Chapter 60 Connection
CONNECTION
ASH
This week tested my patience.
I tried not to crowd Rae, giving her space to sort through her belongings and process Quinfina’s words and Cornaith’s orders.
Every time I checked in, all I wanted was to pull her into my arms, tell her how much I loved her without the threat of death hanging over us, and beg her to be mine.
I wiped a hand over my mouth to hide the shit-eating grin the thought triggered as I sat on the couch with everyone.
Rae finished packing yesterday, and since then, she’d stayed in her room.
Zeke convinced her to stay downstairs after dinner to watch a movie, but I knew he worried too.
She’d gotten comfortable, resting her head on Zeke’s lap while he played with her hair, her bare feet resting in my lap.
Ezra sat on the chaise, watching the movie—though his gaze kept wandering back to her.
Quinfina’s confirmation had shifted something in him, but I didn’t know how ready Rae was to accept him as her mate after he’d kept his distance. They needed to get to know each other. I hoped being back home, on safer ground, helped her see past the icy exterior he wore for the world.
Rae shifted and moaned when my thumb pressed into the arch of her foot, working a tight knot.
Zeke’s hand froze in her hair at the sound, and Ezra shifted.
From his place on the floor beside Zeke’s legs, Cyn turned his head toward her. His gaze flicked from my hands on her feet to her head in Zeke’s lap before returning his attention to the movie.
I bit the inside of my cheek and kept massaging her feet as if nothing had happened. She didn’t need to feel self-conscious now that we’d finally gotten her to join us—especially over something involuntary.
She took a deep breath and sighed, staring at Cyn while he watched the movie.
Zeke’s brow furrowed, watching her. “What’s wrong?”
She turned her head to look up at him when no one else answered. “Me?”
“Yeah.”
“Nothing, why?”
“You sighed.”
“Just a breath.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I’m fine.”
He twirled a strand of her hair around his index finger. “Sounded like more.” He glanced at Cyn, lowering his voice. “You were looking at him.”
Her body tensed, so I squeezed her foot.
She rolled onto her back, staring up at Zeke’s face. I repositioned her feet so her legs draped over my lap. “His scent.”
“What about it?”
“I smelled him. It just got me thinking about the whole mate scent thing y’all talked about.”
The movie had ended, though I doubted she realized it. Her words had both Ezra and Cyn watching her now as she looked up at Zeke.
I didn’t want to shake her out of the relaxed state she’d slipped into with Zeke, so I stayed quiet, hoping she’d keep talking so that we’d finally learn what she thought of our situation.
Zeke smiled at her. “What does he smell like to you?”
She closed her eyes, nostrils flaring as she inhaled deeply.
Cyn’s shoulders stiffened, like the idea of her scenting him so openly affected him. He shuddered as she exhaled.
She already knew his scent. She’d wanted to smell him again.
Rae’s eyes opened, and her legs shifted in my lap. “He smells like cedarwood and jasmine flowers.”
Zeke sniffed the air. “I don’t smell it. I guess that’s his scent for you.”
“Scent for me?”
“His scent is unique to you,” I said, giving her foot a squeeze to gain her attention. “No one else can smell it. It’s a pheromone meant to attract only you.”
Her nose wrinkled like she’d smelled something odd. “So that’s why I like it? I planted some jasmine out back last year because it’s nice, but he smells better.” She squeezed her eyes shut when Cyn cleared his throat.
“Not necessarily,” I said, hoping to distract her. I didn’t think she wanted him to hear. When her eyes opened again, I added, “I mean, it’d be counterproductive if you didn’t like your mate’s scent, but it isn’t there to manipulate you.”
“Sounds like it.”
“It’s not.” I shook my head. “It allows for a deeper connection between mates.”
“You’re able to know things about him through his scent,” Zeke said.
She sat upright, tucking a leg beneath her as she faced him. “Like what?”
“Strong emotions change the way mates smell to each other.”
“How?”
“Well.” Zeke looked at the ceiling. “Um. You smell like roses, black raspberries, and mirabelle plums.”
“That’s specific.”
“It’s distinct,” I said, recalling the jams I’d tasted that reminded me of her scent.
Zeke nodded. “And sometimes your sweet, fruity scent sours if you’re upset.”
She looked at Cyn. “I thought you said I smelled like tarts.”
“You do.” He draped his arm over his bent knee. His face remained a blank slate, not giving anything away. “Like an apple crisp.”
“So I smell different to each of you?”
“No,” I said. “When you’re… excited,”—I cleared my throat—“the tartness of the plum and sweetness of the raspberries sharpen, mixing with apple. You smell the same to all four of us.”
She looked at each of us, her cheeks darkening when no one refuted my words. “Excited. You mean…”
“Aroused,” Ezra said.
“Kill me now.” She flopped back against the couch, covering her face. “I so don’t need you four knowing that.”
I chuckled. “It’s not so bad having mates who know when you’re… needy.”
Her hands dropped to her lap. “No one else can smell it?”
“Nope,” Zeke said. “Just us.”
“Fun,” she said with a bite of sarcasm.
“So what do I smell like?” I asked, wanting to steer the conversation away from topics that made me want to carry her upstairs and see just how strong I could make her scent.
She turned her head against the back of the couch to look at me. “Cinnamon and bay rum.”
“What does bay rum smell like?”
“Warm and spicy with a bit of citrus. We got a collection of beard oils in the shop a few months ago—one had that scent. I really liked it. You smell like that and cinnamon. Very Christmasy.”
Cyn snorted. “Christmas?”
“Mmhm. Oh!” She looked between us. “Do y’all celebrate holidays like humans do?”
“Not for the same reasons as humans do—like worshipping deities,” Ezra said. “But we’ve seen human celebrations on TV and in movies enough that our kind has taken up celebrating certain festivities outside of our own.”
Zeke turned sideways to face her, drawing one leg onto the couch and leaving the other foot on the floor. “Do me next.”
She blinked. “What?”
“What do I smell like to you?”
“Oh.” She laughed. “Um. Sweet honey and warm vanilla.”
The grin that spread across Zeke’s face made it clear he liked his scent profile. I wondered what that mixture smelled like to her. Candy? Cake? A warm drink? I’d have to ask her sometime.
“Now do Ezra,” he said, not pushing her to explain more.
“This is silly.”
“No, it’s not. He wants to know.” Zeke looked at Ezra, who’d been quietly observing us since the movie ended. “Don’t you?”
She turned to look at Ezra. “I mean, if you wanna know…”
When he angled his head to study her, her cheeks flushed. “Tell me,” he said, voice low.
Her pupils dilated, and a breath shuddered out of her.
I ran a hand over my mouth to hide a grin. Even if they weren’t on the same page emotionally, the sexual chemistry between them stirred my curiosity.
She took a steady breath and mumbled, “It’s woodsy and earthy, with spice and lavender. I have a candle that smells like you, so I know the scent notes.” Her gaze darted to the box sitting beside the entertainment center.
Zeke hopped up and went for the box, noticing her look. “In here? What’s it called?”
She groaned, burying her face in the back of the couch.
“Oh, come on,” I encouraged. “He’s curious. It’s not often a mate can know exactly what they smell like.”
She peeked at me. “Really?”
“Even if you told me I smelled like butterscotch, it’d still be through your filter. The candle will show us what Ezra’s scent means to you.”
She sat up. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.” She looked at Zeke, who remained on his knees next to the open box. “Mahogany Teakwood.”
He dug through the box until he pulled out a large candle with a golden lid. Opening it, he sniffed. “It’s strong,” he said, standing and bringing it to me when Cyn waved him off.
“It is.” I nodded, smelling the candle. “But it’s a nice scent.” I passed the candle to Ezra.
Rae watched him, a nervous set to her lips.
Ezra took his time looking at the candle’s exterior before finally bringing it to his nose. He lowered the candle, staring at the burnt wicks. His throat worked as he swallowed.
I nudged his leg. “Not bad, right?”
He looked at me, then at Rae. “You burn this a lot,” he said, instead of answering.
She nodded with a shrug. “Not all the time, but yeah.”
I’d noticed the lowered wax level when I smelled it, too. It wouldn’t be long before she’d need to replace it.
She didn’t just burn a candle she liked. She burned him.
“So you like this scent,” he said, studying her flushed face.
“I do,” she murmured.
He passed the candle back to Zeke to return to the box. “It’s a nice scent.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I leaned back against the couch. They had a long way to go before casual conversation didn’t sound awkward. I looked forward to the show.