He had a few ideas. “Totally unnecessary.”
“Sorry, this is a dealbreaker. This—” she waved her hand back and forth between them “—has been completely one-sided so far, and that’s not okay. Either you let me help in some way—cooking, cleaning, shelving books, doing inventory, whatever—or I can’t accept.”
He felt the determination behind her words and exhaled. He understood the importance of picking his battles, and keeping Muriel close was his priority. “All right. If that’s what it takes.”
Two hours later,Muriel was settled into his guest room with a stack of books and an assortment of houseplants he insisted they pick up to make her feel more at home. Thankfully, no one had been around when he’d taken her to Jessie’s to retrieve her things, so they’d avoided awkward questions about her change in eye color.
As for Brandon, he remained in the shop below, keeping himself busy with mindless tasks while he tried to wrap his head around what had happened.
Had he been attracted to Muriel at the first touch of her magic? Yes.
Had his obsession with her grown every time he saw her or heard her voice? Absolutely.
Had he been hopelessly enchanted by her rare smiles? Also a big fucking yes.
But a mate bond?
He'd known it waspossible,in the same way winning the lottery was possible. Yes, there was an infinitesimal chance you could win, but you didn’t expect it to happen. Magical practitioners were too unique, their energies too specific to facilitate long-lasting bonds. Finding a perfect complement was astronomically rare.
Except it had happened anyway.
And he’d done nothing to prevent it. Could he have? Maybe. Prophylactic spells did exist, but they were rarely used. To invoke them during a simple resonance bond would be like wearing a helmet outside on the off chance space junk suddenly plummeted from the sky. Why bother when the chance was negligible?
Now she washere, just above him, and the bond hummed between them like a living thing. He could feel her moving around the apartment, the gentle brush of her curiosity as she explored his space.
Brandon sank into one of the cozy reading chairs in the alcove and exhaled.
She thought they'd created a simple resonance binding. A training tool, and a temporary one at that. She had no idea thatnatural energyshe was feeling was something much, much more.
Something that meant she was his,and he was hers, in every way that mattered.
The guilt was crushing.
But so was the wonder. This wasn’t simply resonance. This was synergy times a thousand.
No wonder she was up there content and humming and his shop looked like the Brazilian rainforest.
He should tell her. Right now. He should march up those stairs and explain what had really happened.Hey, so… funny thing. Turns out our magic is a little more than compatible…
Or how about,I know I said you could trust me, but that snap you felt earlier? The one that felt like two puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly? That was our magic permanently binding us together for eternity.
Except... he couldn’t bring himself to do it. For the first time in a long time, Muriel was breathing easier. Leaning on someone instead of trying to face everything alone. So at peace that she was fuckinghumming.
If he told her now, all of that would shatter. She'd see it as a betrayal. She'd run. And the Collectors would find her.
Brandon exhaled slowly.
He'd tell her. He would. Just not yet. Not until the immediate threat had passed and she'd learned enough control to be able to protect herself if—when—she decided to leave.
For now, with her safe and settled above him, her magic stable, and her emotions calm, he’d let her have this moment of peace.
Guilt was still lyingheavy on him the next morning. If possible, Muriel was in an even better mood than she’d been the day before.
“Rough night?” Jason asked, gliding silently over the floor like the apex predator he was.
Brandon replied without looking up from the bill of lading he’d been staring at for an hour. “You could say that.”
He'd managed maybe two hours of fitful sleep, too aware of Muriel in the next room. The urge to be near her was strong and required continuous effort to resist. At least he’d convinced her to stay. He knew she was safe. He couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be with miles or more between them. Eventually, their connection would strengthen and stabilize, but until then, proximity was their best friend.