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"You think? I asked. "Wait.Whatdo you think? That I could date you, Dex, and Knox? All at the same time?" The idea was hot, but daunting. What did I know about having a relationship with one guy, much less three? The longest I kept anyone's interest was a month or two.
I was much better with one night at a time.
"Why not?" Bain asked. "Dex hasn't made any secret of his feelings for you. I know how I feel. We have talked about it, and none of us minds."
I gaped at him. It was fortunate he couldn't see my expression right now. Then again, if he could sense my thoughts, he'd know the turmoil they were in right now.
"Youtalkedabout it? Aboutme?That's presumptuous. You don't even know if I like any of you."
Bain chuckled. "Of course you do, we're awesome. Me in particular. I wouldn't mind if I didn't have to share. Whatever makes you happy, I'm here for it."
"I'm starting to think you got hit harder than I thought," I said dryly. "Or I did." I didn't remember getting struck, but I could be concussed.
Come to think of it, my head did hurt slightly. Right in the centre of my forehead, in the same place I get tension headaches. I might have been knocked forward and hit my head on the ground. Yeah, that sounded about right.
"If that's what you want to believe." Bain sounded unworried. "I'm not asking you to decide what the rest of your life will look like. Not right now."
"Good, because I don't know," I said. After a minute I added, "You know, it's funny."
"What is?" he asked.
"When we first met, I was pretty sure you hated my guts," I said.
"No," he said softly. "Far from it. I was—" He fell silent for a while. "I was wary," he said finally. "I figured the Covener sent a witch to stir up trouble. I expected you'd be in the Vault for a day or two, maybe a week."
"And what?" I asked. "Run back home and cry about the big, bad shifters?"
"That or end up with a knife in your heart," he said.
"Courtesy of you?" I guessed.
"Me or Dex," he said. "Yes. It didn't much matter who."
"Wow, that's a cheerful thought," I said sarcastically. "Would you have decided with rock, paper, scissors?"
"Something like that," he agreed. "Or I would have followed Dex's orders."
"For a while there, I thought you followed someone else's," I admitted. "The hemitheos, or whoever they're working for."
"And now?" he prompted.
"Getting caught and stuffed into a truck along with me seems extreme," I said. "A good way to throw suspicion off yourself."
"Do you really believe that?" His grip on my hand tightened.
"No," I said slowly. "I don't think you'd be that deceptive. Unless Dex told you to, and we haven't seen him in ages. Of course, that doesn't mean—"
"He didn't," Bain interrupted. "He wants you kept safe, whatever it takes. He's going to be pissed when he learns about this. Nothing I can't handle," he added quickly.
"Of course," I said. "Dex is mostly harmless, isn't he?"
"Mostly, yes," he agreed. "Certainly much less harmless than our friends who put us in here. They seem to think the Vault would be better off without Dex and Devlin, but would it really?" He spoke loud enough to be heard over the truck's engine, but not enough that the driver could hear, unless they had speakers or something set up.
"I think provoking them might be a bit harder than that," I said. I felt around in front of me. I was hoping for a canvas wall, or something we could break through. My hand touched more hard metal. I tapped it with my knuckles. If anyone heard, they didn't tap back.
Rude.
"Too hard to shift and slash through," I said. I didn't bother to hide my disappointment.
