Page 203 of Beasts of Mine

“That feels biased.” Tavian complained to Malek as he shoved another piece into his mouth before Luca could get close enough to take it, chewing quickly while he moved farther from the table.

“It's his food.” Malek pointed out as he resumed combing my hair, apparently uninterested in Tavian's defense.

“Our food.” Tavian corrected Malek as Luca reached across the table and Tavian protected the bag with both hands.

“It was going to be your food tomorrow.” Luca informed Tavian as he caught one corner of the bag and tugged.

“It is my food today.” Tavian argued as he tightened his grip and leaned backward. The bag split, and dried fruit scattered across the table, rolled over my closed notebook, bounced against the laptop stand, and dropped onto the stone floor. Nobody moved for several seconds. Malek eventually sighed behind me, Luca stared at the torn packaging still in his hand, and Tavian studied the mess with a deeply thoughtful expression that I absolutely did not trust.

“I think the bag failed us.” Tavian announced as he lifted his head, maintaining a level of seriousness the situation did not deserve. I laughed, and trying not to only made it worse. Luca's irritation disappeared first. Malek started purring behind me, the deep vibration carrying faintly through the chair wherever his leg brushed the back of it, and Tavian became so obviously pleased with himself for making me laugh that I couldn't pretend to be annoyed.

I looked at the three of them. Luca was rescuing fruit from around my keyboard while muttering about ants. Tavian was eating one of the pieces he'd retrieved from the clean section of the table before Luca could stop him. Malek had set the comb aside and was separating a small tangle near the ends of my hair with his fingers instead of pulling at it.

The laptop screen still showed a folder of photographs I'd spent most of the afternoon reviewing. A charging indicator glowed near the edge of the table. Rain moved through the courtyard outside, and the room smelled of wet stone, dried fruit, my own honey and jasmine, and three Alpha scents that had become familiar enough that I no longer had to think about which belonged to whom.

I'd known how I felt for weeks.

Keeping it to myself suddenly seemed pointless.

“I love you.” I told all three men, the words leaving my mouth while the last of my laughter was still fading. Everything around the table stopped, and my own scent changed before I could become self-conscious about what I'd said. Honey, jasmine, and warm vanilla strengthened despite the blockers. Citrus and spice answered first, followed almost immediately by cedar and damp earth and the warmer sandalwood and herbs beside me.

Tavian reacted before either of the others spoke. His mouth opened, closed again, and the humor disappeared from his face as a purr started deep in his chest. Even his grip on the torn fruit bag loosened until Luca quietly took it from him without Tavian seeming to notice.

“You love us?” Tavian asked me as he slowly lowered the piece of fruit in his other hand, his attention fixed completely on me now.

“All three of you, but yes, Tavian, I love you.” I told Tavian as I turned farther in the chair, wanting him to hear his own name when I saw how much the distinction mattered.

“I love you too.” Tavian told me after swallowing, his voice rougher than usual while emotion showed openly across his face. “I know you said all three. I just needed to hear mine.”

I reached for him, and Tavian crossed the distance immediately to take my hand. He squeezed my fingers but didn't pull me out of the chair, his thumb moving once over my knuckles while the citrus in his scent remained stronger than it had been seconds earlier.

“Were you really worried I didn't?” I asked Tavian as I studied him, because the answer suddenly mattered more than making fun of him for needing reassurance.

“A little.” Tavian admitted as he glanced down at our joined hands before looking back at me. “I knew you cared about me. I knew you wanted me. That's not the same thing.”

“No, it isn't.” I agreed with Tavian as I kept hold of his hand, feeling some of his tension through the way his fingers stayed curled around mine. Tavian was quiet for long enough that I didn't interrupt him.

“I'm good at being fun.” Tavian told me eventually, the usual pride missing from the statement. “People like having fun. I didn't know if that meant I was someone you'd still want when things weren't fun.”

My first instinct was to tell him how ridiculous that was, but the uncertainty in his face stopped me. Tavian was the easiest of the three to laugh with, but he was also the man who had spent hours walking trails because I wanted a specific bird, carried water and equipment without turning it into a performance, and had been surprisingly serious every time my work or safety actually mattered.

“You're not just the fun one to me.” I told Tavian as I squeezed his fingers, keeping my voice steady when his expression changed. “You're the man who brings me food, scouts ahead when I'm working, actually listens when I explain why a photograph matters, and carried a rock around for weeks because you didn't want to put it somewhere I hadn't invited you to.”

“It was a very good rock.” Tavian replied quietly, one corner of his mouth finally moving.

“It is a very good rock.” I conceded to Tavian as my own smile appeared. “And I love you.”

Tavian closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, the uncertainty had eased even though his expression remained more vulnerable than usual.

“I believe you and I love you too.” Tavian told me, his purr stronger now while his fingers remained linked with mine. Malek still hadn't moved from behind me, so I turned toward him and covered the hand resting near my shoulder. The comb lay forgotten on the table beside my laptop, and one long strand of my hair was still caught between two of his fingers.

“I love you, Malek.” I told him directly, wanting him to hear the words meant specifically for him.

“I love you too.” Malek told me as his fingers closed gently around mine, his golden-brown eyes holding my attention while cedar and damp earth strengthened around him. “That doesn't change when you leave for work.”

I breathed out slowly. Hearing him say that mattered after everything we'd worked through about my job and leaving.

“Even when you hate that I'm leaving?” I asked Malek as I rubbed my thumb across his knuckles.