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I finally understand why Asher was such a lovesick fool last year. Even though I’m not completely certain that what I feel is love—too soon—I know it could easily become love, if given the chance. And knowing that, I’ll happily and with gusto rip apart anyone who dares upset Cam. The thought actually makes me a little giddy. I wonder if Cam would appreciate seeing me smite his enemies?
Does he even have enemies? Maybe that one random guy who keeps texting him. I could smite him.
I’m thinking about the finer details of smiting someone—does it have to be with a sword, for instance—when my phone rings. Gideon’s name is on the screen, and I answer quickly. He prefers to text rather than call.
“Gideon? Is everything okay?”
“Of course,” he snaps. “Can’t I just call you?”
Ahh, there’s our murder baby. He’s always been this grumpy, even before he knew what the word meant. I have fond memories of him scowling at us from his perambulator.
“It’s always good to hear from you. How’s Sam?” I met his longtime boyfriend—and the head of the community of species—in person for the first time last summer. We’ve managed to catch up a few times since then, including at Asher’s wedding. “Has he pulled any more muscles dancing?”
“We don’t speak of that,” Gideon warns. He’s rabidly protective of Sam. Murder baby has a favorite toy. “He’s good. Busy with work. Why are people such asshats?”
I lean back in my chair and put my feet on the coffee table. “Some of them come by it naturally.”
“We should be allowed to kill those people,” he grumbles. “What have you been up to?”
I sit up and put my feet back on the floor. The question sounded awkward, probably because Gideon never asks stuff like that. But then, he never randomly calls, either. Is today some kind of nexus of weirdness? Should I expect Grandmother to suggest we invite her worst enemies to dinner?
“Are you sick?” I ask Gideon. “You never like to chat.”
There’s a moment of silence, and then he sighs. “Sam says I need to be more social. He wanted me to join a sporting team or a club or something stupid like that, so I said I’d be social with people I can tolerate.”
I grin and return to my former comfortable position, feet finding their place on the table. That sounds more like Gideon. “As one of the few people you can tolerate, I’d like to thank Sam for the leverage this gives me.” The growl that reverberates down the line makes me want to laugh. He’s so predictable. “You need to be social, hm? You could come for a visit. We have dragons arriving this afternoon.”
“I know. Who do you think had to tell Grandmother? And then argue with her over the details? I get enough dragons at work, thanks.”
“Are they troublesome? Cam’s excited about meeting them, but if they’re going to hurt his feelings, I can run interference.”
“Troublesome, yes. But they won’t hurt anyone’s feelings.” He hesitates. “So… Cam. You sound very protective of him.”
I briefly consider recording this conversation. Gideon attempting casual gossip is hilarious. He’s trying, though, and since Cam is possibly talking to Garrett about how much he doesn’t want to be here, it can’t hurt to get another opinion, right?
“How did you know Sam was the one for you?”
Themeepsound that comes down the line isn’t one I’ve ever heard Gideon make before. He clears his throat. “I beg your pardon. Um. Yes. Sam.”
This isn’t going well. “Never min—”
“No, no. I have this. It’s important.” He pauses. “I don’t know.”
That’s approximately the level of helpfulness I was expecting from him. “Okay. What aboutwhendid you know?”
He makes a humming sound. “Did Asher tell you I wasn’t completely truthful when I told you how Sam and I met?”
“No?” I make a mental note to ask Asher about this later. How dare he have interesting information and not share it?
“We had a one-night stand.”
“Ha, just like Asher,” I crow. “I’ll have to warn Zac to stay away from casual hookups unless he wants to end up married.”
Gideon ignores me. “Then he started working for CSG. I was horrified, and I… avoided him for five years.”
“Avoided him how?” I didn’t miss that little pause. There’s something he’s not telling me.
“He claims to have thought I was going to murder him. An exaggeration, but I possibly did use some intimidation tactics to keep him from getting close.”
