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He growled a bit, not helping my resolve to keep my head. They hadn’t proclaimed they were my mates, and he hadn’t dated, but he wanted to kiss me.
I didn’t have it in me to say no.
“Ava, I’m going to need a real word. May I kiss you?”
Our eyes met and I gathered all my wits, which were fizzling at best in his presence. “Yes. Lex. Kiss me.”
His lips met mine, and I instantly craved all of him. I pulled myself closer by wrapping my arms around his neck. Our mouths moved as though we’d been kissing for decades and had finally perfected it.
“You taste like every dessert wrapped into one,” he said, moving back to catch his breath. I loved that I had that effect on him.
“I thought I heard you two.”
I gasped as Nolan took a seat across from us.
Shit. Why did I feel like I had just cheated on Nolan and Wolfe?
Chapter Fourteen
“I found the book I was looking for.” Nolan waved a small volume elegantly bound in ancient leather. “It was really buried back in the stacks.”
“Everything you need for that class seems to be like that.” Lex shook his head. “I’m not sure why you were so determined to put yourself through that.”
“You know I was intrigued, and despite the difficulties of finding the materials, it’s fascinating. Imagine learning from a real wizard.”
“Okay, now I’m intrigued.” I looked from one to the other. “What class is taught by a wizard? I thought all our teachers were shifters, and mostly all wolves.”
“It’s shifter magic. Although Merle is a wizard and not a shifter, he knows everything about inherited magic that crops up from time to time among us. So many people think that the only way we are touched by things beyond the ordinary is our connection to our animals, and of course, for the lucky, mates provided by Fate.” Nolan’s animation while discussing this matched mine at hearing him discuss it.
“But that’s not all of it?” I asked eagerly, still aware on one level that Nolan had walked in on Lex and I kissing, but that he seemed not bothered at all, as he told us all about what was clearly his favorite class. “There can be more?”
“Absolutely, all sorts of gifts or powers can appear in shifters at various times.”
“Wow.” Wolfe already had witnessed my healing, and I wondered whether I should tell the other guys right now. “And when these various gifts show up, how are the recipients treated?” My mom had definitely given me the idea that I risked everything up to shunning if anyone learned about my power. It made no sense to me then or now. How much more innocuous could it be?
“That’s something we have discussed in class.” Nolan set the book down, but he still touched it as if he didn’t want to let it go. Would he ever feel that way about me? Was I even up to having three mates if they decided they wanted that to happen? Even if Fate did set us up with mates, we had the choice whether to accept them or not. At least in theory—I’d never heard of anyone rejecting their fateds. “People can be quite cruel, especially if they are envious of what another possesses that they want for themselves.”
“Speaking of which…” When had I taken Lex’s hand? Or had he taken mine? “Did you think it was weird that we were kissing right here in the library?”
“No. So far as I know there are no anti-kissing rules here. I want to read you guys something.” Nolan opened the book and scanned down a page before looking up at me again. “Wait. Did you think I should be envious of something my brother here possesses? Because I don’t feel that way nor do I consider you anyone’s possession.”
Lex stroked my hand. “Me either. Or Wolfe. We don’t mind sharing as long as you don’t. Would you like to go out on a date?”
Sharing? “I know there are people who have relationships with more than one other person, but the males where I come from are somewhat on the jealous side. I think that’s why my mom mated outside the pack. She told me she didn’t want to be anyone’s possession…that’s what you were saying, isn’t it?”
Nolan bobbed his head up and down.
“So, are you asking me to go out with you, Lex, or is this an invite from all three of you?”
“It can be one, two, three…whatever you like.”
I had been close to telling them about my healing gift, asking if there was anything like that in the book Nolan touched with such affection, but the whole idea of being mates with three males sort of jumped into the front seat in my brain. “All three?”
“Is that a question?” Lex asked, still touching my hand in such a distracting way. “Or are you saying you’d like us to all go out with you at the same time?”
“All three,” I repeated without the question mark this time. “But I’m not saying we have to…that is…”
Lex lifted my hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle. “At your pace, female. How about we start with dinner or something before we worry about the naked part?”
