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“No. Not yet.” Marric took a deep breath to shore up his courage.

It didn’t work, so what he said next came out like word vomit.

“Iven Palmer, Fortune Falls’s sheriff, is my mate.

And before you get started, yes, I know for a fact he is.

He knows too. We haven’t talked about it yet, but I have a feeling we’re going to soon.

He took care of me while I was sick, which should go a long way, and I think he won’t arrest me.

Maybe. I think he’s going to help us, which we desperately need because I’m spinning my wheels here and Emery’s just getting sicker. ”

Instead of the explosion Marric thought he’d get, his dad growled, “Come home. Now.”

Marric didn’t even hesitate. “Iven gave me something that helped, Dad. I’ll bring some for Emery.”

“Get home and don’t fucking mate with him before you do.” Okay, Dad went way too far.

“I’m a grown man. Your Majesty. My mating. My timeline. So Fuck. You.” And with that Marric hung up the phone. When his dad called right back, he declined the call and then shut off his phone.

Marric stuck his phone in his pocket and left the room. It didn’t take him long to find the kitchen. As soon as he entered the room, the conversations stopped, and all eyes were on him.

Marric had never wanted to be the center of attention, although he wouldn’t mind being the center of Iven’s world, but that wasn’t nowhere near the same thing.

“Hi. I’m Marric.” He moved closer to Iven, who had been cooking.

Even Iven stopped what he was doing to gawk at Marric.

But Iven recovered quicker than everyone else. He closed the distance and tucked Marric under his arm. “How are you feeling after the shower?”

“A lot better. Thank you.” Marric smiled.

“Dad, are you going to introduce us?”

Marric’s eyes widened when he looked at the man who spoke. There was no mistaking him for Iven’s kid. The resemblance was uncanny.

He hadn’t known Iven had kids. It was a reminder that their conversation from earlier didn’t mean they knew each other.

He leaned in and whispered in Iven’s ear. “I might be the same age as your son.”

Instead of getting offended, which Marric thought he’d do, Iven chuckled. “You’re my oldest son’s age.”

“That’s just great.” Marric gave Iven his best sarcastic smile.

“That would be me.” A dark, curly-haired man held out his hand and waited for Marric to take it. “I’m Griffin.”

Marric shook hands.

“I’m Riley.” Riley just waved.

“I’m sure you remember me. My name is Cass.” Cass nodded. He didn’t smile. In fact, he seemed almost as if he didn’t trust Marric.

Marric just nodded.

He wanted to say something snarky but decided it was best to keep his mouth shut, proving there was a first time for everything.

Iven might not like snark. Marric had already shown enough sass. He had to do everything he could to make Iven like him. If he didn’t, Kinnison would put every willing, mateable female in his path. Illness or no, he couldn’t let his father win the dynasty war.

Down with the dynasty. That’s what his sign would say during the protest. It would happen in front of the house and just as soon as he found a cure. He expected Emery and Regan’s support.

The woman gave him a kind smile. “I’m Zinnie. Mom to these two.”

The guy who looked so much like Iven stood and hugged her. Marric’s wolf hearing picked up on what he said. “I love you, Zinnie.”

“I love you too, kid. You’ve always felt like my son.” There was a story buried within those words somewhere. Marric would have liked to hear it, but before he could ask, Riley sat down again and Zinnie focused on Marric. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. I’ve not felt so good after…” Marric waved his hand, not wanting to explain the fevers to a stranger. Not that he knew much about them. “Iven said you gave me herbs. If you wouldn’t mind, could you tell me what they are? I’d like to try them again for the next time.”

“I’ll give you a list and the herbs. And my number. You can call me and I’ll come.” Zinnie’s smile was like being wrapped in a hug.

Marric would have responded, but an older lady with short gray hair and glasses walked into the house and into the kitchen. She put a book in the center of the kitchen island and opened it before sliding it to Marric. She met Marric’s gaze with her eyebrows raised. “Well.”

“Well?” Marric smirked.

She narrowed her eyes. “Read it.”

He sighed and stepped up to the counter. It didn’t take him very long to figure out what the book was about. Marric didn’t even get through the first passage when he stopped reading and lifted the top portion to read the cover title.

The book was old. It felt and smelled like leather. Even the pages were yellowed with time and age, but they had a waxy feel to them, perhaps to keep them from growing brittle.

The title was simple. “An Encyclopedia of Curses.”

“I might be a wolf, young man, but I have never been ignorant for very long. Education starts between the pages of a book. That book is helpful if you have a propensity for pissing people off. And it seems you do.” Marric could see how she fit the bill too.

Marric turned back to the page, reading each word. The longer he read, the more his heart filled with dread.

His stomach turned when he got to the part where the curse caused dizziness and fever at first, and then it escalated into death. He cleared his throat, trying to keep the bile down.

Something touched his arm, and he jumped away.

Iven held up his hands as if surrendering.

Marric wrapped his arms around his middle and tried to keep his world from falling apart.

Iven held out his arms.

Marric should walk right out the door and out of Iven’s life. He shouldn’t even entertain the thought of starting something romantic with Iven. He was a dead man walking. He didn’t want to hurt Iven by dying. “Promise not to fall in love with me.”

Someone sucked in a breath. Marric wasn’t sure who. He didn’t take his eyes off Iven.

“I won’t do that. But I will help break the curse.” Iven held out his arms. “We’ll fix this. Together.”

Marric wanted to hope, but he was afraid.

If he failed, he’d break them both in two before death took him.

And just thinking about it made him realize how he’d stopped having positive thoughts somewhere along the way.

But he had nothing left to lose anymore, did he?

He was dying, after all. Emery was too. If he let Iven help, they had a better chance of living through all this.

He opened himself up to the possibility of succeeding and living. Of his sister living and his dad’s heart not getting broken by grief again. Maybe he’d get to tell his dad how his plan would all go to crap because Marric was keeping Iven.

Marric let some of the tension go and stepped into Iven’s arms.

Iven pressed a kiss to the top of Marric’s head. “You’re going to be okay.”

“You can’t know that.”

“I can.” Those two words might not have sounded like much, but what Marric heard was the conviction in Iven’s tone, as if he wanted to say he’d go to the ends of the earth for Marric, if he had to.

Marric believed him.