“I’ve been better,” Baer drawled, the whiskey slurring his words more.
Dane touched his arm, and Baer suddenly gasped. Dane yanked his hand away. “What? Did I hurt you? I’m sorry.”
“No, not that. There was a weird sort of warmth where you touched me. Comfort. Put your hand there again.”
Dane did as he asked, and Baer’s eyes grew wide.
“What are you feeling?” Clay asked. He moved to Dane’s side and placed his hand on Dane’s back. Baer gasped again.
“Whatever it is, it got stronger when you touched him. It’s like he’s sucking the pain out of my body. Better than a fucking Percocet.”
“It’s as I thought,” Jo practically crowed. Clay hadn’t even heard her come into the room. She looked at Flo. “It’s as we thought. In the past, they didn’t find love. Never found their soul mates. What if Clay is stronger through a spirit bond?”
“Whoa, wait a second,” Clay said, holding up his hands. “What are you saying?”
“Hey!” Baer shouted. “Put your hand back on him!”
Clay grimaced and immediately pressed his hand on Dane, happy to give Baer any kind of relief.
“What’s this about soul mates? You’re saying we’re connected on some spiritual level?” Dane asked.
Jo clapped her hands. “It’s just as we hoped!”
“Wait,” Clay interrupted. “What did you hope?” This damn conversation was swirling around him, and no one was giving any kind of clear answer.
“We’re sure the six of you are strong enough to permanently heal the rift, but something else was always missing. You’re all still human, fragile, but if Dane could heal you—”
“What?” Dane demanded, his voice coming out high and squeaky. “I don’t have any powers!”
“No, but if we bind you and Clay together in a ritual, you’ll get some of his powers.” She motioned to the hand still touching Baer. “Clearly, if you get some of his powers, you’re going to be a healer.”
Clay’s hand slid up Dane’s back to grip his tense shoulder. “A ritual that would what? What do you mean bind us?”
“It would be a permanent bond, but if it does what we think, Dane will live as long as you do, and he could even develop abilities, too. Our first guess is healing.”
“What does the ritual entail?” Dane asked, voice low.
Jo and Flo looked at each other for several seconds before Jo finally gave a little shrug and said, “There are several ways we could do this. Most of them involve sex.”
“I’m not having sex in front of any of you,” Clay growled.
“No, not in front of us,” Jo said with a chuckle. “There is more than one way to form a spiritual bond, but the simplest is a sort of handfasting ceremony. Wrap a cord around your hands, say a few words.”
Dane held up his free hand. “Wait, wait just a damn minute. This sounds a lot like marriage.” He twisted his head to gaze up at Clay. “We haven’t even talked about our relationship.”
Clay took Dane’s free hand before looking at the others. “Dane and I need to talk this out privately.” Dropping his gaze to Baer, he managed a small smile. “Can you hold on a little while without a Dane-shaped Percocet?”
“I plan to hold on forever.” Baer tried to wink but it came out more as a blink.
They couldn’t take long to decide this. Regardless of the outcome, Baer was getting help today.
He tugged Dane out the door and didn’t stop until they were through the living room and in the backyard. The sun was warm on his body, chasing away some of the chill that came from worrying about Baer. Cicadas buzzed in the trees, but it was the only noise he noticed outside of the pounding of his heart. It was like having a bass drum in his chest.
The man in front of him was everything he wanted. Yeah, there were other reasons for this binding ritual, but even if Baer had never gotten hurt, even if there was no magical benefit, he’d still want this.
“Before you say anything, I’m sorry,” Clay said in a rush. “I’m sorry I hurt you by keeping the truth from you. It was never about a lack of trust. I…I was afraid. I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me. Or that you’d leave and I’d lose you. I’m so very sorry.”
“Thank you,” Dane replied. He paused and took a deep breath. “I get it. I talked to Jo and I understand why you didn’t tell me. It’s…it’s a lot.”
“Talk to me,” he whispered. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”
“Mostly confused. I see you do some kind of magic, find out that goddesses are real, and that some evil creatures are after you while trying to steal energy from this world. It’s a hell of a lot to take in. And then this-this binding ritual?” Dane frowned. “We haven’t known each other that long.”