Page 7 of Witch Untold
“They’ll be okay,” Sloane said.
Jasper was uber powerful. I’d never doubted him, not even when he’d been bound by the amulet. If anyone could get Elijah and Bramble back, it was him, but the squirrelly feeling in my stomach said differently.
“I hate that I can’t do anything.”
“You know what I do when I feel helpless?” Sloane’s mouth tilted slightly in a wry smile. “I punch shit. You wanna go punch shit with me?”
Her eyes twinkled with the promise of a good time, notthatkind of good time, but still, my body reacted to her proximity with a flush. Iwantedto spend more time with her, even if it was punching shit, but it was late, and my guys were waiting for me.
“I’d love to, but Leif’s made lasagna. I need to get home.”
Home. Fuck, that sounded good.
Was that disappointment in her eyes?
She brushed a tendril of hair back from my face, tips of her fingers grazing my cheek. “Another time, then, Cupcake.”
I nodded, my throat suddenly tight. “Yeah. Another time.”
* * *
The cabin was saturatedwith the meaty aroma of a hearty lasagna. Two helpings digested in my stomach while I was seriously contemplating a third. Damn, Leif could cook.
Rune lay on the floor by my chair, eyes closed but wide awake. I could feel his thoughts like a soft buzz in the back of my mind. Tor sat opposite me, fingers tapping lightly on the tall glass of water by his plate, while Leif sat at the end of the table to my left, empty plate pushed away, body relaxed, except…They weren’t relaxed. Not at all.
Tension thrummed between us and down the threads that bound us.
I put my fork down and rested my forearms on the table. “Okay, what is it?”
Leif looked to Tor, and Rune lifted his head.
Yep, something was definitely up. “Spill it.”
Tor’s powerful shoulders heaved in a sigh. “It’s about Jasper.”
I was instantly on the defensive. I guess that came with the territory now that I’d accepted I was in love with my malevolent tag-along.
“What about him?”
“You told him you loved him.” Tor’s eyes narrowed and a dark look slid across his features.
Hurt?
Was he hurt by that?
My chest felt suddenly hollow. Fuck. The last thing I wanted to do was wound my mates, but I wasn’t about to lie to them either. “Yeah. I love Jasper. I know it’s insane. I know it makes no sense, but—”
“Love doesn’t always make sense.” Tor gave me a wry smile. “It can hit you hard when you least expect it.”
The way he said it, the way he was looking at me…did he…No. We barely knew each other. We were still learning about each other, growing closer, but my pulse quickened anyway. “Tor, what are you saying?”
He looked away, jaw tight, and it was Leif who answered.
“We’re falling in love with you, Cora. You may not want it or need it, but it’s happening. This is nothing to do with the mate bond, this is…This is different.”
Heat spread up my neck and settled in my cheeks. They were falling in love with me? I’d sensed something, but I’d explained it away as the mate bond. Explained my own growing feelings as part of an enforced connection, but I wasn’t so sure about that anymore. In fact, I was pretty certain I’d been lying to myself by doing my ostrich impression.
What we had was real and organic.
