Veiled Spirits

After a moment in Bishop’s arms, I’m able to stuff my feelings down. I step back from his hug, swiping my hands over my cheeks. Hopefully, I don’t look like I’ve been close to crying. There’s really nothing I can do about it, though. I’m too scared to pull on my magic, even for a simple spell, right now. At least when I’m not blinded by rage at Luca for being an asshole.

“Thanks,” I tell Bishop before stepping around him. All three wolves are staring at me with concern. Even Luca.

“I’ll go on a date with each of you.” There’s no snark or fire anywhere in my words. All of it is gone and replaced with bone-deep exhaustion.

Luca’s eyes crinkle in worry, instead of flashing with victory, like I thought they would. “What just happened, little mate?” he asks.

“Nothing,” I answer, too done with tonight to come up with a creative lie.

Luca frowns at me. “You’re a shit liar.”

“Yeah. I know.”

He huffs out a laugh at my admission.

Bishop looks down at me for a moment before turning back to the wolves. “You basically told her you didn’t give a shit if she died. No one wants to hear their mate say that, Luca.”

I glare at Bishop for spilling my secrets. He just can’t help himself with the wolves tonight, it seems.

“What?” Luca exclaims. “I never said that!”

“You did when you told her you’d leave her to deal with her magic on her own. If Izzy loses control of her magic, she can die. Every single time her magic runs the show, there’s a risk she won’t ever come back.” Bishop’s voice gets choked up as he talks about something happening to me. My heart squeezes, seeing my normally stoic mate and best friend close to tears.

I give into the impulse to hug him, wrapping one of my arms around his back. Bishop breaks out into a huge grin at me being the one to initiate it. He bands his muscular arm around me and pulls me tighter into his side.

After dropping a kiss on the top of my hair, Bishop rests his cheek on my head for a moment. I allow myself a second to enjoy his comforting touch and scent.

“I thought losing control of magic was just an inconvenience for mages?” Luca is likely thinking of how young mages frequently lose control right after coming into their power at sixteen. Those control losses are little more than an annoyance. Certainly not a threat to entire towns.

“For most mages, yeah,” I confirm bitterly. Not only is my magic weird, but it also came in way too early. I got my magic at seven, which is unheard of. I’ve had to hide it for almost fourteen years, two-thirds of my life.

Luca tilts his head in consideration. “But not for you?”

“No.” I don’t want to say anything else and invite questions I can’t answer.

“Fuck. I’m sorry, little mate,” Luca tells me seriously. My eyebrows jump almost to my hairline at him apologizing. From what I understand, alphas never apologize. I don’t have much experience with wolves, though. “I’d never do anything to put you in danger. I’ll spar with you, without any conditions. Whatever you need, I’ll do it.” Luca rakes his hand through his short blond hair as he talks.

I’m taken aback by his concern. It soothes some of the jagged edges of my heart. The pathetic organ feels less like it’s a torn, bloody mess. With my sappy heart softened a little toward him, I try to compromise. “How about, if I win, no dates. If you win, then I’ll go on a date with each of you.”

Luca shook his head, seeming surprised more than anything. “You don’t need to do that, little mate.”

“I know. Do we have a deal or not?” I ask impatiently. He should agree before I change my mind. This is the only way they’ll ever get a date with me. And let’s face it—I’m going to lose. Without my magic, I have no hope of winning against the behemoth.

Is going on a date with each of them a spectacularly bad idea?

Yes, yes, it is.

Does my idiotic heart scream at me to spend as much time with them as I can?

Yes, yes, it does.

Hopefully, one date each will be enough to tide me over once I have to stop seeing them. Or it could just make the whole thing more complicated.

Who knows?

I’m winging it here. There’s no cheat sheet for getting through this. I just have to make it up as I go.

Luca flicks his aquamarine eyes between mine a few times before nodding. He sticks his hand out to shake. When I grasp it with mine, Luca says, “We have a deal.”