unaware of. It might change how you feel.”

“I…”

“Just think about it. Either way, I’ll always be here for you.” Thaddeus leans in, planting a cool, sweet kiss on my cheek. “Sleep well, sunshine.”

“Night, Thaddy.”

I’m still standing there long after he stepped through a portal back to Stonewell, my fingers brushing the tingle his lips left behind, and his words echoing in my head.

Fate will always find a way.

Thud.

What the heck was that?

I blink my bleary eyes open, rubbing away the sleep crusties in the corners. We went to bed a few hours ago, and I feel like I barely slept.

Thud.

My amp rune around my neck heats, bathing our bedroom in my house—my birth parents’ home—a bubble gum pink. I drag the blanket up to my chin, not wanting to wake my mates while using my magic.

There’s nothing but white noise filtering through my ears as I strain to hear where the noise came from. Or if it even happens again.

All is still silent, so I let my magic go, sitting up once the glow of my rune dissipates.

Looking around, I realize only Luka and Axel are with me in bed, and Aero is stretched out in the very place I remember Bane being when we fell asleep. Only he and Zane are nowhere to be found.

They must be getting a midnight snack,I think to myself.

My stomach grumbles on cue at the thought, reminding me I didn’t eat much yesterday, and I wasn’t even all that hungry at dinner, but now I’m practically ravenous.

That snack is sounding like a dang good idea.Hopefully, whatever they made is enough to share.

Neither of my mates stir as I climb out of bed, my bare feet padding the floor in the direction of the door. I snag Bane’s zip-up hoodie he discarded on the chair earlier and throw it on over my sports bra and shorts I fell asleep in.

My fingers fumble with the pull tab as I head down the hallway toward the stairs. It finally catches on the other side, and the tick, tick, tick as I zip it up sounds way too damn loud in the silence of the middle of the night.

“Fucking hell, watch out.” The cursing from an unknown source freezes me in my tracks right before I reach the landing. I retreat a step, swallowing hard. That wasn’t my mate’s voice. Neither one of them. I know that as surely as I know my name.

A hand clamps over my mouth, and an arm wraps around my waist. But it’s the shhh from a voice I do know in my ear that keeps me from truly losing my shit.

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