time he’s made a spell.”
Lachlan raised his eyebrows, and Bartholomew fingered the pendant at his throat—and nodded to the matching one that Lachlan wore. The pendant was much like Alex’s, but instead of a wooden medallion topped with a silver charm, both were made of silver, including the liquid-looking chain that bound them.
“I didn’t do that, love,” he said. “I made the wooden component and marked it with the runes, but you put together the safety spell and the potions and—”
“But don’t you see? They’re a combination of both energies. I think they were so strong because you helped in the first place.”
Lachlan’s mouth quirked. “Well, that’s good to know. But the other thing is more important. That we, you know, learn to tell the truth here.”
Simon was looking around the table, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “What lie, exactly, did you all tell? I mean, how do you lie to magic?”
There was an electric moment of uncomfortable silence.
“Oh my God, would you look at the time?” Kate said, standing up. “Josh, we need to take off!”
“Delicious cinnamon rolls, Barty,” Jordan said. “Thank you. You’re so good at pulling us together with food. Are we baking tonight after the coven meeting?”
“Yeah. I only have one event, but Lachlan’s mother has some extra orders in for me.”
“Good. Everybody meet here after sunset.” He blinked, and Alex thought for the umpteenth time that Jordan needed a good night’s sleep more than any of them. “And we should probably all walk the dog again.”
Bartholomew stood up and started gathering plates. “I need to move too,” he said on a yawn. “The hated day job awaits.”
“I’ll clean up,” Lachlan told him. He kissed Bartholomew’s cheek. “And after that, I’m afraid I need to run. I can be back for sunset ritual.”
Bartholomew shook his head. “No, baby, you need to prep your stock too. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. This way, tonight I can stay over at Jordan’s, and he can get some shut-eye.”
“I appreciate that,” Jordan said, and in a flurry of napkins and dishes to the sink and coats being tugged on, most of the house cleared out, with only Lachlan and Alex left to load up the dishwasher and wipe down the counters.
And Simon, to watch.
Alex became aware of Simon’s level gaze, aimed exactly between his shoulder blades as he worked. I’m not gonna ask I’m not gonna ask I’m not gonna ask—
“What?” he demanded, whirling around.
“That was very neatly done,” Simon said mildly.
Lachlan let out a low and dirty chuckle. “Noticed that, did you?”
Alex thought for a moment of lying, and then remembered that the entire reason everybody bailed had been because nobody wanted to lie. Alex sighed and went back to the kitchen table so he could sink into one of the padded chairs that had come with their other kitchen set, and rested his head in his arms.
“I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it. “I think the thing is both the truth and the lie were… intimate, I guess. Jordan hasn’t even told us his truth. He says he can’t put words to it. So, you know, it’s not that they want to lie to you—it’s that they don’t want to. But if it’s something we can’t even admit to ourselves, how do we admit it to a stranger?”
Simon was gazing into his eyes, and Alex thought for the umpteenth time how criminal it was for a man to have eyes that limpid and brown.
“I’m not a stranger to you,” Simon said, and Alex felt that odd shifting in his chest as time froze again. Simon brushed his cheek very carefully with his knuckle. “Am I?”
“No,” Alex rasped, thinking he should sit up, but that would wreck the quietness between them. “You’re not.”
“Can you tell me your truth?”
The flush that overtook him was probably epic and spectacular. If it made his neck sweat, that probably meant the rest of him looked like a tomato.
“Maybe not.” Simon gave a rusty chuckle. “Well, how about your lie?”
He’d been so kind—not mocking, not trying to shame them with his disbelief. He was, in real life, the kind of guy who would return a lost dog on his way to work because he wanted to see her happy and home.
“I asked for the strength to ride my bike an extra five miles and back to work.”
Simon sucked air in through his teeth. “But… but you didn’t really want to transfer to that branch!” he protested.
“Well, not after you asked me to stay.” Alex felt warm