Page 92 of Witch Untold
Tor dropped his chin, hands curling into fists, shoulders rising and falling rapidly. He spun on his heel and left the room, bumping shoulders with Leif as he entered.
“Hey?” Leif threw a confused look my way. “What the hell is his probl—” He stopped and sniffed the air. “Oh…”
I sighed. “Jasper was here.”
Leif nodded curtly. “Uh-huh. Yeah.”
Rune chuffed.It’s okay, Cora.
Yeah, if holes in the head were okay. “Is it? Because you guys said you were okay with it, but you don’t look like you’re okay with it?”
And I was saying the word “okay”a lot.
Leif walked across the room and opened the window. “We just need to air out the room.” There was a distinct growly edge to his voice now too. He stood with his back to me for long seconds, breathing in the cool winter air before turning to face me. “It’s fine. You and Jasper are fine, but I think we need to come to an agreement.”
And why was I feeling so guilty all of a sudden? “What kind of agreement?”
“If you want to get sexual with Jasper it can’t be here, in this room, in that bed.” He walked over to me, his body all lean lines and powerful muscle, and for a moment I was tempted to back up. But this was Leif, and there was no threat emanating from him, just tension. He cupped my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. “We were raised to learn to share a mate, and although the human part of us understands that you love Jasper, our wolves don’t. Our wolves can’t accept him as part of our dynamic. So, we need to have boundaries. This is our space. You, Tor, Rune, and me.”
That sounded reasonable. “Okay. What do you suggest?”
He closed his eyes briefly, as if it pained him to say the next words. “You and Jasper stay in the cabin when he comes to…stay.”
He meant when we wanted to bang.
He opened his eyes and there was no ignoring the conflict and hurt in them, and in the next moment I felt it too. Their pain, disappointment, and confusion punched me in the chest, forcing me to take a step back and suck in a breath. A vise gripped my heart, bringing tears to my eyes. I knew this feeling; it was the same feeling I got when I thought of them with another woman, something two of them would have to do soon.
No. Don’t think about that. “When will you be doing the procreating thing?”
Fuck, why had I asked that?
Leif flinched as if I’d struck him, brows coming together slightly. “Why would you bring that up now?”
“I just…I don’t know.” I looked at my feet. “Urgh.”
“I don’t want to, Cora. You know that, right?” He hooked a finger under my chin and forced me to look at him. “I love you. We all do. The last thing we want to do is hurt you. There will be trying times, bumps in the road. Like this one…” His smile was wry. “But we’ll get through them. Procreation can wait. Itwillwait for as long as we can put it off.”
And how long would that be. Fuck. I couldn’t let myself dwell on this shit.
“I’m not sorry for being with Jasper, Leif, but I am sorry about…” I waved a hand toward the bed.
No,Rune said.You have nothing to be sorry about. We should have discussed this. It’s not your fault.
I shot him a grateful glance.
Leif drew me close, as if he was about to kiss my forehead, then pulled back. “I love you, Cora, but maybe you could take a shower?”
“I need to speak to Tor.”
“Then youdefinitelyneed to shower first.”
* * *
I tookthe quickest shower of my life, tugged on leggings, a sweater that fell to my thighs, and fur-lined, Eskimo-style, gray pull-on snow boots to match the color of my jumper, then topped it with my fleece jacket and headed out of the house in search of Tor.
My connection to him told me he hadn’t gone far. It also told me he was pissed. I rounded the house and headed toward a strange thwacking sound to find Tor stripped to the waist, standing in the snow, swinging an axe as he cut wood for the fire. I saw the guys naked all the time, but each time was like the first, a slug to the chest and a skip of the pulse.
Steam rose off his torso and his breath made pillowy clouds in the air with each exhalation. If he sensed my presence, he didn’t show it. Muscle danced beneath his taut bronze skin as he bent to pick up another small log with one hand and place it on the chopping stump.
