All eyes on her, Cassandra wasn't sure what they expected from her as a reaction, so she curtsied with a small smile. She was sure she looked ridiculous, but the men looking back at her appeared almost... charmed? "Thanks," she said. Normally, she'd argue this point, but she'd done a lot of that lately, and it was starting to sound like denial of the truth even to her.
"My work here is done," Rasputin said, turning as if to leave the shop—and vanished.
"What a weird man," Cassandra said, looking after him or where he'd been standing just a minute ago.
"You get used to it. Kind of," Isaac said, and Nick nodded in agreement.
"So... the philosopher's stone?" Cassandra asked, looking between the guys, who nodded.
"Yes, of course," Merlin said, his smile still wide. "It's off to an excellent start, and there's no reason to cut the experiment short simply because our friend is no longer in mortal danger."
"I'll take the first shift," Cassandra said, looking into the pot now that it seemed to no longer be at risk of exploding.
Nick smiled at her, and for once she felt how genuine it was. "How about I take that shift with you, and I can explain everything in our notes?"
"No fair!" Merlin shouted in response, though he was back to his playful self if his tone said anything, and Cassandra was learning his tone said everything. "How come you get to have her shift with her?"
"I don't... I don't know how this is supposed to work," Cassandra said, waving her hand between all of them. "I know the way you've all been talking about it—like we're all supposed to have our happily ever after together. And now you're play-fighting over me. Are you competing for my attention? That sounds ridiculous even to me."
"Oh, come on now," Merlin said, amused. "I know it's only been a couple of days, but don't you know me well enough already to know I don't compete with my friends over women? Goodness, who do you think I am?"
"So what Rasputin said isn't true? I-"
Nick cut her off, pulling her into him to kiss her, and she melted against him. He held her to him tightly, letting his lips dance against hers in a way that answered everything she needed him to answer, and then he released her, pushing her toward Merlin.
"What-?" she started to ask, but Merlin answered her in his own way, too, kissing her deeply with a buoyant enthusiasm that was all him, and now that her body realized that she was, in fact, being kissed again for the first time in years, she could really kiss him back, and she felt him smile as he released her, too.
He didn't push her the way Nick had, but took one hand, moving in a way that turned her toward Isaac before he let go. Isaac approached her, but did so slowly, and looked her in the eyes for a long moment as he put his hands on her shoulders. He raised his eyebrows in a question, and her breath caught in her throat. But she found it in her to lean in towards him, to press her lips gently against his in an answer. And that was all he needed, it turned out; he pulled her into him in response, sweeping one of her legs to bend her over like men did in old time-y movies. Merlin clapped and whistled, but he ignored him. Besides, Cassandra didn't even mind the audience.
Finally, Isaac finished, and Cassandra was released to stand on her own two feet. She blinked several times to take in what exactly was happening, then looked from man to man, trying to find the words to tell them how she felt.
"Everything clear yet?" Merlin joked, but there was something under the teasing that carried a different tone. Something more serious, more apprehensive, as if in this moment he was waiting for the rejection.
"So you're all on the same page, then?" she asked, looking between them. "You all want to... share?"
Merlin found this extremely funny. Isaac turned a bright red color that made her want to give him a hug.
It was Nick who spoke. "I suppose that's one way to put it," he said carefully. "I think of it more as... allowing others to care for you too. You're not mine to share. Unless you want to be, I suppose."
"I don't really know how to respond to that," Cassandra said bluntly. "Everything this week has been... a lot."
He nodded. "It sure has been. Here," he said, moving past her toward the back. "Instead of taking turns, let's order pizza and have a store sleepover. I'll order a few different things. I know what those two dorks want, what do you like?"
"I'm sure I can just take a piece from each," she replied. "Unless you all think you need a whole one?"
He shook his head. "That should be fine."
"I'll go with you to get some bedding from your place, if you'd like," Isaac offered. "I imagine you'll also want to check on your cat."
"That's very thoughtful of you," she said, grabbing her purse and then taking his hand. He smiled hugely at the gesture, then led her toward the doors.
"And what should I do?" Merlin almost shouted as they left.
Nick shrugged, holding his hand over the phone receiver. "Someone's gotta watch the cauldron just in case," he said, then went back to his phone conversation.
And that was all Cassandra caught before she and Isaac were outside and on the way to her home.
This, she thought, was almost weirder than the day Rasputin had come into her shop talking about being in mortal danger.
The next morning, Cassandra woke up to a loud knocking on the door of Roots and Gerunds. Lindsey stood on the sidewalk, glancing at the note and then peering in through the glass at her boss and the three men who had spent the night. It probably didn't help Cassandra's case that there was a pile of pizza boxes, some half-consumed bottles of wine, and a few various tarot decks open among the pillows and blankets on the floor.
"Crap," she mumbled, wandering toward her one employee in her pajamas. She was sure she had bad bedhead, and she tried to straighten her hair out a little as she approached, but there wasn't much to be done about her lack of professional attire today. "Hey, Lindsey, I'm so sorry, I-"
But Lindsey didn't look upset. Far from it: Lindsey looked excited. And that was almost worse. "You had a sleepover?! Cassandra, I'm so proud of you! Making the moves on-"
"Shhh!" Cassandra hurried to cover Lindsey's mouth before the men overheard her. "Look. It's not like that. They needed me to help them sort something out, and we had to watch it overnight, so we made the most of it."
Lindsey snorted. "I'll say."
Cassandra smacked her playfully. "But, look, it looks like they're sticking around for a while. Something about us being destined to be together? I don't really understand it myself."
"Okay, well, do you have time to take me out for coffee and explain it? Because I'm curious, and it looks like I got out of bed to come to a shift I don't have to work..." She tapped her foot and raised her eyebrows expectantly, but Cassandra knew her well enough to know she wasn't mad and wouldn't be unless Cassandra didn't agree to share the gossip.
"Yes, we can go get coffee. Let me change clothes. And I'm sorry, I'll pay you for all of your lost shifts. And a bonus."
"You're the best," Lindsey said, satisfied. "I will... wait here."
"Yeah, yeah," Cassandra rolled her eyes, going back in to find her clothes. She only had her clothing from yesterday with her, but that would have to do. "I'm gonna go get coffee with Lindsey," she told the men as she fished her clothing out from a pile of blankets. "Think you can hold down the fort until I get back?"
"Of course," Nick said, approaching her to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Just make me a promise," he said.
"Sure," she replied.
"Remember how I asked you on a date? Promise me we can do that later."
"And me tomorrow," Merlin added, seizing the opportunity.
"And me the day after that," Isaac added.
Cassandra looked between them, feeling somewhat ambushed and helpless with her clothes in one hand and purse in the other. "Of course I'll go on dates with all of you," she said, "individually and together and in pairs or however. We have the rest of our lives, right?"
"Longer," Isaac said, pointing to the cauldron.
"
Here's to fate," she said. "But before fate, coffee."
The End
Enjoyed this story? Be sure to leave a review! You can also sign up to get a reminder when the extended version goes live!
About the Author
Edeline Wrigh is an eccentric storyteller with a penchant for swearing, drinking too much caffeine, and spending more time with cats than people. She writes fantasy, romance, and love stories without happy endings from her house in the Midwest. When she's not putting words on paper, she's busy up leveling her martial arts game or taking in stories in any way she can.
You can sign up for Edeline’s newsletter here.
Join Edeline Online
www.EdelineWrites.com
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Read More of Edeline’s Books
Betwixt Realms Series (Lesbian Harem Paranormal Romance)
Confessions of a Muse (Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance)
Sirens (Polyamorous Paranormal Romance)
The Traitor of Tyiku (YA Fantasy Romance)
Wicked Souls: A Limited Edition Reverse Harem Romance Collection Page 216
