Chapter 28

Quentin steppedout of the shower and Kaine wrapped him in a towel and pulled him close. “I thought you’d be in bed.”

“I couldn’t bear to leave you.” Kaine kissed him, and while there was heat, it was banked by exhaustion and worry, yet Kaine held him close. “I should have told you it’s possible for a witch to surrender their magic, but I didn’t want to give up this chance. It was selfish, and I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, but did you really think I wouldn’t want to learn more about magic?”

“Some witches don’t. Mind reading is not an easy magic, and you have experienced the impacts.” He exhaled and rested his cheek against Quentin’s. “I’m not used to being scared, and since meeting you, that is all I have felt.”

“All?” Quentin murmured in his ear.

Kaine gave a low laugh as he rubbed Quentin’s back. “Maybe not all. Which is why I was scared of losing the bond before I’d…before we’d gotten a chance.”

“I was scared today. For you and Everest after what I’d seen.”

“I shouldn’t have asked. Dalmon is going to give me a bollocking about that later.” He released Quentin to help him finish drying. Though with Kaine’s help, it took longer.

“Will he, really?”

“Yes, because I thought the ends justified the means, and I can’t even say I regret it. You found something invaluable and terrifying.”

“Did you deliberately put me at risk?” He didn’t believe that was what happened, though it had been risky.

“No, I thought you knew enough and were smart enough to work it out. I trusted you. And I’m glad I did…” Kaine bit his lip.

Kaine’s sense of failure swept over him, and it was crushing.

“You didn’t fail Everest.”

“We all did. We failed Dalmon and let him become cold and driven. And I didn’t notice the depth of Gerrit’s loneliness.”

“And how did they fail you?” Because Kaine couldn’t blame himself for all the ills of his brothers. It would be easy for Quentin to blame his parents for so much, and sometimes he did, but they hadn’t known what to do with him and had done their best. In return, so had he.

Quentin took the towel away from Kaine and slung it over the rail.

Kaine’s gaze swept over him, but he was frowning. “I am not part of the family…and not only in this life. I have often felt like the outsider, the one who didn’t belong.”

“They do not see you that way.”

“We are family because of our secrets. Because of what we are.”

“And we are together because of magic. Does it matter?” Quentin offered his hand to lead Kaine to bed. “Or is this lesser?”

They were magically married and needed to figure it out. They had to.

“It’s not less because of the magic, it’s more.” Kaine took his hand and followed, flicking the bathroom light off as he went past.

“But you discount your family for the same reason.”

The bed sheets were already turned down, and the room was softly lit. All he wanted to do was crawl between the sheets.

Kaine huffed out a breath. “Does this mean you will stay and give this a chance?”

“I’m here and about to get into your bed.” He considered pointing out the change in topic but let it slide. Kaine was smart enough to reflect on his family on his own, and they could talk about it another time when they weren’t aching to lie down.

“You might just want sex.”

Quentin laughed as he sat on what was becoming his side of the bed. “I want to sleep.”

Kaine got in on his side. “There is a third option. Some fated mates have a business relationship.”

“I like you, and it won’t take much for me to fall for you. And I don’t care if it’s because of the magic. I want to explore the part of the world I never knew about. And I want to do it with you.”

“And I want to show you. I love watching curiosity light up your eyes. I want to share my secrets…I hope you’ll still like me after you learn too much.”

“Being mates means there is a lot of oversharing.” There was no hiding how he felt, but he liked that, as he knew where he stood. And while neither of them knew exactly where that was, they could find out together. “There is some oversharing that might be a lot of fun… I want to know what it feels like when you’re fucking me.” He glanced away.

Kaine laughed and pulled him close. “I am always interested in trying new things. I’m not used to letting anyone in.”

“Then I’ll let you in first so you can experience what I feel. Unless I’m pushing too much and being too?—”

Kaine kissed him. “No. You’re not too much. This is more honesty than I am used to. More closeness. But I want it even though having a mate scares me. It’s what I need. You are what I need. And I know you have a life outside of all my bullshit, but I would like it if you quit your job and moved in with me while you finish your studies.”

“Move in here, or move in at your other place?”

Kaine drew in a breath. “My actual house.”

And Quentin knew exactly how big that step was, as Kaine had shared the way he never had lovers over. Perhaps because he had been waiting.