“Cole, I know I give you shit…” At my raised eyebrow, she rolls her eyes. “Okay, a lot of shit, and that I don’t take much seriously, but that’s only because I remember the friendship we used to have, and I forget that you...don’t. It’s hard reconciling the fact that someone you’ve spent centuries with and know better than almost anyone suddenly views you as a stranger.”
I would probably deny it if anyone asked, but I'd be lying if I said that there isn’t some sense of familiarity between us. A sense of trust, despite my lack of trust in just about anyone else, that is impossible to ignore. Releasing a sigh, I lean forward, my elbows hitting my knees and the glass of whiskey hanging from my left hand.
“I’m sorry, Reggie. Sometimes I forget that we’re not the only ones dealing with this entire fucked up situation.”
“No need for apologies. I just want you to know that while I call Fate my friend, the same applies to you and the guys too. That means I’m here if you need to talk, or have questions, or, hell, even if you need to shout at someone. I’m not going anywhere.”
The glass of whiskey suddenly becomes very interesting. Her words resonate somewhere inside me. Like this is something we used to do. Often. But the man I am now is struggling to come to terms with that fact. I have questions. Lot of them. And she has answers, so what’s stopping me from asking them? Taking another swig of whiskey while she patiently waits for my reply, I steel myself for answers I need but don’t necessarily want.
“Can I ask you a question?” I say softly.
There’s no hesitation as she immediately replies, “Always.”
“Did I always fuck up this badly where Fate is concerned?”
She snorts. “Oh yeah. You two are a lot like magnets. On one side, you’re two opposing forces, clashing any time you come close. On the other, your draw is so strong that it’s next to impossible to separate you.”
The analogy makes me smile because it’s one hundred percent dead on, and I feel something inside me relaxing, breathing a sigh of relief. The fact that this is normal for us goes a long way to settling something inside me that I wasn’t even aware of. Our eyes meet, and I see the humor glinting in her gaze, but there’s also sincerity when I pick up on a single thought.
Love like theirs is special, and I wish he could remember that.
“Thanks, Reg. That’s actually really helpful.”
“I know.” She smirks.
Chuckling, another question comes to mind which douses my budding good mood.
“But how am I supposed to keep her safe if my commands just bounce right off her?”
She laughs outright. “Dude, that never worked. Ever.”
“She’s always been immune to my power?”
The smirk grows into a full-fledged smile. “Always. And before you ask, you’re the only one she’s immune to.”
“Why the fuck am I the only one?”
“She told me recently that when she first saw you, she called you Alpha in her head. She didn’t know who you were, but something inside her remembered even when she didn’t. Your power is an alpha’s power of command, but she gifted that to you through your bond. Even if you would never admit it, we both know that she’s the true alpha of this group. It’s like the two cancel each other out.”
My brow furrows as I let my mind skim over everything she just said. Despite my need to dispute her claim, I know I can’t. It’s the truth, even if it twists my gut to know that her immunity to my power is a serious disadvantage when it comes to keeping her safe.
“You know it kills me to say this, but somewhere inside I know you’re right.”
Her eyes go wide, and she brings a hand up to her heart, feigning shock. “Did Ass-Cole just admit that I’m right? Has Hell frozen over? Are pigs flying? Is that the fat lady I hear singing?”
“Live it up now, Reg, because I’m not sure if a moment like this will ever happen again.”
Her smile grows as she looks at me. “Right, because the alpha would never ask the assistant for relationship advice. That would be very...unalphalike for sure.”
“This was not relationship advice. This was a friendly conversation.”
“Oh. Right. My apologies. Because caveman need no help with woman.” Her voice gets deeper on those last words, and I chuckle despite myself.
“Uh...Cole, man, I think you need to come see this.”
My eyes find Knox standing in the doorway to the study, nervously darting glances into the foyer. A brief thought flits through my mind.
The twins need to be prepared to protect Fate.
“Looks like playtime is over, Alpha. Go see what your little boy band member wants.”
Smirking, I stand and make my way over to Knox, finding Macklin standing at the base of the staircase. He’s looking increasingly nervous, and suddenly, I hear his question loud and clear in my mind.
What are they here for?
Glancing between the two, I ask, “What the fuck is going on?”
“That.” Knox points toward the door, and my eyes widen as they take in the sight in front of me.
Did you know that a man dressing you can be damn near as sexy as them undressing you? Yeah, me neither. But hell if I don’t want to dive right back into that twin sandwich as Levi helps me back into my pants. Or as Thad fastens my bra for me. It’s the quiet care they show me in this simple moment that makes my heart beat a little faster and proves to me these guys are so much more than they want everyone to believe. And that gets me just as wet as Thad’s little shadow schlong. Though honestly, it wasn’t all that little now that I think about it.
And...I’m soaked. Again. SeaWorld 2.0. This time I don’t have the safety of my panties either. Pretty sure one of the twins stole them. I could go ghost and materialize a pair, but I kind of like them knowing I’ve got nothing on under these jeans. Serves them right.
“You know, I distinctly remember you saying that you wouldn’t stop until neither of us could move. I kind of feel like I didn’t get the full experience I was promised.”
Twin groans fill the small space.
“Trust me, woman. I’ll keep that promise, but the bathroom is no place for that sort of sexathon. Let’s take this up to the bedroom where I can properly demonstrate every single thing I want to do to you.”
Levi straightens after helping me into my shoes, leaning in to drop a kiss on my forehead. “I’d like to show you a few things myself, sweets.”
The look in his eyes is one that I’ve never seen before. The desire, sure, but never the serious intensity he’s currently studying me with. It sure looks and feels love-ish, but it seems deeper somehow and way more complicated. The butterflies in my belly take flight.
A harsh knocking on the door interrupts the moment.
“Fucking Cole,” Thad mutters from behind me.
“I’m honestly a little surprised it took the jackass this long to hunt us down,” Levi murmurs thoughtfully.
“I’m honestly surprised you haven’t realized I can hear everything you fucknuts say through the goddamn door! Now open up.” Cole’s muffled reply comes from the hallway, with only a smidgeon of the irritation I’ve come to expect from the grumpy asshole. Weird.