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“WHAT?”Rook and Iscreech together.
Rook’s wolf surfaces, and he lets out a vicious snarl. I’m on my feet again in a flash, jumping between him and Charlie before things get messy. “Easy, Rook. It was an accident. We’ll figure this out.”
“Accident, my ass!” Rook roars. “He tricked you somehow! He had to have! I’ll kill him!”
A white-faced Charlie holds up both hands as if to ward Rook off. “I didn’t trick her. I swear.Shereached out tome.”
Terrance folds his arms across his chest and glares at the man. “You didn’t have to accept it.” His voice is steel, and his eyes promise a slow, painful death. “Obviously she wasn’t herself. You took advantage of her.”
My defenses go up, and my protective streak rears its ugly head again. I step in front of Charlie, blocking him from Rook’s and Terrance’s hostility. “He didn’t have a choice. He was blissed out on my siren juju. He would have done anything I wanted. This is my fault.Ilost control of my power, and now he’s stuck with me.”
The weight of my actions slams down on me, and my voice gives out. “I assume mate bonds are for life, right?” All three men nod their heads. My eyes well with tears, and I force myself to face Charlie. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to take away your choices.”
Waves of peace and satisfaction wash over me through my mate bond. Charlie surprises me with a rueful look. “Don’t feel guilty. I was practically begging you for this exact thing not ten minutes ago. You and I both know I would have accepted the bond with or without your siren’s song.”
He winks and lifts my hands to his lips, ignoring Rook’s warning growls. On the outside he’s trying to play this off lightly—he doesn’t want to freak me out—but his thoughts are much more serious. They’re full of devotion and hope for our future. I’m more than he’s ever dreamed of, and he’s determined to make sure I never regret bonding myself to him.
I pull my hands from his because I don’t want to hear any more of his thoughts, but he takes it as a sign of my discomfort. “Please don’t be afraid of our connection,” he says. “You may not know much about being fey yet, but this is natural. We fey are often ruled by our instincts. Something in you recognized something in me. If we weren’t compatible, the magic wouldn’t have allowed the bond to be completed.”
Terrance harrumphs. “He’s right.” He sounds so annoyed by that fact that I crack a small smile. When I meet his gaze with a question, he shrugs a shoulder. “When our instincts kick in, there’s not much we can do about it. Remember when we first met and my protective instincts were triggered? I had no choice but to claim you as clan.” He winces and quickly adds, “Not that I don’t like having you.”
My smile grows bigger, and I pat his arm. “I know, T-man. I love being stuck with you, too.”
He rolls his eyes and looks away, but his lips twitch into the tiniest little pleased smile.
Now that I’ve calmed down, I turn to the one man who’s become suspiciously quiet. Rook has put some space between us. He’s leaning against the wall near the door, with his jaw clenched and his hands folded across his chest. When our eyes lock, I’m startled to see so much hurt reflecting back at me. My throat closes up, and I step toward him, arms outstretched. “Rook.”
“Why him?” he asks in a pain-filled plea.
I swallow a lump in my throat and shake my head. “I don’t know.”
Rook glares at me. “He’s a stranger, Nora. And you claimed him as a mate. Youbondedwith him. You haven’t even considered bonding with me.”
I suck in a soft breath and blink back tears. The devastation in his expression is ripping my heart to pieces. “Rook. You know I love you. What happened tonight doesn’t change that.”
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “It’s not enough, Nora. My wolf…he needs the bond. Especially with all the other men in your life. He won’t settle down without it. We need our mate.”
I grab his hands and squeeze them tight. I never want to see this much pain coming from him ever again. I’ve been nervous about allowing the wolf mate bond because I’m afraid that his wolf will get crazy possessive and not let me near the others. But I can’t stand hurting him. I’ll give him whatever he wants, if he’ll just stop looking so destroyed. “Is that something we can do? Even though I’m fey?”
Rook nods once. “It’s rare, but it’s been done before.”
“And what about now that I’ve been bonded to Charlie? You think it can still work? Could I be bonded to both of you?”
Rook’s eyes flash to mine, and then we both look to Terrance as if he’ll have the answer. Terrance shrugs again. “I’ve never heard of it being tried, but it might work. You can only ever have one fey mate bond, but shifter magic is different than fey magic.”
I look at Rook and voice my only hesitation. “If I bond with you, will your wolf have even more issues with the others?”
He glares at the ground and grinds his teeth. “If he does, I’ll deal with it.”
I cup his cheek and force him to look at me. “Then let’s try it.”
Rook stiffens. He tries to stamp down his hope, but he can’t. He wants this so badly it’s killing him. Not mating with me has been driving a wedge between him and his wolf. He needs this to be at peace again. The depth of his need is startling.
“Why didn’t you tell me how much you need this?” I ask. “You’ve never brought it up.”
He gulps, and his eyes fall shut again. He leans into my hand as if my touch is the only thing keeping him sane at the moment. “I didn’t want to push you. You kept saying I’m not your mate.”
Guilt nearly swallows me whole. I was only trying to keep his wolf in control. I never meant to suggest that I didn’t want him. I place both of my hands on his cheeks and lock my eyes on his. “I was confused because of my feelings for all of you. I never meant to reject you. But once you moved in and accepted me, harem and all, things changed. Of course you are my mate. You and your wolf aremine. And if he needs the bond, then let’s not wait another minute.”
