“I like her better.” Malachite swung his arm over Kyla’s shoulders and maneuvered her away.
The others quickly hurried off, leaving me and Eeli. “So what do you think?” I asked. “You want to go see fireworks tomorrow night?”
“I’d go anywhere with you,” he replied, then threw his hand over his mouth, horrified.
Not wanting him to be embarrassed, I reached for his other hand and twined our fingers. As I pulled him behind me over to where Malachite had taken Kyla, I said, “I think I’d go anywhere with you, too.”
* * *
Austin texted that he and Jessa were waiting at the entrance to the pier when we got there.
Kyla was having a serious conversation with Azaran, Toby, and Malachite about I didn’t even know what in front of me, and I’d lost Eeli behind me as he rough-housed with Zale and Davis. “How you holding up?” Toby asked as he dropped back behind the others next to my side.
“Better than I expected, truthfully. It’s a lot, but…”
“They’re a lot, but at the same time, they’re such a great family it’s hard not to get caught up in it, right?” Toby asked with a knowing smile.
“Exactly. How was it for you when you first came, Toby? I’ve heard mention that they brought you here and then wouldn’t let you leave?” I’d been curious about all the brothers and their mates, but this was the first time I’d felt comfortable enough to ask.
As if sensing that very thing, Toby replied, “First of all, and I told your sister earlier, too, you guys should call me Doc like the guys do. Okay?” When I nodded shyly at being included like that, Toby chuckled. “Well, technically, I came out to help when Eeli was injured.” My eyes widened and Doc waved his hand dismissively. “He was fine, just a minor mishap, but the regular town doctor was on vacation, and I was in the diner when Zale came searching for him to check his little brother out. You know how protective these guys are of each other, especially Eeli...” I nodded my head, I’d definitely noticed that already. “The plan of course was to erase my memory after I treated him, but—”
I cut him off, “They couldn’t because you were Azaran’s mate.”
“Exactly. You’re getting this down already.” He hip checked me, then continued, “It wasn’t easy in the very beginning. Azaran didn’t think he wanted a mate and I didn’t know what was going on, but it all worked out.” His soft smile as he watched his mate walk in front of us was proof of that.
“Okay, but Zale and Davis? Did Davis really kidnap him?”
“Yeah, we try not to talk about it in front of them. It’s why Zale wanted to make sure you had clothes from your house and felt comfortable. Someone had lied to Davis’s clan and led them to believe that Zale had murdered me and a small child that they’d actually rescued. It couldn’t have been further from the truth, so even though they both recognized pretty quickly that they were mates, Davis had kept Zale locked up in a room for several days. They’ve never gone into too much detail about that time period. I know Davis still battles guilt, and Zale tries to spare him, but…”
“So Zale wanted to make sure that Eeli and I didn’t have to unpack that kind of baggage later, huh?”
Doc clasped me on the shoulder. “You really are paying attention. So what do you think? Does the thought of being with the only person you’re ever going to be with for the rest of your life at eighteen freak you out or do you think you could get used to the idea?”
Finally approaching the entrance to the pier, I could see Austin and Jessa in the distance, so I stopped walking, waiting for Eeli and the other two clowns to pass, all of them cracking up. I gave Eeli a reassuring smile when he gave me a questioning look, so he continued on with them. After I knew we wouldn’t be overheard by any of the family, I told Doc, “I haven’t had a boyfriend since before my parents died. But even back then, it was only some kissing in middle school and fooling around my freshmen year.” I felt the heat crawling up my neck into my face, and at Doc’s raised brows, I decided to plunge ahead. “Well, I did have sex the summer after my freshmen year, before my parents died. But it was more curiosity”—I blew out a breath—“I guess what I’m saying is, I’ve never felt a real connection to another guy. Not like the one I already feel to Eeli. It’s different with him; I feel drawn to everything about him. Is that this mate thing?” I was genuinely confused at how quickly my anger at Eeli had morphed into something else, a complete one-eighty.
Toby chuckled again. “Oh, young love. But yes, even for us older guys, it was an unmistakable pull. My chest physically hurt when I got too far from Azaran and that was before anyone had explained that he was my mate.”
“Wow. I bet that freaked you out, huh?” I stopped, again, to stare at him with wide-eyed wonder.
“A little bit, yeah.” He tugged on my arm so we could catch up to where Azaran and Eeli now stood waiting for us. “I’ll tell you what, one day when Eeli is training, come up to the kitchen and we’ll have a snack. We’ll talk about the mating bond and I’ll explain the ceremony. Plus, you’re going to hate this, I know, but I want to talk about sex a little more with you. Your father can’t be here for you right now, and I’d consider it an honor to stand in his place and make sure you’re prepared for what all this bond will entail—all of it.” With one last squeeze to my arm and a smile, he walked away from me toward Azaran. I took a minute to reel in my emotions from what his parting shot implied, a desire to nurture me that I hadn’t experienced in years, before moving toward Eeli where he waited for me patiently.
By the time we caught up to everyone else, I had myself back under control and Jessa and Kyla were clutching each other as if they were being reunited after years instead of a week. As excited as I was to get all the way out of the house and be around people, I was worried about Eeli being around Austin. I knew he had a crush on him. I’d seen him watch Austin strut down the hall multiple times over the course of the year, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about them hanging out and getting to know each other better. I tried telling myself I was being stupid all day, but as we drew closer to Austin, my stomach dropped. There was no way I could compare to that. This mate bond or not, Austin was way hotter than me with my longish black hair, eyeliner, and goth look. For the first time since the months when we’d first moved here, I had to fight rubbing self-consciously at my eyeliner. When we’d been getting ready to go today, I’d been glad my sister had her makeup with her in her backpack, but now I wished I hadn’t put it on.
“Hey, guys, glad you could make it.” Austin fist bumped both Eeli and me. Just the strength in his large hands reminded me of how Eeli’s own muscles rippled the last two days as he worked out and practiced hand-to-hand combat with his brothers; there was no question Austin’s muscular body and size had to be more appealing to Eeli.
“Hey,” I said weakly when Austin stepped back. Eeli gave him a little wave, but then ran back to where his brothers had stopped.
“So you and Eeli, huh?” Austin teased me once Eeli was out of earshot. I shrugged, not wanting to make a fool of myself when Eeli was going to spend the whole night hanging onto Austin’s every word. It was humiliating enough in my own head without Austin feeling sorry for me later. Austin threw his big, heavy arm over my shoulder. “Well, I think it’s great. Eeli’s always been a good kid. He’s responsible, you know? And I know he’s close to his family, too.”
I watched Eeli as he headed back toward us, seeing his steps falter as he took in Austin’s arm around me. The crestfallen expression on his face sent a physical pain through my heart; knowing he was still interested in Austin was something I’d expected, but I guess I’d hoped, more than I thought, that it wouldn’t be the case anymore.
“Um”—Eeli gestured vaguely behind to where his brothers had been—“they’re all going to go walk around and stuff. They said they’d meet up with us later.” His eyes were zeroed in on Austin’s arm as he spoke.
Before I could answer, Malachite approached with Kyla and Jessa. “I’m taking the
girls over to the rides. We’ll meet back up with you guys later, okay?”
“Sounds good.” Austin finally removed his arm from my shoulders and held out his hand to Malachite to shake. “I’m Jessa’s big brother, Austin, by the way. I go to school with Eeli and Slash.”
“Nice to meet you, Austin. I’ll take good care of the girls. We’ll text you in a bit to meet back up, pipsqueak.”
The girls waved at us as they walked off. When I turned back to Eeli, his face was that purplish-red it got sometimes. I guessed it was pretty humiliating to have your brother call you by a dorky nickname like that when you were in front of your crush. Of course, if he’d meant what he said about me being specifically for him, he wouldn’t have to worry about that because I thought it was adorable. Not wanting him to see the hurt, I suggested we go find a funnel cake stand or something and walked off, leaving them to trail behind me.
If Austin noticed that either Eeli or I were acting weird, he didn’t acknowledge it. I already knew from hanging out with him before that he had a serious appetite, so Eeli and I ended up following him from place to place while he grabbed his favorite foods. Eeli and I took turns answering his running commentary; Eeli more than me because I tried to stay ahead or trail behind them. I didn’t want to get in anyone’s way, and I sure didn’t want to watch them flirt or anything. Part of me was pissed at Eeli for all the stuff he’d said, making me want to get to know him and give him a chance. Mostly I was hurt; except for Kyla, it had been a long time since I’d been special to anyone. Well, technically, I guess I still wasn’t.
“Oh, ladies,” Austin said to a group of girls who were walking by. I recognized at least two of them as being juniors from our school, and instantly my heart hurt for Eeli even as guilt slammed me for the relief that bubbled up in me. “Where you going, Gabby?”
A cute, slightly chubby, and extremely short girl said, “We’re running back to Julia’s car.” She motioned to one of her friends. “I left my sweater in it, and I’m actually a little chilly.”
“Well, in that case, let me keep you warm.” Austin whispered in my ear as he passed me, “Lucky night for both of us. Have fun spending some alone time with your man.” Then he looped his arm loosely around Gabby’s neck, and said, “I’ll meet you two over at the rocks for fireworks. Cool?”
Eeli and I both nodded and stood together awkwardly watching them walk away.
“We may as well walk over to the rocks now,” Eeli muttered. “Maybe we can get a prime spot.”
“Okay. I’ve never been here for the fireworks. My sister and I have watched them from in front of my Uncle Larry’s place, but we’ve never come down here.” I knew he was disappointed his crush was gone, and obviously I was a far cry from Austin. I wished Azaran had said no to our request to come, maybe if we’d had more time together...
“My brothers and I come sometimes, but I don’t usually sit on the rocks with the kids from school. I stay with my family, so I guess this will be a cool change,” Eeli finally said. We walked in silence until the rocks came into sight. So quietly I almost didn’t hear him, Eeli continued, “I’m sorry if me being with you made Austin go hang out with those girls. I would have gone with my brothers if I’d realized.”
“Wait.” I grabbed Eeli’s elbow and pulled him to a stop next to me. “What’re you talking about?”
He kept his focus on the rocks as he answered me, “I didn’t realize until I was coming back and saw Austin’s arm around your neck that you were… you know, coming together. I actually never knew he was gay.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, then turned to me, tears swimming in his eyes. “I… well, you know how I feel about you, but… well, I’ve decided that I care enough about you that I want you to be happy. If you want me to disappear for the rest of the night so you can hang with Austin, I can.”
Blinking, I stammered, “B-b-but you’re the one who has a crush on Austin. Not me.”
Eeli tilted his head at me. “I don’t have a crush on Austin.”
“You do so. I’ve seen you look at him in school.”
Eeli rolled his eyes. “Who doesn’t look at him? Come on, Slash, the guy’s built like a god. He’s popular and nice. Everyone stares at Austin. He’s kinda perfect.” If it was possible, my heart hurt more as his words sliced through it with the same uncanny precision he used to slice through the air with a knife in practice. “Hey.” His hand came under my chin and tipped my head to meet his eyes. “I may have always thought Austin was hot, but I haven’t given him a second thought since I realized you were my mate. Honestly, I haven’t thought about anyone else but you for weeks, from before I knew that you were the reason Bodhi was making me wiggle my butt in public all the time.”
“Really?” I asked, stepping closer to him.
His hand moved up to curve around my face, his pinky moving my hair back over my forehead. “How could I want anyone else when there’s you?”
Zale’s voice traveled to us. “Ugh. Malachite, really? I really can’t make fun of them? Come on, look at them standing there all adorable gazing into each other’s eyes in the middle of throngs of people like it’s the end of some romantic movie.”
We turned to see Eeli’s whole family strolling toward us. The girls had puffs of blue cotton candy in front of their faces, but I could hear their giggles. Azaran and Davis were chewing on their bottom lips trying not to laugh, and Doc looked ready to lean in and pinch our cheeks. Malachite said, “Na, leave them alone, Zale. They need this. Let them have some time to fall in love.”
Eeli squeaked and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the rocks. “We’re going to sit down there. We’ll find you after the fireworks,” he yelled back over his shoulder. Their laughter followed us as we merged into the crowd.
As soon as we found what Eeli determined to be a prime location and settled with him between my legs and his back against me, I leaned my head on his shoulder. “You really don’t have a crush on Austin?”
“Not even a little.” He stretched his arm behind him to wrap around my head. “And you’re sure you don’t?”
I chuckled in his ear. “You’re right, he is hot. But I’ve known since the first time I hung out with him that he likes Gabby.”
“He does?” he asked. “That’s awesome. She’s a sweetheart.”
“That’s what he said. They went out once and one of her friends convinced her that he couldn’t really like her, so she wouldn’t go out with him again. He’s spent the last couple of weeks trying to convince her that her friend’s just jealous, and he really does want to date her.”
“Why’d her friend tell her he didn’t?”
“She told her she was too chubby and there was no way that Austin Walker would want to date her,” I said.
“Ew. What a bitch.”
I snickered in his ear. “That’s what Austin told her. He suggested nicely that maybe she needed some new friends.”
“Good for him.” I rested my cheek on his shoulder facing him. Eeli turned his head. “What?”
“I’m going to kiss you now, I think,” I said softly.
“Oh, okay.” His eyelashes fluttered as his eyelids fell.
“Wait.” His eyes popped open. “Um, just so you know, well, I want you to know something.” His eyes searched mine, but he didn’t say a word. “My name.” I cleared my throat. “I don’t want us to go any further with this, you know, um, until you know my real name.”
“What is it?” he whispered as he moved his lips closer to mine.
“Christian,” I answered.
“Christian,” he breathed, then I closed the space between us and sealed our lips as the first whistle of the fireworks sounded in the air.
15
Eeli
Kissing Slash—no, Christian—made my heart feel like it was going to explode like the fireworks above us were. Not that I was paying one bit of attention to anything other than Christian’s tongue in my mouth. His flavor shot right through me from my mouth down to my groin, an
d I was happy the fireworks were loud enough to cover up the moans that came from deep in my chest.
I turned my body and twisted to grab his neck and deepen the kiss, and he grabbed the back of my head with one hand, burying his fingers in my hair. Fisting his shirt in my hand, I tried to pull him closer, but I couldn’t with the way we were sitting. Still, I pressed into him as much as I could, and when I felt his hardened length pressing into my back, I groaned and broke the kiss.
Panting, I put my lips against his ear. “We should probably… stop.” I didn’t want to, not at all.
Slash—Christian—slipped his hand under the front of my shirt, grazing his fingertips over my skin, and leaned in to kiss me again before whispering, “I don’t want to stop.”
Me neither. I stared into his hazel eyes for a few seconds, then suggested, “Let’s get out of here.”
He lifted a brow. “What about my sister and your brothers?”
“Bo will tell Kesia to make sure Kyla gets home okay. You know Malachite won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Bo can talk to the other dragons?”
“Yes.”
He nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”
“That was easier than I thought it’d be,” I said as I readjusted my pants before standing. Bo, can you pass along the message.
Of course.
He laughed a little, then reached for my hand and laced our fingers together. “I’ve been wanting to hang out with you alone all night.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Bo said, The others know to watch Kyla and that we’ll be home later.
Thank you.
“Are you guys leaving?” Austin asked as we walked past him and Gabby. I hadn’t even noticed them there.
Christian said, “Uh, yeah. I’ll text you.”
Austin smiled. “Okay, have fun.”
Eeli: The Brotherhood of Ormarr Book Three Page 13
