“You know I would never turn my back on you. I love you. The universe can’t take that away.” He’s said the same thing for years, and I’ve always believed him, but I also didn’t think either of us would find a mate.
Mates are rare, even more so for fae. I thought we were safe and happy.
I should have known better.
“Let me ask you the same thing, Julian. What is it about her that you like so much? Why are you so drawn to her?” I choke out the question, hating how weak I sound. I’m standing naked and wet before him, but that’s got nothing on the way I feel, small and pathetic.
I watch him as he thinks for a moment, but I don’t really need him to answer; I see it written on his face, shining in his eyes.
“Everything,” he echoes my answer, and it feels like a punch to the gut.
I step out of the tub, moving around him to grab a towel, needing to be anywhere but here right now.
“Don’t, Titus. I chose you. Even if we are mates. She will be mine, the same way you are. This isn’t a her-or-you thing. I canlove both of you.” He reaches out, his fingers curling around my bicep, and I freeze.
I want to believe him, want to revel in his touch. Fuck, do I want that to be true, but how can it be?
Mates trump everything, and even if they didn’t…
“Until she makes you choose.” The words are out before I can stop them, and I wish I could shove them back in.
She wouldn’t.
I don’t need to know her more than I do to know that Wren isn’t that kind of person; she’s much too nice. And fucking sad. She thinks she hides it so well, but there’s a sadness in the depths of her eyes that she can’t seem to shake even when she’s smiling.
Just like always, Julian knows just how full of shit I am.
He tsks, dropping my arm as if I had burned him.
“Yeah, I don’t think she’s the one we need to worry about that with,” he snaps before he poofs, and this time I’m not fast enough to stop him.
Fuck.
This one’s on me.
I dry off, taking my time to allow us both a moment to breathe as I get dressed and head down after him.
I need to apologize. Not only do I hate when we fight, but I also know that despite my worries being real about them being mates, I know deep down that Wren wouldn’t do that.
Not to me, even if I probably do deserve it, and certainly not to Julian.
This is just my own self-consciousness worming its way into my mind.
I still don’t like her, though, but that might be a topic for another day because if we fight about Wren twice in one day, I might lose my mind.
I make it to the bottom of the stairs before I realize something’s off, too lost in my own thoughts to hear the yelling, but it’s impossible to miss now.
Wren sits on the couch, her hair disheveled, and the red mark on the side of her face from her pillow tells me she’s probably been up only seconds longer than I’ve been down here.
“I said stop that shit. She deserves to be able to sleep in, even if we don’t have a fucking room to give her!” Julian shouts, pulling my attention to him and Gavin, who stand toe to toe and nearly nose to nose.
Something must be in the air, or maybe Julian was just looking for someone else to argue with now.
Though from the looks of it, Gavin started this, and with the way he’s glaring up at Julian, I get the feeling he isn’t about to let it go either.
“I told her I’m not going to tiptoe around just because she can’t seem to come back at a normal time. That’s not on me. She’s a big girl!” Gavin shouts, pointing at Wren as if Julian doesn’t know who he’s talking about.
“It’s six o’clock in the fucking morning, asshole!” Julian says, his voice booming without yelling, and somehow that’s worse. It takes a lot to piss Julian off completely, but it seems that between the two of us, we did a great job.
