Page 53 of Claim Me
Ifit doesn’t work, then you’ll know it’s the spell.
And so will they,I point out.
True. So maybe it’s time you tell them about it and let them know what the Outcast Coven has been doing.
My lashes flutter.What?
They’re involved now, Fallon. Whether they want to be or not, if the spell has bound you together, they’re involved.
I sit back down on the couch, my lungs deflating along the way.Shit.
Yeah.
I chew my lip.I… I don’t think I’m ready to tell them yet. I’m not even sure how to begin to explain it, either.
It doesn’t have to be today,Issy points out.But I would do it soon. If they find out about the spell before you tell them, it’s going to paint you in a bad light.
I know.
So I wouldn’t sit on it too long,she stresses.These guys have known you for a year. And I don’t care what you say—those phantoms are smitten.
You don’t even know them, Issy.
I don’t need to know them. I know how they make you feel and what they do for you. That’s not guard behavior, Fallon. That’s worship behavior. They’ve wanted you for months.
I snort.All any of these guys want are my secrets.
Maybe they want your secrets so they can allow themselves to want you,she suggests.And don’t bother arguing with me about it. We’ve done that on repeat for months. Just… give them a chance. They’re not Klas.
No, they’re definitely not Klas,I agree softly, thinking back to how gentle Nox and Bane have been over the last year. Especially last night.
I close my eyes and picture them kneeling again, their eyes intent. My stomach flutters, the image one I’ll likely never forget.
They knelt for me,I marvel, the words for me and not for Issy.All because they think we’re mates…
My shoulders fall and I shake my head. I could go in circles for hours on this and not progress forward at all.
What I need is a distraction.
Spell-induced nap,I think, recalling Issy’s earlier statement.What did you mean about your spell-induced nap?I ask her through our telepathic bond.
Issy blows a raspberry through my mind.I knew you weren’t going to let that go.
Obviously not. What’s going on?
It’s… complicated.
I think I know a bit about complicated right now, Issy.
I think I prefer your version of complicated, Fallon,she mutters back.I… I actually don’t really know how to explain it. I think I’m still sleeping right now. Nothing about my room feels right.
I frown.What do you mean?
Well, for starters, my books are blank. So that’s not normal, right? And I swear my sheets are a different shade of blue.She sounds frustrated.EitherI’m losing my mind, or the patriarchs put me in some sort of fucked-up com—
A piercing shriek echoes through my mind, cutting off Issy’s words and distorting everything around me.
Issy!I shout, my hands covering my ears in a futile effort to silence the siren.What the fuck is that?!
