Page 105 of Beasts of Mine

I looked back toward Malek.

“So what made you interested?” I asked him, quieter this time. “Because apparently I missed quite a bit while I thought you were just a leopard.”

For a few seconds, Malek only studied me. The forest moved around us while he considered the answer, leaves whispering overhead as something small scampered along a branch somewhere behind Tavian.

“You helped me when you thought I was just an injured leopard.” Malek explained, his gaze remaining steady on mine. “You kept coming back. You talk while you work. You forget everything around you when you’re taking photographs. You argue with Red.”

“I do not argue with Red.” I objected immediately, pointing at Malek before the accusation could become established fact.

Malek raised one eyebrow.

“Red starts it.” I amended after one second.

“She still counts.” Malek countered, the corner of his mouth finally moving. Tavian made a quiet snorting sound farther up the trail.

“I liked being around you.” Malek continued before either of us could derail him again, his expression settling back into seriousness. “That started before either of them met you.”

Warmth crept through my chest before I could stop it. I looked toward Tavian mostly because maintaining eye contact with Malek had suddenly become difficult.

“Don’t use me as an escape.” Tavian caught the move immediately, pushing away from the tree with his amber eyes fixed on me. “I liked you because you make me laugh, you don’t scare easily, and you chased me through mud over a cloth.”

“You stole my lens cloth.” I reminded Tavian, grateful for the easier target.

“I was flirting.” Tavian defended himself with a shameless spread of both hands.

“You were a leopard.” I stared at Tavian.

“I had limited options.” Tavian replied, his grin widening.

A laugh almost escaped me. Unfortunately, that made perfect sense for him.

“And you?” I asked Luca after Tavian’s grin became unbearable, turning toward the only man who hadn’t made his answer difficult yet.

“You pay attention.” Luca answered as he adjusted the rolled cover beneath his arm, his expression softer than Tavian’s. “You remember which animals are nesting where, which trees are fruiting, when something changes around you. You noticed every time Malek started favoring his injured side even though he thought he was hiding it.”

“That was not subtle.” I told Luca while glancing back toward Malek.

“It was to him.” Luca replied with a brief smile before his expression grew quieter. “You care about what you do. You want to understand things for yourself.”

Luca paused just long enough that I looked back at him.

“And you make places feel less empty.” Luca added softly, his green-gold eyes staying on mine.

That one landed harder than I expected. I focused on the trail and nudged a damp leaf aside with my boot, mostly because all three of them had apparently decided this morning was the correct time to say things I didn’t know what to do with.

They hadn’t assumed I wanted anything from them at all. They were only telling me where their interest had been heading while I was still trying to reconcile three familiar leopards with the men standing around me now. And, annoyingly, none of their reasons had anything to do with the fact that I was an Omega.

“So you actually want to see where this goes.” I looked between them, still trying to settle the idea into place. “With me.”

“If you’re open to it.” Luca answered beside me, his expression remaining calm instead of trying to push me toward an answer.

“We’re not asking you to decide anything standing in the middle of a muddy trail.” Malek added from behind me, his voice steady as he adjusted the bags against his shoulders.

“I’m personally hoping any future decision includes keeping Menace.” Tavian announced as he started walking again and glanced back over one shoulder, his grin finally returning in full.

“That nickname is always one bad decision away from disappearing.” I warned Tavian as I followed.

“You’d miss it.” Tavian replied with complete confidence, his amber eyes brightening.