“The mating bond,” I groan, turning various shades of red. “I’m sorry. That isn’t… I didn’t mean…”
“Not your fault,” Connor reassures me, his thumb running along my knuckles. “I…”
Donovan stills, his body suddenly shaking, and he slowly lets go of my hand.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, looking around for whatever has frightened him. It has to be really bad if he’s afraid.
“Mate bond? The fuck, Callie, are you trying to get me killed?” he hisses, backing away slowly. His eyes widen in panic, then his gaze shifts to Connor’s chest in a way that looks deferential. In the most respectful tone I’ve ever heard coming out of his mouth, he apologizes, “Sorry, I know I shouldn’t have talked to her that way. I didn’t mean any disrespect, and if I’d been aware she was your mate, I wouldn’t have touched her.”
“Had you known?” I fume, glaring at him. “Whom I kiss is my business. I’m nothisor anyone else’s property.” I pull away, standing separate from both of them, and look at them like they’re crazy. “What the hell is wrong with you? You two literally beat the crap out of each other on a weekly basis for fun.”
“That’s different. It’s not an Alpha protecting his mate,” he grinds out with a tight smile on his face, and he backs up so far that he stumbles into the table on the far side of the balcony.
“What are you talking about? You didn’t hurt me,” I reason, flashing Connor a look that says, ‘Do something!’ and repeat to him, “Donovan didn’t hurt me.”
Connor looks back at me with a sad, resigned look, and I sense the pain inside him from witnessing his friend cower. When he tries to step forward, Donovan moves around the table, keeping the object between them.
“Shifters mate for life,” Donovan explains, keeping his eyes downcast but his stance alert.
“Yeah, I know. Connor told me,” I reply, giving a ‘still not pleased about that news’ look at Connor, which gets an apologetic expression in reply.
A hint of normal Donovan appears when he hazards a glance up at me, and in an irritable tone, mutters, “Did he happen to mention that a wolf will brutally and thoroughly destroy anyone that dares to endanger their mate—which includes any perceived attempts to lure them away?”
“No, he left that part out,” I snarl, spinning around and marching between Connor and Donovan. I shove at Connor’s chest, which as usual doesn’t do much, but he has the decency to appear contrite. “The hell? I said to tell meeverything. Leaving out the possibility of murdering people that flirt with me—including your best friends—is not everything!”
“Angel… uh, I mean, Callie, this really isn’t helping,” Donovan cautions, along with what sounds like the scrape of a chair moving. “Showing increased interest in me will only piss off his wolf more.”
Standing toe to toe with Connor, I get in his face as much as someone more than a foot shorter can, and demand, “I don’t care what he says, you will not hurt your best friends because of me.”
“I wouldn’t,” he promises, guilt eating away at him because he knew this was a lie of omission.
“Why did you keep this from me?” I question through gritted teeth. Making a motion at Donovan behind me, I continue, “Didn’t you think I’d find out when something like this happened?”
Connor’s face turns carefully blank, but he can’t hide his mixture of guilt, fear, and this gutting sadness from our mate bond. In a low voice, he simply answers, “I have control over my wolf.”
“You better. I swear I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself, or you, if our friends were hurt over jealousy. I love you, but youdon’town me, and Idon’town you. We’re equals. If you want this to work between us, you have to respect that,” I demand, my eyes staring hard into his. “Do you understand?”
He gently takes my hand, and like that night in Phoenix, places it on his chest right over his heart. “I will always value you over all else. That can’t be undone.” He swallows heavily, his gaze shifting for a moment to Donovan, then back to me. “I promise you I will never strike another out of jealousy. Especially those you cherish.”
I squint, because that sounds like a setup for a loophole if I’ve ever heard one, but I let it lie, because I still have Donovan to deal with.
Turning back around to face Donovan, I put my hands on my hips and state, “See? He’s promised not to kill you, so could you please get back over here so we can finish talking. Also, what the hell? You were all ‘I think I love you too’ this afternoon, and now it’s, ‘sorry, man. Didn’t realize she was yours.’”
“Idolove you,” he replies like I’m dense, which kind of takes the romance out of it, while still standing cautiously on the other side of the table. “I love you enough to let you go, so you’re not the reason we fight to the death. I know how that would weigh on your conscience.”
“No one is dying, got it?” I snap with a foot stomp that coincides with a boom of thunder in the distance.
Now they both look at me likeI’mthe spooked animal about to go feral.
“I’m fine,” I growl through clenched teeth.
They trade looks, united in their desire to keep the tiny one from exploding. The tiny one being me.
Connor runs his hand down my hair in a soothing motion, murmuring placations that he really does promise not to murder any of the guys. It loses some of its comfort with him being so specific.
Donovan makes a slight concession by moving to the side of the table, his expression dubious. “You’re saying if I kissed Callie right now, your wolf wouldn’t immediately rip my throat out?”
“As long as she wants it, you’re safe,” he answers after a controlled breath, then his eyes shift solely to his wolf’s while warning, “Unwanted? There won’t be enough remains to identify the body.”
