“For full transparency, you should know I didn’t kiss him back, but I also didn’t pull away. Not at first.” My face burned hot. “Once I came to my senses, I broke the kiss and told him we couldn’t do that. That’s when Lake said he was sorry and ran away. I tried to run after him, and, well…” I motioned to my ankle and scrapes—that had healed now because of the magical green goo. “Here we are now.”
“I see.” Briar gave a slow nod. “It seems you’ve collected another.”
“Another what?” I asked.
“Another poor soul who’s fallen under your spell.” Maddox grabbed my left hand, and when I chanced a peek at him, the worried tangles in the pit of my stomach unwound. He was smiling. “For full transparency,youshould know I didn’t need to ask the other knights if they’d help search for you tonight. They learned you weren’t on the castle grounds and worried nearly as much as I did. You have all of us wrapped around your precious little finger.” He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed each of my fingertips. “And we would lay down our lives to protect yours.”
“I don’t want you to though.” Tightness compressed my chest cavity, pressing against my heart. “I don’t want any of you getting hurt because of me. Ever.”
“That’s not up to you.” Briar took my other hand, his soulful eyes a warmer hazel than usual, like sunlight bouncing off soft green leaves and sinking into tree bark. “You mean the world to me, Evan.”
“To us,” Maddox added.
Briar offered him a small smile.
“So you’re not mad at me?” I asked. “Even though I kind of, sort of kissed someone else?”
“No,” Maddox answered. “I suspected the wolf cared for you the morning I met him. The way he looked at you as I took you away is burned into my memory. I felt his desperation.”
“As did I.” Briar kissed my middle knuckle. “I believe we’ll see him again.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because of you.” Briar poked my nose, and I wiggled it, causing him to smile. “Wolves have long memories and form deep bonds. Bonds not easily broken. Him coming for you tonight is proof he’s already bound himself to you. He may not even realize it yet.”
“Excellent,” Maddox muttered. “If the wolf does come back around, I refuse to share my bed with him. He can sleep on the rug like a good pup.”
The casual way they spoke of potentially sharing me with yet another male left me dumbfounded. But then I recalled what Lupin said about me having multiple lovers while in Bremloc. Maybe the strings of fate not only attached me to them but bound them to each other too.
Only time would tell.
“What’s in the bag?” Briar asked, glancing at it beside my chair.
“Oh. That.” I grabbed it off the floor. “When Kuya and I were in town today, I kind of got you two something.” I felt nervous now. What if they hated the gifts? “Don’t get too excited or expect much. It’s nothing big.”
“If it’s from you, I already adore it,” Briar said.
“Open the bag,” Maddox said, cheek twitching as I narrowed my eyes at him. “Please, oh Muffin Lord.”
Grinning, I pulled out the book. “That’s for me, but you can read it too, Briar. It’s the newest release in the series you let me borrow.”
“Excellent.” Briar smiled as he looked it over. “One of the few fiction series I enjoy.”
Maddox eyed the book before returning his gaze to the bag. He reminded me of a little kid waiting for their turn to open a present on Christmas morning. Told to be patient, or they wouldn’t get anything. It was a level of cuteness I hadn’t expected.
So, of course, I made him wait a bit longer.
“I got this for you.” I handed the journal to Briar. “I thought you could use it for jotting down research notes or making ingredient lists for potions and spells.”
With a tender smile on his handsome face, Briar rubbed the top of the journal before flipping through it. He then sat up more and grabbed me by the nape, bringing our lips together for a short but sweet kiss. “It’s the perfect gift. I’ll think of you each time I write in it. Thanks, love.”
“You’re welcome.” I kissed him once more. He smiled again. Maybe he hadn’t stopped. I knew I hadn’t. Having both of them with me felt too amazing.
“Do I get one too?” Maddox asked, his deep blue eyes on the journal before returning to me.
“Nope.” I reached into the bag and grabbed the ring. The merchant had wrapped it in a silky cloth, so when I withdrew it, he cocked his head. “Close your eyes.”
He snarled his upper lip. “I’m not a child.”
