What the hell was that?
Two more mages rush out of the ballroom onto the balcony and a magic battle ensues. One of the mages is thrown from the roof and drops into the garden. He lands next to the fountain, his body bent at an angle that tells me he isn’t alive. Several more reinforcements rush outside.
Flashes of white magic whip through the air like strobes. Three more mages appear on the roof, and another two race around the back of the yard, cornering those on the balcony. I have no idea what’s going on but I don’t think I should stick around.
And if what I am thinking is actually happening, I need to be far away from here, fast.
I hurry back to the house, my mind racing with all the scenarios I’ve come up with during my run home. I dress as quickly as I can, not even taking the time to lace up my boots for the hike back through the snow. I take the stairs two at a time and I’m about to knock on Marco’s door when I realize they are not asleep. They aren’t anywhere near sleep. The three of them are less than ten feet away, enjoying a closeness I’ve been denying myself.
I figured being gone for hours would give them time to do their thing and fall asleep, but I guess they are going for another round.
Fuck.
It’s all right. This will be okay. They can’t have sex forever, and once they are done, I’ll knock. I sit down outside the door, pretending I can’t hear them. Pretending I can’t feel their pleasure and the deep satisfaction being together brings them. I will master this. We’re all too close. I will not be distracted. I lean my head against the wall, closing my eyes as I work to block out the flashes of the three of them that spring to my mind. I don’t want to see this. I don’t want to feel this. I can’t allow myself to let them in. Focus!
But the feelings from the three people on the other side of the door are too hard to ignore. They are the three people in this world I care the most about, and the way they feel about one another is nothing short of amazing. The trust Joely has for my brothers… it is absolute. They are giving her everything they have and taking everything she offers. There is no hesitation. No doubt. It’s just them, being together fully, completely. They are so together they’re oblivious to the fact that I am right here, only a thin door and a few short paces between us.
Did she decide to stay because I gave her the medallion? Because there’s not even the slightest hint of her fear now. I hate that I don’t know what she’s thinking.
I slide down the wall and close my eyes, trying to push every thought, every feeling aside. It still doesn’t work.
Fuck.
Chapter Six
JOELY
“Wake up! Happy Solstice! If you sleep all day, Yule be sorry!” Marco’s breath is warm in my ear as he nudges me.
“You’re too young for dad jokes.” I groan and roll over, right into Angus’s arms. “I know you’re all older than dirt, but you’re still too young for dad jokes.”
“Mmm.” Angus wraps his arms around me and pulls me close without opening his eyes, nestling me into his chest.
Marco slides off the bed. “Angus promised to help,” he says. “We have lots of work ahead of us.”
Angus opens one eye to look at Marco and then smiles at me. “He’s right. It’s part of the deal.” He plants a kiss on my mouth and then sighs heavily. “I vote that we start a new tradition of sleeping in for Midwinter.”
“Nope. Nope. And nope,” Marco says. “Salma would have your hide if she heard you say that.”
“All right. I need five minutes to shower.” Angus fishes his jeans from the pile on the floor.
“I’ll make coffee,” I say as I get up. I am unwilling to complain about being tired after the night the three of us had. I press my hand over the medallion, enjoying the weight of it against my chest. Something happened when Van put this on me that made our connection to each other stronger.
Even while he was running last night, I knew Van was struggling. His anger and frustration were a constant hum at the back of my awareness for the whole night, even while Marco, Angus, and I made love, which we did several times. Last night was beyond incredible. And it wasn’t just about the sex. I mean, well, the sex is fantastic with both of them individually, and with them together its simply breathtaking. But now it feels like we’ve moved to a whole new level of closeness as a result of whatever this medallion unlocked.
The fears I had last night feel minuscule and petty now. Whatever worry I had yesterday, whatever pushback I feel from Van, is gone. I know that they won’t turn their backs on me. I didn’t get a chance to give them my gifts, which means I didn’t tell them what’s going on with me and my family. But that’s going to change. I will tell them today.
I pull the door open and Van spills onto the bedroom floor. He opens his eyes and blinks up at me, confused for a moment, as if realizing where he is and not understanding how he got here. He scrambles to his feet in a hurry and towers over me, his hair sticking up on one side.
“Did you sleep here?” I ask, regretting it instantly as Van’s face flushes bright red.
“Hey. I um… I didn’t want to disturb you guys… When I came back you were um…” His blue eyes are darker than Angus’s and he holds my gaze like he has more to say.
I stare up at him, waiting, willing him to
