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Her words came as a surprise even if they shouldn’t have. When had she ever not supported me?

Even when I did something insane, like the time I’d brought home a badger I had liberated from a zoo, she hadn’t turned me away. Instead, she’d gotten out an old dog crate and looked up on the internet what badgers ate.

Something about that eased me in a way I hadn’t realized I needed. I hadn’t thought I was stressed about the idea of what sort of future I had with the men around me.

It had all come about slowly, over the years, until connections had formed naturally. It hadn’t given me the time to consider what it meant beyond the day, beyond the moment.

Was I really wanting a future with all of them? Or at least without making a choice?

The answer was so obvious even if I’d avoided it before now. Yes, that was exactly what I wanted. My mom’s easy acceptance made it not feel so weird, so unattainable. If even she could see that and think it fine, it no longer seemed like some far-off pipe dream.

“However,” she said, her voice turning serious. “Let me make myself clear. If they hurt you—any of them—I’ve still got a back strong enough to dig a hole however large enough I need for as many bodies as need burying.”

And fuck knew I didn’t doubt she could manage just that.

Those Spirits better watch themselves.

Chapter Seven

The clock struck seven-forty as I climbed into Ruben’s truck. I wasn’t sure if it was the early morning or the conversation we’d had the night before, but he didn’t balk at the lateness.

Instead, he tapped the lid of a to-go cup. “Mocha.”

“Why, thank you.” I picked up the cup and took my first sip, not bothering to hide my moan and the decedent chocolate taste, the way it warmed my mouth, my throat, my stomach. There was something about sugar and heat that just soothed any complaints a person had.

And my biggest one at the moment was the whole before eight in the morning thing.

“None for you?” I asked when I noted his empty cup holder.

“I had a cup when I first woke around five this morning. I don’t like to have too much caffeine.”

“Does it affect Justices?” I gave him a side-eye, curious. They could hold this alcohol and didn’t seem to gain weight no matter what they ate—nor lose weight if starved. Honestly, it seemed as though no laws of physics bothered them in the least.

“It makes me anxious,” he admitted in a quiet, sullen tone. “I don’t like to drink more than a cup because I end up feeling unsettled.”

“You,anxious?” I couldn’t quite believe that.

Ruben was unfailingly solid. Even when everything went to shit around him, his heart rate didn’t seem to raise in response. Instead, he simply went about the steps to resolve the problem with little to no emotion.

Suddenly, I wanted to see him jittery. I couldalmostpicture him vibrating around, trying to fix things, talking fast.

“Whatever you’re picturing—stop. I’m sure it isn’t all that flattering given the way you’re smiling.” Even as he said that, I swore I saw his lips curl.

I knew he didn’t want to admit to being amused by me, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t.

“There are also pain relievers in the glove box, if you need them.”

“Why would I?”

“You had a few of those drinks last night.”

I blew out a sharp, dismissive breath between my lips. “Puhlease. Like I’d get a hangover from that. Those were barely a pre-game.”

“You were slurring your words by the time I left.” He paused, then added, “I thought about staying to see if you needed a ride home, but your mother assured me it was handled.”

Was he asking if anyone else had driven me back?

I had to admit, while I wasn’t usually a fan of jealousy, a little of it looked good on him. “I slept at my mom’s. She drove me back home around six this morning.”