Magical Midlife Love (Leveling Up #4) - K.F. Breene Page 0,66

we compromise on that? I don’t like when you lose yourself to the shadows. I also don’t like trying to come up with ways to let guys down gently. So maybe you can lean on them a little, use just a smidge of rage, I don’t have to be the bad guy, and we all win. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

He ran his thumb across the edge of my lower lip, over my chin, and down the front of my throat. Something about that touch, and his liquid cobalt eyes, made me shiver, and also turned my body to flame.

“We’ll talk about it, okay? I promise you. Now’s not the time, though.”

“Totally. I’m good with using a place marker.”

He nodded and dropped his hand. “Talk to you soon. Don’t stress my brother out too much.”

“Stress him out?” I murmured, making my way back to my seat. “He stresses me out.”

“You don’t like when he opens up to his beast?” Kingsley asked me after I’d sat down.

“Now who is eavesdropping on private conversations?”

“It isn’t so private when it’s in a bar.”

“So then why’d you say it in the first place?”

He studied me for a while, and I knew his visit was going to feel really long. Then it occurred to me that he was still waiting for an answer.

“Oh, uh…” I shrugged. “You know his past, so I don’t have to tell you about that. Not that I would—it’s not my place. He doesn’t want any recurrences, and I don’t like seeing him…out of sorts.”

“Troubled,” Niamh said.

“Right. I didn’t know if I could describe a shifter as troubled.” I took another sip of my beer.

“You know nothing about shifters?” Kingsley asked.

“I only learned shifters existed less than a year ago.” I paused for a moment. “I sure wish you’d allow in some emotion. It’s like speaking to a cyborg.”

Niamh laughed. “He is practically yelling his confusion at you right now. He does it in body positioning. Don’t tell the mage, though. He’s much too interested in shifters, if you ask me.”

“Yes, the mage. I’d like to hear why you have one hanging around,” Kingsley said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Ah.” I nodded and pointed. “An action. That’s better. I can work with that.”

“She still doesn’t know what it means.” Niamh laughed harder, bending over her cider. I figured she wasn’t talking about the crossed arms—that message seemed obvious—but about whatever Austin had mentioned to Kace.

“What a stupid end to a crappy day,” I mumbled. “Anyway, it’s very helpful when Austin gets super violent in a battle, but when it happens in the bar, because someone has disrespected me or whatever, then no, I don’t like it. The mage is here to help train me. I’m new to everything, including my magic.”

“That maggot the other day had it coming.” Niamh shook her head. “Talking about that sorry excuse for an alpha taking you and being quick about knocking you up? You should’ve let Austin finish him.”

Kingsley stiffened. “Tell the story.”

“Say please,” Niamh replied.

He didn’t, and she didn’t push.

After she was done, he reverted to staring at me. “You pulled him back?”

“Yes,” I said. “He doesn’t want to go to that place. I caused it, so I figured I should fix it.”

“But you did. You did.”

“Well, yeah. I made everyone else leave the bar.”

“You forced everyone out like you did today?” Kingsley asked.

I nodded.

“And you were obviously the one who trapped me in.” The growl riding his words was evident. He was not amused.

“Yes. I didn’t know whether it was okay for everyone to see Austin…do his thing. The last time he was glad people hadn’t witnessed him lose control.”

“Tell me about Ivy House,” Kingsley said, and I didn’t even mind that it was a command. I was not an accomplished storyteller, which meant I had a ready excuse to get up and grab Ulric, since Austin hadn’t made it to him yet. Within seconds, Ulric had Kingsley captivated with what hopefully would be a long and drawn-out version of Ivy House history.

I turned back toward the bar, hoping to catch Austin as he walked past, but he was already down at the opposite end, speaking to Kace and the others.

“Is this how it’s going to be going forward?” I asked Niamh, doing a quick check of all the magical links, re-muting all of them but my connection to Austin. “All this drama?”

“Nah.” Niamh poured cider into her glass, the sparkling liquid rushing through the ice. “After the territory is in full swing,