Page 49 of The Witch's Rite
“Not all of them. But some ripened early.”Probably thanks to that spell.
I pluck a few more and hold them out to him, and he devours them in just a few bites.
I’ve never known cats to like sweet things before, but I suppose Harrison has always been unique. He is a spirit companion, after all.
“Where’s Lucy?” I ask as he licks the starberry juice from my palm, his tongue rough against my skin.
“Napping on the couch.”
I arch a brow. “On the couch? How did she—” Suddenly, I laugh. “She’s been using the door Alden made for you, hasn’t she?”
Ever since Alden finished Harrison’s cat door, he’s been coming and going from the cottage freely, no longer dependent on me to open windows for him. Most of the time I don’t even know where he is or what he’s up to—hopefully not pestering the fairies.
“Aurora?” he says softly, and when I meet his eyes, they look... sad.
“What is it?” I offer him my other hand, and he accepts a scratch behind the ear.
“When the baby comes, you won’t forget about me, will you?”
Harrison has never liked children, so I know the prospect of having a little one around is probably uncomfortable to him, but I never thought this would be his fear. It’s been weeks since I discovered I’m pregnant; has he been worried this whole time?
With a gentle sigh, I open my arms to Harrison, and he leaps right into them. I hold him close to my chest and breathe in his warm scent, catching a hint of fir and mint, which means he’s been off exploring the forest today.
“You and I have a bond unlike anything else,” I murmur to him as he nuzzles his head into the crook of my neck. “No matter what happens in our lives, we willalwayshave each other. Forgetting you would be like forgetting myself. It’s impossible. You’re my best friend.”
He begins purring, and we sit like that for some time, basking in the summer sun until the first few rainclouds begin gathering on the horizon. Harrison detects them and twitches his whiskers, and I put him down when he wriggles in my grasp.
“Rain,” he says.
I look up, and the clouds are darkening quickly. “Looks like a big storm.”
Without another word, Harrison sprints for the house, and I watch as his fluffy white tail vanishes through the open cat door. Smiling, I stand and dust my skirt off, then fetch my wicker basket of produce and head for the cottage.
RAIN IS ALREADY POURING DOWN by the time I spot Alden and Rowan running up Brookside Road, squinting their eyes against the deluge. Alden had work in the village today, and Rowan is almostalwayson duty, so I had the cottage to myself all day. I knew they’d be returning around this time, but I didn’t expect them to arrive together.
I open the door for them but hold up a hand as their boots hit the front porch. “Drop them there,” I say, pointing to their muddy shoes and sopping clothes. “I just swept the floors.”
The men exchange a look, then comply, yanking their boots off and peeling their wet tunics over their heads. The fabric falls to the wooden planks with a slap.
And suddenly, seeing them both shirtless and sopping wet, long hair plastered to their faces, I feel a burst of warmth between my legs. It’s beenmuchtoo long since I last had either of them. But with them standing side by side like this, both slightly out of breath and staring down at me with raindrops dripping from their faces, I know I’ll not be able to choose. I don’t want to choose.
I want them both.
My hand reaches out before I can think twice. Fingers wrapping around the waistband of Alden’s trousers, I pull him toward me. He lets out a small breath of surprise just before his lips touch mine. At first, his mouth is hesitant. Perhaps he’s uncomfortable in front of Rowan. But as my hands slide up his wet chest and tangle in his curly hair, he softens, deepening our kiss. I open my mouth and taste his tongue with mine, then nibble his bottom lip. With the way he’s holding me against his body, I can feel his length harden against me.
But then I pull away, and my gaze finds Rowan. He’s watching us with a mixture of emotions in his eyes, like he wants to join but is holding himself back, unsure and apprehensive.
Slipping out of Alden’s hold, I move toward Rowan, and the look in his eyes shifts. His torso is pale and lean, and I trace my fingers across the gentle ridges of his abdomen, eliciting a soft grumble. Then his hand is on my chin, tipping my head back, and his mouth comes down on mine.
His kiss is more demanding than Alden’s, his hand on my waist tightening as our tongues brush. Feeling Alden’s gaze on us, knowing he’s watching, I feel even more heat curl through my belly.
I want them to take me—together.
Rowan is hesitant to let me go, but I flash him and Alden a taunting look, then hurry through the narrow foyer and onto the stairs. Just as I intended, they follow. Rowan is the first upthe stairs behind me, and I hear Alden close the door before his heavier steps tread up the staircase.
In the bedroom, rain lashes the windowpane, and the din of the raindrops on the roof of the cottage drowns out the rapid beating of my heart.
I’ve never had two men before. I have no idea how this is going to go.
