Page 19 of Mason

Kory plucks up enough bravery to open the door and step out onto the porch, but he's so focused on staying cool and collected he doesn't look down to see the boards I've laid out.Before I can warn him, he's tripped, arms flailing as he tries to right himself.I catch him in my arms before he face-plants into the decking.

"Careful, baby.Don't want you hurt on my watch."As much as I want to keep him in my arms, I let him go after he's steady on his feet again.

"Uh… I've been meaning to replace those boards.I just haven't gotten around to it," Kory says, completely ignoring my term of endearment outwardly, but I can feel his warmth from receiving it through the bond.It's going to be a lot easier to win Kory over than it is Hex.But Kory won't acknowledge his acceptance of me openly out of loyalty to our other mate.It sucks, but it's something I can admire about Kory.He's true to the people he cares about.

"Now, you can check this off your to-do list," I say with a wink, which makes him blush.

Before the moment can get awkward, we hear the sound of a motorcycle and see Hex riding up the drive.The openness through the bond I had only moments before is shut down as I put up my defenses.I have no idea what kind of reception I'll get from Hex, so I'm cautious.If I blow things with him, I lose both of my mates.

"Don't do that," Kory says."Don't shut us out.That's not how we fix this."

I open the bond again and wait to see what happens.I've been in some hair-raising fights with all kinds of paranormal beings, but somehow I've never felt more vulnerable.

Hex walks up the steps and our eyes meet.He wants this to work, I can feel it – I can feel him.I can't fuck this up.It's all or nothing.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Kory

"Itneedstogobetween two posts," Mason insists.

"No, we can string it between two trees," Hex argues.

If they aren't talking around each other using me as a buffer, they're arguing over petty shit.After two weeks of it, I've had enough.It's time to move this up the chain-of-command and get an assist.With the phone to my ear, I turn away from the window and the bickering of my mates.

"I'm telling you, Jericho, I don't know how much more I can take.The ridiculous thing is, they're both actually trying to work things out between them.It's backfiring because they're both afraid they won't be able to."

"We're going to employ the strategy I used to use when he and Nicola would get into it when they were younger.I'm going to invite Mason to bring you and Hex here to the pack house for dinner.After dinner, we'll lock them both in one of the outbuildings and let them get everything out of their system."

"And this will work?Because, I love my mates, but they're making me nuts.I'd hate to have to kill them in their sleep."That'd be the only way I could best them.They're both bigger and stronger than me.And I'd rather not have to resort to such extremes.

Jericho's chuckle comes through the phone before he says, "Worked like a charm on my brothers in the past.Don't see why it wouldn't work with a pair of stubborn mates."

"Thank you!"

"No worries, Kory.Try not to let them get to you.I'll send Mason the message now.With any luck, this will all be worked out by tonight."

I thank Jericho again and disconnect the call, wandering back to the window to see if my two idiots – I mean mates – have come to a consensus about stringing up the new clothesline.

Apparently not by the look of things.Mason has several pieces of lumber from the shed and is constructing posts, while Hex is standing on a ladder stringing line between two trees.I swear to Apollo, these two…

Only a few more hours, I remind myself.Jericho is going to help me get things on track.

Chapter Thirty

Hex

TheridetotheObsidian Shadow Pack land is filled with uncomfortable silence, interspersed with Kory trying to engage us in conversation.My nerves are shot from the constant walking on eggshells around Mason.Now, I've got to do the whole meet-the-family thing.Yeah, Jericho and I have met already, but that was under extenuating circumstances.This is the official deal.I'm meeting the entire pack.

"It'll be fine.I promise no one will bite," Mason says, attempting to make a joke to lighten the mood.

"I know," I snap back, irritated that my control is slipping enough for him to be able to feel my nervousness through the bond.

"Hex, please," Kory says."He's trying."

"Sorry," I mutter, and go back to staring out the window.I need to get it together.If I keep this up, I'll end up driving Kory away, too.None of this is his fault.Maybe part of me is still trying to punish Mason for his mistake.We'll never get anywhere if I can't truly give him a chance.I wish there was a spell for this emotional crap, but there are somethings even magic can't fix.Manipulate, sure, but not fix.Besides, magically tinkering with emotions can get dicey, even for an experienced witch.It's not a quick fix, it's a last resort.

Before I can entertain any more magical temptations, we're pulling up to the pack house.The place is enormous, which isn't surprising.It has to house at least a dozen people, not including mates.I blow out a breath and open the door as soon as Mason parks the truck.Technically, Mason is supposed to make the introductions, but I need to rip this band-aid off and be done with it.