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“Is it the knot thing? Because that should have worked itself out now that you don’t have the healer mantle.”
My hands ball into fists at my sides.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve been so exhausted lately, sex is the furthest thing from my mind.”
In fact, since Drago appeared in my cottage, I hadn’t slept with either Rafe or Jonah.
Why?
You try only sleeping a few hours each night and see how frisky you feel. But let’s be real here. I’m an omega. Sex is never that far off my mind. So it wasn’t just a matter of being tired.
Honestly, it took me a few weeks to figure out what was really going on with me. But eventually, I realized that if I tried to take Rafe’s knot and some weird shit happened—like it’s bound to do with me—and I couldn’t…
I won’t make it through that nightmare again.
To be so close but still not there.
Nope. No, thank you. Not signing up for that bullshit again.
So I’ve been avoiding my guys. Pretending to fall asleep earlier than them each night.
It felt pretty shitty.
Less shitty than being disappointed again, though.
“If not that, then what is your problem?”
I finally look at Mari in earnest, taking in the still healing flesh on the side of her face and arm. The shiny, puckered burn scars take the longest injury for wolf magic to mitigate. It’s been weeks, and she still resembles Freddie Kruger. Or Two-Face.
But scars aside, she won. She’d wore me down.
“If you weren’t prepared to do the work, Marigold, why bother taking the healer magic from me?”
Her brow furrows. “Because I wanted to help you, Willa. Because I couldn’t stand seeing you suffering through that half-life, no matter how much you convinced yourself you were happy. What’s so hard to believe about that?”
“Seems to me that if you meant it, you wouldn’t complain so much about memorizing a few herbs. Or tending to the garden. Or the smell of boiling extractions and tinctures. If you actually wanted to help me… you wouldn’t be making my life harder now. I’ve got enough to worry about without trying to corral you into doing something you signed up for without asking me. Something I likely would have talked you out of if you had.” I pull a hand through my hair and try to stay out of my emotions. Try not to say what’s bubbling just beneath the surface.
But Mari pried this door open. She wanted to know what was behind it.
So I gave it to her. “You took a part of me, Mari, and you didn’t even bother asking if I’d be OK without it.”
Whoa. Until I said that aloud, I hadn’t known I felt so strongly about it.
And that’s why I hadn’t said anything. Just like I thought it might, all my frustration about every other situation got mixed up with Mari just being Mari.
The moment the words were out, I regretted them. I was too harsh.
Mari takes a beat, and her posture relaxes. “Finally. Fuck. How long have you been holding on to all that?”
Chapter4
Water off a Mari's back
That’sthe thing about being a twin.
I’d help her bury a body. No preamble or questions. Just like she takes it on the chin when I trauma-dump on her.
Mari picks up the herb bundle and holds it to her nose, taking a big whiff. “Welp, mostly I’d hoped that if I annoyed you enough, you’d quit using me as an excuse to ignore your problems. Plus, if I told you I was going to take the healer mantle, you would have tried to talk me out of it.”
