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What?
“No, of course you don’t. If you did, you’d have decked me in the face already, but you have self-control. Just because I’m a Philotes daimon doesn’t mean I stick my dick in everything with a pulse. I’ll tell you thisonce: I only have eyes for Grace. It’s your call whether you listen to me or your own insecurities—ones that stem from some bullshit ideas about Philotes in the first place. I’m not going to try to convince you.”
My face felt strangely hot, and for once I was glad I couldn’t speak because I’d have probably spouted something idiotic to try to defend myself. Had I needed some reassurance that Dare wasn’t interested in Bullet? Yes. But he was right in that I’d made some unfair assumptions based on nothing more than his line, and I knew exactly how frustrating it felt to be on the receiving end of that sort of thing.
“They’re waiting for you,” he said, tipping his chin at the cabin. “But you should know I’m not going to give you long. Grace and I just bonded, and your stupid jealousy is eating into our moment, so get in there and sort it out.”
I nodded stiffly, turning back to the cabin. Dare was right, I was fucking up what should have been a moment of joy for him and Grace, and I needed to get in there and reassure her. Grace was too compassionate on the best of days, but especially with her soul bonds. She wouldn’t be able to truly relax until I sorted this out, too worried about managingmyemotions instead.
“You have the biggest balls of anyone I’ve ever met,” I heard Riot mutter to Dare as I left, the comment making my lips twitch. I had to agree. Not many daimons had the stones to go toe-to-toe with me.
I nodded at Arsène as I went past, hunching over as much as possible to fit below deck.Never again.I’d never felt so claustrophobic in my life.
Grace immediately stood beneath the hutch when I entered the sleeping cabin, ushering me to the edge of the bed where she’d been sitting.
“Sit, you’re way too tall to stand in here,” she fussed. I let her drag me down next to Bullet, who was reclining on the bed with his fingers interlinked over his stomach, staring at me with one unimpressed eyebrow raised. The last time I’d felt so cowed by just a look, I’d been ten years old and I’d just kicked a football through Auntie Samira’s kitchen window.
Grace remained standing, wrapping her arms around her waist, and I hated that she looked so vulnerable in a moment that should have been celebratory. She had a new bonded, herlastbonded, and I was ruining it with my moodiness.
‘I’m sorry,’I signed immediately, before pulling a pen and notepad out of my pocket so I could give them more detailed explanations.
“It’s okay—” Grace began.
“Good, you should be fucking sorry,” Bullet said at the same time, huffing irritably. “You shouldn’t have assumed anything about Dare based on his line, for one. You definitely shouldn’t have assumed that anything would happen between me and Dare—we’ve known each other since grade school, we’refriends, always have been. Aside from that, you should trust that both Grace and I would talk to you if either of us intended to change the dynamics among the group.”
I nodded, thoroughly humbled by Bullet’s telling-off.
‘I was wrong,’ I scribbled on the notepad.‘I made offensive and incorrect assumptions about Dare, and I will apologize to him for that. I’m sorry that I let my feelings get in the way of what should be a special moment with Dare right now, and for diminishing the connection the three of us share.’
Grace read the note first, giving me a sympathetic smile before handing it to Bullet and stepping into my space. She wrapped her arms around my neck while I rested my head against her breasts, and I guessed I was forgiven if she was going to let me touch her like this. I couldfeelthrough the bond that I was forgiven, though she’d never really been mad in the first place, just worried about everyone else, and maybe a little disappointed.
Bullet crumpled up the paper, sighing dramatically enough that I knew he wasn’t really upset. “I suppose I forgive you. There’s no need to be so…”
He trailed off, and I twisted back to look at his face, his brows drawn down. Grace’s concern spiked, and I could admit that it wasn’t like Bullet to be lost for words.
“Never mind,” Bullet said eventually, plastering an easy smile on his face that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “You should probably get Dare back now. He and Grace are due for some snuggles now, don’t you think?”
I nodded with a wry smile, gently cupping Grace’s jaw and pulling her towards me, intending to give her a proper goodbye kiss before I left. To my surprise, she pulled away, the bond flooding with embarrassment. I frowned, cocking my head to the side.
“I, um,” Grace stuttered. “GaveBulletablowjob.”
I snorted. Did they thinkthatwould bother me?
I yanked Grace back onto my lap, pulling her face to mine and licking at the seam of her lips, encouraging her to open for me. Tasting Bullet’s cum on Grace’s tongue only made her sweeter to me.
Her arousal reignited like a low simmer in the bond as I ravaged her mouth, but I wasn’t going to let it go any further. I’d intruded on Dare’s moment for long enough.
‘Later,’I signed, pulling away and giving Grace a heated look. Bullet cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow at me expectantly, though a playful grin played around his mouth.
Bullet was always handsome, but in that moment, reclining on the bed, he invoked the image of a youthful Greek god. He wouldn’t look out of place in a toga, a bunch of grapes in one hand and a goblet of wine in the other, ideally lounging in the sunshine with the light reflecting off his golden hair.
“What?” Bullet asked, tilting his head to the side. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
‘No reason,’I mouthed, giving Grace’s hips a quick squeeze before lifting her off me and leaning across the mattress to reach Bullet. I pushed his hair back from his face, tangling a hand in it and angling his head back to capture his lips, teasing him with tongue and teeth before drawing back, letting him chase me.
There was an edge of desperation to our kisses that hadn’t been there before. A sense of urgency, even though the immediate risk had passed. Grace had saved Bullet. We’d visit the agathos of wisdom and find out how to lift the darkness, and things would go back to how they were. We had time.
Didn’t we?
