When The Grave Calls (The Veil Diaries #9) - B.L. Brunnemer Page 0,30
She didn’t even look at him as I took it and set it on the table beside me.
“Jess,” I said softly, “take a deep breath for us.”
She did as I asked, her eyes filling with tears. “How could he say that?”
“Which part?” I asked in what I hoped was a soothing voice.
Her blue eyes met mine. “How could he choose her over me?”
I leaned forward and took her hands in mine. “That’s not what he’s doing, Jess. He didn’t mean that. Right now he’s just pissed off and didn’t know how else to let you know it.”
She shook her head as the others moved closer around us. “How could you all share her?”
“That’s not what we do,” Zeke growled.
Jessica didn’t even flinch.
“Yeah, it’s not like that,” Isaac stated.
“We each have our own relationship with her and we’re aware of all of her relationships between us,” I explained as simply as I could.
She shook her head. “You guys are crazy.”
I grinned. “Maybe a little.”
Isaac smacked my arm.
I looked up at him and shrugged. “Come on, we’re a little crazy to try this.”
“Not the best time for jokes, brother.” Isaac squatted beside Jessica. “Jess, I know you’re worried about Asher. Hell, about all of us. But we’ve all thought this over carefully. We debated for a long time about whether it’s the right thing to do or not.”
Jess looked up at Isaac.
“But what it all comes down to is, we’re all in love with her, and she’s in love with each of us. And we’ve all agreed to give this a shot instead of hurting each other,” Isaac explained softly. “Lexie isn’t a slut. She isn’t trying to hurt anyone. She’s just a girl in love who was in an impossible situation.”
Jess shook her head. “It’s going to end in disaster.”
“Maybe. But if we didn’t give this a shot, disaster would already have happened.” Isaac shrugged. “Can you understand that?”
Lexie
I was sitting up against the headboard when Miles’ bedroom door opened. The guys filed in one by one. Except Asher. He was probably out running still.
Miles sat beside me on the bed. Zeke leaned against the bookcase across from the end of the bed. Isaac and Ethan sat at the end of the bed.
“So, how’d the talk go?” I asked them.
“She’s calmed down and understands that you aren’t cheating on any of us,” Miles summed up.
“I bet she loved that,” I muttered.
“It took some talking, but Isaac managed to get through to her.” Ethan turned to his brother. “Good job, by the way.”
Isaac’s cheeks tinted pink. “I just read her aura and talked to her about what she was really worried about.”
“Me?”
“Nope.” Isaac shook his head. “She was scared, not angry, so we spent some time talking about her fears.”
“But she’s calmed down and agreed to keep quiet about it,” Ethan said.
I nodded. “Good, that should at least buy us some time before it gets around school.”
The twins shared a look.
Ethan turned to me. “Well, we all got to talking downstairs after Jess went to bed and, well, we were thinking we needed to have a talk.”
My stomach knotted. “About?”
“Birth control,” Miles said.
I turned to him, stunned.
His ears were bright pink as he met my gaze. “And since Asher let it slip that your relationship with Isaac has … progressed, I thought it would be a good time to discuss it.”
My face warmed. I had nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s perfectly logical that they’d want to talk about it now. “Okay …”
“Shouldn’t this be between each of us and her?” Zeke groused from across the room as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“STDs won’t stay between only two of us,” Miles countered.
“Shit, Miles.” Isaac gaped at him.
Ethan cleared his throat. “I personally assumed condoms.”
“So did I,” I muttered. I would not balk from this conversation. Nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s an important conversation to have. With four of the five of my boyfriends. Geeze.
“Condoms aren’t always enough,” Miles pointed out. “It might be a good idea to get everyone tested and add another form of control.”
I turned and narrowed my eyes at him. “You mean the pill?”
Miles’ ears turned red as his cheeks turned pink. “Well, not just that. There are other options. A diaphragm, an IUD, the ring. There’s a lot to choose from.”
“A diaphragm or cervical cap would be annoying,” Ethan stated. “And she’d have to leave it in for hours