Page 141 of Mage Massacres

She was theirs too, but they could work out their own timeframes.

I strolled into the garden, trying to think of something to say without blurting my thoughts aloud. She turned her head, gazing at me over her shoulder as she bit her lip. The fullness of her cheeks showcased the smile she was attempting to hide.

“You heard,” I commented, no question about it.

I stretched out beside her, shaking my head when she nodded.

“Heard what?” York leaned forward to smirk at me.

The druid was damn good at manipulating the truth out of us. And that’s what he’d done by starting the conversation on the topic of her relationships.

He knew I was listening to them, and he knew she was listening to me.

“I love you,” I confessed to her, smooth as a ball of hellfire to the face. “I know how you feel, too. You say it with actions instead of words.”

“I love you, too.” She laughed lightly. “Hellfire to the face is easier than saying it sometimes, but I’ll get there.”

“No one is rushing you.”

Novak dropped to the ground beside me, cushioning his head on my thigh. I pushed him away, huffing when he did it again. There was no winning with him.

“That’s nicer than how she said it to me...” He trailed off, cackling when Barbie rolled her eyes.

“You were being pushy.”

He half-ass shrugged, tipping his head back to wink at her. “I’d already heard you say it.”

“In my fucking head,” she hissed through her grin. “Just because I was thinking about it doesn’t mean I wasn’t ready to say it out loud. You got what you got; stop pitching a fit.”

I snorted. “He’s a dog, Barbie.”

Vaughn chuckled behind us. “Persistent, needy, and always sticking his nose in—”

“Between her legs,” Novak finished, waggling his brows. “That’s what you were going to say, right?”

“No,” the fae drawled, scowling at the vampire. “Have you discovered your morals and finally left my mind alone?”

Sloane and Novak scoffed at the same time, asking two very different questions.

“What morals?”

“Why would I do that?”

Vaughn sighed as he joined us on the grass, propping himself up with his hands. He kicked at the vampire. “Your moral compass doesn’t have to point north, but don’t try to sway mine.”

“What did I do?”

“I’m used to you listening to my thoughts,” the fae acknowledged. “You don’t have to show me everyone else’s.”

Sloane narrowed her eyes. “What did he show you?”

The vampire sat up, spinning to face us as he shot her a coy grin. “They were hot. I want to watch, so I was trying to make it happen.”

“Novak,” she scolded. “Those were my dirty thoughts.”

He shrugged unapologetically. “And I was being supportive, making your newest fantasy come to life.”

“I could choke you right now,” she whispered, rubbing her hands over her face.