I watch them go up the stairs, Layla’s fingers wrapped around his tie, Josiah’s mouth on her neck before they’ve even reached the landing. My attention goes back to Aaron.
He’s glaring at me.
“What did they smell on you?” he asks.
I don’t answer.
“Mara.” He looks at Andrew, who is standing very still with his hands up, glancing between us. “I know you can smell whatever is going on with her. What is it?”
“Oh, hell no.” Andrew holds his hands higher. “I’m not getting into fated mate issues. I’ll show you your room and that’s it.”
Aaron turns back to me. My tail—the traitor—comes around and brushes across his chest. He grabs it with one hand, hisfingers closing around the tassel, and points at me with the other.
“Don’t do it, Mara. Whatever it is you’re up to. Don’t do it.”
He leans into me and my lips part.
“Understand me when I say I’ll burn all of this shit down if something happens to you.” His voice is low. “Behave yourself and stand beside me.”
“Listen to your man, Mara.” Andrew is already heading up the stairs, his back to us. “I’ll be mad as hell if I have to remodel my nightclub again.”
I hiss at him.
27
Aaron
The Next Morning
Mara comes out of the bathroom in the dress I summoned for her and I forget what I was thinking about. I’m sitting up on the bed freshly showered and dressed, my mind already running through what’s ahead of us, but she steps out, and all of that goes quiet. She’s smoothing her hands over the fabric, her tail swaying behind her, and those amber eyes look down at herself and then up at me.
The dress is simple. Deep green, fitted at the waist. I picked it because I love the way the color looks against her skin. I summoned it this morning while she was still asleep, my magic pulling from somewhere I didn’t question.
“Something wrong?”
Her tail sways wider when she catches me staring and I don’t even try to stop.
“Do you ever want to see me in a dress like Layla’s?”
I grin and stand up from the bed and walk over to her. “I never noticed how Layla looks in a dress,” I tell her.
I grab the fabric at her hip and pull her into me. She purrs, instant, the vibration rolling through her chest into mine.
“I only see you, Mara, and that should be a given by now.”
She nods and I take my finger to her chin, tilt it up, and lean in and kiss her. Her purring deepens and it moves through every part of me that’s pressed against her. I want this for the rest of my life. Her body warm against mine and that purr telling me I’m hers and she’s mine. But my stupidity is getting in the way of that. Every time I think about the Witching Glen and what I did to Wintermoon I feel the weight of it settle on my shoulders.
I pull my lips back and Mara blushes. My hand goes to her belly and I hold it there. Her skin is warm through the dress and my magic hums at the contact.
“You and the baby growing inside you?—“
Her lip pokes out, cutting me off. “You are moving too fast. You don’t know that.”
I lean in and press my forehead against hers. “I do know. We’ve mated, you have my cub. You just haven’t caught the scent yet.” I smirk. “And after last night?—“
She hisses at me. Her face flushes. Her lion coming to the front like that, all pride and embarrassment—she could claw my face off right now and I’d still be grinning.
“There’s no way you’re not pregnant,” I tell her.
