Page 85 of First Ritual
Like fuck they were. “No.”
“What do you mean no?”
“I’m trying to manifest them not coming this way.”
“Manifest harder then. It’s not working. I can’t stop thinking about their nipples now.”
I refused to open my eyes as Rooke swirled in the water in half panic before eventually sitting ramrod straight beside me. Her tension was already ruining my vibe.
A hand wrapped around my ankle and jerked.
Water flooded my nose as I was dragged under the surface, then up. Clinging onto my attacker’s shoulder with one hand, I shoved my sopping white hair out of my face with the other and glared at Sven. “What the hell?”
He shook with laughter, holding me under each thigh to wrap me around his torso. “You looked so relaxed.”
My lips trembled, and I struggled to hold onto my anger. “I can’t believe you just did that. Are you twelve years old?” My gaze followed his gaze… to where he looked over my shoulder. At my cousin.
I whacked him, then grabbed his face and put my lips to his ear. “Please tell me you’re not showing off to get Rooke’s attention.”
Arms wrapped around my waist, hauling me off Sven.
“Off limits,” I hissed at the hulking magus. I frowned at Wild as he set me next to Rooke again, then sat on my other side.
I could assume the issue had been my physical proximity to Sven. I groaned and considered sliding under the water for good. “How did you find me?”
“This is our corner.”
I glanced at Rooke.
She lifted a shoulder. “They tend to sit here.”
Fuckers! What were the odds?
“You been watching us, Rookie?” Sven asked her.
Gross. Nope. Did these ploys actually work? I had a feeling the answer was yes. I had to out him. “Sven is trying to get your attention by causing disturbances and asserting dominance.”
Rooke swirled a hand through the water. “I know. He’s been doing it for years.”
Sven’s smile disappeared, and I felt it appear on my face.
“He wants me,” she continued. “But I told you about that thinking problem I have, right?”
I nodded, not wishing to interrupt the Rooke Show that was making my entire day.
She raked her eyes over the topless Sven. “A night with him wouldn’t be worth his baggage.”
“My baggage?” he said in outrage.
Rooke sighed prettily. “I’ll stick to my fantasy.” She leaned back against the cave wall, and her boobs rose with the action. If she’d done that on purpose, then my cousin was a seductive genius. “We could make that fantasy work in this setting, though, now I think about it. We’d just need a floating chessboard.”
I wasn’t alone in looking at Sven for his reaction.
We, all of us, saw his throat bob.
“Oh yeah?” he said hoarsely.
Huh. I had way, way missed what was going on. Sven had a total crush on my cousin while she was firmly, logically disinterested.