Page 12 of Jacinth

“Why does Harley Quinn want you to perform sexual favors in the middle of a public place?”

My arms tightened around her hips, and I knew she would feel my erection pressing into her ass. I couldn’t bring myself to care, because I had just fallen head over heels in love.

“You can see her?”

“Yeah, I guess I can still see the shadow plane, even with this body.”

I frowned in confusion before noticing a familiar amulet around her neck. Orion never took that thing off. Never. Something was off here, and I didn’t want to be a part of it. The draw I felt to her was too strong. Too real.

“Don’t be stupid, boy.”

For a moment, the image of Harley wavered, and I saw another form beneath. I froze.

A moment later, Harley began singing along to the music being piped overhead and grinding on her chair as though she were trying out for the new Hustlers movie. Like nothing had happened.

“I think we need to discuss what is happening here,” Orion announced loudly, taking control of the situation, as always. The girl across the table rolled her eyes.

“We already went through this. Jace drank a pumpkin spiced latte. There are rumors all over town about people finding their mates after drinking it. You guys, aka the mates, showed up. The end. Happily ever after, no sex to discuss EVER. End scene.”

Orion shook his head. “That is impossible. I can understand how my brothers, as normal humans, could be affected, but those parlor tricks wouldn’t work on me.”

“Y’know, beings greater than yourself have found their true mate through spells. Maybe it’s fate. The world doesn’t revolve around you, dude.”

Orion’s continued denial of the situation appeared to be pissing her off.

“Nah, it revolves slightly to the left of him,” the girl on my lap quipped.

I would have laughed at her quick wit if I couldn’t feel the tension running through her body. She was taking his behavior as rejection, and that pissed me off. I subtly tucked my hand beneath her sweater and began stroking her hip in what I hoped was a comforting way.

“I think... Birdie, come with me to the bathroom a sec?” she asked, standing quickly. Without another word spoken, they hurried away.

I turned, ready to give Orion a piece of my mind, and froze in shock. Sky’s fist connected solidly with his jaw. My younger brother’s eyes were clear, his posture screaming he was all business, as he growled.

“If you fuck this up, I’ll never forgive you.”

CHAPTER 10

Jacinth

“Give me a boost,”I said, striding toward the window as soon as the restroom door closed. There was a sink in my way, but if I climbed on it, I could slip outside and continue my day. Maybe go for ice-cream.

My plan was foolproof until I tried to swing my foot onto the edge of the basin and got stuck.

“Help me.”

Above where my beautiful shoe had somehow fused with the tap and faucet, Birdie’s bewildered expression hovered over my shoulder in the well-lit mirror. I tugged and tugged, and just as my shoe slipped from my foot, my supporting leg clocked out. I ended up in a graceless pile on the tiled floor.

“What are you doing, Jace? You look like you’re about to have a panic attack?”

“We need to get out of here.”

I inspected the window from my seated position and decided it had never been that good of an option. In a somewhat coordinated move, I pushed to my feet and paced the small confines of the room. The walls were closing in on me. The men were all too good-looking.

Of course, they didn’t really want me. Orion was a jerk, but he was right. Maybe it was just the amulet attracting all of them to me, and even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be the reason for more conflict between them. It was clear they had their own stuff to deal with, and I would inevitably make things worse.

Either they would like me, and at midnight I would have to say goodbye; or they would show me an amazing time, and then forget me and move on with their lives while I turned to writing lovelorn haiku with my gravemates to cope with the loss.

To avoid further humiliation, I needed to run as far and as fast as I could. Mates? Not in my cards. Those kinds of connections were not for the living-impaired such as yours truly.

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