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She hummed contentedly, leaning her head against my shoulder, occasionally nuzzling me like a happy kitten. Whatever fears I had about the bond, justified or not, it was still the best moment of my life.
“Does it feel different to have all four of your bonded, Amazing Grace?” Bullet asked, his voice pleased, if not a little slurred.
“It feels nice. Right, perfect. Not necessarilydifferent,” Grace explained. “More like this was the way it was always meant to be, and now it’s here.”
She stiffened for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.
“What is it?” I asked, rubbing her back and trying to work out what her sudden inner turmoil meant.
“I think Wild needs some… reassurance, or something.” Grace frowned. “There’s a lot of jealousy coming through the bond, which is weird.”
Bullet looked equally puzzled and I couldn’t quite suppress my chuckle that they hadn’t worked it out yet. “Bullet, you’re involved with Wild, right?”
“Right,” Bullet agreed, his red cheeks obvious even underneath the shadowy overhang that half covered his face.
“And I’m in here with both of you…”
“But he’s never responded badly to Riot being around us, and it’s the same, right?” Grace asked, glancing at me. Ah, that’s what that weird emotion had been when she wanted to know what I was suggesting with Bullet. She wanted to know ifIwas going to touch him.
“It’s the same in that my interest in Bullet is purely platonic. It’s different because Riot isn’t a Philotes daimon.”
Bullet glanced away, looking slightly ashamed, while the furrow between Grace’s brow grew deeper. “So? What does that have to do with it?”
“Daimons can be judgmental assholes, even of each other,” Bullet mumbled.
“Basically, I’m a Slutty McSlutterson Philotes daimon, and Wild probably thinks I had my hands all over his man because I wouldn’t be able to control myself,” I scoffed. “Which wouldn’t be true even if I was aregularPhilotes daimon who didn’t need to feel some baseline emotional connection to people to be interested in them. Every other Philotes I know has self-control. We’re not just mindless fuck puppets.”
“I’m sure Wild doesn’t think of you likethat,” Grace assured me quickly, looking horrified. I shrugged—maybe, maybe not. He was a Keres daimon, after all; I had no doubt he’d experienced his fair share of bullshit assumptions over the years because of his line too. “We’ve been staying with Vasileios for a month—weknowPhilotes daimons don’t just throw themselves at the nearest person. That’sridiculous,” she added vehemently.
“That’s probably too polite of a term,” Bullet sighed.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been a Philotes my whole life. I promise you I’m used to people making assumptions about me,” I snorted. Did it sting a little that it was coming from Wild? Yeah, a little. Not that we’d spent much time together for him to get to know me, but I guessed I wanted him to give me the benefit of the doubt the way I’d done for him.
He’d beat the crap out of Riot, and I’d still come here with an open mind, with no intention of holding it against him if Riot himself wasn’t going to.
“I’ll send Wild in, take over above deck for a bit,” I said, shifting Grace gently off my lap.
“No, we just bonded, we need to spend some time together—”
“We will,” I promised, pressing a firm kiss to her temple, trying not to let my annoyance with Wild show. Aside from the fact that his insecurities were cutting into my time with Grace, I just really wanted a fucking lie down—I hadn’t slept since we left the villa, and the cold was extra draining. “But it’s going to bother you that he’s out there thinking the worst, when a quick conversation can easily clear it up. I’ll let him know that I’ll be back to steal more time with you shortly, so he better get over himself fast.”
“We’ll make sure of it,” Bullet said firmly.
Chapter 16
Riotcutmeawarning look as I cracked my knuckles for the thousandth time, rolling my neck back and forth to release some of the tension that had been building up as Grace’s arousal had poured steadily through the bond. Grace, who was shut in a tiny, enclosed space with Bullet and a Philotes daimon she’d been eager to bond with since the moment she laid eyes on him.
I didn’twantto be jealous. I wasn’t of Grace’s relationship with Dare—I always knew she’d have four soul bonds and this came with the territory. But there was a possessiveness over Bullet that I hadn’t expected. I didn’t want to share him with anyone but Grace.
I never had, but after almost losing him this morning… Even this small amount of distance between us felt like too much. I needed to be close, to know he was okay, sandwiched safely between me and Grace.
Dare emerged from the cabin with a flashlight, sauntering out on the deck with all the swagger of a well-fucked daimon, and I briefly contemplated tossing him overboard.
He said a quick hello as he passed Arsène before stopping in front of me, leaning against the side of the boat with one hand on the railing to keep him steady, the sea breeze blowing his hair back out of his face. He was a pretty little bastard, I’d give him that.
Riot approached cautiously, eyeing the two of us like he wasn’t sure if he was going to have to break up a fight or not.
“You’re being a fucking idiot, did you know that?” Dare asked me casually. Riot’s jaw dropped, gaze bouncing between us as though he was watching a volleyball match. “Tell me, Wild, do you go around punching everything that moves because you’re a Keres daimon? Do you beat the shit out of every person who irritates you because you have no leash on your anger?”
