Page 17 of The Witch's Rite
My mind immediately flashes back. I can feel her soft skin on mine, taste the salty sweat in her kiss, smell the smoke from the fire in her hair.
Of course, that’s why I’m here too, but since she brought it up first, I’d like to know what she has to say. “What about it?”
She averts her eyes, choosing instead to look at my palm. Delicately, she traces her fingers over the lines etched in my skin. “I’m not sure if you know this, but I... have another. A man, I mean.”
My body tenses up, but I try not to let it show.
The carpenter, Alden. It must be.
And this is exactly what I’ve been worried about. How have I let myself fall for a woman who’s already chosen someone else?
“I understand,” I say, starting to pull away. “I have no intention of trying to come between you.”
But Aurora recaptures my hand before I can stand.
“No, you don’t understand.” Her grip tightens, and she weaves her fingers through mine, holding me firm. “I want bothof you, Rowan. That is... if you’ll have me.” Her voice gets tiny at the end, uncertain.
My brow furrows. I’ve heard of people taking multiple lovers, but I’ve never stopped to consider if I’d ever be comfortable doing it myself. I’ve only ever been with one woman at a time.
I slowly unwind my fingers from Aurora’s, then push myself into a seated position. Aurora follows suit, and we sit there in the sunlit meadow, dragonflies buzzing around us.
“What about Alden?” I ask. “How would he feel about this?”
“I’ve already spoken to him.” She gives me a gentle smile. “He said he’s okay with it.”
Every word Aurora says surprises me. It leaves me wondering if being with her would always be like this, a new adventure every day, a new journey with the start of every sunrise.
“You told him what we did?” I ask. I’m finding it hard to believe he’d be okay with me burying my tongue inside her, but her eyes don’t lie, and she nods. “And he doesn’t mind?”
Aurora scoots a bit closer to me, so our knees are touching. “I know it sounds strange,” she says, “but I told him everything, and he understands. I was surprised too...” She reaches up to snag a strand of hair and twist it around her finger. “I care deeply for Alden, but my heart is pulling me toward you as well.”
I’m not sure how to feel about any of this. I want her—that much is crystal clear—but I don’t know if I’m comfortable sharing her with another man. Would that ever work, or would it just slowly unravel into a painful mess of hurt feelings and jealousy?
My silence makes Aurora’s lips pull slowly into a frown. “I’d understand if you’re not comfortable,” she says. “I’ve never felt this way before, have never done anything like this. But it feels...right, if that makes sense.”
Nothing makes a whole lot of sense to me right now. But again, maybe that’s how things will always be with Aurora.Perhaps being with her is like drifting through clouds, knowing the ground is below you but being okay with letting your feet leave the earth.
Still, though, I don’t know how I’m going to be okay with sharing this beautiful green-haired forest being, who gives me dirt-smudged smiles and talks to cats while working in the garden.
“Can I take some time to think about it?” I ask.
I’m not sure how I expect Aurora to respond, but I see her shoulders soften, and she lets out a tiny sigh. “Of course. Take all the time you need. But just know”—she lifts a hand to cup my face with her palm—“if we decide to do this, we’ll take it one step at a time. We’ll figure it out together.”
Chapter 13
Aurora
ROWAN HEADS BACK DOWN BROOKSIDE Road while the sun is still high in the sky, leaving me watching as his fire-red hair disappears into the forest. After he’s gone, I return to my work in the garden, but even pulling weeds and having my hands in the soil is not enough to keep my mind from him.
I’m not quite sure how I let myself fall for two men, but now that I’ve had them both, I want them more than ever. The idea of having to give either of them up makes my stomach twist painfully.
I’m on my knees beside the bed of potatoes, working my fingers through the soil to pluck out thin green weeds, when I feel a presence behind me. Without even turning to look, I smile.
“Where have you been?” I ask.
“Around,” Harrison replies. “That man kept trying to touch me.”
I glance up at him. He’s sitting on the edge of one of the garden beds, watching a bee as it buzzes around the young plants. Looking at Harrison, I get the feeling that he’s neverstruggled to be sure of who he is and of how he chooses to move through the world. He justis, and I’ve always admired that about him.
