Still, it was made blatantly obvious when a small gust of wind blasted me with Rowan’s sweet scent, coming right off said “lucky fucker.”
I dropped everything from my hands.“Care to explain howthathappened?” I asked, my voice tight, tension squeezing my muscles.
Jealousy wasn’t common in hordes, but given our unique situation, it curled in my stomach, ugly and unwanted. I’d never been opposed to the others being with Emmeline. It was part of the deal, but this felt… different. She’d been gone for so long. We’d all missed her, needed her, and Nix had been the first to claim time with her.
The time I desperately wanted.
Nix shrugged. “I honestly don’t know how it happened. One minute, we were organizing her new clinic, and the next, we were drawn together.”
He sighed wistfully, his eyes tracking to the distance. A tiny smile lifted the corner of his mouth, and I forced myself to swallow, to think before I said anything. I did a less-than-stellar job, however.
“One day, she’s going to stab you through the hand. You know that,” I quipped.
Nix’s propensity for acting like a golden retriever, while sometimes endearing, could also be infuriating. Of course, said infuriating clanmate merely shrugged.
“For all I know, I’m into that, if it’s her stabbing me.”
“Who’s stabbing Nix?” Bastian asked as he stepped onto the porch, Orsen right on his tail. Both of them looked exhausted, heavy bags under their eyes and drooping shoulders.
None of us had been sleeping well.
I scoffed, rolling my eyes as I spoke through gritted teeth. “Take a whiff of him, and you’ll know.”
The pair sped toward Nix without a second thought, their nostrils flaring when they picked up Rowan’s scent.
“What the fuck?” Bastian asked in a gruff, strangled voice.
“Rowan and I had a little bit of… ‘couple time.’” He smirked, puffing his chest out like he was immensely proud, which was monumentally stupid of him.
“And now I understand the threats of violence,” Orsen growled.
“My sweet mate won’t hurt me,” Nix declared, shaking his head as he made a face. “She’s just as drawn to us as we are to her.”
“Wasn’t talking about Rowan,” Orsen said under his breath.
“Is she now?” I cocked my head to the side. We knew there was a pull when it came to mates, but the problem was that ever since Rowan had come back into our lives, she’d kept her distance from us. Rightfully so—but still, how the hell were we supposed to tellwhether she still felt anything for us? The thought made my chest pinch.
Nix nodded adamantly. “It’s true. One minute, I was helping her set up her new clinic, and the next, we were pulled together. It wasmagnetic, like those early days.”
“And she was okay with that?” Orsen eyed him, brows knitted together.
“She may have… freaked out a little bit and run away at the end, but I’m giving her space so she can process. None of this is easy for her. I get that. I’m not trying to rush things,” Nix pointed out as he sank into one of the porch chairs next to me.
“She wasfreaking out?” Bastian glared at Nix, closing the distance between them.
Nix shrugged, sighing. “It’s hard to describe, but it was familiar and new at the same time. It’sher. Her body is so familiar to me—the way she feels, the way she tastes—but at the same time, she was shy and different. Emmeline used to know which way to tilt her head to kiss me, whereas, with Rowan, I nearly bumped into her.”
I didn’t want to be thinking about this, but it looked like I had no choice. “I suppose she can’t remember the intricacies since she can’t rememberanythingelse.”
Orsen groaned, walking over to the banister and leaning against it. “How did our lives become so fucked up?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out,” I replied, looking out into the forest.
“Do you think she’ll stay?” Orsen asked, the volume of his voice betraying the forced calm in his tone. He was trying to hide it, but it was clear he wanted Rowan to stay as much as we all did.
“Hopefully,” Nix muttered, leaning back in his chair. “If not, I’m following her ass to the ends of the Earth. I know we have people here, but I’m not losing her again.”
“You would leavethe horde?” Bastian surged toward Nix again, radiating tension.
