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“Tell me everything.”

Alana glanced over Lila’s shoulders to make sure Cohen was still outside, well out of earshot. “You’re sure Mason won’t listen in?”

Lila nodded. “He wouldn’t dare. He overheard a conversation between Emily and me, and since then, he has insisted on not listening to my private chats. But we did agree that if this song plays, he should listen only if he wants to be completely traumatized. Now enough with the suspense. Tell me how the hell that candle was lit. Was it Cohen? It was Cohen, wasn’t it?”

Alana nodded. What she wouldn’t give to have her mother and grandmother there to help her figure this out.

“Cohen!” Lila screamed.

“Shh,” Alana chided, but it was too late.

Cohen was already folding himself out of his seat outside to make his way into the kitchen. “Did you call for me, Lila?” he asked.

His future sister-in-law shook her head. “Nope. I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

He joined his brother and friends again, looking back at them in befuddlement. It was obvious that he didn’t believe Lila. Cohen gave Alana a confused glance, but she only smiled at him, hoping he wouldn’t ask her about that candle.

She wasn’t ready for what it meant.

Not just yet.

FIFTEEN

COHEN

Cohen closed the French patio door behind him, glancing back in case he was able to hear whatever had Lila and Alana chattering away excitedly.

There was obviously something happening. Something else. Something that went way beyond the magic Alana had to do, and Cohen was willing to bet that it had something to do with the candle that randomly lit itself the previous day. Cohen had an idea as to what it could mean, but he hadn’t asked Alana for confirmation, a bit scared of what he would discover.

“Are you okay, man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Mason frowned at his brother.

“Jade, I think we should go see what the other two ladies are doing,” Nora announced, standing to her feet. The two women exchanged a knowing look before retreating back into Cohen’s cabin.

“I think that’s the most people you’ve ever had in your place. At least of the female persuasion,” Jack joked once they were alone.

“You would be right in that assumption,” Mason laughed. “My brother never lets people into his house, so it’s obviously a fucking miracle that we were all asked to gather here.”

“Alana thought it was better,” Cohen explained. “There’s more room than her place, and besides, if Mrs. Francis spotted all of us going into Wixx, she would know that something is up, and the last thing we want right now is to tip off Mrs. Francis that we have a plan.”

“We have a plan?” Parker asked, straightening in his seat. “Since when?”

“This is news to me, too,” Mason piped in. “How could you come up with a plan without your best thinker on the case.”

“I did, with Alana.”

Mason clapped a hand to his heart. “Ouch. That shit hurts, bro. And here I thought we were closer than ever.”

Cohen pursed his lips at his brother, but his smile still managed to show through. Theywerecloser than ever, but this didn’t make this any easier.

“Okay, seriously, you look like a man who’s just been told that he is gonna be executed. Mind telling us what the hell is going on?”

Cohen took a seat and ran a hand over his mouth. “You’ve all met your mates recently,” he needlessly pointed out. “And from what you’ve all said, none of you actually had any of the usual inklings that you had found your mate.”

“That’s right,” Jack nodded. “It was super strange.”

“I second that,” Parker cut in. “I didn’t know that Jade was my mate until we said I love you.”

Cohen frowned. “What?”