Page 121 of Twisted Ties

I laugh. “You do not want to be me, Winnie. I have a killer on my tail. A werebeast who wants to eat me. And some scary nightmary memories now circling in my head.”

“Plus two hot men who are happy to share you and a really darn, adorable pet pig.”

“Adorable is he now?”

“He’s growing on me.”

We both stare down at Pip who’s demolishing potato skins so quickly I’m pretty certain he’s going to make himself sick.

My friend stares back up at me, shaking her head in admiration. “I still can’t believe the man in black was willing to share. You’ve cast some crazy-ass spell over that man.” I chew at my thumb. “There’s more, isn’t there? I should know that by now. There’s always more.”

“Stone is my fated mate as well as Azlan.”

I actually feel sorry for my friend. I wish I’d given her some prior warning to this piece of news, because she loses the ability to speak, making strange gurgling noises in her throat instead. I consider slapping her around the face, just to get her to snap out of it.

“You know I’ve been drawn to him. That I’ve been developing feelings for him. But it’s more than that. There’s thispull in my gut to him as well as Azlan and he admitted to me that he feels it too.”

“Wow,” is all my friend can manage to say, looking utterly bewildered.

“Have you ever heard of it before?” I ask her. “One person having more than one fated mate?”

“Ahhh, now I get it,” Winnie says, nodding slowly. “That’s what the whole thing about the two boyfriends was about.” My cheeks sizzle. “Yeah, I’ve heard of it,” Winnie says, answering my question. “But like in stories and fairytales. Never in real life.”

“Wow,” I say, repeating my friend. “Aren’t I the lucky one?”

“Errr, yes,” Winnie says. “Both those men are so hot they probably melt tarmac and buildings wherever they go.”

I roll my eyes, then ask her the question that’s been nagging me. “So in these stories, it’s just two fated mates, right? No more than that?”

“Rhi,” she says, “what are you asking me?”

I manage a self-abasing eye roll because I’m not certain and I’m not sure I can admit it to myself let alone Winnie – not when they’ve treated me like dirt.

“I just want to brace myself in case there’s some other fated mate out there lurking around the next corner.”

“I mean I think I remember one old fairytale from this book Nonny had but I don’t remember the details beyond the fact she had several fated mates.”

“Several?”

“Four? Or maybe it was five.”

“Four. Or five,” I mutter, feeling a little sick.

Is that something reserved simply for fairytales like broomstick riding and familiars? Or can that happen in real life too?

“Did you seal it? Seal the bond with Stone?” Winnie says, knocking me out of my reverie.

“No, we haven’t had a chance to talk about it yet. To make any decisions.”

“Do you want to seal it?”

“He’s been a real jerk to me. Way worse than Azlan.”

“But he’s your fated mate.”

“So what? I already have one. Who says I need another?”

“You read all the stuff I printed out for you. Denying your fated mate–”