Chapter 6
Rune
Iknowwhensomeoneneeds to be alone. I recognize it because it happens to me.
I’m not good around people. I prefer pastries.
My fated mate is better with people than I am, but as much as she’s trying to hide it, I can tell she wants to run. Probably would have, if I wasn’t holding her suitcase hostage, and we weren’t her only ticket to a place to stay.
“Come.” I wrap my free hand around hers and pull her down the hall, enjoying the feeling of her soft skin.
To my surprise, she doesn’t protest or ask where we’re going.
I scan the room numbers, and when I spot ours, I let go of her hand long enough to grab my key card from my pocket.
I swipe it, pull her into the suite, and lead her down the hall to the nearest bedroom.
“Rune?” She sounds as breathless as I feel.
I don’t reply. I can’t. When I try, my throat clogs up.
I lead her inside the room, set her suitcase down by the bed, and turn to leave.
“Yours,” I throw over my shoulder and get the hell out of there before I lose all self-control.
“What happened?” Mac scowls when I return to the living room.
He and Bax stare after her like I’ve just told them they’re not allowed to eat any pastries for a week and then proceeded to eat a cherry cheese Danish in front of them.
“She needed space.” I glance back at the room where I left her, but the door remains closed. I don’t think she’s coming out anytime soon.
“Fuck.” Bax heads into the in-suite kitchen and gestures for us to follow. “I was worried about that.”
“Is she your fated mate?” Mac asks him.
Bax nods.
“Mine, too,” I add.
“And mine,” Mac says.
We stare at each other. It’s a comfortable silence, one born of years of baking side by side. We don’t need words to communicate, just time to accept the fact that the decadent baker belongs to all three of us, and that’s just the way it’s going to be.
“We need to come up with a plan,” Mac says.
I nod. “Do we tell her we’re shifters and she’s ours before we—” I’m about to say ‘claim her,’ but I guess I’ve already strung too many words in a row, because I croissant onto the floor.
And I guess I have my answer when she gasps from the doorway.
Chapter 7
Jessy
Igapeatthedelicious-looking croissant on the kitchen floor. If I saw it in a bakery, I’d order it in a heartbeat—and savor every bite. But where did it come from? And where is Rune? And why is this delicious pastry on the floor?
I look around, but there’s no sign of him. And then Mac disappears. I yelp. An eclair materializes in his place, and I alternate between drooling over how delicious it looks and freaking out because I’m clearly hallucinating.
“Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit,” Bax mutters under his breath. He stares at me with wide, panicked eyes, and then he goes poof. In his place, a cannoli.