Page 61 of Of Magic and Murder

“Roxy!” Honey squeals again.

There you have it. I figured that Honey knew that Riordan was sneaking into the bakery at night. Looks like Roxy did, too.

I sigh. “Did everyone in Moonburrow know that I’m Riordan’s mate except for me?”

“Know? Nah. But suspected it? Pretty much.” She reaches out, patting my knee. “You poor thing.”

I ignore that. After all these months, I’ve gotten a handle on Roxy’s attitudes. Her defense mechanisms and how she tries to cheer up a friend. Her smart ass remarks aren’t meant to offend Riordan—at least, not completely—but to show to me that she’s on my side.

I glance down at my actual side. “Hey, Gus. Did you know, too?”

He makes an excited sound as he bumps my thigh with his snout.

Honey winces. “Yeah. He knew. That’s why he put a pause on his ‘duty’, taking a break from being Deputy Gus so that the two of you could finally see what was right in front of you.”

Gus chitters with pride.

I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

“Since when do opossums play matchmaker?”

Roxy smirks at my bewildered tone. “Have you met Gus?”

I open my mouth. Close it.

Yeah. Fair enough.

Still, I point my empty spoon between the two shifters. “Someone could’ve told me.” I exhale roughly. “Riordan should’ve told me. I just… I don’t know why he didn’t.”

Honey reaches over and squeezes my arm. “He should’ve told you. He absolutely should have. But there’s something I think you’re missing, Penelope. You’re not a shifter. And, look,” she says hurriedly when I start to ask why that matters, “I’m not saying that to be mean. But shifters… we’re wired differently. When we’re sure our mates will reject us, sometimes we don’t put ourselves out there so we don’t get hurt. That’s what happened to me.”

Wait—

“What?”

She nods. “I also knew Max was my mate before he knew I was his. Do you think I told him? No! I was so sure he wouldn’t want a prey shifter for a mate, I hid my scent so that he had no clue I was his.”

That’s nuts. Anyone seeing Honey and Max together knows that she’s the perfect mate for him. “But then you realized that you were meant to be together, got over your insecurities, and told him?”

Roxy snickers. “Hardly. She forgot she was wearing a scent reducer charm, hopped in the shower, and when it washed off, Max got a full blast of her scent and knew she was his. Of course, they were mated that same night because Honey and the sheriff are meant to be together, but she never got the nerve to open up to him before he figured it out for himself.”

Honey glares at Roxy. “What about you? Did you tell Ash that you knew you were fated mates before he came back to life and caught your scent?”

Roxy shakes her head royally. “Sorry, but there isn’t exactly a handbook for telling a dead guy that you think he’s your fated mate. He found out when it counted⁠—”

“And then you formed a bond with him that same night.”

This time, Roxy shrugs. “When you know, you know.” She grabs another spoonful of cookie dough and drops it on her tongue. She chews, swallows, and looks at me. “What about you, Pen? When you found out that Riordan is your mate, did you want to jump his bones?”

Yes.

I don’t say that. I don’t have to. Both of them—all three of them—know that, if I hadn’t been so hurt to think that he hid it from me on purpose, I might’ve given in to the attraction I’ve felt for Riordan for way longer than I want to admit.

Instead, I scowl. “So nobody in Moonburrow knows how to handle a mate bond like a normal person.”

“Pretty much,” Honey confirms.

“That’s comforting.”