Page 9 of Gladiator's Bite

“No,” they both said at the same time.

“Secrets breed contempt,” Teddy said.

“And there’s nothing to talk about,” Sunny added.

“I’d be okay if there was. This happened recently, huh?” I asked, realizing I was older than both of them.

“Last night,” Teddy said and Sunny shot eye daggers at him.

“It’s none of---” Sunny started and stopped.

“I’m gonna go. I’ll send Castor or maybe I’ll ask Fred to come talk to you all,” Teddy shook his head, starting to stand up. “I don’t want to mess anything up for you.”

My jaw clenched. I definitely missed more than them sleeping together. Casual sex happened. Drunken romps happened. When you weren’t mated, as long as it was consensual, it didn’t matter all that much.

“Wait,” Sunny said and my heart lifted a bit. Maybe he wasn’t the asshole after all.

“Yeah?” Teddy stopped short of the door.

“Stay because if you go back and send someone else with Liam’s message they’re going to get it out of you,” Sunny said.

“Are you trying to protect my feelings or your own?” I cut in.

“Huh?” Sunny glanced at me and I asked him again.

“What’s that even supposed to mean?”

“Last night, you didn’t know I existed. Last night was last fucking night,” I said, narrowing my eyes on him. “I don’t care if you participated in an orgy or took a train last night. So, if you’re all bent out of shape on my behalf maybe ask me before you stick your whole head up your ass.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna go, Sunny,” Teddy shook his head. “We should’ve talked first. I knew you’d do this. You talk a big game about how casual sex is for you but it’s not and that’s perfectly fine. I was the idiot who took you at face value when you said you wouldn’t do --- wouldn’t be like this afterwards. It was just sex, Sunny. No one’s in love. No one’s gonna be heartbroken. No one had to even be weird about it but here we are. It’s a small solar system. You’re not going to be able to avoid me forever, but I’ll do my best.”

“Hold on a minute!” I said before Teddy could leave or Sunny could spit out his retort. “Don’t I get a say in this? I’m the one the message was for, right?”

The Moonys shared a look that I couldn’t read. Their thoughts were quiet over the Starscale link too.

“Are you two staring each other down or talking?” I asked, not wanting a fist fight to break out in my office.

“Neither,” Teddy sighed. “Look, Liam had a vision of you having a vision of that nameless door lady, okay? He wanted to get in touch and talk you through whatever he saw. He knew you responded to Sunny because he saw him with you in the ritual. Apparently, I was there too, but the future changes. I’d have called,” he glanced at Sunny, “and I did but you didn’t answer. Which, fine whatever. Take it up with Liam or your parents or Castor. Hell, take it up with everyone waiting to meet their true-mate after the doors get here. Seriously, take it up with any of them and I’ll stay out of it.”

“No,” I said.

“What?” They both asked, narrowing their eyes on me.

“You two would’ve worked this out if Sunny and I hadn’t met today. Shut up!” I added because they both opened their mouths to speak. “Look, you would’ve. Probably not as lovers but you’d have been friends. You’re both too damn old to let sex make you into primordial single celled organisms about this. You have fucking brains and hearts. I don’t have to be a part of you working this out, but you need to work it out. I appreciate you taking care of Selt. It was a good call. It drove home a point that none of the Moonys are on their own, but I could’ve done it myself. So, it’s not about who needs to win a pissing contest or whatever. It’s simple. If you were both there, the ritual probably called for both of you. I have a feeling that a lot of magic runs in your veins too, Teddy, and a feeling in my balls that you’re going to be scrotum deep in magic before the decade is out. Takeit or leave it but if you leave it here you can take it up with the mateless dragons too.”

“You’re the one making it weird,” Sunny said to his friend, and I sighed.

“How?” Teddy asked.

“You weren’t there when I got out of bed.”

“Because you stayed in bed waiting for me to leave. So, I did. You wanted space you got it. You wanted a break from 1 and you got it. I was in the wrong. I knew this about you and I was --- No, actually, no,” Teddy shook his head. “We’re friends, right? Well, at least we were or were supposed to be. I’m not sorry. It happened. Stuff happens. It wasn’t a bad night. I’m not in love with you but I’ve never been in love with anyone. Not exes on Earthside. Not hookups at my purple district book club. I’ve never been in love and that doesn’t mean I’m going to be celibate. I kept it to myself because we didn’t talk about that stuff. You got hung up on what it all meant to you after your first hook up in the purple district. You figured that out about yourself. I don’t know what you were thinking last night.”

“That it would be different because we were friends,” Sunny spat out the words.

“And it is! I cooked you breakfast! I let you have the house to yourself! What was I supposed to do, Sunny? I’m not a Frost-damned mind reader.”

“May I interject?” I asked, unsure if it was my turn to speak or not.