Sauter (Ironside Academy, #3)(118)

Hearing him rumble out those words in his soft velvet voice made her thighs immediately clench together. A reaction she attempted to ignore completely.

“I’ll do it myself.”

He exhaled a sharp puff of air. “When did you get so dangerous?”

“Huh?” She tilted her head to glance up at him and he quickly looked away.

“Nothing. You didn’t have sex today, did you?”

“Um. I don’t think so?” She dropped her head again, breathing in his bergamot scent.

He laughed again, the motion jolting her head slightly. “You’d fucking know, Illy. Especially with Oscar. Do you mind if I call Niko in here?”

“What for?”

“Just a little talk. Is that okay?”

She nodded, watching him curiously as he fished out his phone and sent a quick text, but his expression was soft and calm, preventing the anxiety from climbing back into her stomach.

When Niko came in, he walked straight over, picked up her phone and paused the Ironside episode before kicking off his shoes and sitting opposite them. He kicked up his legs along the edge of the window seat, lending her some of his heat without actually touching her.

“Big day?” he asked, his voice a pleasant rumble, free from any kind of inflection that could put her on edge.

“I … guess so.” She looked from him and up to Kilian, who only gave her a reassuring smile, his fingers running up and down her arms over the blanket she was still wrapped in.

“Are you okay with everything that happened today?” Niko asked, his beautiful mossy eyes showing nothing but kindness, no negative emotion emanating from him.

“Are you guys shielding your emotions from me?” she asked.

“We’ve been trying to.” Niko tilted his head in curiosity. “Are you avoiding my question for a reason?”

She sighed, folding her arms across her chest, the blanket slipping down. “I wanted everything to happen. I’m just surprised at myself, that’s all. I’ve never been very … boy crazy, I guess. Or girl crazy,” she quickly tacked on, for Kilian’s benefit.

That seemed to amuse him because he chuckled.

“Do you think the bond is making you feel this way?” Niko asked, now watching her very carefully.

She shook her head. “I wanted to think that for a while. I thought—since I’m not supposed to be able to scent you—that your scents were like … hypnotising me?” She looked down at her lap, embarrassed. “That sounds stupid.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Kilian let out a low, short growl that he quickly cut off. “Nothing you say to us right now will sound stupid.”

“And now?” Niko pressed, reaching out to lay his hand over her blanket, somehow knowing exactly where her foot was. He squeezed gently, forcing her eyes back up to his.

She shrugged, her embarrassment deepening. “Theo explained that people’s natural scents smell better or worse depending on your level of attraction to them.”

“So your feelings aren’t from the bond?” Kilian asked.

She stiffened.

Who the hell said anything about feelings?

“The bond isn’t forcing you into sexual situations with the others?” Niko clarified, his eyes narrowing as they took in her expression.

“N-No.” She shook her head quickly. “I could have stopped it at any time. I knew I could. Oscar’s scary but he wouldn’t hurt me.”

“He might hurt you,” Niko said seriously.

He made her scream.

“Only when I want him to,” she answered quietly.

Kilian grunted. “What do you mean? We need you to be specific.”

“I don’t like when Oscar threatens to be violent to other people, or … when I think he’s upset at me. I don’t like violence or anger in general. Cian made sure to tell me I wasn’t being punished for anything—if he hadn’t done that, I might have freaked out. But when they aren’t angry at me …” She trailed off, at a complete loss for how to explain herself.

“When you want to be claimed by your mate,” Niko supplied for her. “You want it done forcefully.”

She peered at him curiously. “How did you know that?” The questions rushed out of her now that he had managed to vocalise what she couldn’t: “Is that weird? Is it like that for all mates? Is it because you’re Alphas? I’ve never heard of anything like this before.”

“It might not be normal for everyone, but that doesn’t make it weird,” Niko answered calmly, his thumb now running along the bottom of her foot through the blanket.

It wasn’t like him to offer her physical comfort, but he seemed to be doing it deliberately, making sure that she didn’t feel like they were cornering her or lecturing her.

It was working.

She suddenly felt like she could tell Niko anything …

“Can you force people to tell you the truth?” she asked, a hint of an accusation in her tone.

He grinned the lovely lopsided smile he rarely gave her. “I can, but I’m not doing it right now.”

“Doesn’t stop everyone from telling him everything,” grumbled Kilian. “He tricks you with his stupid ‘friendly neighbourhood therapist’ face.”