Page 116 of Witch Unexpected
He exhaled heavily. “Forever. Sleep is reticent, and when it comes, it’s fleeting.”
Wait a second, was this why he hated being woken up in the morning? “Have you seen anyone about it?”
He gave me alike helllook. “I’ve got it under control. What about you? How often do you wake up in the middle of the night?”
“A few times a week.” I shrugged. “I can usually fall asleep again, but sometimes I’m just wide awake, like now.” I plucked his glass from his hand and raised it to my lips. The whiskey was smooth and woody. “This is good.”
He arched a brow. “You like whiskey?”
“My alcoholic beverage of choice.”
His mouth lifted in a half-smile. “I have quite a collection.”
“Then I hope you’re willing to share.” I took another sip, and he swiped the glass off me with a small smile.
“I might, if you’re a good girl.” His tone dropped to a gravelly caress.
My pulse spiked, but I schooled my expression to return his arched brow. “A good girl? What does that mean?”
His gray eyes were dark steel as they roved over my face. “Unfortunately, that information is very much outside of the friend zone, and I promised to respect your boundaries, so until you move them, you’ll never know.”
My stomach flipped, and a pang of disappointment lanced through me for what wouldn’t be. But it wouldn’t be the first time I’d denied my body what it wanted.
“It won’t be easy,” Tor said.
“What?”
“Keeping the boundaries. The bond will draw us closer. It will open you to us and us to you, and there are so many delicious ways to circumvent the no sex rule.”
My mouth was suddenly dry. “I’m sure there are, but I can handle it if you can.”
He met my gaze with an intense one of his own. “I never renege on a promise, Cora. You have my word I’ll keep things platonic.”
I shivered as a breeze slid down my spine.
He handed me his glass. “Wait here.”
He strode into the house but returned a moment later with a blanket and Rune. He draped the blanket over my shoulders, and Rune lay on the bench, then rested his head on my lap.
Tor reclaimed his seat beside me and took his glass back. “Now, tell us about Necro City. Tell us about you.”
And so, I did. I told my potential mates everything there was to know about me, and then I listened to Tor, his warm baritone a soothing rumble in my ears as he told me stories of their childhood. Ones that made me laugh and ones that made me wince. Stories that told me that these three wolves were an unbreakable unit, soon to be bound to me.
My eyelids began to droop as the sky turned gray, and I was in Tor’s arms, his scent heavy in my head, cedar and pine and comfort.
He tucked me into bed and smoothed back my hair as Rune settled at my feet. “Goodnight, Cora.” He brushed his lips across my forehead in a featherlight kiss.
But I was already drifting away, ready for the days to come. Ready to be bound to these amazing men.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Are you excited?” Charlotte asked over the rim of her coffee mug.
“If you’re asking if my stomach is in knots, then yeah.”
The male wolves were out on a run, tradition before an anchor ceremony. Before they left, Sten, Arne, and Toke had gathered around Charlotte like a human shield, each hugging her for long agonizing seconds. Toke had caught me watching and smiled tiredly. He had Rune’s eyes, hazel but flecked with more green than gold, and his hair was a deep, almost black brown. He kept it tied in a man bun. Out of the three of them, he looked the most exotic with dusky skin and almond eyes. I’d looked away, not wanting to intrude on the moment, and now they were gone.
Charlotte drained her cup and offered me a watery smile. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying.
