With great reluctance, I got up off the bed and pulled on the first thing I could magic up: an orange maxi-dress and pale blue cardigan.
The guys paced and made growling noises, like animals trapped in a cage. They weren’t speaking and I assumed it was because they couldn’t, given their wolves were close to the surface.
“I’ll go deal with him,” I said, sweeping my hair up into a top knot bun and fastening it with a magicked-up clip.
I headed for the door. That asshole better have a good reason for interrupting us like that.
Xander grabbed my arm as I walked past, his eyes yellow and his teeth sharp. “He... You...”
I reached up to cup his face. “I’m not his fiancée.”
Not technically, anyway.
“But...”
I sighed. Why did Michael have to come back now? I would have been gone from this realm by tomorrow. Just one more day and I would have never had to deal with my mixed-up feelings for the heir to the throne of our little world.
“Michael is the high warlock’s son, and by our laws he can claim any female he wants. He made it clear a while back that he was planning to claim me one day, but I never officially agreed to that. He never actually asked me.”
Xander’s eyes became even more yellow, his pupils dilating.
“But I love you,” I said quickly, trying to defuse his rage. “I want to go to the outside world... with you.”
I glanced over to where Kyle stood, his eyes and teeth half-shifted, just like Xander’s.
“You too, Kyle. I love both of you. I want to see your home. Meet your pack. But right now, I have to sort this out. So, excuse me.”
Xander shook his head, still gripping my arm.
Why wasn’t anyone listening to me? Was it a man thing, regardless of species?
“Xander, let go of my arm. I’m going to speak to him. You two come out as soon as you’re dressed, or go for a run if you need to. But I have to deal with him. Please.”
Finally, Xander’s teeth shortened, and he became human-like once more. His grip on my arm eased.
“Get dressed, and I’ll see you out there in a minute or two,” I said, hoping to reassure them. Then I took a much-needed calming breath, opened the door, and walked out to the lounge area.
I pulled my protective magic up around me, flattened it out, and thrust it back to protect the wolves as well.
Michael had just seen all three of us naked, something he should never have been privy to.
“What the hell are you doing here, Michael?” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him with as much angry heat as I could muster. Which turned out to be quite a lot, given the circumstances. “You had absolutely no right to walk in uninvited to my cottage, let alone burst into mybedroom!”
Michael had managed to get into my home and put a spell on us because my defenses had, quite literally, been down. I’d been too out of my mind with wonder and pleasure and anticipation.
Now the excitement of bonding with my fated mates was shot to shit, and this arrogant heir to the throne needed to pay.
“That’s not the way to talk to the man you’re going to marry.” Michael’s smile was smarmy as he strolled around my sofa and came toward me.
His dark-eyed gaze raked me up and down, and I knew he was remembering what he’d just seen in the bedroom. Heat warmed my cheeks, but I tried to ignore it.
Equally, I tried to ignore the sudden pull of attraction in my belly for the man standing before me.
Uh-uh. Nope. Not happening. Two men is quite enough to handle, thank you.
Michael’s dark hair was longer than I remembered, the ends grazing his wide shoulders. His body was more muscled, too, though still lithe. The boy I’d had the crush on years ago had disappeared. In his place was an extremely attractive man.
An arrogant asshole of a man, I reminded myself sternly.