Page 58 of Another Man’s Treasure

Kohdiy watches for a moment, then slithers to follow her. I note how he sinks lower on his coils so he doesn’t hover over her quite so high. The protective side of my nature rears up because the only things I’ve heard about the Gulch’s ophiotaurii clan aren’t good. But Willa was never much bothered by what other monsters had to say. She prefers to learn things in her own way.

If she’s unconcerned with Kohdiy’s presence, I probably should be too.

“Look at this,” she murmurs, staring at the pages of an open book on the table in front of her.

She and Kohdiy bend low over it.

“Portals leading all over the haven?” He glances down. “How is that possible?”

Oz jogs to them and peers over my sister’s shoulder. “Portals leading all over the haven? That’s not…legal, is it?” He looks back at me. “I knew Sipan Varian was a bit of an outlaw, according to Hearth Headquarters, but I wouldn’t have pictured him as, like, a secret portals kind of outlaw?”

“There likely aren’t many monsters left who knew him,” Kohdiy says quietly. “Well, and his mansion, of course.”

“Well, Hearth HQ just delivered a big document he’d apparently given headquarters at one point, but from what I’ve heard, it’s just information about some of his plans.”

Kohdiy looks down at him. “Did it mention the ophiotaurii?”

Oz blushes dark purple, shaking his head. “Not that I know of, but Shadow’s reading through it. You probably don’t know her, but she’s a green witch. Well, she⁠—”

He starts babbling, and Kohdiy looks away.

For the next hour, we scour as much of the room as we can. The book Willa was reading turns out to be one of a number of journals where Sipan brainstormed projects he wanted to do in Pine Gulch. His capacity for both planning and imagination seems endless. Most of the boxes above the workstation are filled with empty notebooks, like he planned to fill them all with ideas.

Willa’s absolutely lost in the details, gasping now and again when she finds something interesting.

Eventually, Oz starts yawning, and Ginger’s asleep on one of the big plush chairs in the center of the room.

“Willa, I’m taking them home, alright? You good here?”

My sister doesn’t bother to look up, just waves for me to go.

Kohdiy glances between us, then looks back at her. “I’ll stay.”

She flashes him a quick smile, then buries her nose back in the book.

I take Oz’s hand and kiss to Ginger, and family in tow, I head for the stairs to get everyone back home. Ginger pads along behind us, and Oz is silent until we’re back outside the mansion’s gates, standing on the sidewalk in the snow.

He smiles up at me. “So, husbear, your place or mine?”

I don’t hate that nickname. I don’t even hate that I’m not his husband and he’s calling me that. The possessive side of my nature that seems to be coming out in full force since I met Oz? That side of me is deeply appreciative of the verbiage he uses about us.

“Yours,” I say with a smile. “I haven’t fucked you there yet, sweetheart.”

Oz’s mouth drops open, and he blinks rapidly as he fans his face. “Not to mention we need to finish that conversation, Wild or Wilder. Surely Willa’s gonna keep herself busy for a few hours?”

Gods, I really hope so.

Oz

Every part of me tightens at Wild’s dirty talk. We’re gonna finish that conversation from earlier—I know we will—but this is like starting all over with him. Wild isn’t putting on a show for anyone; he’s just being himself, and I don’t know this version of him.

Trailing my fingers down his pec muscle, I trace the hardened point of his nipple as I smile. “We’ve got to do something about that, Mister Lane.”

He lifts his chin and stares, those green eyes piercing through me. His silence is so fucking sexy I can barely stand it. After a moment, he cocks his head to the side, dragging his gaze down my body to where our hands are clasped together. He looks back up, still totally silent, and smiles.

“I like Mister Lane, Oz, but you know what else might sound sexy?”

I stare up into that shocking gaze, slipping my free hand up his shirt to rest over his slowly thumping heart. “Tell me.”