Twisting in his seat, Wiley looked at Clay. “Is there anything in particular you want me to look for while I’m researching? Other than the protective barrier spell?”
Clay blinked as if surprised to find himself under Wiley’s laser focus. “I’m not quite sure. I guess anything that would apply to the Weavers who are currently at the plantation.”
Wiley nodded. “Makes sense. It’s not going to do much good to find a fun water spell if you don’t have your Water Weaver yet.”
“At least we know who is going to be assigned the job of watering the plants around the yard,” Baer said.
Wiley settled in his seat and smiled at Baer. “If this poor Water Weaver is going to be in charge of watering the plants, does that mean Lucien gets to take over all grilling duties since he’s the Fire Weaver?”
“No!” Baer and Clay said in unison, which sent Wiley into peals of laughter.
“I like manning the grill,” Baer grumbled.
“Agreed. It’s the only way I can make a decent meal without Dane hovering over my shoulder.”
“Sorry I’m not much of a cook. I’ve felt like such a mooch over the past couple of weeks. Eating all your food. And then Grey even went out and picked up more food for Queenie.”
“No, you’re not a mooch,” Baer quickly argued.
“But—”
“You’re not, Wiley.” Clay grabbed Baer’s seat and leaned forward. “We’re inconveniencing you by forcing you to stay with us. The least we can do is feed you.”
Wiley rolled his eyes at Clay and made a little choking noise. “Oh, yeah. I’m so inconvenienced. Staying at Wayne Manor, meeting goddesses, watching you guys learn magic. I’m totally suffering.”
“A Wayne Manor in transition,” Clay said as he sat back.
“The house is going to be even better than Wayne Manor. I was talking to Dane this morning, and he showed me some of the things you have planned for the library. Oh, my God! It’s going to be amazing! I think all you’ll need are some old swords and maybe an ancient treasure map in one of those ornate frames to hang over the fireplace.”
Baer laughed. “Shame we didn’t find that in the storage unit.”
“I was just thinking that maybe we should put Lucien’s training on hold to focus on getting that other bedroom ready. You know, just so Wiley has his own space.”
Fingers tightening on the steering wheel, Baer glared at Clay in the rearview mirror while the other man smiled at him. If he hadn’t been driving, he would have already dived into the back seat and strangled Clay for even uttering those words. He had Wiley in his bedroom, in his bed, and he wasn’t willing to let him out again. Especially now that he knew what sex with Wiley was like.
“Oh…um…I’m fine with Baer.” With arms tightly wrapped around the large book, Wiley looked over at Baer. His face was beautifully flushed, and his lips looked wet, as if he’d just licked them. Fuck Clay for making me miss that. “I mean, if I’m not crowding you, I’m fine staying in your room.”
“You’re always welcome in my room,” Baer said. He wanted to say more, a lot more, but he wanted to do it without Clay as an avid listener.
Luckily, he was turning the Jeep down the drive for the plantation house. They’d carry the trunk into the house and when he could finally pry Wiley away from the contents, he’d remind Wiley of all the perks of sharing a room.
Glancing at his friend, he tried not to clench his teeth as he said, “We’re all happy to help Dane, but I think it’s important that we continue with Lucien’s training.”
Clay sighed and the teasing lightness drained from his face. “True. The attack at the cemetery proved that the pestilents are getting trickier. We need to have our shit pulled together.”
Baer parked the Jeep in front of the house and turned off the engine. It would be easier to drag the trunk to the library that way. The damn thing was heavy and awkward enough to require two people to manage it.
Unbuckling his seat belt, Wiley looked over his shoulder at Clay. “I’ve got a good break in my work schedule right now. I can spend most of my time digging into the spell books and making some notes.”
It was on the tip of Baer’s tongue to mention that he had a few other suggestions for how Wiley could spend his time, but that didn’t need to be said out loud just yet.
They climbed out of the car and started to walk around to pull out the trunk of books, when shouts could be heard from the rear of the house, maybe from the backyard. Baer looked over at Clay, trying to confirm what he was hearing, when a series of loud bangs came from the interior of the house. Only they didn’t sound like the typical construction noises.